Imitatio dei

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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.

[edit] Imitatio dei 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 shape of God. Not only do people in the Torah aspire to take on godly virtues, they are aided by the depiction of God as a man - anthropomorphism. The concept is arguably best expressed in the following quote, taken from the Torah:

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. The Talmud (tractate Shabbat 133b) states: "So as He is merciful, so should you be merciful".

[edit] Imitatio dei in Christianity

The Christian disciple is told to imitate God on several occasions. Matthew 5:48 states: "Therefore you are 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 is 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. In Protestantism the picture is different: In the Anglosaxon tradition it is 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 cannot and need not be imitated, but followed in his spirit, to which the believer is not forced, but enabled.

See also Theosis, Imitation of Christ (disambiguation).

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