Imitation of God (Latin: imitatio Dei) is the religious precept of a person finding salvation by striving to realize their concept of supreme being.
[5] Imitatio Dei appears in one form or another in Plato, Aristotle (where not only humans but everything else 'strives' toward the unmoved mover), and the Stoic philosophers.
For most Orthodox theologians, imitatio Dei is not the way to salvation if it is understood as an individual, personal attempt to become god-like.
In Roman Catholicism, the same concepts have been treated under different names (Via purgativa, via iluminativa and via unitiva) by St. John of the Cross and St. Theresa of Avila.
Via purgativa is the Roman Catholic equivalent to katharsis, and theoria is subdivided between illumination and full mystical union.
"[6] He also explains that the works of the Deity are strictly found in "the Creation we behold" where "God speaketh universally to man."