Identity Theft (2)

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky . . .”  Genesis 1:26 NASB

Image – Typical exegesis of the Genesis account begins with the presuppositions of our empirically based scientific perspective.  Even if we don’t spend time trying to reconcile the six-day creation story with scientific evidence, we nevertheless employ categories of thought and meaning that come from our worldview, not from the worldview of the ancient near-East.  Therefore, we treat a word like tselem (image) as if it describes attributes attached to an existing substance.  It is as if we see Man as an outline in a coloring book.  We fill in the outline with the colors of “soul,” “spirit,” “body,” and “mind.”  Then we add attributes like choice, emotion, reasoning, speech, spirituality, etc.  In other words, we accept the Greek idea of substance (the essence of what occupies space and time) and accident (the temporary characteristics associated with the enduring essence).  We think of Man in his enduring state.  We answer questions like, “What does it mean to be a man?” with physiological, psychological and spiritual attributes.  We think that God created some substance called Man and then filled that substance with features associated with our idea of human being.

But this isn’t the way ancient near-Eastern mythology works.

Tselem is the Hebrew word usually translated as “image” or “representation.”  It is used as a description of an idol or a copy.  The TWOT suggests that this image is not found in corporal attributes but rather in the “spiritual, intellectual, moral likeness to God.”[1]  It is worth noting that this combination of attached attributes allows the TWOT to state that the “spiritual aspect of man has been damaged by the fall and is daily tarnished by sin.”[2]  These categories applied to the word tselem make it possible to separate Man into spiritual and physical dimensions and consequently assert that the spiritual aspect can be damaged separately from the physical aspect.  Even TWOT uses Greek ideas to explain this Hebrew word.

Now notice the context of the text.  Why does God form Man?  The answer is provided immediately.  Man is formed “to rule.”  In other words, the emphasis of the text is not on the substance-attribute categories of human being but rather on the purpose of being human.  In the pagan mythologies of the ancient near-East, the gods formed men so that men would perform the tedious but necessary tasks of existence.  The gods did this so that they would be relieved of the burden of work.  In pagan mythologies, men do not rule.  They serve!  This is a significant difference between the Hebrew deep myth and the other mythological explanations.  Men are not merely another form of beasts of burden.  In Hebrew thought, men are in partnership with God and are elevated to the place of ruling, a function that is the sole prerogative of the gods.  In other words, the Hebrew explanation of the formation of Man is not focused on Man’s essential substance but rather on Man’s assigned purpose.  Imagine the impact of this thought on the ex-slaves of Egypt!  Consider how far we have come from reading the text in this way.  Maybe you should take a moment to re-read the text as a statement of human purpose rather than an explanation of human existence.

There is a lot more.  Tomorrow.

Topical Index: tselem, image, Genesis 1:26, Man