Tree of Life, Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Serpent, Forbidden fruit, Garden, Four rivers flowing out, Clothing of Skin, Cherubim with flaming swords. This is a small list of images that appear in just the first few chapters of Genesis. Who associates these images to their meanings? Are they random? If you believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then God is the author of these meanings. He is the one who has connected the trees with their meanings and if the Bible is His story, then He is the one who told us the story of the garden, Adam and Eve, the snake, its connection and the interpretation of all that transpired.......
Even an unbeliever has to acknowledge that these meanings are ancient. Meanings are not assigned willy nilly. The list I've shown above predate the first society. Even without a religious context, these metaphors still have meaning for literature and all the other art forms. What is my point here? Metaphors and their associated interpretations are fixed. They cannot be altered on a whim. If a metaphor has had its meaning altered in a work of art, then it is done knowingly by the artist. Later, I'll discuss how this becomes important in creating a criteria for the Christian Aesthetic. Today, I only want to raise awareness that metaphors exist on this level. If you read from scripture today, list all the images that are painted for you in the story. Images that come to your mind as God shares his story. You may share your list here on this post if you'd like.....
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