New creation of man.—For the terminology
of re-creation, we must base our observations on the manner in which the Old
Testament speaks of God’s creative activity in general. The Hebrew technical
term for ‘to create’ is br’, properly ‘to cut’, but one finds in the
same sense qnh, properly ‘to acquire’, yṣr, properly ‘to shape’
like a potter, and the general ‘śh ‘to make’’. The Septuagint translates
by κτιζειν, πλασσειν, and
ποιειν.
It may be remarked that br’
indicates God’s creative activity in a wider sense, including the creation of
human life in the womb and God’s abiding concern with His creation. This
activity may closely approach the concept of re-creation. One can, for example,
speak of a renewed people as a newly created people: λαος ο κτιζομενος (br’) αινεσει τον κυριον Ps. 101.19. A similar idea is expressed
with the words: εξαποστελεις το πνευμα σου, και κτισθησονται (br’),
και ανακαινιεις (ḥdš)
το προσωπον της γης ib. 103.30. Here we approach a use of the compound ανακτιζειν for re-creation as a counterpart
of ανακαινιζειν in the
second half-line. The same is true of κτιζειν alongside εγκαινιζειν
in another passage, in which the new creation refers to man’s inner renewal: καρδιαν καθαραν κτιζον (br’) εν εμοι, ο θεος, καν πνευμα ευθες εγκαινισον (ḥδš)
εν τοις εγκατοις μου ib. 50.12,cf. Jub 1.21 ff. It is remarkable that we have here ανακτισον preserved as Aquila’s translation, Ps. 50.12 Aq. This
compound is rare in the profane language and where it does occur it means 'to
re’'. It is absent in the Septuagint and in the New Testament but is found for
re-creation in the Apostolic Fathers . . . . In other texts, of which only the
first quoted may go back as early as the third century, we find br’, sometimes
‘śh, in the expression br’ (‘śh) bryh ḥdšh, ‘to create (make)
a new creature (creation)’. The expression is applied to atonement and
forgiveness of sins. The Talmud Yerushalmi states: ‘As soon as, on the Day of
the New Year, you shall be assembled before Me for judgment and (on the Day of Atonement)shall
go out in peace, I shall ascribe this to you as though (k’ylw) you have
been created (br’) as a new creature (kbryh ḥdšh)’ Midr. Ps. 18.6
(R. Simon c. 320). ‘At the Day of Atonement I shall cleanse you and (create)
you as) a new creation (bryyh ḥdšh)’ Lev. Rabbah 30.3 (R. Isaac c. 320).
The expression is also applied to
the change by which God made Moses more eloquent: ‘I will lcreate (br’)
thee (as) a new creature (bryh ḥdšh), as it is said: And the woman
conceived (hryh) and bears (yld)’ Tanhuma Ex. 21.8 (on 4.10) (R.
Juda b. Simon c. 370), and to the change brought about by God in Abraham
through circumcision or by changing his name: ‘After I have created (br’)
them (as) a new creature (byryh ḥdšh)’ Gen. Rabbah 39.11 (R. Berekiah c.
420).
In eschatological contexts the
expression is applied to the late concept that the Messiah after a time of
suffering in obscurity will be re-established by God: ‘At that time I shall
create (br’) him (as) a new creature (<bryh> ḥdšh)’ Pesikta
Rabbati 31, cf. Midr. Ps. 2.9, and to resurrection ‘(Yahweh) will create (br’)
the righteous (as) a new creation (bryh ḥdšh)’ Tanhuma Gen. 2.12 (on 8.1),
but one also finds the expression applied to escape from danger: ‘The Holy One,
blessed be He, created (br’) them (i.e. people in danger of death) as a
new creation (kbryh ḥdšh)’ Midr. Ps. 102.3 (R. Juda b. Simon c. 370), ‘The
Holy One, blessed be He, created (br’) them (i.e. people in danger of
death) (as) a new creation (bryh ḥdšh)’ Lev. Rabbah 30.3, even in common
speech: ‘What a danger you ran! Your mother has really born (yld) you
there! What trouble you have been through! Here you have been created (br’)
(as) a new creature (bryyh ḥdt’) Cant. Rabbah 8.5 (R. Berekiah c. 420). (Joseph
Ysebaert, Greek Baptismal Terminology: Its Origins and Early Development [trans.
M. F. Foran Hedlund; Nijmegen, The Netherlands: Dekker and Van De Vegt N.V.,
1962], 122-23, 124-25)
