In this episode I dive into the connotations of the ‘temple’ in Ezekiel’s vision. It is an exciting and relevant topic, because for Ezekiel (or for the Spirit speaking through him) the ‘temple’ clearly becomes a microcosm for the whole cosmos. So seeing the cosmos as a temple is a mighty vision – and one that makes the gospel speak to today’s concerns. I like it also because it lifts our vision of salvation far above individual transactions, to the whole of the created order.
I read a few articles for this episode and I mention them in the talk. You may like to find them yourself so here are the details and links if they are available. Rikk Watts’ article “Making sense of Genesis One” is a great foundation and has helped shaped my thinking ever since I first read it. The other article that I used a lot was Stephen Herring “A ‘Transubstantiated’ Humanity: the Relationship between the Divine Image and the Presence of God in Genesis 1;26”. You can find it on JStor, but you need a membership to log in. It is pretty academic, and Rikk’s is more readable and dynamic.The other authors I mention are all mentioned in Herring’s paper, so I can’t pretend to have read them.
Enjoy the episode. I am enjoying creating them as it forces me to think things through more thoroughly. I always remember Iain Provan telling me, that he is the main audience for his writing as he needs to keep building his faith! I identify with that. Speaking of Iain, this episode clearly links in to his talks on Genesis which we are beginning to repost on our podcasts. The first one was on the ANE context, but the next two will be on God and Creation so you can look forward to those. In the Creation talk, Iain develops these same themes of creation as ‘sacred space’.Love and mercy to you allTony
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