Divine word and human word

My first experience of giving a name to someone is to my daughters. It is a challenging task, for their names are not just a matter of the distinction of identity, but also they are their names. This is why most parents spend a lot of time to give thought on naming their children. My first daughter is Jeng Sum that means to rectify one’s heart, and the second is Jeng Hang that means to rectify one’s act.

Scripture for today is also about naming.

So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. (Gen 2:19)

This one shall be called Woman. (Gen 2:23)

Adam is given the authority to name animals, and even to name another human being as the woman. Does it mean that Adam has the power over or superior to animals and the woman? I do not think so, but on the contrary, it is more about the responsibility of Adam to animals and the woman. This is my experience of being a father. I have more responsible to those whom I name than those whom I do not name. It may be right that Adam’s responsibility of naming is related to his language and intellectual ability, but language is not self-invented, for Adam is born into a language. In other words, it is Adam who learns the language first and reproduces the language in his activity of naming. Hearing or listening is prior to speaking. What Adam has heard is the Divine word, and what he has named is to reproduce the Divine word. Here, the Divine word and human word are merged. Thus, the names of animals and the woman are not just for the sake of the distinction of identity, but also reflect the Divine word. When we hear names of animals and the woman, we can discern the Divine word and the glory of God.

Since listening is prior to speaking or reproducing, we have to ask what Adam has heard from the Divine word, for this is the Divine word that human word is to reproduce. Firstly, Adam is told ‘to till and keep the garden of Eden’. (2:15) Tilling and keeping are not only just to maintain what has been already there, but also to bring out the potentiality of the garden. Adam is for the garden, but also the garden is for Adam. (2:8) Adam and the garden are mutually dependent. The best word to understand their relationship is gift. Gift is the reproduction of the Divine word in terms of human word. The command to till and keep is the command to work, but this is a work of gift. At the same time, Adam has received a gift, the garden of Eden. Although we do not know what names Adam had given to animals, I believe, based on what has been discussed, that the names of animals should reflect a sense of gift. On the contrary, names like pig and dog have been abused in current use when human word is alienated from the Divine word.

Secondly, Adam is told to eat freely of the trees. (Gen 2:16) To eat freely is not a result of Adam’s hard work of tilling and keeping the garden, but rather it is the gift of the garden. (2:9) However, there is a condition of eating freely, that is, not to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (2:17) It is not my purpose here to discuss different interpretations of the tree, but the Divine word, at least, has implied that freedom has constraints. This is something that our society has difficulty to accept, for freedom means no constraint. In the Divine word, constraint is a reminder, not a bondage, but since the human word is alienated from the Divine word, the meaning of the tree has been changed to a matter of control. I do not know whether the forbidden is applied to Adam only, but it is sure that Adam had reproduced the Divine word in human word to the woman. Despite this, we are not sure whether Adam reproduced accurately or the woman reproduced it differently. This remains a puzzle.

What I have said so far is to suggest that Adam is asked to reproduce the Divine word in human word. It is not only whether the message of the Divine word is accurately reproduced, but also whether the glory of the Divine word is reflected in human words. On the other hand, we also have to learn to discern the Divine word implicitly reproduced in human word. The Church does not hold the Divine word, but rather the Divine word is spoken at its own. Listening is always the basic. We hear the Divine word from the Scripture, but we also hear the Divine word among the poor, for the poor is the chief addressees of Jesus’ ministry. (Lk 4:19) Despite its inadequacy and fragmentary, we humbly reproduce the Divine word in human word so that God’s glory is manifested. This is the ministry of the Church.

Although sin alienates the Divine word from human word, we have discerned the Divine word in the current’s ‘ascetic walk’ (苦行) against the construction of high speed rail. In ascetic walk, the value of high speed is countered by slow walk, the value of development is countered by the love of land. It is this human word reproducing the divine word to unmask the pride and the falsehood of human word. Theological education is first to listen and then to reproduce in human word. This is what we are learning here.