The Patience of God the Creator: Reflections on Genesis 1:1-2:4a
This article proposes that Genesis 1:1-2:4a be read in terms of an exercise of divine patience - an act of letting be' and letting happen' wherein God establishes, guides, waits on and endorses the free action of non-human creatures. It first articulates a doctrine of creatio ex nihilo,...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2019]
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| In: |
International journal of systematic theology
Year: 2019, Volume: 21, Issue: 4, Pages: 361-387 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament NBC Doctrine of God NBD Doctrine of Creation |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article proposes that Genesis 1:1-2:4a be read in terms of an exercise of divine patience - an act of letting be' and letting happen' wherein God establishes, guides, waits on and endorses the free action of non-human creatures. It first articulates a doctrine of creatio ex nihilo, affirming that God is solely responsible for the establishment of a dynamic, complex and valuable cosmos. Next, it contends that God's creative efforts include the empowerment of non-human creatures who reward God's patience and commit themselves to the task of creatio cooperativa. It then argues that the emergence of human beings is a creative act undertaken by God and non-human creatures, such that the human bears both the imago dei and the imago mundi. In conclusion, the article considers the relationship of divine and human action, the limits of the idiom of causality, and the possibility of developing a doctrine of creation in light of the witness of the Hebrew Bible. |
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| ISSN: | 1468-2400 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal of systematic theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/ijst.12386 |