Imitatio Dei

Imitation of God (Latin: imitatio Dei) is the religious precept of Man finding salvation by attempting to realize his concept of supreme being. It is found in ancient Greek philosophy and several world religions. In some branches of Christianity, however, it plays a key role.

The phrase Imitatio Dei in its Genitive Form is Imitation of a God as in a Demigod; rather than imitating God.

Some scholars, such as Cyril Rodd, argue that the concept is not important in the ethics of the Hebrew Bible.

The concept of imitatio Dei - generally taken to be a mitzvah - in Judaism is derived, in part, from the concept of imago Dei - being made in the image of God. Not only do people in the Torah aspire to take on godly virtues, they are aided by the depiction of God as a human - anthropomorphism. The concept is arguably best expressed in the following quote, taken from Leviticus:

Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

This concept was later to become part of the basis of rabbinic Judaism. Jews are exhorted to perform acts of kindness similar to the ones ascribed to God. Examples are burying the dead (as God buried Moses), visiting the sick (as God visited Abraham) and some very similar mitzvot. The Talmud states: "As He is merciful, so should you be merciful".

Imitatio Dei appears in one form or another in Plato, Aristotle (where not only humans but everything else 'strives' toward the Unmoved Mover), and the Stoic philosophers.

The Christian disciple is told to imitate God on several occasions. Matthew 5:48 states, "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Luke 6:36 states, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." In Ephesians 5, they are told by Paul to "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children". The believer is also advised to follow the ways of Jesus, notably in 1 Corinthians 11:1: "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."

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