Webster's dictionary defines imprimatur:
im·pri·ma·tur: noun \ˌim-prə-ˈmä-ˌtu̇r, im-ˈpri-mə-ˌtu̇r, -ˌtyu̇r\1. a : a license to print or publish especially by Roman Catholic episcopal authority
1. b : approval of a publication under circumstances of official censorship
2. a : sanction, approval
2. b : imprint
2. c : a mark of approval or distinction
According to Wikipedia, imprimatur "is, in the proper sense, a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement."
In short, God's imprimatur of creation means it has his approval or blessing. This is seen time and again in Genesis 1 when it states, "And God saw that it was good."
But there's a lot more going on here than God saying creation has His approval. After all, He planned it and made it, so it only stands to reason that He would approve of His handiwork. Of course creation has God's imprimatur.
I think Hank is using the term in a deeper, richer sense to say that all of creation reflects the One who created it. Just as an expert in Shakespeare can tell authentic plays and sonnets from Shakespeare-like ones and an art expert can tell an authentic Rembrandt from a forgery, those who see creation can know it has a creator - and discern some truths about the Creator.
As Romans 1:20 tells us:
"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." (ESV) And Psalm 19:1 reflects a similar truth: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork." (AKJV)
Just as we can identify Shakespeare by his words and Rembrandt by his brush strokes, so we can know the fingerprints of God in creation.
And that leads into the next topic, the imago dei, the image of God in each of us, which even more clearly reveals God's creative work.
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