The Experience of God in the Old and New Testaments - Part 5

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

We concluded Part 4 with:

 

(P.216) Whereas in Isaiah God is the God of holiness and of righteousness, in

Jeremiah God is again like the God of Hosea, the God of love. Jeremiah has a

wonderful experience right at the beginning when the Lord appears to him and

says, " Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I

consecrated you. " Somewhat like Isaiah responding to the vision of the holiness

of God by feeling unclean and sinful, Jeremiah here responds by feeling like a

child before God. He responds to the call to be a prophet by saying, " Ah, Lord

God, I do not know how to speak for I am only a child. " But the Lord says, " Do

not say " I am only a child " for to all to whom I shall send you you shall go,

and whatever I command you you shall speak. " [23] (P.217) Again this mystical

experience, as always is directed towards the people, to action and service, but

it is essentially an experience of divine love. " I have loved you with an

everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. " [24]

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and Christian Faith)

Chapter 10, Pg.216

 

Here now is Part 5.

 

Enjoy,

 

violet

 

 

 

The Experience of God in the Old and New Testaments - Part 5

 

(P.217) Coming to Ezekiel we find many examples of visions and other subtle

experiences, of which his great vision of the chariot is the best known. Ezekiel

is very much a visionary, so again we need to remember that all these visions

belong to the psychic world. He has a vision of a strange chariot that later

developed into the mystical tradition of the 'merkabah', the chariot in which

God reveals himself. [25] Although fully mystical doctrine did not develop in

the Bible, it developed later in Judaism with the Qabala, which has a complete

mystical theology. It is latent in the Old Testament, particularly in the figure

of the 'merkabah' and also in the 'shekina'. The 'shekina', or " cloud of glory " ,

was the sign of the presence of God. In the inner sanctuary of the Temple, which

is seen symbolically as the inner place where God dwells, there is the

mercy-seat and the seat is empty. What is conveyed by this is that God has no

form. His presence is hidden in the inner sanctuary, associated with the

mercy-seat but without any form at all. That is why Israel was never allowed to

form an image of God but had to relate instead to the formless God. In India, of

course, God is worshipped under every kind of form, but he is regarded

ultimately as formless. In a Shiva temple, in the sanctuary, there is always the

'lingam', which is a stone very roughly carved without form. The other gods may

have their hands and feet and fully human appearances, but in Shiva, represented

by the 'lingam', there is the image of the formless Godhead.

 

After Ezekiel Jewish mysticism became increasingly apocalyptic. The prophets

were seeking God's intervention in the history of Israel to bring all things to

fulfilment. (P.218) That is the revelation to Israel, that God has chosen this

people and is working with them, that he has brought them out of Egypt and led

them into the Promised Land, and he has now promised them the Messiah who is to

come to be their king. God was going to fulfil all things in them and they, his

people, eagerly looked forward to that final fulfilment. But then, as their own

fortunes declined and nothing seemed to happen and as their king was taken

captive and the Temple destroyed, the goal of fulfilment was projected more and

more into the future. It came to be believed then that the Lord would intervene

from above and manifest himself and wonderful visions were recorded, as in the

book of Daniel, in the form of an " apocalypse " , a revelation of a new age in

which everything would be fulfilled. That was the stage at which Jesus actually

came into the world, as Israel looked for the coming of God from above, and for

the final fulfilment.

 

It is into this tradition, then, with all its expectations, that Jesus comes. It

must always be remembered that the God of Jesus is Yahweh, the God of the Old

Testament. But of course Jesus brings a new understanding of the nature of God

and his relation to humanity. In the later stages of the Old Testament the utter

holiness of God was seen as making him utterly separate, totally transcendent.

The danger of an utterly transcendent God is that he becomes too remote. He is

so much above you that the only way in which you can properly relate to him is

in awe and worship and in humble obedience. Jesus brought God down to earth, as

it were, in his experience of God as Father. It is generally agreed that his

Abba experience was unique. Jesus experienced God in utter closeness to himself

and addressed him as " Abba " , which is a term of great intimacy. So what happens

with Jesus is that this transcendent God of infinite holiness and infinite

righteousness, but also of infinite mercy, becomes present to man. He was

present in some way in the Temple no doubt and in the king, and had been

experienced in his closeness to the people of Israel. (P.219) But now in the New

Testament there is this bringing God down to earth, and making him present in a

human being.

 

Jesus comes to reveal God's presence in himself. He reveals this first of all in

terms of the Kingdom or rule of God which he declares is present in himself, but

he also reveals God's presence in terms of sonship. He expresses his

relationship to God in this way, " No one knows the Son except the Father, and no

one knows the Father except the Son... " This is a unique 'gnosis', a unique

knowledge. Only the Son knows the Father and only the Father knows the Son. So

it is quite clear that he experienced God in a unique way. It is important that

we put Jesus into the context of history. Just as we tried to see the Hindu

revelation in the context of its history, so we try to see Jesus in the context

of his history, and he comes as a man who experiences God as his Father in this

absolutely unique way, and sees himself as the Son. But it must not be forgotten

that, as we saw before, in the Son he also includes his brethren, all humankind,

so that in him and through him this new relationship to God is opened up to all.

So he says, " No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father

except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. " [26] Jesus

makes known this relationship of intimacy, of relationship to God, so that we

also can share in that relationship and can know ourselves as children of God.

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith)

Chapter 10, Pg.216-219

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

 

Notes:

 

[23] Jeremiah 1:5-6

 

[24] Jeremiah 31:3

 

[25] Ezekiel 1:4ff

 

[26] Matthew 11:27; cf. Luke 10:12