Dr Paul Allen

WHAT IS GOD'S GLORY? That aspect in a person or God worthy of praise, honor, or respect; often associated with brightness or splendor in theophanies. Several Hebrew words are translated “glory.” The most common and important is kāḇôḏ (from kāḇēḏ “be heavy, weighty, burdensome”; Isa. 22:24). Two related words are hāḏār, which carries an aesthetic dimension (e.g., the splendor of God’s work, Ps. 90:16), and hôḏ, God’s sovereignty over all things (Ps. 148:13; NIV “splendor”; Hab. 3:3), more often translated “honor.” The LXX translates kāḇôḏ and related words with Gk. dóxa. This translation unifies glory with its manifestations, and gives the word clear theological prominence by covering the greatness and majesty of God. In the intertestamental period Greek-speaking Jews used dóxa for both Aram. yiqārā˒ “glory” and šekînâ, God’s tabernacling presence, a concept prominent in later Judaism. The New Testament inherited this complex of meanings, using dóxa in the classical Greek se

Peresopnytsia Gospels. 1556-1561. Miniature of Saint Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." ( Matthew 11:25 ) The attributes of wisdom and prudence are prized very highly by the world and its leaders, but worldly wisdom and pragmatic prudence are incapable in themselves of comprehending the spiritual concepts in the plan of God . The Lord Jesus , in fact, considered this very truth a cause for thanksgiving! One does not need either education or wisdom to appropriate the true wisdom of God , for even a young child (in fact, only one who becomes like a child) is able to understand true wisdom. "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" ( Matthew 18:3 ). The fact that most of the world’s scholars reject the Word of God is no