There is a thread elsewhere about the meaning of "the Word made flesh." I thought I'd give Theosophy's explanation of the meaning of this sentence.
The story of "creation" is the story of the appearance of our physical universe. According to Theosophy, the word "flesh" actually refers to all parts of our universe. (The authors of the story used the metaphor of a single person living in a physical body to symbolize the universe.) So when the story says the Word was made flesh, according to Theosophy, it actually refers to the divine plan manifesting itself as a physical universe.
In prehistoric times, when these teachings were first released, it was felt that the population was too primitive to understand concepts like universes appearing and disappearing. Therefore the decision was made at that time to use symbology such as "the Word made flesh" instead of saying something like, "the Word manifested itself as a universe, one of only a seemingly endless line of universes." Fortunately, today, such symbology is no longer necessary.
This is in line with the complimentary Theosophical idea that the idea of Mary and Baby Jesus actually symbolize cosmic concepts such as universes being born (Jesus) and the pre-cosmic substance that this and other universes are composed of (Mary). Mary had a child (perhaps more than one), which is symbology for the concept that there have been many universes.
Not according to Judaism. When the Almighty said in the beginning "Let there be light" as we have from Genesis 1:3, that light became flesh many years later in the People of Israel born as the seed of Abraham, Isaiah and Jacob. Here are some more of the details:
Let There Be Light and There Was Light
It has been an a "tohu vavohu" among many questioners, especially Christians, even many Jews, to come up with an explanation for that kind of light in
Genesis 1:3 wen the sun, which gives light by day was created only on the 4th day of creation. The embarrassment is that at both, Atheists laugh. And not because they know any better in terms of an adequate answer, but for two other reasons: First, because they look for an answer only in Science; and of course it is not there but in Theology. And in Theology, they laugh at us for they think that we are all speaking about an anthropomorphic god, which, as I don't blame them: It indeed never existed.
But what light is indeed the Torah writer referring to when he reports of God as declaring, "Let there be light?"
Since before the creation of the universe it was already in the designs of God to provide for salvation of Mankind, a People whom salvation would come from, in the words of Jesus himself in
John 4:22. Hence the first prophecy pronounced by God Himself about the rise of Israel from the Patriarcks Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the future.
When for good, the Assyrians removed Israel from existence by replacing the Northern Kingdom of the Galilee with Gentiles, and after the Jews or Southern Kingdom was taken for an temporary exile of 70 years in Babylon, and the time had arrived for their return to the Land of Israel, Prophet Isaiah said that the people who walked in darkness, as he meant the Gentiles in Galilee, had seen a great light as the Jewish People were returning to the Land of Israel. (
Isa. 9:2)
Then, later, he confirms that light of
Genesis 1:3 when he explained that Israel had been assigned as light to the nations. (
Isa. 42:6) But the light was to remain divided from the darkness, so that both should exist in the same world; although, in the language of the Essenes, there would always be a conflict between the children of Light and the children of darkness. Between Jews and Gentiles.
Jesus was aware of this Light as he delivered his famous Sermon of the Mount to a crowd of Jews, when he said to them: "You are the Light of the world." (
Mat. 5:14) The reason why he said "you are" and not "you have" is that what one has, it can be taken away, but what one is he is no matter what. Individually, we have the light the world needs to know God. But as a People, we are the light of
Genesis 1:3, which the world needs for salvation.
Ben
