PIULA THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

Course Title: CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY

Course Code: TH 732

Lecturer: Rev Dr. UESELE TUPU

Task: Presentation: Imago Dei in Patristic Thought: Athanasius and the

Cappadocians

Names: Tautua Sapati Lio

Due Date: 29th April 2025

The doctrine of the Imago Dei (Image of God) has been a central theological theme in Christian

thought, particularly in the Patristic era. Among early Church Fathers, Athanasius of Alexandria

and the Cappadocian Fathers—Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus

—offered profound reflections on what it means for humanity to be made in God’s image. Their

theologies were deeply influenced by their Christological commitments and soteriological

concerns. Athanasius viewed the Imago Dei primarily through the lens of creation, the fall, and

redemption in Christ, emphasizing how the Incarnation of the Word restores the divine image in

humanity. The Cappadocians, while building upon Athanasius, emphasizing the unique dignity

and potential for humanity to reflect God’s image through participation in the divine life and

love. This essay will explore Athanasius’ theology of Imago Dei through the principles of

Creation, Incarnation, and Salvation, before examining the Cappadocians’ contributions and the

key differences between their theological approaches.

Athanasius on the Imago Dei

1. Creation and the Imago Dei

Athanasius’ theology of the Imago Dei is fundamentally rooted in creation. In his seminal work

On the Incarnation, he asserts that humanity was created in the image of God to reflect His

goodness and enjoy communion with Him.1 This concept derives from Genesis 1:26–27, where

God declares, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” 2 According to Athanasius, the

image of God in humanity signifies an inherent participation in divine rationality, morality, and

1
Athanasius. On the Incarnation. Translated by John Behr. (St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2011), 4.
2
The Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1989), 1.
relationality or somehow called “rational soul”. 3 It means, the image is immortal and invisible

and it was not completely lost in the fall. Therefore, humanity was created with a capacity for

knowledge of God, intended to reflect divine wisdom and holiness.

However, Athanasius makes a key distinction: while the human soul bears God’s image, this

image is not self-sustaining but dependent on divine grace. When humans abide in God, they

reflect His image; when they turn away, this image becomes distorted. He explains that sin is

fundamentally a corruption of the divine image, a descent into non-being:

“For the transgression of the commandment was turning them back to their natural state, so
that just as they had come into being out of non-existence, so also, as was fitting, they
might be able to be undone into non-existence in the course of time.”4
Thus, for Athanasius, humanity’s dignity as the Imago Dei is not an autonomous quality but a

gift sustained through relationship with the Creator. In this sense, God’s purpose in asserting his

image on human beings, so that, they have the knowledge of who their Maker is, and so separate

human from brute creatures.

2. The Incarnation as the Restoration of the Imago Dei

Athanasius’ most radical claim is that the Incarnation of the Son is the divine response to the

corruption of the Imago Dei. In On the Incarnation, he argues that human sin had led to a

marring of the divine image, rendering humanity incapable of restoring itself. Therefore, the

Logos (Word) became incarnate to restore humanity to its original state:

“For He assumed a body so that He might restore the body to life, and He became human
so that He might renew humanity after Himself.”5

3
Stanley J. Grenz, The Social God and the Relational Self: A Trinitarian Theology of the Imago Dei
(Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), 150.
4
Athanasius, 4.
5
Athanasius, 13.
Athanasius employs the metaphor of a damaged painting to illustrate this concept. If an image of

a king on a canvas becomes defaced, the king must sit for the artist again so the image can be

restored. Similarly, Christ—the perfect image of the Father (Colossians 1:15)—took on human

nature so that, through Him, the fallen image in humanity could be renewed.

For Athanasius, this renewal is not merely ethical but ontological—it transforms human nature

itself. Christ, as the new Adam, reverses the corruption brought by the first Adam, allowing

humans to regain the divine image.

3. Salvation and Participation in the Divine Life

The culmination of Athanasius’ theology of the Imago Dei is found in his doctrine of salvation,

which is ultimately a participation in divine life. He famously declares:

“For He was made man that we might be made God.”6

This statement, often cited in discussions of theosis, means that salvation is not merely forensic

(legal forgiveness) but a restoration of humanity’s participation in God’s divine nature. The

Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection enable humans to become like God, regaining their

original glory through union with Christ. This transformation occurs through faith, baptism, and

participation in the sacraments, which Athanasius sees as means of restoring the divine image.

Gregory of Nyssa on the Imago Dei

Humans as Rational Animals: The Greek Philosophical Tradition

Gregory of Nyssa adopts the Greek philosophical definition of the human being as a “rational

animal.”7 This definition, famously formulated by Aristotle and adopted widely in Greco-Roman

6
Athanasius, 54.
7
Grenz, 151.
thought, posits (to put, place) that what sets humans apart from other animals is their capacity for

reason (logos).8 Gregory’s acceptance of this definition is not surprising given his strong

background in classical education (teaches students in how to learn rather than what to learn) and

Platonic philosophy (any philosophy derives from Plato), which heavily influenced the early

Church Fathers.

