Naming

Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.

Genesis 2:19b

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Language is the crafting tool man uses to shape reality. With words he carves out his perspective and tells a story about the world, though the existence itself does not change. We see this play out in Eden: the fruit of the forbidden tree, which was once to Eve so deeply tied to death that she feared even to touch it, by the word of serpent alone became something else entirely. Her perception conformed to his words; the goodness of God dissolved in her mind and she was lead into unreality by the sway of the serpent's tongue.

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Humans are mimetic creatures; made to bear the image and likeness of God but as sin touched the world and man fell from wisdom, he could mar the image however he willed. In the garden, man had this choice. Two perspectives of reality were put into words, one from the serpent and one from God, and mankind was to decide which to live by. Jesus draws this same contrast in John 8, saying of the Pharisees that God is not their Father but the devil "for there is no truth in him... but because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me." All of human history after the first fall has been a struggle between the lie and the truth; whether man would imitate the likeness of the serpent or the likeness of God.

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But while the words of the serpent distorted the creation, the words of sinless Adam clarified it. The names he gave to the creation were true and honest, for there was no disunity between himself and the Spirit of Truth breathed into him. It was as if he was able to pull at the threads of the creation, unspool it to unveil the secret of God each creature contained and tether the truth to words in a name. Man was given the world that he might make it bloom with the glory of God, and it is by the creative word of man that this is achieved. All men are called to speak truth into the world, and yet it is only by the Spirit that they are able, thus God has set apart those few holy men and women who have regained the spiritual vision that Adam lost; these few are the prophets and saints.

(Part 3 of 14 of Mimetic Reality series)