15
crete life-stories, to the grateful remembrance
of GodâÂÂs mighty deeds and the progressive ful-
filment of his promises. Gothic architecture
gave clear expression to this: in the great cathe-
drals light comes down from heaven by passing
through windows depicting the history of sal-
vation. GodâÂÂs light comes to us through the ac-
count of his self-revelation, and thus becomes
capable of illuminating our passage through time
by recalling his gifts and demonstrating how he
fulfils his promises.
13.âÂÂThe history of Israel also shows us the
temptation of unbelief to which the people
yielded more than once. Here the opposite of
faith is shown to be idolatry. While Moses is
speaking to God on Sinai, the people cannot
bear the mystery of GodâÂÂs hiddenness, they can-
not endure the time of waiting to see his face.
Faith by its very nature demands renouncing the
immediate possession which sight would appear
to offer; it is an invitation to turn to the source
of the light, while respecting the mystery of a
countenance which will unveil itself personally
in its own good time. Martin Buber once cited a
definition of idolatry proposed by the rabbi of
Kock: idolatry is âÂÂwhen a face addresses a face
which is not a faceâÂÂ.
10
In place of faith in God,
it seems better to worship an idol, into whose
face we can look directly and whose origin we
10
âÂÂM. B
uber
,
Die Erzählungen der Chassidim
, Zürich, 1949,
793.
