What in the Word? What Is the Image of God? | Richard Middleton on Genesis 1:26–28
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Apr 8, 2026 Richard Middleton, Old Testament scholar reframing Genesis and theology, joins to unpack the imago dei. He contrasts substantive, relational, and vocational readings. Short takes cover human vocation as divine representation, ancient Near Eastern context, ethics flowing from dignity, and Christ as the true image.
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Don't Read Modern Assumptions Into Genesis
- Interpretation problems arise when readers import cultural or theological assumptions into Genesis 1.
- Middleton warns exegesis vs eisegesis: scholars often project Greek metaphysics or modern notions onto the text instead of reading its original context.
Conference Moment Sparked Better Dialogue On Imago Dei
- Middleton recounts a conference moment where attendees shrugged at a claim we don't know what Imago Dei means.
- That led a theologian to publish work bridging biblical scholars and theologians to clarify the topic.
Historical Majority Linked Image To Rationality
- The dominant historical view (substantivalist) ties the image of God to an immaterial human substance like rationality.
- Middleton traces this to Hellenistic influences that equated divine mind with human reason as the image-bearer trait.