Iconic Encounter: A Cohesive Response to the Problem of Language; A Holistic Biblical and Phenomenological Approach

In recent decades, numerous theologians have risen to defend new approaches to the Doctrine of God that favor anthropological, ethnocentric, feminist, and ecocritical interpretations that ultimately question how modern language functions to describe the Divine. Focusing on four case studies (Gen. 16:13-14; Ex. 3:13-15; Job 42:1-6; and Lk. 1:46-55), this project responds to the aforementioned views by creating a model for the language of theology based upon the way in which biblical authors address the phenomenon of God’s revelation through the written word. Amongst other things, I argue that the God-language employed in Scriptures relies upon an altogether theophanic, metaphoric, and paradoxical spectrum that provides a model for theological discourse. In this context, theophany refers to how language functions as a direct response to God’s metaphysical or spiritual manifestation; metaphor, to how humans employ symbols and images to describe God; and paradox, to how seemingly contrary statements complexify the way in which readers understand God and God\u27s attributes according to the biblical text. Amongst other things, the biblical evidence shows that although hidden and eternally Other, God is willing to interact with humanity to restore a continually growing knowledge of the Divine. In this type of language, the Divine mystery becomes sublimated to being reconceived within the limitations of the human mind