Augustine’s Early Theology of Image by Gerald P. Boersma

Abstract

Reviewed by: Augustine’s Early Theology of Image by Gerald P. Boersma Evgenia Moiseeva Gerald P. Boersma Augustine’s Early Theology of Image Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016 Pp. 318. $72.99. The description of Christ as the image of God first appeared in Paul’s Epistles, but it was not until the fourth century that the theology of image attracted attention of great theologians of the time such as Augustine. Boersma’s book focuses on Augustine’s early theology of image based on the works written before 391, such as Contra Academicos (2.2.1–2.3; 3.5.11–6.13; 3.17.37–20.45), De soliloquia (especially 2.6.10–7.13), De Genesis contra Manichaeos, De diversis quaestionibus octaginta tribus (51.4 and 74), and De vera religione. Before turning his attention to Augustine, Boersma, in the first part of the book, provides a synthesis of what he calls the pro-Nicene theology of image, together with a short notice on Tertullian and Novatian. The most influential voices of the Latin theology of image (e.g. Hilary of Poitiers, Marius Victorinus, and Ambrose of Milan) are concerned with the meaning of Colossians 1.15 that calls Christ the image of God. The great difficulty they are facing is Genesis 1.26, which also names humanity an image of God. They seek to reconcile Christology with anthropology, but with little success. Assuming that the true image of God shares the properties of God, they all conclude (with nuances) that humanity is not an image of God, but made according to the image; or, as in the case of Ambrose, humanity is a created image, whereas Christ is a perfect and uncreated one. The second part of the book follows the development of Augustine’s concept on the basis of the pro-Nicene Christology on the one hand, and of the Plotinian philosophy of image on the other hand. It is the Plotinian philosophy with its concept of participation that helps Augustine surpass his predecessors. In Augustine’s works, imago appears as an equivocal term that may describe something wrongly imagined or dreamed, but can also refer to a representation revealing the truth. The revelatory character of image is well demonstrated on the example of Proteus (Contra Academicos and De ordine), whose capacity to embody and to reveal the truth makes him a philosophical representation of Christ. A tight connection to the truth is an essential characteristic of image for Augustine; the image is able to unveil the truth because it originates from the truth. Originating from the truth also means participating in it. Humanity as well as Christ participates in God, and in this sense they are both images of God. If Christ is an image of perfect equality, humans are unequal images. Boersma’s discussion of the role of participatio in Augustine’s early theology of image is interesting, but I wish it was more persuasive. As the author himself remarks, this term is virtually absent in the Cassiciacum dialogues. However, we do find participatio in De moribus Manichaeorum 2 (Quaestiones 23 and 24) in the context of the participation of Christ and humanity in God but without a reference to imago. The emphasis on De diversis quaestionibus octoginta tribus 51.4 in Boersma’s analysis is problematic, because all we know is that De diversis quaestionibus was composed between 386 and 396. If Boersma believes that Quaestio 51, 4 was written before 391, it would be helpful to provide support [End Page 333] for this dating. The first time we clearly see Augustine speak about humanity as imago Dei in terms of participatio is in De Genesi liber imperfectus 16, written around 393–394. A brilliant rhetor, Augustine is known for his attention to the word choice. I am not entirely persuaded by the author’s suggestion that Augustine had used the concept well before he started using the associated vocabulary. It would be desirable to trace the introduction of participatio in Augustine’s theology of image on the basis of a more thorough textual analysis. In summary, the book is a well-written, academic synthesis of Augustine’s early theology of image that...