The Theology of Light and Sight

And God said: «Let there be light.»

And there was light.

These words mark the first step in the creation of all life. The very genesis of light is tied to the nature and purpose of God–God as the author of light, as the pouring out of light, as light itself.

Believers in the three Abrahamic faiths have always understood God as light. The Hebrew scriptures celebrate this divine illumination: «Yahweh is my light and my salvation . . .» (Psalm 27). Christians, too, proclaim that «God is light, and in him is no darkness at all» (1 John 1.5). For Muslims, «Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth» (Sura 24.35). And theologians and mystics of all ages have explored the revelation and meaning of divine light.

This volume explores the theme of divine illumination in the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Theologians, physicians, and philosophers share their wisdom and understanding of the uncreated light that God is, the created physical light of the world, and the relationship of enlightenment to human reason and ethics.

Contributors:

Philip Amerson

Jamal Badawi

Kimberley Curnyn

Mark A. Dennis, Jr.

Souleymane Bachir Diagne

Wendy Doniger

Peter Knobel

Larry Murphy

William Murphy

Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern

Morton Schapiro

Jan van Eys

Kenneth L. Vaux

Sara Anson Vaux

Richard Vaux

Julie Windsor Mitchell

K.K. Yeo