Can the “Father of Lights” Give Birth? -- By: Jeff David Miller
Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 19:1 (Winter 2005)
Article: Can the “Father of Lights” Give Birth?
Author: Jeff David Miller
PP 19:1 (Winter 2005) p. 5
Can the “Father of Lights” Give Birth?
J. David Miller lives with his family of four in Johnson City, Tenn., where he is active at Grandview Christian Church. He teaches New Testament and youth ministry at Milligan College. He received an M.Div. from Emmanuel School of Religion, also near Johnson City, and a Ph.D. in Biblical Interpretation offered jointly by The University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology. His research interests include textual criticism and women in Scripture.
Regular readers of Priscilla Papers will be familiar with those standard biblical texts one points to when discussing feminine imagery for God. We read, for example, of God extending a mother’s care in Isaiah 66:13, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you” (nrsv). Similarly, Jesus longs to offer such comfort and protection in Matthew 23:37 (also in Luke 13:24), “Jerusalem, Jerusalem…How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (nrsv).1 In addition to motherly comfort, other common texts speak of God nursing and giving birth (e.g., Num. 11:12; Deut. 32:18; Isa. 42:14).
The imagery of giving birth also occurs in a less common text. The text is less common for a specific and important reason—namely, its imagery has often been suppressed in the copying and translating of scripture. The verse is James 1:18, which, together with verse 17, is provided below:
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. (nrsv)
The word translated “gave birth” is apopokeō. A quick check of lexicons reveals the word’s core meaning as “give birth to.”2 Passive forms can refer to the child—“to be born.”3 The shorter kueō, which is absent from the Greek Bible, means to “bear in the womb, be pregnant with.”4 Passive forms of kueō can refer to an embryo or fetus.You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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