88. Cf. en. Ps. 68, exp. 1.9; s. 264.3. (continued)
68 Made to be Godly ond way is never in accord with God's plan of participation but is according to one's own machinations. Thus, instead of imitating God aright, the fallen soul seeks perfection through its own self. This is an insight Augustine developed early on:
In a perverse imitation of almighty God, what is the human person after if not to be the only one to whom all the rest [of creation] is subject? If he would have only unhesitatingly imitated God by living by his precepts, all created things would have been his and he would not have come to such a deformity so as to fear that fiend who wants to conquer men and women. This shows that pride also has a certain appetite for unity and omnipotence. . . [Habet ergo et superbia quemdam appetitum unitatis et omnipotentiae].89
By submitting to God, the human person would be placed above all creation. The human person's dominion over creation is clearly not an absolute right but was granted to him in light of his immediate conversion to and imitation of God. Having refused this metanoia and rightful participation in God (as opposed to the perverse imitation here), his earthly sovereignty was forfeited. Creation has thus been inverted: in demanding a godly life of unity and omnipotence (unitas et omnipotentia) on their own terms, the proud, originally created to serve God and rule over all other animals, have failed to give God due worship and thus find themselves living more akin to the beasts over which they were originally intended to rule.
We have seen how this attempt to seize divinity for themselves was a constant throughout Augustine's thought on the Fall. We see how the metaphysics we worked out earlier in exploring his theology of creation again comes into play. Those made in God's image can either turn toward God so as to be renewed and made like God, or they can turn away and in
89. uera rel. 45.84; Hill, On True Religion, 87; CCL 32.243. See also en. Ps. 103, exp. 2.11 as well as ciu. Dei 12.22 (CCL 47.380) where this desire for God is described in many of the same terms and strong images.