Sermon 77
The hidden image of God at the root of the soul
Sermon 77 (Evans numbering). On Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram (Genesis 1:26)
In brief
Eckhart takes the line from Genesis where God says 'let us make man in our image' and asks what it means for God to speak. His answer is that God's speech is the Son: the Father knows himself perfectly, and that act of self-knowing is itself a kind of begetting. From there he moves through some careful distinctions, between doing and making, between man and manhood, before arriving at his real subject, which is the image of God hidden in the human soul.
He leans on Augustine's own search for that image, which failed as long as Augustine looked at the outward powers of the soul, memory, understanding, and will, as they work on the world and on themselves. The image turns out to lie deeper, in something concealed above those three powers, a point where the soul touches God directly, with no likeness or representation standing between them. It is a short, dense sermon, but it points straight at one of Eckhart's central convictions: that something in us already stands open to God.
In plain English
Sermon 77
Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram (Genesis 1:26), 'Let us make man in our image.' What is God's speaking? The Father, observing himself with undivided perception, perceives the undivided purity of his own essence. There he sees the image of all creatures as a whole, there he speaks himself. His Word is his clear perception and that is his Son. God's speaking is his begetting.
God said, 'Let us make.' Theologians ask: why did God not say, 'Let us do' or 'Let us work'? Doing is an outward act, not fitting for the inward man. Work comes from the outward and from the inward man, but the innermost man takes no part in it. In making a thing, the very innermost self of a man comes into outwardness.
When God made man, the innermost heart of the Godhead was involved in the making. A pagan philosopher says, God made all things with wisdom. The Doctor says, the Son is the wisdom or love of the Father, by which he made all things.
God said, 'Let us make man.' Why did God not say, 'Let us make manhood,' since it was manhood that Christ took on? Man and manhood differ. When we speak of man we mean a person; when we speak of manhood we mean human nature. Philosophers define what nature is. It is the thing that essence can receive. So God took on manhood, not a man. It is written in the book of Moses that Adam was the first man God ever made. And I say that Christ was the first man God made. How is this so? The philosopher says, what is first in intention is last in execution. When a carpenter builds a house, his first intention is the roof, and that is the last part finished.
God said, 'Let us make man.' By this he let it be understood that he is more than one: three in Person, one in essence. St Augustine tells how, when he was looking for the image in the soul, he sought it first in the outward man, and there he found four likenesses, three links, and two faces. He found nothing of the image there. Then he searched for it in the inner man, and there he found one thing which corresponded to the simple essence in its simplicity and to the different Persons in its threefold powers. He found two faces in it. One working downward and the other upward. With the lower face the soul knows herself and outward things. The upper face has two activities: with one she knows God and his goodness and his outflowing; with this she loves and knows him today and not tomorrow. I love God today and not tomorrow. Now the image does not lie in her three powers, because of their instability. There is another power in the highest face, which is hidden, and in this hiddenness lies the image.
The image has five properties. First, it is made by another. Second, it corresponds to that same other. Third, it has flowed out from it; it is a substance existing in itself, the pure light that flows out from God and differs from him only in that it understands God. Fifth, it tends back toward what it came from. Two things adorn this image. One is that it is according to him; the other is that there is something of eternity in it. The soul has three powers: the image does not lie in them; but she has one power: the active intellect.
Now St Augustine and the newer philosophers declare that in this lies undivided memory, intellect, and will, and these three are inseparable, that is, the hidden image corresponds to God's essence. The divine being, God, shines straight into this image, and the image shines straight into God with nothing between.
May God come into us and we into him and be united with him. So help us God. Amen.
Plain-English version by Gregory Lahn, from C. de B. Evans's translation of Franz Pfeiffer's edition (London, 1924), which is in the public domain.
Read the 1924 translation
THE IMAGE IN THE SOUL
Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram (Gen. 1:26), said, 'Let us make man in our image.' What is God's speaking? The Father observing himself with impartible perception perceives the impartible purity of his own essence. There he sees the image of creatures as a whole, there he speaks himself. His Word is his clear perception and that is his Son. God's speaking is his begetting.
God said, 'Let us make.' Theologians ask: Why did not God say, 'Let us do' or 'Let us work?' Doing is an outward act beseeming not the inward man. Work comes from the outward and from the inward man, but the innermost man takes no part in it. In making a thing the very innermost self of a man comes into outwardness.
When God made man the innermost heart of the Godhead was concerned in his making. A heathen philosopher says, 'God made all things with wisdom.' The Doctor says, 'The Son is the wisdom or love of the Father wherewith he made all things.'
God said, 'Let us make man.' Why did God not say, 'Let us make manhood,' for it was manhood that Christ took? Man and manhood differ. Talking of man we mean a person; talking of manhood we mean human nature. Philosophers define what nature is. It is the thing that essence can receive. Hence God assumed manhood and not man. It is written in the book of Moses, Adam was the first man that God ever made. And I say that Christ was the first man God made. How so? The philosopher says, what is first in intention is last in execution. When a carpenter builds a house his first intention is the roof and that is the finish of the house.
God said, 'Let us make man.' Whereby he gave it to be understood that he is more than one: three in Person, one in essence. St Augustine relates that when he was looking for the image in the soul he sought it in the outward man, and there he found four likenesses and three links and two faces. He found nothing of the image. Then he hunted for it in the inner man, and there he found one thing which answered to the simple essence in its simplicity and to the various Persons in its trinity of powers. He found two faces to it. One working downwards and the other upwards. With the lower face she knows herself and outward things. The upper face has two activities; with one she knows God and his goodness and his emanation; with this she loves and knows him to-day and not to-morrow. I love God to-day and not to-morrow. Now the image will not lie in her three powers, by reason of their instability. Another power is in the highest face, which is concealed, in this concealment lies the image.
The image has five properties. First, it is made by another. Secondly, it answers to that same. Thirdly, it has emanated from it; not that it is the divine nature but it is a substance subsisting in itself; it is the pure light that emanates from God and only differs from him in understanding God. Fifthly, it tends towards what it came from. Two things adorn this image. One is, it is according to him; the other, there is somewhat of eternity therein. The soul has three powers: the image does not lie in them; but she has one power: the actual (or active) intellect.
Now St Augustine and the New Philosophers declare that in this lies impartible memory, intellect and will, and these three are inseparable, i.e. the hidden image answers to God's essence. The divine being (God) is shining straight into this image, and the image shines straight into God with nothing between.
May God come into us and we into him and be united with him. So help us God. Amen.
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