Article November 4, 2013 Issue

The starting point

Abby Hillman

Sunlight beamed onto a mirror in a dark place in our home, and instantly the whole room blazed with light. How dramatic the illuminating qualities of reflection can be—and how instructive.

Reflection as a metaphor for our relationship to God is a favorite theme of Mary Baker Eddy’s in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, as are the themes of man’s origin and dominion. During a study project, I discovered the interesting fact that Genesis 1:26 is by far the most-referenced Bible verse in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health. It reads: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

This passage is referenced directly or indirectly hundreds of times throughout the course of Science and Health. I shared this fact recently with a church friend, who jokingly commented that someone should come up with a Christian Science trivia game to share interesting little factoids like that. I chuckled, and the conversation turned to other matters. But later the comment came to thought again, and this time I questioned whether that information, which had come to me by following an angel impulsion to deeply study both the Holy Scriptures and the textbook, Science and Health, was really trivial. What was it about Genesis 1:26 that led Eddy back to it over and over throughout Science and Health?