<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<p>In light of recent biblical scholarship claiming that the God of the Hebrew Bible has a body, this article investigates how Aquinas reads Isaiah’s description of God in embodied, anthropomorphic terms in 6, 1 (<italic>I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up</italic>, etc.) in tandem with the prophet’s denial that God is like any creature in 40, 18 (<italic>To whom have you likened God? Or what image will you make for Him?</italic>). We seek to show that, according to Aquinas, Is. 6, 1 teaches not that God has or is a body, but rather that He is not. </p>
</abstract>

In light of recent biblical scholarship claiming that the God of the Hebrew Bible has a body, this article investigates how Aquinas reads Isaiah’s description of God in embodied, anthropomorphic terms in 6, 1 (I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, etc.) in tandem with the prophet’s denial that God is like any creature in 40, 18 (To whom have you likened God? Or what image will you make for Him?). We seek to show that, according to Aquinas, Is. 6, 1 teaches not that God has or is a body, but rather that He is not.

Is God a Body? Isaiah, Divine Dissimilitude, and Scriptural Signification 

European Journal for the Study of Thomas Aquinas

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Is God a Body? Isaiah, Divine Dissimilitude, and Scriptural Signification"}

In light of recent biblical scholarship claiming that the God of the Hebrew Bible has a body, this article investigates how Aquinas reads Isaiah’s description...

Is God a Body? Isaiah, Divine Dissimilitude, and Scriptural Signification

Published Online: Oct 30, 2023

Page range: 44 - 61

Received: Jul 22, 2023

Accepted: Sep 19, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ejsta-2023-0003

Keywords
Isaiah, divine embodiment, medieval exegesis, prophecy

© 2023 Franklin T. Harkins, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Is God a Body? Isaiah, Divine Dissimilitude, and Scriptural Signification

Published Online: Oct 30, 2023

Page range: 44 - 61

Received: Jul 22, 2023

Accepted: Sep 19, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ejsta-2023-0003

KeywordsIsaiah, divine embodiment, medieval exegesis, prophecy

© 2023 Franklin T. Harkins, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Isaiah, divine embodiment, medieval exegesis, prophecy