What Does It Mean to Be a Creature? Reflections from the Early Christian Theologians

ABSTRACT This paper is not an exercise in patristic disability theology; rather it seeks to explore the theological anthropology of the Fathers, particularly Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa, in such a way as to shed light on how they understood human physicality and limitation, morbidity and mortality. The key is the doctrine of creation and the consequent recognition of humankind as a creature (1) constituted of soul and body, thus to be re-created at the resurrection rather than continuing to exist as an inherently immortal soul, and (2) made in the image of God, the image, or portrait, being manifest in a medium other than what is imaged. Personal testimony indicates the relevance of these points for the sacredness of bodies, even of those impaired or disabled.