In the last analysis, I have a completely indescribable passion for experiencing God, and this God is unquestionably closer to that of the Old Testament than He is to the Messiah's Gospels. I must admit that what I have most wanted in this life has been to discover within myself a temple to earth, and to dwell therein.
Letter to Rudolph Zimmerman
March 10, 1922
A temple to earth, and the Old Testament God. I so relate to this. I think the combination is important. There is much to distrust of the OT God, I think. But to pair that entity (evolving, complex, incomprehensible) with "a temple to earth" inside seems to look again at the future God, the one we create, from within.
ReplyDeleteTo me that is the crux of the problem here. We have made God in the image we want Him to be. God is. And like Love, cannot be known. The Creator can only be experienced.
ReplyDeleteCezanne's painting of Mont Saint-Victoire, around which I have hiked, is a "temple to earth" for me.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I enjoy the Old Testament a lot - more earthy, I suppose. But the NT God is so much more forgiving - easier to relate to, I guess. They way I see it, the two were meant to blend, to be a continuation. So, to reflect upon the "earthiness" of our temple, wonderful. But I wouldn't want to limit it to this earth... what a scary thought for me. I have always LOVED this painting
ReplyDeleteRilke's passion to discover within "a temple to earth" brings to mind Meister Eckhart, who wrote of being the stream, the forest, the field, every hoof, foot, fin and wing, the sky itself and asked, "Is this not a holy trinity: the firmament, the earth, our bodies...."
ReplyDeletelove those final words, and Cezanne is such a favorite.
ReplyDeletebeautiful pairing - sometimes i forget about being the temple, this is a good reminder.
ReplyDelete