Anthropological views of the saint Irenaeus of Lyons
Like the apologists, saint Irenaeus of Lyons speaks of the first man as of a child in the mind, who needs to go through a number of steps of upbringing. The developing and improving person will once be able to contemplate God, thereby gains immortality. Some solidarity is supposed, the identity between Adam and his children: the replication of negative experience after the forefather. Irenaeus of Lyons is the first Christian theologian who makes extensive use of Gen. 1,26 by building an anthropological model. Man is created in the image of the Son and in the likeness of the Father. "Image" refers to the fleshly person, to corporality. Mankind lost in Adam the being in the image and the likeness, because only the image remained. In Jesus Christ we get back the likeness. The image and the likeness are being differed by Irineus of Lyons vaguely. The likeness of God is in the intellect and freedom (autonomy) of man, which concern to his natural functional characteristics. Not in essence, but in the image, is the material principle of a person similar, the psychical principle of a person is in the likeness similar. Man is similar to God the Father, if his soul is filled with the Holy Spirit, in that case man will develop spiritually. Combining body, soul and spirit forms a complete person.