{ "entry_id": "TSP-ENT-000223", "slug": "finger-of-god", "url_path": "/types-symbols/finger-of-god/", "canonical_name": "Finger of God", "entry_classifications": [ "METAPHOR", "ANALOGY" ], "modules": [ "BODY_PARTS_IDIOMS", "SPIRIT_IMAGERY" ], "aliases": [], "legacy_present": true, "legacy_raw_wording_public": false, "senses": [ { "sense_id": "TSP-SNS-000116", "label": "The Synoptic parallel equates Jesus' expulsion of demons by the finger of God with expulsion by the Spirit of God.", "classification": "METAPHOR", "definition": "The Synoptic parallel equates Jesus' expulsion of demons by the finger of God with expulsion by the Spirit of God.", "not_always": "The finger-of-God/Spirit equivalence is controlled by the Synoptic parallel; finger imagery elsewhere is not automatically a Spirit symbol.", "scope_note": "The finger-of-God/Spirit equivalence is controlled by the Synoptic parallel; finger imagery elsewhere is not automatically a Spirit symbol.", "claims": [ { "claim_id": "TSP-CLM-000116", "statement": "The Synoptic parallel equates Jesus' expulsion of demons by the finger of God with expulsion by the Spirit of God.", "asserted_classifications": [ "METAPHOR", "ANALOGY" ], "type_kinds": [], "evidence_grade": 2, "grade_basis": "G2_EXPLICIT_LATER_CANONICAL_CORRESPONDENCE", "status": "VERY_STRONGLY_SUPPORTED", "public_wording_class": "NT_EXPLICITLY_CONNECTS", "scope_limitation": "The finger-of-God/Spirit equivalence is controlled by the Synoptic parallel; finger imagery elsewhere is not automatically a Spirit symbol.", "strongest_alternative_explanation": null, "residual_uncertainty": "Full legacy wording remains subject to TSP-S3 unless the S2 statement exactly exhausts it.", "theological_intersections": [ "PNEUMATOLOGY" ], "scripture_references": [ { "passage_ref_id": "TSP-PAS-000218", "osis_start": "Luke.11.20", "osis_end": null, "display_label": "Luke 11:20", "versification_system": "ENGLISH_STANDARD" } ], "source_citations": [ { "source_id": "TSP-SRC-000091", "author_editor": null, "title": "Canonical Scripture: S2 high-certainty anchor loci, MT/LXX/NA28 with NET/ESV comparison", "publication_data": "Text loci verified for TSP-S2 high-certainty anchor corpus, 2026-09-20", "locator": "https://classic.net.bible.org/", "verification_level": "V4_QUOTATION_VERIFIED", "source_function": [ "CANONICAL_AUTHORITY", "TEXT_ESTABLISHMENT" ], "locator_targets": [ { "kind": "EXTERNAL_URL", "target": "https://classic.net.bible.org/" } ] } ], "s8_wording_provenance": null } ] }, { "sense_id": "TSP-SNS-000526", "label": "Finger-of-God idiom for direct divine agency", "classification": "METAPHOR", "definition": "The phrase “finger of God” recurrently denotes God’s own effective agency or work in plague, revelation/writing, and Jesus’ exorcistic ministry.", "not_always": "The idiom is not restricted to one divine work such as conviction.", "scope_note": "Use as a body-part idiom for direct divine agency where the text employs it; allow the Spirit equivalence only where the Synoptic parallel supplies it.", "claims": [ { "claim_id": "TSP-CLM-000526", "statement": "Across its canonical uses, “finger of God” is a recurrent anthropomorphic idiom for direct divine agency or work.", "asserted_classifications": [ "METAPHOR" ], "type_kinds": [], "evidence_grade": 4, "grade_basis": "G4_RECURRENT_CANONICAL_MOTIF_OR_STRONG_THEMATIC_PATTERN", "status": "STRONGLY_SUPPORTED", "public_wording_class": "CANONICAL_MOTIF", "scope_limitation": "Use