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Humans Created in the ”Image of God” in Genesis 1 and the Instructions for Merikare in Ancient Egypt

  • Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
  • Abbr : KJOTS
  • 2024, 30(4), pp.104-140
  • Publisher : Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology

Jun Kim 1

1명지대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study compares Genesis 1 with the instruction for Merikare in Egypt, which records the creation of man in the “image of god” approximately 1,500 years earlier. The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of man being created in the “image of God(god)” as expressed in the two texts and the historical background that gave rise to this concept. The instruction for Merikare and Genesis 1 are important texts that apply the expression of man being created in the image of God, which was previously used only for certain figures such as kings in the ancient Near East, to all people. At the same time, these two texts are unusual texts because this expression is used only in the instruction for Merikare in Egypt, and only in the pre-history of Genesis, including Genesis 1, and then not again in the Old Testament. The emergence of this expression can be understood in the historical and religious context of the time when the two texts were written. The Instruction for Mericare is set in a chaotic period when the solid Old Kingdom of Egypt collapsed and a new order had to be reconstructed amid competition among local rulers. The Instruction for Merikare advises that the king should consider local power and people important and conduct prudent politics during this chaotic time. As such, the basis for the king’s respect for people is that all people are created in the image of god and are precious beings who receive god’s good care. However, the teaching of Mericare does not claim that all humans are equal or divine. God created kings more specially. Since the Instruction for Merikare focuses on the stability of the kingdom’s rule, it does not mention the role of humans created in the image of god in the created world. Genesis 1 is understood to have been edited by the priestly school during the exile or early post-exile period. This was a time of chaos when traditional religious values ​​and order collapsed, the exiles’ faith in Yahweh weakened in the face of the great Babylonian religion and society, and they questioned the value of their own existence. The priestly school reconstructs the values ​​of Israel’s religion and people through Genesis 1, which presents the Almighty God who created heaven and earth, God who formulates and carries out a systematic and comprehensive plan, and roles of people created in God’s image. Genesis 1 does not mention differences in status or power among people. All people are equal and dignified. Genesis 1 places people at the zenith of the creation process and then portrays them as beings who are entrusted with the authority and responsibility to rule over all living creatures and the earth as God’s representatives. P’s vision portrays all people created in God’s image as noble beings who will serve as kingly priests entrusted by God. P invites the Israelites, whose faith in Yahweh had been weakened through the experience of the Babylonian exile, to strengthen their faith in the Almighty God, and to move toward the goal of completing the vision of creation by following the divine commandments that God had entrusted to humans.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

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