Lefebvre, Philippe
Human filiations, divine filiation
- 2018.
13
The Bible begins with the affirmation that all filiation comes from God. This affirmation is not concerned only with the starting point of human creation. All humans discover themselves as “fashioned” by God: wanted, planned, and announced. How then should we think about the “generations”, the toledot, that appear often in Genesis in particular? Paradoxically, sterile couples who nevertheless produce children establish the norm of all human birth by highlighting the role of divine initiative. But entering into the process of filiation is neither a duty nor something automatically given: an acceptance is necessary, a willingness to go forward. Women and men are not located in the same way on the “axis” of filiation: the first testify to a God who is Father, and the second must become sons before God.