Folia Theologica 11. (2000)
László Vanyó: The Patristic Interpretation of 'Redemptio'
THE PATRISTIC INTERPRETATION OF ‘REDEMPTIO’ 35 The original intention of God accordingly in the redemption, the man has a great importance, for that, because according to the likeness and the image is in advance a connection between Christ and the man. Christ is the plenitude of the divinity, but the man itself is the glory of God and the receptaculum of the wisdom for God.37 38 It is the acknowledge of God, that renews the man to the image of the Creator, for this reason, that Irenaeus emphasizes the mode of the redemption as "rationabilis” The aim of the restoration of the “image” and “likeness"- that is the work of the Son and the Holy Spirit, who function as realizing “hands", - that the man made living and perfect obtains and receives the “perfect Father". The trinitarian structure of the recapitulation here became more clear.39 The whole man and not a part of the man is the image and the likeness of God, therefore it is necessary, that the Holy Spirit with the soul and by the mediation of the soul unites with the body too. This perfect, spiritalis man is the image and likeness of God. If the Spirit is not in him, he is no complet, no perfect, he is animalis, even if the image Patris, et caro factus, ipse et Jesus Christus Dominus noster, qui et passus pro nobis, et surrexit propter nos, et rursus venturus est in gloria Patris, ad resuscitandam universam carnem, et ad ostensionem salutis, et regulam iusti iudicii ostendere omnibus qui sub ipso facti sunt. Unus igitur Deus Pater, quemadmodum ostendimus, et unus Christus Dominus noster, veniens per universam dispositionem, et omnia in semetipsum récapitulons. In omnibus autem est et homo plasmatio Dei; et hominem ergo semetipsum récapitulons est, invisibilis visibilis factus, et incomprehensibilis factus conmprehensibilis, et impassibilis passibilis, et Verbum homo, universa in semetipsum récapitulons; ut sicut in supercaelestibus princeps est Verbum Dei, sic et in visibilibus et corporalibus principatum habeat, in semetipsum primatum assumens, et apponens semetipsum caput Ecclesiae, universa attrahat ad semetipsum apto in tempore" (AH III, 17,6; Harvey Ii,87-88) 37 “In Christi enim nomine subaditur qui unxit, et ipse qui unctus est, ipsa inctio, in qua unctus est vero Filius, in Spiritu, qui est unctio...." (AH III, 19,1 Harvey II, 97) “Gloria enim hominis Deus operationes vero Dei; et omnis sapientiae eius et virtutis receptaculum homo" (AH 111,21,1 Harvey 11,97) “Gloria enim Dei vivens homo: vita autem hominis visio Dei" (AH IV,34,7 Harvey Ii,219) 38 “Agnitio enim Dei renovat hominem. Et in eo quod dicit, 'secundum imaginem conditoris,, recapitulationem manifestavit eiusdem hominis, qui in initio secundum imaginem factus est Dei" (AH V,12,4. Harvey 11,353) 39 “...sic in fine Verbum Patris et Spiritus Dei, adunitus antiqae substantiae plasmationis Adae, viventem et perfectum effecit hominem, capientem perfectum Patrem; ut quemadmodum in animali omnes mortui sumus, sic in spirituali omnes vivificemur... Et propter hoc in fine non ex voluntate carnis, neque ex voluntate viri, sed ex placito Patris manus eius vivum perfecerunt hominem, uti fiat Adam secundum imaginem et similitudinem Dei" (AH V, 1,3 Harvey II, 317)
