Definition of clay in Scripture
Glossary
Clay (in Scripture):
Our DNA is a bonded collection of very, very small stones — dust — held together by electrically charged ions and surrounded by dynamically structured water molecules (more on the importance of that fact later). William Whitman, a microbiology professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, tells us that DNA by itself, absent any of the other biological systems that make for a living cell, is nothing more than a “rock.”[1] That’s right — dust! Let’s recall the words of God to Adam: “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19).
Unbeknownst to Prof. Whitman, it would not be correct to equate the word rock with DNA relative to both Scripture and geological circles because rock generally refers to the original mineral formation from which stones come.[2] Dust/stone is nothing more than pieces of rock that have been separated from the rock and gradually worn down to very, very small mineral crystals, i.e., stones that are the size of dust.[3]
More specific to man in Scripture is the use of the word clay. God revealed to Hildegard, “Out of clay God so shaped humanity that through this tiny spark of the soul we become flesh and blood out of clay.”[4] The use of clay in Scripture is significant. Clay is comprised of two primary substances:
1. Dust, which is even finer than silt, i.e., 2 microns or less (aka micrometer; two-thousandths of a millimeter),[5] and;
2. Water.
Considering the size of our DNA (the nuclear volume of an entire sperm cell, containing an entire molecule of DNA, is only about 30 microns[6]).
Thus, the symbolism of clay is most appropriate. For clay to be mold-able (the technical term is plastic), which is scripturally symbolic of a biologically and spiritually alive human person (e.g., Num. 5:17; Job 10:9, 27:16; Is. 64:8; Rom. 9:21), it must contain water within its mix. The significance of this fact will become much more evident as we progress through those parts of the book that discuss bio-living water, freshwater, saltwater, and more. If you examine Scripture references to clay, I am confident that you will begin to see in each passage a much deeper meaning relating to grace, the Holy Spirit, the redemption of the body, and Truth incarnate. Our bodies — including Jesus’ body — are made up entirely of cells that contain within their nuclei the biological (not geological) salt of DNA — the “stone/dust/clay” of DNA.
The word Bethel means house of God;[7] the NC house of God is the rebuilt Temple that Jesus said he would rebuild in three days — the resurrected and glorified body of Jesus (Jn. 2:19-21). We become one Mystical Body of Christ through Baptism, which is a prerequisite to becoming one flesh with the Temple through the Mass and the Eucharist. It is through Baptism that we are purified, and our garments are changed (cf. Eph. 2:15, 4:24). In his lectures on the mystery of Baptism, St. Cyril of Jerusalem
ENDNOTES:
[1] University of Georgia, “Light Shed on Ancient Origin of Life,” Science Daily, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130307110644.htm: Science Daily LLC, March 6, 2013 (accessed 03/08/2013). Journal Source: F. Sarmiento, J. Mrazek, W. B. Whitman. “Genome-scale analysis of gene function in the hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1220225110.
[2] David Lyle Jeffrey, Klyne Snodgrass, “Stone,” A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature (Grand Rapids, MI.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1992), 736.
[3] MineralTown, “Soil, Sand and Dirt,” http://www.mineraltown.com/infocoleccionar/How_rocks_minerals_are_formed.htm#Crystals, (accessed 10/11/2011).
[4] Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard of Bingen’s Book of Divine Works: With Letters and Songs. Translated by Robert Cunningham, Jerry Dybdal, and Ron Miller. Edited by Matthew Fox. (Santa Fe, NM: Inner Traditions International/Bear & Company, ©1987) All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission of publisher. Kindle Locations 2430-2431.
[5] “Clay,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay, (accessed 10/17/2012).
[6] Ron Milo, Rob Phillips, “How Big Is A Human Cell,” Cell Biology By The Numbers, http://book.bionumbers.org/how-big-is-a-human-cell/, (accessed 08/23/2016).
[7] John Corbett, “Bethel,” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907), http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02532d.htm, (accessed August 10, 2011).
[8] St. Cyril of Jerusalem, “Catechetical Lecture #20; On the Mysteries II. of Baptism,” (Third Millennium Media L.L.C., The Faith Database L.L.C., 2008), n.2.
[9] Catherine of Siena. Dialog of Catherine of Siena, Kindle Location 796.