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 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

                                                 Genesis 1.27

 

The Creation of Adam - Michaelangelo, c. 1508-1512CE

God is depicted as an elderly white-bearded man wrapped in a swirling cloak while Adam, on the lower left, is completely nude. God’s right arm is outstretched to impart the spark of life from his own finger into that of Adam, whose left arm is extended in a pose mirroring God’s, a reminder that humanity is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26). Another point is that Adam’s finger and God’s finger are not touching. It gives the impression that God, the giver of life, is reaching out to Adam who has yet to receive it; they are not on “the same level” as would be two humans shaking hands, for instance.

Many hypotheses have been formulated regarding the identity and meaning of the figures around God. The person protected by God’s left arm might be Eve due to the figure’s feminine appearance and gaze towards Adam, but was also suggested to be Virgin Mary, Sophia goddess of wisdom, the personified human soul, or an angel of feminine build.

The Creation of Adam is generally thought to depict the excerpt “God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him” (Gen 1:27). The inspiration for Michelangelo’s treatment of the subject may come from a medieval hymn, “Veni Creator Spiritus”, which asks the ‘finger of the paternal right hand’ (digitus paternae dexterae) to give the faithful speech.

From Wikipedia - original article here