The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
In His Image and Likeness
August 11, 1998
Genesis speaks of diversity among created things and concludes that man was given dominion over all the animals of the earth and sea. Man was determined to be made in the image and likeness of God.
Clearly, man is the highest species on earth since he alone demonstrates the ability to reason as to his existence and has the knowledge of his own impending death.
In creating things, God, as Goodness itself, endowed created things with some element of goodness. All of these things are shades of complete goodness, as part of an orange is not as complete as the whole.
Aquinas uses this idea and the evident diversity of created things to explain mankind’s role on earth: "A being is noble and perfect in the measure that it approaches likeness to God" (Compendium Ch. 74).
Man, as the rational animal and leader on earth of all animals, is deemed to be the most noble and perfect and closest to God. At the same time, it is evident that man is NOT God, because man is neither infinite nor eternal and was caused by something pre-existing.
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
