51. As regards what the image is, an image is not a likeness but is 'according to a likeness'. Therefore it is said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness'. A spiritual man is an image, whereas a celestial man is a likeness or exact replica. The spiritual man is the subject in this present chapter, the celestial man in the next. The spiritual man, who is an image, is called by the Lord 'a son of light', as in John,

He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be sons of light. John 12:35-36.

He is also called 'a friend',

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. John 15:14-15

The celestial man however, who is a likeness, is called 'a son of God', in John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His Name, who were born, not of blood, ¹ nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

Footnotes:

3564. 'And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother' means that from the will which occupied an external position he perceived that it was natural good. This is evident from the fact that he did not recognize Jacob as Jacob, that is, as the truth which 'Jacob' represents, but perceived him as Esau, that is, as natural good which exists outwardly. He did so because of an influx, dealt with immediately above in 3563. For between interior good and exterior good a communication takes place by virtue of parallelism, 1831, 1832, 3514, but not between good and truth unless the influx of good into truth is such as that described immediately above.