Theology and the Imagination

Levinas has said that Judaism is a religion for adults. He said this not to disparage other religions but in the context of valuing the Talmudic/midrashic mode of commentary and law-finding. In Midrash, he claims, reason recognizes itself. My argument here is that imagination too should recognize itself, in all religions. For illustration this essay chooses a basic theological constant, the story of Creation. It is my hope that when theology’s imaginative truths are fully explored they will be freed from dogmatism and appreciated also in a liberal arts curriculum.