Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 66:1 (Mar 2023)
Article: God’s Statue In The Cosmic Temple: צֶלֶם And דְּמוּת In Genesis And The Plural Cohortative In Genesis 1:26 In Light Of Sanctuary Setting And Christological Telos
Author: Christopher D. Kou

JETS 66:2 (March 2023) p. 11

God’s Statue In The Cosmic Temple:
צֶלֶם And דְּמוּת In Genesis And The Plural Cohortative In Genesis 1:26 In Light Of Sanctuary Setting And Christological Telos

Christopher D. Kou*

^* Christopher D. Kou is a student at Reformed Theological Seminary, 2101 Carmel Road, Charlotte, NC 28226. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: This article first recognizes that the image of God is humanity’s very identity, rather than an attribute possessed by humanity. The article then examines the semantics of צֶלֶם and דְּמוּת and their associated prepositions in Genesis 1:26–27 and 5:1–3. In light of the cosmic sanctuary-construction setting of Genesis 1–2 and cognate ANE motifs, this study argues that the creation of humanity constitutes the temple construction capstone as the installation of God’s living cult statue in his sanctuary. The contextual constraints guiding our consideration of “image” and “likeness” furthermore drive us to read the plural cohortative of Genesis 1:26 in terms of the plurality within the Godhead rather than as an address to the heavenly court. These threads converge to display the fabric of צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים language in Genesis as the anticipation of humanity’s incarnational telos: the perfection of the image in Jesus Christ, the new humanity.

Key words: imago Dei, image and likeness of God, cosmic temple, humanity, cult statue, Christology, divine council

“What is man that you are mindful of him?” the psalmist wonders. This question has arrested the attention of biblical scholars and theologians from the earliest times. Are we closer now to answering the question than we were when Irenaeus wrote against the gnostics? The first chapter of the Bible offers tantalizing hints about the nature of humanity when it tells us that “God made man in his image,” but concrete definitions seem to elude us. For a matter as central to biblical anthropology as the imago Dei, views about what constitutes it are remarkably diverse. Is an “image” the same as a “likeness”? Who does God address in the invitation, “Let us make man”?

This study presents a fresh look at these questions. After a brief overview of the history of the debate we will consider (1) the sanctuary setting of Genesis 1–2 and image-making, (2) the semantics of בְּ...