Re: Imago Dei

From: PHSEELY@aol.com
Date: Mon Mar 06 2000 - 17:35:28 EST

  • Next message: glenn morton: "Re: more on anti-christian tracts"

    Dick wrote:

    <<Let's look at Gen. 1:27: "So God created man ('adam) in his own image, in
    the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

    I read that Adam was created in the image of God, and that God created both
    the
    male (Adam) and the female (Eve). There is no punctuation in the original.
    The semi-colon could just as easily have been a period in the translation.
    My humble opinion is that Adam solely was God's chosen representative, and
    Eve was the designated help mate much as Barbara Bush was first lady to the
    president, George Bush. Barbara and George may have been "one flesh," but
    they weren't co-presidents.>>

    Let's not take Gen 1:27 out of context; it is linked contextually to 1:26.
    Gen 1:26 says, "Then God said, 'Let us make man ("adam") in our image, in our
    likeness, and let THEM rule over the fish of the sea, etc." What THEM? The
    only antecedent is "adam"--- which can mean "humankind" as in Ex 13:13 and 15
    "first-born of adam."
    Since 1:27 says God created not simply "adam", but "THE adam" and since an
    article is not used before a name, the meaning of "adam" in 1:27 is not the
    one man Adam, but humankind. Since the "them" in 1:27 are blessed in verse
    28 and told to rule over the fish, etc, the same task given to the "them" in
    1:26, the "them" in both verses refers to the same entity, namely
    humankind-both female and male. As it says in Gen 5:2 "male and female
    created he_them_, and blessed _them_, and called THEIR name "Adam"…"
      
    Similarly, Gen 9:6 says not simply that "adam" was made in the image of God,
    but "for in the image of God he made "THE man" that is, humankind.

    In addition, the covenant that God made after the flood (Gen 9;12-17) was not
    made simply with "God's chosen" as you said, but with "all living creatures
    of every kind." That is, as 9:15 says, "with all life on earth." That would
    certainly include all human beings.

    Paul S.
     



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