"Preface"
Images of the Spirit
Meredith G. Kline
Some of the central ideas of this monograph were originally developed in the course of writing another book, still forthcoming. Because they had a special importance of their own and invited treatment beyond what might be given to them in the other work, I wrote them up in the form of two articles, published in The Westminster Theological Journal: "Creation in the Image of the Glory-Spirit" (39 [1977]: 250-72) and “Investiture with the Image of God" (40 [1977]: 39-62). Following certain new exegetical paths that came into view in the process of writing those articles led to a third article in the series, "Primal Parousia" (40 [1978]: 245-80). Meanwhile, a fourth study was taking shape as I discovered the story of creation in the image of the Glory-Spirit emerging again in my analysis of the nature of the Old Testament prophets. That study of the prophetic embodiment of the imago Dei will be found in the present work as chapter three. By the kind permission of the editors of The Westminster Theological Journal, the three articles published there appear here, slightly revised, as chapters one, two, and four.
As it turned out, then, the findings reported in chapter I opened up and illuminated further unanticipated areas of exploration. Since the demonstration of such heuristic capability is a fair test of the validity of an interpretative model, the case for the soundness of the general exegesis and thesis offered in chapter 1 rests to a considerable extent on the cumulative force of the confirmatory evidence supplied by the studies in the subsequent chapters.
Among those engaged in biblical exegesis it is a familiar experience to find that one's discoveries were discovered by others long ago -- we have simply stumbled upon something that had been lost sight of for a while. How little serious attention has been given for quite a long while to the subject of the cloud-theophany (referred to as "the Spirit" in the title of this book) is evident from the fact that a doctoral dissertation prepared at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (and recently published in the series Analecta Biblica) is allegedly the first extensive monograph ever produced on that subject. And it is a Spanish publication by a Basque Jesuit, J. Luzarraga. [1] His examination of discussions of the theme of the theophanic cloud in early postbiblical times discloses, however, that early interpreters within Judaism, and early Christian writers as well, were already making some of the same key connections as are proposed in the present work between certain of the relevant biblical ideas and texts. [2]
But what is thus lost by way of the supposed originality of one's insights is gained by way of support from antiquity for their substantiality. Besides, it would still appear that there is some breaking of fresh ground in the following pages, especially when it comes to the basic concept of the paradigm function of the theophanic Glory-cloud in the creation of the image of God and to the identification of the major symbolic models employed in Scripture to expound the nature of the divine image in man.
The theme of the imago Dei is not presented here in the manner of doctrines in a volume of systematic theology. These are exegetical studies of a biblico-theological character, which, as has been indicated, simply sprouted in unexpected directions in what was for me, at least, a process of discovery. It is hoped, however, that these studies will contribute to the development of the doctrine of the imago Dei in systematic theology, first, by adding (in effect) a considerable quantity of relevant data to the scriptural basis of our thinking on this subject and, second, by sketching in general outline a way the doctrine might be restructured so as to fit more squarely on this biblical base.
Overlooked though it has been, the idea of creation in the image of the Glory-Spirit is, in fact, a foundational and pervasive theme in the Scriptures. We come upon it in historical narration, symbolic representation in the cultus, didactic exposition, and eschatological expectation. The present work merely suggests selectively something of these biblical riches. Waiting to be pursued further also is the relationship of the imago Dei to certain other major biblical concepts. Once it is seen that God the Spirit in his theophanic Presence is the divine paradigm in the creation of the image of God, a conceptual overlap, if not synonymity, will be recognized between the imago Dei and concepts like messiahship and the Spirit's fiIling or baptism of God's people. And to perceive that it is the same Spirit by whose charismatic enduing the church is qualified to fulfill the great commission who also, as Paradigm-Creator of man in the image of God, endowed him to execute the cultural commission, is to possess a vital coherence factor for working out a unified world-and-life field theory, inclusive of creation and redemption and, within the area of the redemptive accomplishment of God's creation designs, comprehensive of both holy and common vocations.
Over and again in the following chapters, usually at a climactic point, attention turns to the Book of Revelation. From the way these studies evolved it will be obvious that I cannot claim that any semblance of a symphonic quality that might be produced by this recurrence of the Apocalypse theme is the premeditated product of conscious artistry. My constant returning to the Apocalypse is just a natural by-product of a love for this fascinating capstone of biblical revelation that goes back to student days.
I want to express my special gratitude to my son, Meredith M. Kline, and to his wife, Miriam -- to Meredith for our continuing conversation over the years on the leading ideas of this work and to Miriam for her kindness in preparing the typescript for the publisher.
Endnotes
1. Las tradiciones de la nube en la biblia y en el judaismo primitivo (Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1973). Curiously, at about the same time, a Th.M. dissertation on the subject of the Spirit and the cloud theophany was prepared by Meredith M. Kline at Westminster Theological Seminary. (On this, see below, chapter one, note 5.) Luzarraga's work came into my hands only a few days ago and I became aware of it belatedly only a few weeks ago through the review-summary of it by Leopold Sabourin, "The Biblical Cloud," Biblical Theology Bulletin 4 (1974): 290-311.
2. The general neglect of these ancient exegetical suggestions has perhaps been due in part to the fact that they came at times in contexts informed by hermeneutical approaches of an allegorical or otherwise unacceptable sort. Moreover, the stark supernaturalism of the Shekinah phenomenon scares off the typical modem interpreter. Symptomatic of this, even Luzarraga, impressed though he is with the importance of his subject and concerned to rescue it from oblivion, avoids the question of what literal reality, if any, stood behind the biblical tradition of the miraculous cloud.
Scanned by Robert A. Lotzer on July 14, 2006.
