How
Human is GOD? Seven Questions about God and Humanity in the Bible
Mark
S. Smith (Collegeville: The Liturgical
Press, 2014) Pp.192.
“Mark
Smith is professor of Bible and ancient Near Eastern studies at New
York University. Previously he taught at Yale University, Saint
Joseph's University . . . and Saint Paul Seminary . . . he is past
president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America” (back
cover). In this volume his deep grounding in Hebrew Scripture and
knowledge of the world in which that Scripture was written is evident
and is a great gift to the reader.
In
the beginning of our faith story we are told that humanity is created
in God's image. Does this mean that God is also in our image? In this
well-referenced—of the 192 pages 58 are endnotes and recommended
readings—volume Mark Smith invites us to think about God as God is
revealed in the words of the Hebrew Bible. To lead us in this
thinking Smith offers seven chapters, each of which explores (and
maybe even answers) one of the seven questions referenced in the
subtitle of the book.
These
chapters are broken out into two sections. In the first section we
have questions about God: “Why does God Have a Body?”, What Do
God's Body Parts in the Bible Mean?”, Why Is God Angry in the
Bible?”, and “Does God in the Bible Have Gender of Sexuality?”.
The second section explores have questions about God in the world”
“What Can Creation Tell Us About God?”, Who—or What—Is the
Satan?”, and “Why Do People Suffer According to the Hebrew
Bible?”. Obviously many, if not all, of those topics could be a
lengthy book (or books) in and of itself, which is why Smith gives
such good notes and recommended reading for those who want to go
deeper.
The
nature and understanding of God is an unending discussion for people
of faith. The questions about God never seem to get fully answered,
but Smith makes an interesting suggestion in the prologue: “. . .
the emergence of the understanding of God within ancient Israel was a
redefinition of divinity in its time. . . the change in ancient
Israel's sense of God may anticipate changes taking place today.”
(xiii). As we continue to re-vision how we understand God we need to
remain grounded in the witness of Scripture and this book is very
helpful in doing just that.
Of
course the challenge in talking about God is that all we can use are
metaphors, and when we turn metaphors into literal statements then
things can get weird. Smith recognizes this. And so even as he starts
to talk about God's body he also notes “what are we to make of
anthropomorphism? Is it simply a projection . . .” (5). However, as
he points out, we use the language we have. Since we understand God
as being personal and in relationship we will end up describing God
in some of the same ways we describe other persons. But later Smith
points out that “human language applied to God not only falls
short; it only makes sense for God when it is recognized as being
partial and falling short” (64). Smith pushes us to recognize that
the descriptions he is talking about are not all that God is, a
helpful reminder for us as we wrestle with our own understandings of
God.
While
this book is ably addresses some of the easier aspects of God (God's
body parts, knowing God in Creation) it also does not shy from taking
on some really difficult subjects (God's gender/sexuality, God's
anger, why do people suffer). Smith knows that some of what Scripture
says about God is challenging and is able to name and explore that
challenge. This exploration invites the reader to look deeper. As a
person of faith it would be easy to accept simple answers to
difficult questions but Smith pushes us to look at what the text
really says, even when it may move us out of our comfort with the
simple answer. As a whole the book calls us to see God “through the
positive lens of creation and through the negative lens of evil and
suffering” (128) and so pushes a more complete, more nuanced
picture.
Early
in the book we read “we may be drawn to images of God that move us
or comfort us . . .Sometimes, though, we do not really use our brains
very much in thinking about God” (ix). Near the end we read “Human
images constitute a starting point for thinking about God. . . This
is a beginning, not the end . . . we change—our discovery of who
God is changes” (129). This sums up an approach to exploring who
God is. An approach that includes our own experiences and feelings
but also our logic and reason as well as the witness of those who
have gone before us. Which seems like a really good thing to
encourage people to do as we try to answer who God is and how God is
a part of our lives.
