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Philo says the first man, made in God's image, is imperishable and seen only by the mind, unlike the mortal man of today. In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus speaks of people's images that came into being before them and neither die nor are revealed.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Philo, On the Creation 134
Classical
After this, Moses says that "God made man, having taken clay from the earth, and he breathed into his face the breath of life." And by this expression he shows most clearly that there is a vast difference between man as generated now, and the first man who was made according to the image of God. For man as formed now is perceptible to the external senses, partaking of qualities, consisting of body and soul, man or woman, by nature mortal. But man, made according to the image of God, was an idea, or a genus, or a seal, perceptible only by the intellect, incorporeal, neither male nor female, imperishable by nature. But he asserts that the formation of the individual man, perceptible by the external senses is a composition of earthy substance, and divine spirit. For that the body was created by the Creator taking a lump of clay, and fashioning the human form out of it; but that the soul proceeds from no created thing at all, but from the Father and Ruler of all things. For when he uses the expression, "he breathed into," etc., he means nothing else than the divine spirit proceeding form that happy and blessed nature, sent to take up its habitation here on earth, for the advantage of our race, in order that, even if man is mortal according to that portion of him which is visible, he may at all events be immortal according to that portion which is invisible; and for this reason, one may properly say that man is on the boundaries of a better and an immortal nature, partaking of each as far as it is necessary for him; and that he was born at the same time, both mortal and the immortal. Mortal as to his body, but immortal as to his intellect.
Date: 20-50 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Gospel of Thomas 1:84
Nag Hammadi
83 Jesus said, “Images are visible to mankind, but the light within them is hidden in the Father’s light. He will be revealed, but his image is hidden by his light.” 84 Jesus said, “When you see your likeness you are happy. But when you see your images that came into being before you and that neither die nor are revealed, how much you will have to bear!” 85 Jesus said, “Adam came from great power and great wealth, but he did not become worthy of you. For had he been worthy, [he would] not [have tasted] death.”
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Notes and References
“... The distinction between an immortal and a transient, external image, which is the main point here, is not uniquely Gnostic, however. [...] 84.2 But when you see your images which came into being before you. These ‘images’ are the pre-existent beings which existed in the beginning (GTh 18), and come from the light (GTh 49–50). Philo also distinguishes between the man in his present (νῦν) form, and the first, noetic man formerly (πρότερον) created (Opif. 134). 84.2 Which neither die nor are revealed. The first element of this parenthetical remark is easily comprehensible—the pre-existent images are understandably everlasting entities. That they are not revealed probably means that they never appear in the sensible realm, hence the vision of these images in 84.2 is an intellectual-spiritual vision, in contrast to the everyday sense of sight involved in 84.1. Again, Philo refers to the true idea of ‘man’ made in the image of God as both imperishable and visible only to the intellect, in contrast to the visible mortal man (Opif. 134). ...”
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