Seeing the Face of God

Abstract

Abstract This chapter expands a brief earlier discussion of how doctrine enables a new way of seeing reality by considering how the doctrine of the incarnation articulates the visibility of God, and affirms that the face of God can be seen in Christ. The chapter opens by considering the ‘aniconism’ of the Hebrew Bible, which declines to allow visual images of God, before moving on to note how the doctrine of the incarnation affirms that God can be ‘seen’ in Christ. Particular attention is directed to the philosophers Paul Elmer More and Roger Scruton, who both recognize the significance of beholding the ‘face of God’ for human existence. The chapter also includes discussion of Christ as the embodiment of meaning, and the manner in which the doctrine of the incarnation allows the experience of suffering to be seen in a new light.