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 Kenneth L. Vaux, Professor of Theology and Ethics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, is a member of the Graduate Faculty at Northwestern University and Fellow of the Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies (CARTS) at Cambridge. He is the author of Ministry on the Edge, America in God's World, Journey into an Interfaith World, Ethics and the Gulf War, and Jew, Christian, Muslim. K.K. Yeo is Harry R. Kendall Professor of New Testament Studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Visiting Professor in the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department and Academic Director of the Christian Studies program at Peking University. He is the author of Musing with Confucius and Paul: Toward a Chinese Christian Theology and The Spirit Intercedes: The New Testament in Prayers and Images (with Claire Matheny).