[26] And he said: Let
us make man to our image and
likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls
of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature
that moveth upon the earth. [27] And God created man to his own image: to the image of God
he created him: male and female he created them. [28] And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the
fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that
move upon the earth. [29] And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing
seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own
kind, to be your meat: [30] And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the
air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that
they may have to feed upon. And it was so done. [31] And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were
very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day. (Gen.1:26-31)
[26] Let us make man to our image: This image of God in man, is not in the
body, but in the soul; which is a spiritual substance, endued with
understanding and free will. God speaketh here in the plural number, to
insinuate the plurality of persons in the Deity.
On
the sixth day he formed and created Adam, as it were of the age of
thirty-three years. This was the age in which Christ was to suffer death, and
Adam in regard to his body was so like unto Christ, that scarcely any
difference existed. Also according to the soul Adam was similar to Christ.
From Adam God formed Eve so similar to the Blessed Virgin, that she was like
unto Her in personal appearance and in figure.
God looked upon these two images of the
great Originals with the highest pleasure and benevolence, and on account of
the Originals He heaped many blessings upon them, as if He wanted to
entertain Himself with them and their descendants until the time should
arrive for forming Christ and Mary.
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