By Steven Darian
Who was there to see it? Who was there to report it? Or to record it? Actually, they didn’t even have written language at the time (whatever “the time” means). Written language doesn’t even begin until around 3000BC, with Egyptian hieroglyphics.
It must have been a human being; except that human beings weren’t created yet. And yet, most of that story consists of a human being––quoting those words, and describing the act of creation––as it was happening. There are 11 God ‘saids’ and 7 God ‘saws’ in just the first book (Genesis), and any number of God ‘calleds’ (Genesis: 1.1-31). Not even Adam says a word about Act 1. Of course, he does arrive on the scene a bit after Act 1.
We have the same problem throughout the Hebrew Bible: We read everywhere––that God thought this or thought that; that the Lord felt this or felt that; that the Lord decided this or decided that? How could any human being possibly know…what god thought, or felt, or what troubled him?
One more example? Sure: Take Moses on Mt. Sinai. Who is reporting the story? There’s someone there, recording it. But we don’t have the slightest clue of who they are, or how they just happened to be on top of a 7000-foot mountain in the middle of a desert; though we have heard the following story:
In those days (at least 3000 years ago), there was no easy path up the mountain. And Moses was completely exhausted by the time he reached the top, His limbs were weary and his head was pounding.
“Forgive me, Oh Lord, I’m not sure I can do it. This headache is killing me.”
The Voice boomed out in return: “Take two tablets and get down off my mountain.”
God is not male. God is not white. God is not American. (Alexis Record)
Still, it’s good to known that while he was a god, and was able to fly through the sky without wings, the Hebrew deity still had at least some human qualities. If God made man in His image (Genesis 1:26), that must mean God had a human body, despite the warning in Deuteronomy, not to make “an image of any shape, whether like a man or a woman, or any animal that walks upon the earth or flies in the air… (4:15-17).
In Genesis 3:8-9 Adam and Eve “heard the Lord God walking in the garden.” So He must have feet. He also asks the man where he is, so he must have a tongue and ears, and vocal chords. He smells the sacrifice that Noah offers him (Gen. 8:21), so he must have a nose.
Later on (1 Samuel 15-20), His heart is saddened by the moral depravity of the human race, so He must have a heart and all the plumbing goes with it: ventricles and atriums––the works. In Jeremiah (12: 7-13), he is found weeping (so he must have eyes and tear ducts).
Then there’s the example of Jesus: Whatever else he was, he must have been part human. If He was not part human, He could not have died. And if He didn’t die, He could not have been resurrected.
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We should also give some thought to the tools that god used, to communicate to his creation. The most famous was his voice coming to Moses, out of a burning bush on top of the mountain (Exodus 3:2), with no details about the kind of a bush it was, or how words could come out of a burning bush. Another was god speaking to Balaam (a local prophet) through his (Balaam’s) donkey.
And the star of the show, The Writing on the Wall, from the Book of Daniel, that was written in the 6th century BC: It seems there was a Babylonian king, Belshazzar, who was having a feast in his palace; using gold & silver vessels that were stolen from the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Suddenly, there appeared on the wall a phrase that said, basically: ”Your time is up.” And not long after, Belshazzar was killed (Daniel 5:1-31).
Today of, course it’s much easier. Most major religions allow for their followers to pray online. Jews who can’t visit the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem––can send a letter to Aish.com, and it will be placed between the stones. If you are Muslim, a group of imams is available (e-fatwas) to advise you.
If you are Catholic, there is an app (approved by the Vatican) that helps prepare you for the confession box, and another one that helps you keep track of your sins. And finally, the Vishvanath temple in India––has a website that allows people to do their prayers online; with an interactive animation program that allows them to perform their proper body movements.
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Steven Darian is a retired professor (Rutgers U.). He has also taught & studied in 9-10 countries, & has written a dozen books. His latest is The Heretic’s Book of Death & Laughter, that provides greater detail about the topics in the article.