Emily Stuart: He is here, He is Holy

-Outside Readings-

A hierophany, as described by Mircea Eliade, is a “breakthrough of the sacred (or the 'supernatural') into the World” (Eliade, 1959). This breakthrough is seen many times in the Hebrew Bible, ranging from the Burning Bush of Moses’ time to God walking in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, with each manifestation of the divine a breakthrough into the homogeneity of the natural. As I was researching this concept for the first assignment of this class, I found myself wondering why it is that the “breakthroughs” of God into the natural is not as miraculous in modern times. Yes, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles by tongues of fire, and yes, the church was given the gift of tongues, prophecy and healing in accordance of the Holy Spirit… but you don’t see God breaking through into the natural in the miraculous ways of the Old Testament. Additionally, many theologians (especially the Reformed ones) believe in cessationism, which is the doctrine that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased with the original twelve apostles. This doctrine (that I only half believe—they haven’t quite gotten to me completely yet) seemingly further suppresses the allowance of hierophany in modern times, barring God from breaking through in His ways of old, through miracles and fire and cloud columns of protection.

So as I was writing about this, I was very confused. If hierophany no longer happens in modern day when it comes to the God of the Bible… how is He still alive and interacting with His people? As I was thinking about this and typing out different ways to say “breakthrough into the natural,” because at this point, I was getting a little repetitive, I typed, “break through the veil,” and it was suddenly clear. It wasn’t that God was no longer breaking through from the supernatural to the natural… but that He didn’t need to anymore. He doesn’t need to break through the veil because he tore the veil in two. No longer did there need to be a separation between the common and the Holy of Holy’s…no longer did God need hierophany to manifest His presence, because He’s already here. He is here, and He is Holy, and by His sacrifice, we can experience him in the natural and mundane. Thus, meaning and purpose are given to the natural and mundane, because He is here. And that is miraculous.

Eliade, M. (1959). The sacred and the profane (Vol. 11). London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.