In Exodus 33 we find
a deeply moving narrative that, as far removed from our world as it may seem at
first, takes us right into the heart of our subject. Moses asks the Lord God to
let him look upon his glory (Exod 33:16). God promises Moses to grant him this
grace, but clarifies, “You cannot look upon my face; for nobody can see me and
remain alive” (Exod 33:20). Moses must stand in the cleft of a rock when God’s
glory passes by. In order to protect him, God holds his hand over Moses until
his glory passes by. Moses is only able to see the back of God. Even if
there is a (controversial) exception in the calling of the prophet Isaiah (Isa
6:1-7), the Bible tells us of a God who virtually imposes himself on his
own and thereby lets himself be recognized in an essential way (e.g., 1 John
4:8), but whose face will only be seen by the inhabitants of the heavenly
Jersualem at the end of time (Rev 22:4). (Tobias Nicklas, “All Must interpret for
All, and Call Can Err: A Roman Catholic Perspective,” in Protestant,
Catholic, Orthodox: The Promise of Ecumenical Interpretation, ed. Stefan
Alkier, Christos Karakolis, and Tobias Nicklas [trans. Jacob N. Cerone and
David M. Moffitt; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2024], 33, emphasis added)
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