Everything about Imitatio Dei totally explained
Imitatio dei (
Latin,
imitating god) is a
religious concept according to which virtue among man is found by resembling
God, to which man should aspire. It is found in several religions.
In Judaism
The concept of
imitatio dei - generally taken to be a
Mitzvah - in
Judaism is derived, in part, from the concept of
Imago Dei - being made in the image of God. Not only do people in the
Torah aspire to take on godly virtues, they're aided by the depiction of
God as a man -
anthropomorphism. The concept is arguably best expressed in the following quote, taken from the
Torah, which also forms the Old Testament in
Christianity:
| Leviticus 19:2: "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.'" |
| ויקרא י"ט, 2: "דבר אל כל עדת בני-ישראל ואמרת אלהם קדשים תהיו כי קדוש אני ה' אלהיכם." |
In later time, this concept was part of the basis of rabbinic Judaism. Jews are exhorted to perform acts of kindness similar to the ones ascribed to God. Examples are burying the dead (as God buried Moses), visiting the sick (as God visited Abraham) and some very similar
mitzvot (tractate Sotah 14a). The
Talmud (tractate Shabbat 133b) states: "So as He is merciful, so should you be merciful".
In Christianity
The
Christian disciple is told to imitate God on several occasions.
Matthew 5:48 states: "Therefore you're to be perfect, as your heavenly
Father is perfect." See also
Expounding of the Law.
Luke 6:36 states: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." In
Ephesians 5, he's told by
Paul to: "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children". The believer is also advised to follow the ways of
Jesus, notably in
1 Corinthians 11:1: "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
The Catholic church fully endorses the concept of imitatio dei/Christi, see also
Evangelical counsels. In Protestantism the picture is different: In the Anglosaxon tradition it's also widely accepted, whereas the
Lutheran tradition prefers to talk of conformitas, or in German of "Nachfolge" instead of "Nachahmung" (imitation), because Jesus was singular and can't and need not be imitated, but followed in his spirit, to which the believer isn't forced, but enabled.
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