Tag Archives: Cosmos

Photo by Skyler Ewing on Pexels.com

2 And God will complete in the seventh day his work which he made, and he will rest in the seventh day from all his work which he made. (Genesis 2:2)

Rest

The concept of divine rest is prominent in ancient Near Eastern literature. Deity’s rest is achieved in a temple, generally as a result of order having been established. The rest, while it represents disengagement from any process of establishing order (whether through conflict with other deities or not), is more importantly an expression of engagement as the deity takes his place at the helm to maintain an ordered, secure and stable cosmos. The following aspects of divine rest can be found in literature of the ancient Near East:

1. The divine rest can be disturbed by rebellion.

2. The divine rest is achieved after conflict.

3. The divine rest is achieved after order-bringing acts of creation.

4. The divine rest is achieved in the temple.

5. The divine rest is achieved in part by creating people to work in their place and on their behalf.

6. The divine rest is characterised by ongoing control and stability.

Only point 3 is transparent in Genesis, though points 4 and 6 can also be defended. Given the connection between temple and rest in the ancient Near East, it becomes natural to see the Biblical creation of the cosmos as being configured in temple-building and dedication terms; the seven-day creation account culminating in divine rest should be understood as somehow parallel to the building of temples for divine rest. This course of analogy and logic results in the understanding that Ge 1 is framed in terms of the creation of a cosmic temple in which Yahweh takes up his repose. The seven days are comparable to seven-day temple dedications at the end of which the deity takes up his rest in the temple.

The temple on earth was considered only a type of the larger, archetypal cosmic temple, and there are many images and symbols that evoke the relationship between temple and cosmos. The temple is considered the centre of the cosmos and is itself a microcosmos. In Egypt the temple contained within its sacred precincts a representation of the original primeval hillock that emerged from the cosmic waters. In Mesopotamia, the primary imagery of the temple was that it was the centre of the cosmos. In Syro-Palestine, the temple is the architectural embodiment of the cosmic mountain. This concept is represented in Ugaritic literature as well as in the Bible, where Mount Zion is understood as the mountain of the Lord (e.g., Ps 48) and the place where his temple, a representation of Eden, was built. In Isa 66:1 the Lord indicated:

“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?”

Here God indicates that the man-made temple cannot be considered the true temple (cf. 1Ki 8:27). It is only a micro-scale representation of the cosmic temple. Ps 78:69 communicates a similar idea by indicating that the temple was built on the model of the cosmos.

Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Notes, Bringing to life the Ancient World of Scripture; by Craig Keener; John H. Walton; Publisher: Zondervan, 2016

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors of ‘Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Notes’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Christadelphians