What is meant by imago Dei?

Answer 1

Imago Dei is a Latin phrase meaning "image of God". That is, humans are created in the image of God.

And it doesn't mean "the physical image", because there is nothing like God, no shape or place can involve Him, but it means that God gave us some of His characters, eg:

we hear, we see, we c an create, we can be merciful, we can be strong,... etc, but not with the same degree and form that God has, nor can be compared with His.

Answer 2

If I understand the question correctly, "emagovay" looks like a typed approximation of two Latin words, imago Dei.

If this is the question, then imago Dei means "the image of God," or "in the image of God."

References to the image of God can be found in both the Old and the New Testaments.

In the Old Testament

Genesis

In the Book of Genesis we see

Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam; ad imaginem Dei creavit illum; masculum et feminam creavit eos. Gn 1:27 (from www.vatican.va)

In English, this may be rendered as

And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.

Theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas have indicated that the ways in which we are most like, or in the image of, God can be found in our souls and their powers; e.g.

a) our souls are immortal, just as God is immortal,

b) we have the capacity of knowing spiritual realities (i.e. realities that are beyond what the 5 physical senses present to us), which is a reflection, albeit dim, of God's perfect knowledge of spiritual realities,

c) we have the capacity of free choice, or free will, which is a reflection of the Divine Will.

Wisdom

In The Book of Wisdom, we see a foreshadowing of the perfect image of God, who is Christ Jesus:

For shee [Wisdom] is the (* Hebr. 1.3) brightnesse of the everlasting light: the unspotted mirrour of the power of God, and the Image of his goodnesse. Wisdom 7:26 KJV (quoted from a photographic replica of an existing original 1611 print)

For she is the refulgence of the eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness. Wisdom 7:26 NAB

Note: Wisdom here is referred to in the feminine not to ascribe gender to Wisdom, but simply because it is a feminine word in the original Greek.

In the New Testament

Following the note from the 1611 KJV and NAB Book of Wisdom above, we see that St. Paul uses language to describe Christ which is strikingly similar to the language used to describe Wisdom in the Old Testament:

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being… Hebrews 1:1-3 NAB

St. Paul again uses imago Dei language in Colossians when he writes about Christ, saying: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15 NAB

In a separate context, St. Paul again uses imago Dei language when he writes:

And even though our gospel is veiled, it is veiled for those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 NAB

Historical Note

Icons, or images of Christ and the saints have held an important place in Christian art and theology. While the earliest icons that still exist today are dated to the sixth and seventh centuries (visit the monastery of St. Catherine of Sinai to see them), "…literary sources make it clear that icons were being made from the late fourth century. For example, St. John Chrysostom speaks of having a portrait of St. Paul on his desk to inspire him when writing homilies on the Epistles." (Sacred Doorways - A Beginners Guide to Icons, Linette Martin: Paraclete Press, 2002) In this particular example, it is well worth bearing in mind the words of St. Paul as St. John Chrysostom likely did while he gazed upon his portrait of St. Paul:

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 NAB

Later, John of Damascus, an eigth-century monk would point out:

I boldly draw an image of the invisible God, not as invisible, but as having become visible for our sakes by partaking of flesh and blood. I do not draw an image of the immortal Godhead, but I paint an image of God who became visible in the flesh. (Sacred Doorways, ibid.)

When considering the words of John of Damascus, it is perhaps well worth bearing in mind the Gospel of John as John of Damascus likely did:

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NAB

Through the use of sacred art and iconography, theologians of both the East and West have pointed out that the very use of icons emphasizes or underscores the miracle of the Incarnation of God in Christ Jesus, over and against those who held to Docetism.