It is interesting that the creation story in Genesis says that light was the first of the creations of God. This is not unlike a major finding of today’s science, that the universe began as a fireball.
Actually, the Bible is full of creation stories and the story in Psalm 104 is said to be the oldest–older than the creation stories in Genesis.
Psalm 104 also talks of light. It begins with the awakening of psyche and cosmos together:
Bless the Lord, my soul:
O Lord God, thou are great indeed,
clothed in majesty and splendor,
and wrapped in a robe of light.
Divinity comes “wrapped in a robe of light.” Is light the primal gift, the radical expression of the Divine presence? Of the creative power or fire in the universe? Is this behind the creation story in John 1 when it is said that Christ is the “Light of the world” and the light and life within all existing things of the universe? The Cosmic Christ therefore?
If Divinity comes wrapped in a robe of light, then is penetrating light a way to penetrating Divinity? Is photosynthesis a special creation that carries on the light-working properties of the universe and of its maker? When we eat and drink the sun that is seized in fruit and vegetables, coffee and orange juice, are we imbibing Divinity? Is all food a holy Eucharist—and eating of the flesh of the Divine One? The Food of the Beloved?
In Psalm 104, the majesty, splendor, and special robes of Divinity are about the Creator God, who like a king runs the universe. The universe is subject to the justice of this king.
The poet knows God is great because God’s creation is so great, as the rest of the poem goes on to recount: The heavens, the waters, the clouds, the wind, the flames, the earth, the sea, the rain over hills and valleys, the wild beasts, the wild asses, the birds that sing among the leaves. Grass for cattle, vegetation that becomes bread and wine, oils, storks, mountain goats, rock badgers. The moon, the sun, the darkness, the night.
The beasts including young lions “seek their food from God.” And humans join this great work of seeking food as they “work until evening.”
Adapted from Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society, pp. 78f.
See also: Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work.
To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: Sunrise above peak in Himalayan range, Nepal. Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash
Queries for Contemplation
What does the phrase that God the Creator is “wrapped in a robe of light” mean to you? Does it relate in a poetic way to the notion of the 750,000 years of the original Fireball that began the universe?
Recommended Reading
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood For Our Time
Thomas Aquinas said, “To live well is to work well,” and in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work, Fox shares his vision of a world where our personal and professional lives are celebrated in harmony–a world where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified by authentic “soul work.”
“Fox approaches the level of poetry in describing the reciprocity that must be present between one’s inner and outer work…[A]n important road map to social change.” ~~ National Catholic Reporter
13 thoughts on “Divinity is “Wrapped in a Robe of Light” per the Scriptures”
Matthew, Today you tell us that: “… the Bible is full of creation stories and the story in Psalm 104 is said to be the oldest–older than the creation stories in Genesis. Psalm 104 also talks of light. It begins with the awakening of psyche and cosmos together:
Bless the Lord, my soul:
O Lord God, thou are great indeed,
clothed in majesty and splendor,
and wrapped in a robe of light.
And “Yes,” John chapter 1 does speak of Christ as the light of the world, but even earlier, in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus said, “YOU are the light of the world.” When we eat and drink the sun that is seized in food from plants, you ask, “are we imbibing Divinity? Is all food a holy Eucharist—and eating of the flesh of the Divine One? The Food of the Beloved?” “The poet of Psalm 104 knows God is great because God’s creation is so great, as the rest of the poem goes on to recount: The heavens, the waters, the clouds, the wind, the flames, the earth, the sea, the rain over hills and valleys, the wild beasts, the wild asses, the birds that sing among the leaves. Grass for cattle, vegetation that becomes bread and wine, oils, storks, mountain goats, rock badgers. The moon, the sun, the darkness, the night. The beasts including young lions “seek their food from God.” Psalm 104 says that God is “wrapped in a robe of light,” but in 1 Kings 8:12 it also says that “God dwells in thick darkness.” There is light and there is darkness; there is the via positiva and the via negativa, and that’s just how it is.
What we know of the origins of the universe are only of the universe that which we are aware, the one in which we only know so slightly with great scientific and changing theory and conjecture?
What of all that is beyond the universe of which we are aware? Do we care not to venture there? Are we saying that there is ‘no existence or God consciousness before the universe’?
Do we bookend the Alpha and Omega out of our limited awareness of ‘light’ and that which is not light? What is the purpose of that? Light is revealed by its presence rather than penetrated. That which is before light will be revealed as well. That is what we are told is it not, that the Father will be revealed to whomever the Son wishes to reveal Himself to? Do we call that which is before light, ‘the Robe of Nothingness’? Or have ‘light’ and ‘nothingness’ always existed together in a realm without time?– BB.
