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THE BROKEN DIALOGUE: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF DIVINE SILENCE
Abstract
This study examines the theme of silence in the Hebrew canonical texts, understood as a rupture in communication between God and humanity, manifested both as divine silence and human inability to hear. Beginning with the Genesis narrative, the acquisition of the “knowledge of good and evil” triggers shame, fear, and exile from Paradise, marking the onset of God’s silence. The research critically analyzes key biblical passages highlighting this dialectic of unheard voices: the silent God and the suffering, unheard human. Additionally, it explores the theological and iconographic significance of the divine Voice symbolized as a descending hand from heaven, suggesting a shift from verbal communication to divine action embodied in deeds. By combining theological exegesis and iconographic interpretation, the study reveals how divine silence engages humanity in a dynamic interplay of absence and presence. This paradoxical silence functions not as abandonment but as an invitation to faith expressed through action and spiritual growth. Ultimately, the research offers a nuanced understanding of silence as a formative element in biblical anthropology and spirituality, enriching the discourse on human-divine interaction.
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References9
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