In this “prequel” to her first book, Bearing God’s Name (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019), Imes seeks to answer the question, “What does it mean to be human?” (p. 6). Her conclusion is built on the premise that the initial preposition in the Hebrew phrase בצלם אלהים (in Gen 1:27), normally translated “in the image of God,” is better translated “as the image of God.” While some may perceive this to be too nuanced, Imes insists that this distinction provides a corrective to the traditional understanding of the imago Dei in most biblical and theological discussions. Once her premises are established in the introduction (pp. 1–9), Imes offers her answer to the primary question. The implications of her answer are revealed through a careful study of Genesis 1–11 (part 1, “Humans in God’s World”), observations rooted in the reflections of the sages in the Wisdom literature (part 2, “The Way of Wisdom”), and an analysis of the New Testament passages that refer to Jesus as the image of God (part 3, “Human in God’s World”).

Imes’s emphasis is no “distinction without a difference,” although a less discerning reader might miss the difference. She bases her argument on an evaluation of the various functions of the preposition בְּ, narrowing her focus to the בְּ of identity. Citing Waltke and O’Connor (IBHS §11.2.5e), Imes avers, “this use of the preposition ‘marks the capacity in which an actor behaves (“as, serving as, in the capacity of”)’” (p. 5). She continues, “I think that to talk about being God’s image (rather than being made in God’s image) reinforces the concept that the imago Dei is essential to human identity rather than a capacity that can be lost” (p. 6, emphasis original). Imes takes exception to the idea that the image of God can be diminished, tarnished, or corrupted in any way due to the Fall. Her warrant is supported by the appeal to the fact that “image” is maintained in the birth of Seth to Adam (p. 32) and by reference to the prohibition against murder in Genesis 9:5–6 (pp. 66–67).

This perspective influences her exploration of human identity and the concomitant implications throughout the book in exceedingly helpful ways. Some of these concerns are women in ministry (pp. 47–49), human dignity (with implications for disability theology, p. 53), and prayer (with an emphasis on intercessory prayer, pp. 89–91). Additional implications are developed in the last section of the book, “Human in God’s New World” (pp. 109–80).

Imes begins part 3 by drawing attention to the fact that every reference to imago Dei in the New Testament is associated with Jesus (p. 109). She then maintains, “Jesus is not the image of God because he is God. Jesus is the image of God because he is human” (p. 109, emphasis original). Jesus’s embodiment of “full human personhood” allows the reader to “take a closer look at the dimension of his life on earth as a model … and a lens through which to view the creation ideal” (p. 113). The remaining conversation elaborates on aspects of humanity including the resurrection body (pp. 132–35), the scourge of racism (pp. 152–54), and disability theology (pp. 154–61).

Given Imes’s insistence that the imago Dei is the essence of human identity, one would suspect that Ryan Peterson’s revised dissertation (The Imago Dei as Human Identity: A Theological Interpretation, JTISup 14 [Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2016]) would draw largely similar conclusions even though different methodologies are employed and distinctive purposes are pursued. However, Peterson retains the translation “in the image of God” for בצלם אלהים in Genesis 1:26–27 while arguing that this is an identity claim (p. 3). His discussion indicates that human identity is primarily constitutional (related to abilities and attributes, p. 17) rather than essential. Another seeming point of disagreement with Imes’s thesis (and specifically her discussion in part 3) is Peterson’s Christological reading of the imago Dei that sees Jesus as the epitome of humanity and only “as the church is included in Christ the personal identities of its members are likewise realized” (pp. 102–3).

Imes’s writing style is highly conversational, making the content accessible to lay readers. Her analysis is guided by pastoral concerns. While by no means simplistic, the book avoids the technical discussions normally associated with academic debates and simplifies the basic concepts. Imes develops the implications of “being human” from the beginning to the end of human history.

The book incorporates informative sidebars/excurses to elaborate on a number of key ideas, such as the comparison between the biblical accounts and the ANE accounts of creation (pp. 25–26, 33–34), creation care (pp. 38–39), wisdom literature as human reflection (pp. 80–81), pornography (pp. 83–85), and a discussion of Jesus’s gender (pp. 110–11). Each chapter ends with a summary of key ideas, a “Digging Deeper” section (providing bibliographic resources for further study), and recommendations for The Bible Project videos that offer additional insights on selected topics.

This book is well suited for anyone who would like an entry-level introduction to this topic of critical importance for the believer. The inclusion of an appendix with discussion questions makes this book even more suitable for small group Bible study. Moreover, this volume would be valuable supplemental reading for a college biblical studies or theology course.

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