Bill, You ask a number of questions today, most of which are currently unanswerable like: “What of all that is beyond the universe of which we are aware? Do we care not to venture there? Are we saying that there is ‘no existence or God consciousness before the universe’?” On the second of these questions I would say, “No”–If
God is infinite (we are finite) that would mean that there “never was a time when God wasn’t,” and since God is omnipresent, “there is no place that God isn’t…”
Life is the light the darkness cannot grasp. It is observable, living things die and yet Life lives on. Evolution is the process living things, experience Life, from Life’s Alpha beginning, “through a glass darkly”. The process towards the Omega point or everlasting fullness of Life is ongoing and expanding. Compassionate living, or “the keen awareness that all living things are interdependent”. T.M. Interdependence it is observed that lifeless water and soil are also interdependent with Life, as they are both teaming with billions of living things. The Body and Blood of Life is the living food that supports living things.
Your science may be a bit off? The fireball initiating creation…..750,000 years?…13 billion for the universe, 4 for our planet, if I am not mistaken…..
William, The fireball burned for 750k years at the beginning of the universe. It is now present in other forms of light in the atoms in the universe. That is how Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry explain it in their book, The Universe Story…
Lest we forget that in Genesis divine darkness covers the deep before
the light emerges. Most of our universe is dark matter and black holes
are now being studied as a source of life in the cosmos. The dark should
never be equated with evil or ignorance. It is merely the Via Negativa at
work in our world. Together, the dark and the light create vibrant life and
an opportunity to embrace both throughout our own soul journey. The
challenge for the next part of our planetary journey is to redeem darkness
and instead use other words to describe what is not life-giving such as
evil, ignorance, fear, cruelty, despair, etc.
marjio, You make an excellent point when you say: “The dark should never be equated with evil or ignorance.” Then you end your comment saying: “The challenge for the next part of our planetary journey is to redeem darkness and instead use other words to describe what is not life-giving such as evil, ignorance, fear, cruelty, despair, etc.” I am certain that Matthew would agree with you here. When he speaks of darkness, he usually does so in the context of the via negativa–which is an essential part of our spiritual journey, and if you just look at the meditations from last week, when he spoke about people who were martyred for protecting the rainforest, and the poor people that lived there, you will have to admit that Matthew isn’t afraid to address the things you point out as: “what is not life-giving such as evil, ignorance, fear, cruelty, despair, etc.”
“What does the phrase that God the Creator is “wrapped in a robe of light” mean to you? Does it relate in a poetic way to the notion of the 750,000 years of the original Fireball that began the universe?”
It causes me to wonder about how the sun was worshipped and the absolute necessity of the sun for life as we know it on earth.
That power, that giver of life, that necessity…..and the power behind that……..??
Light is both metaphor and a type of mystical “Glory” in one type of unitive awareness.
Darkness is a metaphor, used both for “the dark night of the soul” (despair) and for the radically nondualistic, non-limited peak (G*d) revelation in the mystical experience (Jewish/Christian/Sufism/Upanishads, etc. i.e., Neoplatonic mysticism).
It’s also used in a “balance of harmonious change” metaphor in yin/yang symbology.
But “darkness” risks being used/perceived as a vicious racist slur.
All of this means that “darkness” is a horribly confusing symbol in spirituality and should be used with extreme caution, and writers should always specify the precise meaning intended. This is one metaphor that shouldn’t be used carelessly.
It has already created a mess of confusion. Too many conflicting meanings spoil the metaphor.
Melinda, Today you write: “But “darkness” risks being used/perceived as a vicious racist slur. All of this means that “darkness” is a horribly confusing symbol in spirituality and should be used with extreme caution, and writers should always specify the precise meaning intended. This is one metaphor that shouldn’t be used carelessly. It has already created a mess of confusion. Too many conflicting meanings spoil the metaphor.” Please see my comment to Marijo Grogan above !!!
In response to the query within todays DM.
Learning to lean into and live the questions, with the uncertainty of not knowing, yet desiring to seek to know is the wonder of the experience of life. Often the answers we think we have discovered, shift and change in fluid ways… leading us back to the original question. The older I get, it seems that I’m learning to become more accepting of the mystery of it all… that there is no one solidified, absolute answer to any question.
I’m slowly learning that there’s a sense of surrendering to the flow, in admitting that I just don’t know… and this fluidity somehow keeps me open to all things possible. Some things are also simply beyond my finite comprehension… which also leads me into learning how to surrender to simply being in the mystery of it all, without striving to know or understand. Somehow, in some strange way as I surrender to just being with the question, the unknowing, the uncertainty… I sometimes intuitively get a little fleeting glimpse… of the greater mystery that everything and everyone is enwrobed in. This is the joy of wonder and awe about life… simply being open to seeing, and experiencing, the unfolding, evolving, emerging mystery of it all.
Divine LOVE~LIGHT~LIFE in Flowing Loving Oneness in the Sacred Process of the Eternal Present within and among us, especially in our Sacred Mother Nature/Earth, and within our sacred multidimensional-multiverse co-Creation~Evolution of God’s Loving Diverse Oneness….
🔥💜🌎🙏