Creed 8 The Creation of Man

Creation 6 things that distinguish Human Creation in Gen 1:26,27; 2:7 – 1. made in God’s image – 2. God looked upon it as “very good” – 3. God breathed into the nostrils of Humans and gave them a living soul – 4. God gave them dominion over the rest of the visible creation – 5. God premeditated the creation of man: “Let Us make”, not just “Let it be” – 6. man is made through special creation taken from the earth

Man is made in God’s likeness Gen1:26, 27 – Male and Female – What we should understand about being in the image of God… part of it is the dominion we are given, as God has dominion over everything, all creation reflects God We are called to subdue and have dominion over all of God’s creation Male and Female in each person Perfection in God, female and male characteristics… – God as a Mother, caring and loving – Strong and disciplinarian as a Father

Man is made in God’s likeness A human being is a micro-cosmos, in them they carry all the characteristics of the created world: the inanimate, the vegtable, and the animal creation. And they share with angels having a spirit When humans couldn’t control themselves, they couldn’t subdue their desires, they fell – Many saints subdued animals, Anba Barsoum and the snake – When we are back in the image of God, we can subdue animals Starts with us subduing ourselves

Man is made in God’s likeness When we look at the creation of Eve, Gen. 2:18-25 – There is something “not good”, Adam being alone Loneliness is not something good – God says its not good for Adam to be alone, and then proceeds to create animals for Adam to name. He wants Adam to name the animals. In order to name the animal, Adam must inspect the animals. He discovers that animals are male and female, always together and intimate. Discovery is through the naming of the animals. Adam discovered the need for helpmate. – Teaches us that God respects Adam’s free will. He will not push him to marry. God responded to Adam’s heart’s desire: “but for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.” – When God raised Lazarus, Jesus said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.” (John 11:41). When did Jesus pray for Lazarus to resurrect? When He cried, from the heart. God responds to the heart.

Man is made in God’s likeness Why did God create Eve from Adam? Not from the ground? – For unity! In the image of God. Unity! – Unity is grounded in truth, in creation – Fruitful by their combination – From the rib, showing equality.. Not the head, not the foot, nor the back nor the front… the rib Nakedness? – Baby and mother are naked… fed by a naked mother, cleansed naked – Marriage has nakedness, to be binding must have the church mystery and the consummation – Baptism- nakedness of baby – Naked is the highest intimacy, complete revelation of person – Union between each other, and perfect Union with God The devil targets their nakedness, bringing shame to the union The intimacy of nakedness accepts even the undesirable parts. There is no self awareness of any shame or shameful parts. Leaving of father and mother, so that they depend on each other In St John’s gospel, Jesus is portrayed as the New Adam, His side was speared, water and blood came forth, and Jesus is the Bridegroom, on the Cross He is asleep, Water = Baptism, Blood = Eucharist, by which the Bridegroom receives His Bride (the New Eve is the Church)

The Image and Likeness of God The image is what we are called to be; the likeness is what we are 1 John 3:1-2 “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God (meaning, the likeness of God); and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him (meaning, the image of God), for we shall see Him as He is.”

The Soul Is the soul created or born? There are 4 theories: 1. Plato and Philo said that all the souls are kept in God’s possession and are sent one by one at the time of their birth. This is also said by the Gnostics 2. The spirits are parts of God’s spirits and this is part of the Pantheistic theory 3. The spirits are created by God at the second of conception; this theory is accepted by the Catholic theologians and it supports the immaculate conception theory. The problem with this theory: it does not explain the inheritance of a fallen state 4. The souls are born with the body and they are a product of the union of the father and the mother