Window into God, mirror to the soul
What’s the Bible for? We asked dozens of writers to respond to this question in seven words or less, as well as to expand on their response in a few sentences. To see all of the responses together as they are posted, bookmark this page.
Window into God, mirror to the soul
One of the oldest metaphors for the Bible is book and mirror, liber et speculum. The Bible is the book of God’s works and words. It displays the saga of ancient Israel and the revelation of Jesus Christ. But if we look more closely, perhaps squint a little, we also see a reflection of ourselves—in the psalmist’s joy, the disciple’s doubt, the widow’s trust—just as we are and as we hope to be. The book never lies. Neither does the mirror.
