What do the heavens declare? On the Old Testament motif of God’s beauty in creation
The paradox in the famous declaration of Psalm 19 that the heavens ‘narrate’ the glory of God and that this message of nature is ‘inaudible’ prompts the question as to the sense of speaking about a striking divine appearance without words (pun intended). In the light of the equally paradoxical prese...
| প্রধান লেখক: | |
|---|---|
| বিন্যাস: | প্রবন্ধ |
| ভাষা: | Afrikaans |
| প্রকাশিত: |
AOSIS
2011-11-01
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| মালা: | HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies |
| বিষয়গুলি: | |
| অনলাইন ব্যবহার করুন: | https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/1098 |
| _version_ | 1827168674454175744 |
|---|---|
| author | James Alfred Loader |
| author_facet | James Alfred Loader |
| author_sort | James Alfred Loader |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The paradox in the famous declaration of Psalm 19 that the heavens ‘narrate’ the glory of God and that this message of nature is ‘inaudible’ prompts the question as to the sense of speaking about a striking divine appearance without words (pun intended). In the light of the equally paradoxical presence of the motif of not-seeing in Old Testament theophanies where God himself appears, it seems that wordless speaking and unseen beauty need to be examined in association with each other, especially because the theophanies of Exodus and 1 Kings associate the motifs of not-seeing and silence with both the appearance and the speaking of God. This article investigates the cluster of ideas in Psalm 19 in the light of the theophanies and other texts. It then proposes a way in which this may be understood, notably that God’s own beauty is visible in that which he has created beautifully, that is, nature. It is argued that, if this proclaims God’s [foreing font omitted; refere to PDF], the latter must be a divine quality observable in nature. |
| first_indexed | 2025-03-21T02:23:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b3e4dbee3fd482e9fca1e94ba8f2cbb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0259-9422 2072-8050 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-21T02:23:56Z |
| publishDate | 2011-11-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b3e4dbee3fd482e9fca1e94ba8f2cbb2024-08-02T15:07:34ZafrAOSISHTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies0259-94222072-80502011-11-01673e1e810.4102/hts.v67i3.1098943What do the heavens declare? On the Old Testament motif of God’s beauty in creationJames Alfred Loader0University of ViennaThe paradox in the famous declaration of Psalm 19 that the heavens ‘narrate’ the glory of God and that this message of nature is ‘inaudible’ prompts the question as to the sense of speaking about a striking divine appearance without words (pun intended). In the light of the equally paradoxical presence of the motif of not-seeing in Old Testament theophanies where God himself appears, it seems that wordless speaking and unseen beauty need to be examined in association with each other, especially because the theophanies of Exodus and 1 Kings associate the motifs of not-seeing and silence with both the appearance and the speaking of God. This article investigates the cluster of ideas in Psalm 19 in the light of the theophanies and other texts. It then proposes a way in which this may be understood, notably that God’s own beauty is visible in that which he has created beautifully, that is, nature. It is argued that, if this proclaims God’s [foreing font omitted; refere to PDF], the latter must be a divine quality observable in nature.https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/1098Psalm 19Old Testament theophaniesmotifs of not-seeing and silence with both the appearance and the speaking of GodGod’s beauty |
| spellingShingle | James Alfred Loader What do the heavens declare? On the Old Testament motif of God’s beauty in creation HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies Psalm 19 Old Testament theophanies motifs of not-seeing and silence with both the appearance and the speaking of God God’s beauty |
| title | What do the heavens declare? On the Old Testament motif of God’s beauty in creation |
| title_full | What do the heavens declare? On the Old Testament motif of God’s beauty in creation |
| title_fullStr | What do the heavens declare? On the Old Testament motif of God’s beauty in creation |
| title_full_unstemmed | What do the heavens declare? On the Old Testament motif of God’s beauty in creation |
| title_short | What do the heavens declare? On the Old Testament motif of God’s beauty in creation |
| title_sort | what do the heavens declare on the old testament motif of god s beauty in creation |
| topic | Psalm 19 Old Testament theophanies motifs of not-seeing and silence with both the appearance and the speaking of God God’s beauty |
| url | https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/1098 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jamesalfredloader whatdotheheavensdeclareontheoldtestamentmotifofgodsbeautyincreation |