as a body-part idiom for direct divine agency where the text employs it; allow the Spirit equivalence only where the Synoptic parallel supplies it.", "strongest_alternative_explanation": null, "residual_uncertainty": "No material residual uncertainty beyond the stated scope limitation.", "theological_intersections": [ "OTHER", "PNEUMATOLOGY" ], "scripture_references": [ { "passage_ref_id": "TSP-PAS-000816", "osis_start": "Exod.8.19", "osis_end": null, "display_label": "Exodus 8:19", "versification_system": "ENGLISH_STANDARD" }, { "passage_ref_id": "TSP-PAS-000817", "osis_start": "Exod.31.18", "osis_end": null, "display_label": "Exodus 31:18", "versification_system": "ENGLISH_STANDARD" }, { "passage_ref_id": "TSP-PAS-000818", "osis_start": "Deut.9.10", "osis_end": null, "display_label": "Deuteronomy 9:10", "versification_system": "ENGLISH_STANDARD" } ], "source_citations": [ { "source_id": "TSP-SRC-000001", "author_editor": null, "title": "Canonical Scripture: MT/LXX/NA28 with NET/ESV comparison", "publication_data": "Text loci verified for TSP-S0F Batch 1", "locator": null, "verification_level": "V4_QUOTATION_VERIFIED", "source_function": [ "CANONICAL_AUTHORITY", "TEXT_ESTABLISHMENT" ], "locator_targets": [] } ], "s8_wording_provenance": null } ] }, { "sense_id": "TSP-SNS-000527", "label": "Proposed Holy-Spirit-in-conviction code", "classification": "SYMBOL", "definition": "John 16 explicitly speaks of the Spirit convicting the world, but does not use finger imagery; Luke 11/Matthew 12 connect finger/Spirit specifically in exorcism.", "not_always": "A true doctrine of Spirit conviction does not prove a finger-of-God symbol for conviction.", "scope_note": "Retain Spirit correspondence in the Synoptic exorcism passage; reject “finger of God = Holy Spirit in conviction” as a general code.", "claims": [ { "claim_id": "TSP-CLM-000527", "statement": "Scripture does not establish “finger of God” as a fixed symbol of the Holy Spirit specifically in conviction; the canonical finger/Spirit equation occurs in the exorcism context, while conviction is taught with different language.", "asserted_classifications": [ "SYMBOL" ], "type_kinds": [], "evidence_grade": 7, "grade_basis": "G7_INSUFFICIENT_BIBLICAL_EVIDENCE", "status": "INSUFFICIENT_BIBLICAL_EVIDENCE", "public_wording_class": "INSUFFICIENT_BIBLICAL_EVIDENCE", "scope_limitation": "Retain Spirit correspondence in the Synoptic exorcism passage; reject “finger of God = Holy Spirit in conviction” as a general code.", "strongest_alternative_explanation": null, "residual_uncertainty": "No material residual uncertainty beyond the stated scope limitation.", "theological_intersections": [ "PNEUMATOLOGY" ], "scripture_references": [ { "passage_ref_id": "TSP-PAS-000819", "osis_start": "John.16.8", "osis_end": null, "display_label": "John 16:8", "versification_system": "ENGLISH_STANDARD" } ], "source_citations": [ { "source_id": "TSP-SRC-000001", "author_editor": null, "title": "Canonical Scripture: MT/LXX/NA28 with NET/ESV comparison", "publication_data": "Text loci verified for TSP-S0F Batch 1", "locator": null, "verification_level": "V4_QUOTATION_VERIFIED", "source_function": [ "CANONICAL_AUTHORITY", "TEXT_ESTABLISHMENT" ], "locator_targets": [] } ], "s8_wording_provenance": null } ] } ], "lexeme_mappings": [], "canonical_relationships": [], "negative_guardrails": [] }