Thursday, February 11, 2016

Vapor of Vapors


A misty day on Stemple Ridge.
I've been reading Chasing Mystery by Carey Walsh.  She is interested in teasing out how various parts of the Bible express the experience of The Divine.  In her treatment of Ecclesiastes, she says that the Hebrew word that is usually translated "vanity of vanities" is more accurately translated "vapor of vapors."  Walsh says that the phrase reflects the fleeting, intangible quality of finding life's purpose as well as any role divinity plays in life.  Vapor is a metaphor for the inexpressible Divine, which is quiet, not absent.  Ecclesiastes shows us how to read these subtle encounters with the Divine.

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