Abstract

ree comments on the Book of Genesis and the treatise On the Trinity enabled
us to become acquainted with the Augustinian teaching on the image of God
in man in the mystery of Creation. anks to such a narrowing of the source material,
we could more carefully and with greater prudence analyze the thoughts
of the Bishop of Hippo. We hope that in this way we managed to avoid the risk
of superficiality and we took into account all the statements of Saint Augustine
regarding the problem posed. Unfortunately, L. Krupa did not prevent himself from committing this mistakeN8. He did not take up the subject of human nature
as an image of God, and completely passed over in silence the polemics of the
Bishop of Hippo with Gnostics, who regarded the human family as the image
of the Holy Trinity. Based on the analysis carried out, we could see that according
to Saint Augustine’s image of God in man is to be sought in his soul, and
in the strict sense, in this “part” of him, which is focused on the contemplation
of eternal ideas. e essence of the image of God is expressed in the ability of the
soul to participate in God’s life. All this reflects, as Saint Augustine states, the
true honour and dignity which man owes to his Creator. A characteristic feature
of God’s image, even a basic one – in view of the Augustinian approach – is its
trinitarian character.
Saint Augustine tried to seek the traces of the Holy Trinity everywhere.
is significant task was the passion of his life. Finally, he has found the image
of the Holy Trinity in man. He tried to provide his readers with an insight into
this reality through the trinitarian analogies, the source of which he discovered
in the structure of the human soul. Considering the entirety of St. Augustine’s
teaching on the image of God in man in the mystery of Creation, the analogous
images of the Holy Trinity in the soul seem to be the most interesting for us.
On the other hand, like Saint Augustine, however, we are aware of their great
limitations. For what is created, even in its most beautiful representation, in comparison
with the Creator will always be in a vulnerable and poor condition.