In Genesis 1:26, we read these words: “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness . . . .” Three times in this verse, God uses a plural while speaking. Who is the “us” referring to?
To answer this question, it is helpful to consider two complementary approaches. First, we can use exegesis, which is the attempt to understand the original intent of the ancient human biblical author. Second, we use theological interpretation of scripture (TIS), which is the attempt to understand a portion of scripture in light of the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
On an exegetical level, the original human author of Genesis was most likely thinking that when God said “us,” he was referring to the heavenly council, a well-known concept in the ancient Near East and one that is often referred to in the Old Testament (e.g., Genesis 6:1-4; Deuteronomy 32:8; Job 1-2; Isaiah 6). The heavenly council refers to the biblical image of the heavenly throne-room of God, where God is seated as the King and Judge surrounded by his council of angels. This angelic council serves as both God’s dialogue partners with whom God discusses his cosmic plans, and as his servants and messengers who carry out his will in the world. From an ancient Jewish perspective, the “us” in Gen 1:26 would most naturally call to mind God speaking to his heavenly angelic council.
With a TIS approach, we can add another level of consideration that takes into account the revelation of the Triune God as revealed by Jesus. From this perspective, we can see in the “us” language of Gen 1:26 a reflection of the inner dialogue within God’s Triune Being of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And so, BOTH answers can be correct, depending on whether we consider the question from a pre-Jesus Jewish perspective or a post-Jesus Christian perspective.
Hmm Let’s check this out, Pretty cool.
The meta-historical fall, a pre-cosmic fall, an understanding of the biblical fall of man as a reality outside of empirical history, a prior eon, that affects the entire history of this, new eon, big bang universe. Genesis 1 and 2 are two different fall stories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-historical_fall
I would consider the divine council in Gen 1:26 then to include Lucifer however Job 1-2 would puts Lucifer, at least showing up at the council, between Babel and Abraham still doing his thing in the 2nd new eon.
Job mentions an animal, Behemoth, that does not appear in any other biblical book (Job 40:15–24). This may suggest Job lived in a time when certain large animals were about to go extinct.
Another example is Job’s mention of men living in caves (Job 30:5–7) equating this with the period of cavemen.
What’s up with that David Bentley Hart?
It appears there are SEVEN Concatenated Synergistic Allegories That Tell the Same Story, [with Prior-Now-Intermittent-Final stages], if you can think with an imaginative flare.
The allegories [Chaos Theory, Astrophysics, Quantum physics, Philosophy, Physiology, Theology, Zero-Point]
One extremely close to Theology is in Philosophy Plato’s ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE:
“Imagine that there are people living in a cave deep underground. The cavern has a mouth that opens to the light above, and a passage exists from this all the way down to the people. They have lived here from infancy, with their legs and necks bound in chains. They cannot move. All they do is stare directly forward, as the chains stop them from turning their heads around. Imagine that far above and behind them blazes a great fire. Between this fire and the captives, a low partition is erected along a path, something like puppeteers use to conceal themselves during their shows”. ………“Imagine one of them is set free from his shackles and immediately made to stand up and his neck around, to take steps, to gaze up toward the fire”.
…….ends with “Therefore, of this matter itself, there must be a craft of some kind, which would be a most efficient and effective means of transforming the soul. It would not be an art that gives the soul vision, but a craft at labor under the assumption that the soul has its own innate vision, but does not apply it properly. There must be some kind of means for bringing this about”.
The Soul dancing forth and back, FORWARD, THE LENS following Jesus in a logical and circular reference allegory of the cave with patterns in stages 1st sleeping 2nd awaken 3rd intermediate the Final? in a hologram.
https://www.scribd.com/document/795232193/SEVEN-Concatenated-Synergistic-Allegories-That-Tell-the-Same-Story?secret_password=n2Ipp2AeFLELIXX7x2KY