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THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN GOD AND MAN IN THE ACT OF THE BIRTH. A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
Abstract
In the Old Testament, the family constitutes the basis of the Israelite society. The Hebrew wisdom presents the foundation of a family as the goal of man's life. The first commandment given to man in Paradise was the perpetuation of the human and the domination of the earth (Gen. 1:28). The process of procreation is not a purely biological one and he depends not only on man himself, but God intervenes in his creation, promising many descendants (Gen. 15:5, 16:10, 22:17, 26:4). That is why, in the Old Testament, the child appears as the creation of God (Jer. 18:4) and as a gift of Jahwe's mercy (Psalm 127:3). The texts that speak of the birth of man are characterized by a remarkable poetic expression of praising the act of the Lord's creation: For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth" (Psalm 139: 13-15, in parallel with Job 10: 8-11). God, as Lord over life and death, has the power to "open" or "close" the woman's womb, to make the family full of children, or to deprive it of this blessing (1 Sam. 2:5, Job 1:21, Psalm 113:9, Jer. 15:7-9, Hos. 9:12).
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References6
Art. „Geburt”, in Manfred Görg, Neues Bibel-Lexikon, Switzerland, Bd. I, Benziger Verlag, Zurich, 1991, pp 748-749. Lescow Theodor, Das Geburtsmotiv in den mesianischen Weissagungen bei Jesaja und Micha, în „Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft”, Germany, nr. 79, pp 172-208, 1967; Brenner Athalya, Female Social Behavior: Two Descriptive Patterns within the „Birth of the Hero” Paradigm, in „Vetus Testamentum”, Netherlands, vol. 36, pp 257-273, 1986.
See Mayer Günter, Die jüdische Frau in der hellenistisch-römischen Antike, Kohlhammer, Germany, Stuttgart, 1987, pp 9-33.
Art. „ianaq”, în Botterweck G.J., Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Alten Testament (TWAT), Germany, Band III, Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, 1977, p 666.
St. John of Damascus, Dogmatics, Romania, vol. II, translated by Dumitru Fecioru, București, 1938, p 126.
St. John of Damascus, Dogmatics, Romania, vol. II, translated by Dumitru Fecioru, București, 1938, p 125.
Paul Evdokimov, L'orthodoxie, Bibliothèque théologique, Switzerland, Delachaux&Niestlé, Neuchâtel, 1959, p 80.
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