Does Genesis 3 tell of a theophany?
score:5
I'm not very familiar with the idea of theophany, but using the definition given by Wikipedia, this is obviously one.
[Theophany] refers to the appearance of a deity to a human or other being, or to a divine disclosure.
Warning: The rest is speculation.
Looking at just this passage, Jesus didn't need to have a human body. God did appear in non-human form to Moses, too:
Exodus 33:17-23 (ESV)
17 And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." 18 Moses said, "Please show me your glory." 19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." 21 And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
Why would anyone die if they saw the Lord's face? This isn't a permanent condition:
1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV)
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.Revelation 22:3-4 (ESV)
3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
The reason a human being can't see God's face is their own sin. In the Paradise, Adam and Eve were originally not sinful, and so they could see God face to face. After eating the forbidden fruit, they had only yet chosen sin, but weren't yet full of sin. They did go into hiding of their own accord, but seeing God was not yet deathly at that point, and so God didn't need a human form to appear to them.
Upvote:6
This is an example of a theophany. People often make the mistake of equating the descriptions of God with human form. Just because God is said to have a face, shoulders, a right hand etc. does not make him human. The same could be said of a koala bear [or enter arbitrary animal here!].
There are many, many references throughout the bible to God's "body", however it is unwise to assume we know what God looks like. We shall, ultimately, see His face and know Him fully as He is.
The incarnation is different. That is the phenomenal notion of God becoming a human being, fixed in time and space.
Hope that helps.
More post
- 📝 According to Reformed theology are the Psalms suitable preaching/prayers/songs for Christians?
- 📝 What traditions hold that Satan is not actually a person?
- 📝 In Eastern Orthodoxy, what is most important for the efficacy of the sacraments: the right Church or the right God?
- 📝 Could parts of the bible have been lost over time?
- 📝 What is the Catholic interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:3?
- 📝 What is the best interpretation of Matthew 24:29, from the perspective of an evangelical Christian?
- 📝 What is the difference between evangelizing and proselytizing?
- 📝 Is Mary's human soul pre-existent in eternity?
- 📝 Are Catholic Bishops the successors of the Apostles alone or the Elders too?
- 📝 Is there evidence to support Deuteronomy being written before King Josiah?
- 📝 What's the name of this catholic chant?
- 📝 Can someone tell more about this artwork of Jesus Christ?
- 📝 What is the Scriptural basis for Catholics praying to Mary and the various saints?
- 📝 Can a Catholic ask for protection from a priest in case his/her spouse has filed a no-fault divorce?
- 📝 According to Biblical Unitarians who was seen walking in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
- 📝 At what point did Paul become a child of God, born of God?
- 📝 When did Judas Iscariot kill himself?
- 📝 Do Catholic priests have to report child abuse confessed in secret?
- 📝 How did Mary know after the Annunciation that she would be accepted as wife by Joseph?
- 📝 Why do Jehovah's Witnesses not pray with people of other faith?
- 📝 What is difference between God and Jesus Christ in Mark 10:17-19?
- 📝 Where did St. Jerome say this quote about the manger of the nativity?
- 📝 Was Abraham justified by faith alone or works also?
- 📝 Why do some Christians oppose Tarot cards?
- 📝 Synod of Dordt 1618
- 📝 St.Thomas Aquinas on Papacy
- 📝 What are the effects of the doctrine of Cessationism on the church for carrying out the "great commission" of Jesus?
- 📝 What scholarship exists behind the WikiSource translation of the Bible?
- 📝 Distributism and Subsidiarity beyond the counsel of Jethro in the Bible
- 📝 According to the Gospel of John, on which day of the week was Jesus crucified?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Does Genesis 3 tell of a theophany?
- 📝 To a YEC, how does a metaphorical interpretation of Genesis 1-3 distort the gospel?
- 📝 Does God lie? And does the devil tell the truth?
- 📝 According to Reformed theology, why does God tell people to repent if they don't have the choice to do so, as in Exodus 10:3?
- 📝 Is Genesis 18 regarded as a Theophany of the Trinity by any denomination?
- 📝 Does Genesis 30:25-43 defy genetics?
- 📝 Does God tempt Abraham in Genesis 22:1?
- 📝 How does Jesus fulfill the Protoevangelium (First Gospel) in Genesis 3:15?
- 📝 Why does Genesis record only 10 names from Adam to Noah?
- 📝 In Genesis 18, does Jesus meet with Abraham?
- 📝 To what degree does the Church of England consider the Genesis creation account to be metaphoric?
- 📝 How does LDS reconcile progression to Godhood with the Genesis temptation of Adam to be like God?
- 📝 Does Romans 7:20 contradict Genesis 4:7?
- 📝 Old Testament verses other than Genesis 3:15 speak of the "seed" of a woman. How, then, does it indicate a virgin birth?
- 📝 How does the Catholic Church tell us to do reparation for our sins according to Church teachings?
- 📝 Does The Revelation chapter 20 tell us that the Rapture will take place after the millennial reign of Christ?
- 📝 What does the Bible tell us about how people knew right from wrong before the Law of Moses?
- 📝 Does the Bible tell us who should be interpreting its message?
- 📝 Does Catholicism or any church father make a connection between Eve and Mary in Genesis 2:18 and John 14:26?
- 📝 Does any Christian denomination teach Genesis 3 as a description of human evolution from animals?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, does the eighth commandment (Do not bear false witness) obligate us to always tell the truth?
- 📝 Who found whom? After Jesus FINDS Philip, why does Philip tell Nathanael "We have FOUND the One..."?
- 📝 Being an endtime prophecy, how does Genesis 49:10 affect Christians since one side of it in ''Judah'' already has?
- 📝 What does Genesis 3:16 mean?
- 📝 Based on Luke 3:22 & 1:39-41, Genesis 1:2, the 'Holy Spirit' was already here, so who does John 16:7, 16:13-14, John 14:26 talk about?
- 📝 Why does the angel of the Lord call out from heaven to Abraham at Genesis 22?
- 📝 What does the historical evidence tell us about the pneumatological beliefs of the early Church during the first two centuries of Christianity?
- 📝 According to Catholic scholars, what does John 5:6 tell of the "fully human" nature of Jesus?
- 📝 Does the blessing of Genesis 12:3 extend to Palestine or is it only for Israel (and the church as the spiritual Israel)?
- 📝 According to the Young Earth Creationism, what does it mean Genesis 1:14 and 18?