ABSTRACT
Although contemplatives value the experience of silence that leads to an encounter with the divine, rarely are the tables turned, with God’s silence described as leading to an encounter with humanity. This article examines one example of a positive divine silence that enables both encounter and communication with a human being. First, however, a thorny translation issue must be dealt with, and an explanation given for why the traditional “soft breeze” or “small voice” of Elijah’s theophany in 1 Kings 19 is actually a “sound of silence”, and how we might understand the significance of this divine silence. The article thus challenges both the conventional translation of a popular passage (1 Kings 19:12) and our theological conceptions of what it means for God – and for us – to be silent.
KEYWORDS
Silence; Theophany; Biblical Translations; Listening; Elijah