When Gregory asserts that “since man is a rational animal, the instrument of his body must be

made suitable for the use of reason,” 9 he means that the human body was purposefully designed

to facilitate rational thought. The body is not arbitrary (based on random choice or personal

whim, rather than any reason or system) or merely physical; rather, it is shaped in such a way

that it supports and expresses the rational soul. Features such as speech, upright posture, and the

structure of the brain serve as tools for reason. In this way, Gregory acknowledges a harmony

between body and soul, where the physical form is adapted to the soul’s rational capacity. This

statement reflects a dual emphasis: (1) that the soul is inherently(permanently/essential) rational,

and (2) that the human body has a divine design fitted for expressing that rationality. It

underscores a holistic view of the human person, one that unites physical and spiritual attributes

in the divine plan.

Imago Dei: Image of God as Fullness of Good

Central to Gregory’s theological anthropology is his interpretation of the Imago Dei — the belief

that humans are made in the image of God, as declared in Genesis 1:26–27. 10 For Gregory, this

image is not limited to a single human quality but encompasses the entire structure of the human

8
Stephen Stich, Is Man a Rational Animal, Purdue University.
https://web.ics.purdue.edu/StichRationalAnimal.pdf.com
9
Grenz, 151.
10
The Holy Bible, 1.
person. He writes that being created in God’s image “is a comprehensive phrase denoting that

God fully supplied humans with all good after the manner of God, who is fullness of good.”11

This holistic interpretation implies that the divine image is not confined to one particular faculty,

like reason or morality, but includes every good aspect of human nature: moral excellence,

spiritual wisdom, volitional freedom (freedom of choice), and rational understanding. It mirrors

the fullness of God’s own nature — a God who is characterized by goodness, wisdom, and

freedom.

However, even though Gregory acknowledges this comprehensive image, he gives special

prominence to two features: volition and reason.

3. Volition and Freedom: Virtue as a Voluntary Act

A striking feature of Gregory’s anthropology is his emphasis on volition, or the human capacity

to choose freely. He writes, “Pre-eminent (more important) among all is the fact that we are free

from necessity, (fact of being required – necessity of providing parental guidance) and not in

bondage to any natural power, but have decision in our own power as we please; for virtue (by

authority of) is a voluntary thing.”12

Here, Gregory is distancing himself from deterministic views (relating to the philosophical

doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes regarded as

external to the will) of human nature, whether pagan or fatalistic (inevitable). In his view, the

highest human excellence — virtue — cannot be genuine unless it is chosen freely. To act

virtuously under compulsion or necessity does not reflect true moral goodness. This emphasis on

11
Grenz, 151.
12
Grenz, 151.
volition also connects to the image of God: just as God acts out of divine freedom, so humans,

bearing His image, are endowed with the capacity for moral freedom and self-direction.

Gregory’s position is rooted in both Scripture and Greek ethics. The Stoics and Aristotle had long

held that virtue required intentionality and choice. 13 Gregory Christianizes this idea by

connecting free will not just to moral development but to the divine image itself. It is this very

freedom — the ability to will and choose the good — that reflects God’s nature most intimately.

Reason as the Pinnacle of the Divine Image

Although Gregory affirms multiple dimensions of the Imago Dei, he elevates reason as the

crowning glory of human nature. He writes, “Now since the Maker has bestowed upon our

formation a certain Godlike grace, by implanting in his image the likeness of His own

excellences… mind and reason we cannot strictly say that He gave, but He imparted them,

adding to the image the proper adornment of His own nature.”14

This statement carries significant theological weight. Gregory distinguishes between things that

God gives — like bodily form or faculties — and things that God imparts — such as mind and

reason. To impart something suggests a deeper level of sharing, where God bestows not just a

function but a reflection of His very essence. In this case, reason and intellect are not merely

tools for survival or cognition; they are divine traits shared with humanity.

Reason thus becomes the essential aspect of the divine image — the way in which the soul

participates in God's own nature. Gregory concludes this thought by stating, “the soul finds its

perfection in that which is intellectual and rational.” 15 This perfection is not static or

13
Stephen Stich, Is Man a Rational Animal, Purdue University.
https://web.ics.purdue.edu/StichRationalAnimal.pdf.com
14
Grenz, 151.
15
Grenz, 151.
automatically possessed; it is something the soul grows into through contemplation, moral effort,

and communion with God. The rational soul, in its pursuit of truth and wisdom, becomes ever

more like its Creator.

Conclusion

Athanasius and the Cappadocian Fathers provided foundational insights into the Imago Dei,

emphasizing creation, redemption, and human participation in divine life. Athanasius highlighted

the Incarnation as the decisive act restoring the divine image, in other words, Salvation according

to Athanasius, is the Re-Creation. Gregory of Nyssa presents a compelling and richly layered

vision of the human person, deeply rooted in both Christian theology and Greek philosophy. By

defining the human as a “rational animal,” he affirms the centrality of reason, not merely as an

intellectual tool but as a divine endowment. Reason and freedom, for Gregory, are not accidental

traits—they are essential aspects of the Imago Dei, implanted in humanity to reflect God’s own

nature. Volition, or free will, further elevates human dignity, making virtue a matter of choice

rather than compulsion. This freedom reflects God’s own will, allowing humans to pursue the

good voluntarily. Together, reason and freedom form the core of the human calling—to grow into

the likeness of God.

Ultimately, Gregory’s anthropology is not only philosophical—it is deeply spiritual. It calls each

person to recognize the divine image within, to nurture it through reason and virtue, and to strive

toward the perfection that is found in communion with the divine. In a world often fragmented

by competing views of what it means to be human, Gregory’s vision offers a unifying and

elevating perspective: that to be human is to be a creature of mind, of will, and of grace—

fashioned after the very nature of God.