The
Liberating
Image
THE IMAGO DEI
IN GENESIS 1
J. Richard Middleton
BrazosPress
a division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids, Michigan
© 2005 by J. Richard Middleton
Published by Brazos Press
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.brazospress.com
Ebook edition created 2013
Ebook corrections 11.22.2021
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4278-5
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.
Translations of ancient texts throughout this book reproduce the translators’ typographic features (for example, question marks, brackets, parentheses, ellipses), which represent either (a) words missing from the original and supplied by the translator or (b) the translator’s guess at the meaning of a difficult text. Foreign words in square brackets were inserted by the author.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
“Up-to-date interpretations of the Imago Dei have long been needed. Richard Middleton has accomplished this considerable feat with great learning and sophistication, both by gathering the issues so clearly and accessibly and by providing an important advance in thinking about this theme. He has presented an expert historical and literary analysis, ranging widely across extrabiblical and biblical literature. Even more, Middleton has drawn out significant theological dimensions of the text and demonstrated the ethical implications of his analysis—with a lively engagement of contemporary concerns. Readers will encounter here fresh ways of considering both God and the human beings created in the image of that God.”
—Terry Fretheim, Luther Seminary
“Middleton’s study of the Imago Dei represents biblical scholarship at its best. Here is a book that displays careful and meticulous research, balanced judgment, and insightful application, all of which are clearly and logically presented in a most readable fashion. By engaging meaningfully with current ethical debates that utilize the concept of Imago Dei, Middleton highlights the importance of his conclusions for contemporary discussion. Readers will find their horizons broadened and their preconceived ideas challenged by a work that contributes very positively to a better understanding of what Genesis 1 means when it states that ...
|
About The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1For centuries, biblical scholars as well as lay Christians have been intrigued by the somewhat enigmatic Imago Dei references in the book of Genesis. Much theological ink has been spilled mulling over the significance and meaning of these words: “Let us make humanity in our image, according to our likeness . . . ”
In The Liberating Image, J. Richard Middleton takes on anew the challenge of interpreting the Imago Dei. He argues that the study of the Imago Dei might function as a theological and ethical resource in the contemporary world. Reflecting on the potential of the Imago Dei texts for developing an ethics of power rooted in compassion, he relates their significance to the Christian community’s calling in an increasingly violent world.
The Liberating Image presents a careful exegesis of Genesis 1:1-2:3, reading the role of human beings as “royal-priestly mediators of God’s presence and power on earth, entrusted with the task of shaping earthly life in accordance with the Creator’s purposes.” Following a deft discussion of the Ancient Near East contexts and parallel texts, Middleton outlines "the distinctive challenges represented by the worldview of Genesis 1."
Scholarly and fresh, with pages of rich and fascinating footnotes, The Liberating Image explores a relevant, deeply informed take on an important Christian doctrine. It will appeal to theologians and laypeople alike and will be useful as a text in courses on systematic or biblical theology, or studies in Ancient Near East contexts of scripture.
“An excellent contribution to biblical exegesis and biblical ethics. . . . Scholars and preachers alike, particularly those who stress right relationships with the whole of creation as the key to human survival, will find study of this book to be time well employed.”--W. Sibley Towner, Interpretation |
| Support Info | lbrtngmgmggnss1 |