In the last post, we explored the symbolism of the ear, nose, and mouth on the human head, considering them as representative of the relation outwards and inwards. We first must listen and only then speak- the ear is thus placed in a position of primacy on the head. But what about the eye? How does its function relate to this understanding of the sensory organs as expressive of one or the other of these directions of motion? In God, the operation of Speech and Reply are simultaneous. God the Father extends Himself towards the Son through the Spirit and immediately receives the Son’s reply by the same Spirit. St. Dumitru Staniloae sees this simultaneity as the essence of eternity, into which we are drawn as participants. If the ear manifests our reception of the Word, and the mouth manifests our corresponding reply, the eye captures the simultaneity of the two. This is why, I suggest, the eye is often contrasted with the ear in its eschatological nature. We see this in John’s Gospel- the Word who had spoken through Moses in the old covenant has now become flesh so that we have “seen His glory” (John 1:1-14). Likewise in 2 Corinthians 3, St. Paul develops a contrast between the Mosaic and Messianic covenants- Moses is “read” audibly in the synagogue, but in Christ our faces are “unveiled” so that “beholding the glory of the Lord” we are transfigured “from glory to glory” through the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
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