There are only three explicit Old Testament references to the doctrine of the image of God in man: Genesis 1:26, Genesis 5:2, and Genesis 9:6. However, the importance of the doctrine is out of all proportion to the limited treatment it receives in the Old Testament. That man is a [creature]] implies limitations upon the range and degree of his similarities to God.
What is the significance of man being created in the image of God? This article outlines the current state of exegesis on this doctrine and the problems connected with the traditional theological interpretation of Genesis 1:26. Next, he considers the newly recognized importance of intertestamental Judaism for a Christian doctrine of the image of God.
This is an article on theological anthropology, and in particular the anthropology of Irenaeus of Lyons. Was Irenaeus responsible for the distinction between the image of God and the likeness of God in man? This article looks at the importance of the theme in Irenaeus' thought in which he speaks of the Son and the Spirit as the "two hands" of the Father.
What does it mean that man is called the image of God (Imago Dei)? What is the nature of the "image"? This article surveys three interpretations: the substantialist, relational, and vocational, and concludes that the vocational view reflects the biblical evidence best. The ethical implications flowing from this view are then considered.
The following article is a comparative study of the translation of the Greek words anthrōpos ("man," "human being") and anēr ("man"). The IBS made a decision to forego the development of an "Inclusive Language Edition" of the NIV in the United States. At the time of writing the article, the UK edition was still available.