I was looking for more biblical witness, and thought of the verse " we see through a glass darkly" so I looked it up. I was given to see something with eyes to see, and ears to hear:
1Co 13:12 For at present we are observing by means of a mirror, in an enigma, yet then, face to face. At present I know out of an instalment, yet then I shall recognize according as I am recognized also."
Jas 1:22 Now become doers of the word, and not only listeners, beguiling yourselves."
Jas 1:23 For if anyone is a listener to the word and not a doer, this one simulates a man considering the face he inherited in a mirror;"
Jas 1:24 for he considers himself and has come away, and immediately forgot what kind he was."
Jas 1:25 Now he who peers into the perfect law, that of freedom, and abides, not becoming a forgetful listener, but a doer of the work, this one will be happy in his doing."
These are the two instances of the word mirror(esoptron) in the bible.
esoptron <2072>
esoptron esoptron
Pronunciation: es’-op-tron
Origin: from 1519(Eis= In or into) and a presumed derivative of
3700 Optanomai:
to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable; and
thus differing from 991, which denotes simply voluntary observation;
and from 1492, which expresses merely mechanical, passive or casual
vision; while 2300, and still more emphatically its intensive 2334,
signifies an earnest but more continued inspection; and 4648 a
watching from a distance):-appear, look, see, shew self.
If you look at Optanomai most incidences of this word are seeing the risen Lord, here are some other examples:
Act 16:9
A vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there 2 urging him, 3 “Come over 4 to Macedonia 5 and help us!”
1Ti 3:16
And we all agree, 1 our religion contains amazing revelation: 2 He 3 was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, 4 seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
1Jo 3:2
Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be 1 has not yet been revealed. We 2 know that 3 whenever 4 it 5 is revealed 6 we will be like him, because 7 we will see him just as he is. 8
Rev 1:7
(Look! He is returning with the clouds, 1 and every eye will see him, even 2 those who pierced him, 3 and all the tribes 4 on the earth will mourn because 5 of him. This will certainly come to pass! 6 Amen.) 7
Rev 11:19
Then 1 the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring, 2 crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. 3
Rev 12:1
Then 1 a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. 2
1Co 13:12 For at present we are observing by means of a mirror, in an enigma, yet then, face to face. At present I know out of an instalment, yet then I shall recognize according as I am recognized also."
So the word for mirror is to gaze at something remarkable INSIDE. What do we see but an enigma ( an obscure saying, enigma, riddle an obscure thing). We look with natural eyes, and what do we see? We hear a riddle
Jas 1:23 For if anyone is a listener to the word and not a doer, this one simulates a man considering the face he inherited in a mirror;"
Jas 1:24 for he considers himself and has come away, and immediately forgot what kind he was."
The word for kind is genesis. He forgot what his origin is
Eze 28:12 `Son of man, lift up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, And you have said to him:Thus said the Lord Yahweh:You are sealing up a measurement, Full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty."
Eze 28:13 In Eden, the garden of Elohim, you have been, Every precious stone your covering, Ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle, and gold, The workmanship of your tabrets, and of your pipes, In you in the day of your being produced, have been prepared."
Eze 28:14 You [are] an anointed cherub who is covering, And I have set you in the holy mount, Elohim you have been, In the midst of stones of fire you have walked up and down."
Eze 28:15 Perfect [are] you in your ways, From the day of your being produced, Till perversity has been found in you."
Eze 28:16 By the abundance of your merchandise They have filled your midst with violence, And you do sin, And I thrust you from the mount of Elohim, And I destroy you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire."
When I think of enigma or riddle I think of the Sphinx (the enigma of the Sphinx was very well known). What is a sphinx? A cherub? (I realize this takes a slight jump and doesn’t have total biblical support)
So to put it all together:
We look through a mirror with natural eyes trying to see the heavenly, if we hear the word and it does not cause the fruit=action, when we look in the mirror (gaze at something remarkable INSIDE) , we see an enigma (which is really something you hear). The sphinx tells the riddle, Sphinx=Cherub. The riddle is that we are the cherub who’s lost his covering. Our covering was precious stones (the word precious is only used of stones that cover the temple, or the breast plate, stone=chief cornerstone) If we don’t have eyes to see, if the word hasn’t vivified us, when we try to gaze into heaven all we see is our fleshly covering, we forget our genesis (where was mans origin?). We see beast=cherub with 4 faces (the word for cherub hear happens to appear 66 times). And so what do we do but worship the beast=cherub=carnal mind=our false covering=the veil covered in cherubs. Our original covering was the precious cornerstone.
Eze 28:12 `Son of man, lift up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, And you have said to him:Thus said the Lord Yahweh:You are sealing up a measurement, Full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
"Eze 43:10 "As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, so that they will be ashamed of their sins and measure the pattern.
this word for measure/pattern only occurs in the above 2 instances
The pattern of the temple with Christ who is our covering, full of wisdon and perfect in beauty
2Co 3:18 Now we all, with uncovered face, mirroring the Lord’s glory, are being transformed (transfigured) into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the spirit."
this is the only other incidence of mirror in the nt with the same name base as optanomai
When our face is covered we see the enigma, when its uncovered we see the Lord’s glory.