John of Damascus
1st Point.—_What is an Image?_
On Holy Images — translated by Mary H. Allies
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¶1
An image is a likeness and representation of some one, containing in itself the person who is imaged. The image is not wont to be an exact reproduction of the original. The image is one thing, the person represented another; a difference is generally perceptible, because the subject of each is the same. For instance, the image of a man may give his bodily form, but not his mental powers. It has no life, nor does it speak or feel or move. A son being the natural image of his father is somewhat different from him, for he is a son, not a father.
Translated by Mary H. Allies. Edition opa.patristics.john-of-damascus.on-holy-images.en.