Image And Archetype

Τὸ δὲ θεῖον κάλλος οὐ σχήματί τινι, καὶ μορφῆς εὐμοιρίᾳ, διά τινος εὐχροίας ἀγλαΐζεται, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀφράστῳ μακαριότητι κατ' ἀρετὴν θεωρεῖται. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας μορφὰς διὰ χρωμάτων τινῶν ἐπὶ τοὺς πίνακας οἱ γραφεῖς μεταφέρουσι, τὰς οἰ κείας τε καὶ καταλλήλους βαφὰς ἀπαλείφοντες τῷ μιμήματι, ὡς ἂν δι' ἀκριβείας τὸ ἀρχέτυπον κάλλος μετενεχθείη πρὸς τὸ ὁμοίωμα· οὕτω μοι νόει καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον πλάστην, οἷόν τισι βαφαῖς τῇ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπιβολῇ πρὸς τὸ ἴδιον κάλλος τὴν εἰκόνα περιανθίσαντα, ἐν ἡμῖν δεῖξαι τὴν ἰδίαν ἀρχήν. Πολυειδῆ δὲ καὶ ποικίλα τὰ οἱονεὶ χρώματα τῆς εἰκόνος, δι' ὧν ἡ ἀληθινὴ ἀναζωγραφεῖται μορφὴ, οὐκ ἐρύθρημα καὶ λαμπρότης, καὶ ἡ ποιὰ τούτων πρὸς ἄλληλα μίξις, οὐδέ τινος μέλανος ὑπογραφὴ ὀφρύν τε καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑπαλεί φουσα, καὶ κατά τινα κρᾶσιν τὰ κοῖλα τοῦ χαρακτῆρος ὑποσκιάζουσα, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα ζωγράφων χεῖρες ἐπετεχνήσαντο· ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τούτων καθαρότης, ἀπάθεια, μακαριότης, κακοῦ παντὸς ἀλλοτρίωσις, καὶ ὅσα τοῦ τοιούτου γένους ἐστὶ, δι' ὧν μορφοῦται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ πρὸς τὸ Θεῖον ὁμοίωσις. Τοιούτοις ἄνθεσιν ὁ δημιουργὸς τῆς ἰδίας εἰκόνος τὴν ἡμετέραν δι εχάραξε φύσιν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα συνεξετάζοις, δι' ὧν τὸ θεῖον κάλλος χαρακτηρίζεται· εὑρήσεις καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα δι' ἀκριβείας σωζομένην ἐν τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς εἰκόνι τὴν ὁμοιότητα. Νοῦς καὶ λόγος ἡ θειότης ἐστίν· ἐν ἀρχῇ τε γὰρ ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Καὶ οἱ προφῆται κατὰ Παῦλον νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχουσι, τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς λαλοῦντα. Οὐ πόῤῥω τούτων καὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. Ὁρᾷς ἐν σεαυτῷ καὶ τὸν λόγον, καὶ διάνοιαν, μίμημα τοῦ ὄντως νοῦ τε καὶ λόγου. Ἀγάπη πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀγάπης πηγή. Τοῦτο γάρ φησιν Ἰωάννης ὁ μέγας, ὅτι Ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ, Ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστί· τοῦτο καὶ ἡμέτερον πεποίηται πρόσωπον ὁ τῆς φύσεως πλάστης. Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ, φησὶ, γνώσονται πάντες, ὅτι μαθηταί μου ἐστὲ, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους. Οὐκοῦν μὴ παρούσης ταύτης, ἅπας ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς εἰκόνος μεταπεποίηται. Πάντα ἐπιβλέπει, καὶ πάντα ἐπακούει τὸ Θεῖον, καὶ πάντα διερευνᾶται. Ἔχεις καὶ σὺ τὴν δι' ὄψεως καὶ ἀκοῆς τῶν ὄντων ἀντίληψιν, καὶ τὴν ζητητικήν τε καὶ διερευνητικὴν τῶν ὄντων διάνοιαν. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Περὶ Kατασκεῦης Ανθρώπoῦ, Κεφ Ε' Source: Migne PG 44.137a-c

The Divine beauty is not adorned with any fortunate shape or of form by some fairness of colours, but is contemplated as excellence in unspeakable blessedness. As then painters transfer human forms to their pictures by the means of certain colours, laying on their copy the appropiate and corresponding tints so that the beauty of the archetype is accurately carried over to the likeness, so I would have you understand that our Maker, by the addition of virtues, as it were with colors, paints the image to resemble His own beauty, showing in us His own sovereignty. And see that the tints by which the true form is portrayed are manifold and varied, not just red, or white , or some blending of these, nor a touch of black that paints eyebrow and eye, and shades, by some mixing, the depressions in the figure, and all such things which the hands of painters contrive, but in place of of these, purity, freedom from passion, blessedness, estrangement from all evil, and all such types of things which fashion men into the likeness of God. With such hues did the Maker of His own image mark our nature. And if you were to examine the other things by which the Divine beauty is expressed, you will find that in them also the likeness in our image is accurately preserved. The Godhead is mind and word, for 'In the beginning was the Word' 1 and the followers of Paul 'have the mind of Christ' which speaks in them. 2 Nor is humanity far removed from these. You see in yourself word and understanding, an imitation of the Mind and of the Word. Again, God is love, and the fount of love. For this the great John declares, that 'love is of God,' and 'God is love'. 3 And the Maker of our nature has made this to be our feature too, for He says: 'By this shall all know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' 4 Thus, if this not be present, the whole character of the likeness is changed. The Deity sees all things and hears all things, and examines all things. You also have the apprehension of things by sight and hearing, and the understanding that inquires into things and searches them out. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Making of Man, Chap 5 1 Jn 1.1 2 Phil 2.5 3 1 Jn 4.7-8 4 Jn 13.35