Lambda quotation ($d(M)=c_{\#M}$)

For an effective Gödel numbering $M\mapsto \#M$, the quotation $d(M)=c_{\#M}$ is a Church numeral coding the syntax of $M$. It is not a code of a beta equivalence class. The operations taking syntax codes to the code of an application, or to the code of the numeral itself, are total computable functions and hence lambda-definable functions.

Let $A$ code application and $C$ code numeral quotation. For a lambda term $F$, choose a fresh $x$ and put $H=\lambda x.F(Ax(Cx))$ and $Q=Hd(H)$. Then $Ad(H)(Cd(H)){\equiv }_{\beta }d(Q)$, so $Q{\equiv }_{\beta }Fd(Q)$. This diagonal argument uses the syntax of the actual term $Q$, including any free variables, not an equivalence-class code.