THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN - Tyndale House

80 TYNDALE BULLETIN
Yea, Anshar's first-born, Anu, was his equal.
Anu begot in his image [tamšīlu] Nudimmud. 125
The meaning of zikru is unfortunately much in dispute;
its usual meaning is 'name or command , but although
some have endeavoured to see such a meaning here, 126 most
have preferred to find a different word zikru here, meaning
‘image, double, idea’. 127 If this is correct, we are a long
way from םֶלֶצ with its concrete reference. Zikru and tanšīlu
are if anything closer to תּ ומּד ְ than to םֶלֶצ. 128 Had ִsalmu been
used in these passages there would have been a stronger
case for doubting that we are dealing with beth essentiae in
Genesis 1:26.
It should also be noted that, unlike Genesis 1, the passages
from the Gilgamesh Epic and the Descent of Ishtar do not
concern the creation of mankind, but of a particular man
for a specific purpose; the passage from Enuma elish does not
concern the creation of man, but the begetting of a god.
There is therefore little reason to see any connection between
these passages and Genesis 1. 129
Our survey of the objections which have been raised to the
understanding of beth in ּ ונֶמְלַצְּב
as beth essentiae has shown them
to be far from cogent; our conclusion thus is that Genesis 1:26 is
to be translated 'Let us make man as our image' or 'to be our
image', and the other references to the image are to be interpreted
similarly. Thus we may say that according to Genesis 1
man does not have the image of God, nor is he made in the
image of God, but is himself the image of God.
IV. THE IMAGE OF GOD IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
We must, now examine what meaning the statement that man
is the image of God could have had for the author of Genesis 1.
The meaning of the image cannot be satisfactorily deduced
from the Old Testament, because Old Testament faith was
strongly opposed to the use of images and no rationale for
125
Enuma elish I i 15f. (= ANET 61a).
126
So J. Hehn, Festschrift E. Sachau 46; similarly A. Schott and. W. von Soden
Das Gilgamesch-Epos, Reclam, Stuttgart (1958) 28.
127
So CAD, Z 116b).
128
P. Humbert, Etudes 163.
129
Cf. P. Humbert, Etudes 166.