Bible Study 4: Genesis One – Image and Likeness
St. Mary (Покрова) Cathedral
Opening prayer (from the Prayer before the Gospel during the Diving Liturgy)
Make the pure light of Your divine knowledge shine in our hearts, Loving Master, and open the eyes of our minds that we may understand the message of Your Gospel. Instill also in us reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that overcoming all worldly desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, both thinking and doing all things pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the Light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give the glory, together with Your Father, without beginning, and Your All Holy, Good, and Life- Creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. (2 Corinthians 6:6; Ephesians 1:18; 2 Peter 2:11)
Review.
Our worldview (our language, symbols, and stories) is very different from those of the prophets, scribes, and their immediate audience; mirror-imaging can lead to incorrect understandings of the Bible, God, and His plan for us.
The first four days describe the functional creation of the world. It works within the ancient Hebrew worldview to explain the patterns God created. When we impose our own expectations of a creation story on it, we fail to learn the right message and end up having to make excuses for the Bible (and God).
Read the rest of Genesis, Chapter One. (out loud, pausing for questions and comments)
Major Points for Discussion
Who is God (i.e. what does “Elohim” mean?). Elohim is a plural noun that can either describe beings from the/a spiritual realm (e.g. gods, angels, maybe even ghosts) or the One Uncreated God (it’s obvious which one it is by grammatical context).
What does “according to its kind” mean? It is not an attack on science. Here’s a gem of a quote from St. Augustine’s tract against Felix the Manichean (quoted here);
In the Gospel we do not read that the Lord said: I send you the Holy Spirit so that He might teach you all about the course of the sun and the moon. The Lord wanted to make Christians, not astronomers. You learn at school all the useful things you need to know about nature. It is true that Christ said that the Holy Spirit will come to lead us into all truth, but He is not speaking there about the course of the sun and the moon. If you think that knowledge about these things belongs to the truth that Christ promised through the Holy Spirit, then I ask you: how many stars are there? I say that such things do not belong to Christian teaching…whereas you affirm that this teaching includes knowledge about how the world was made and what takes place in the world.
The point being made is that 1) there is an order to creation that is logical (and created through the Logos!) and 2) the multitude of creation reflects God’s glory and purpose. God led the Hebrews to make seeing things “according to their kind a virtuous instinct. What do we lose when we don’t?
Who is God talking to when He says “Let US make man…”? Different explanations. Could be the “Royal We” (not likely). Could be the Heavenly Hosts (i.e. the Divine Council). Could be the Trinity.
What is “The Image of God”? Lots of good answers (ask for some). At the very least, it means that we re-present God in creation (just as Christ does as the New Adam; “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Colossians 1:15).
What is the “Likeness of God”? Again, many good answers. The usual one is that it is His purity and holiness. This is something we have to grow into (more on that once we talk more about mankind).
Adam is Male AND Female? Yes, they are both required to make humanity (Adam is the Hebrew word for humanity). Also not that procreative sex is built into mankind from the beginning. Sex is not a consequence of the Fall (although some disagree), but part of the glory of being human.
Remember: No lesson next week. We will study Chapter Two at the next session.
