ST211 Systematic Theology: The Oneness of God. Let s review the basics. One God. Plurality?

Transcription

1 3 ST211 Systematic Theology: The Oneness of God G. Jorge Medina Let s review the basics G. Jorge Medina One God The Old Testament and New Testament agree there is only ONE God. The New Testament calls Jesus God. The NT applies prophecies about YHWH to Jesus without qualification Therefore, Jesus must be the ONE God of the OT, namely, YHWH. Plurality? Any plurality associated with God is one of attributes, glory, manifestations. It is unbiblical to invent terms that would allow for a different type of plurality within God It is a sin to make the Bible say what it never intended of saying

2 Old Testament Answers G. Jorge Medina Revisiting plural nouns: Elohim, Adonai G. Jorge Medina Hebrew grammar Related to the plurals of extension and of abstract reference is a group of intensive plurals. In this usage (sometimes called the pluralis majestatis) the referent is a singular individual, which is, however, so thoroughly characterized by the qualities of the noun that a plural is used. *Bruce K. Waltke and Michael Patrick O Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990), 122. Hebrew grammar: Elohim א לה ים majesty: Plural of excellence or of God (also as an ordinary plural: gods); it is generally constructed in the singular ( 148a, 150f); comp. קדש ים the Holy One (Pr 9.10; 30.3) and Arm. ע ל י ונ ין the Most High (Dn 7.18, 22, 25). * Paul Joüon and T. Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (Roma: Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2006),

3 The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary [Elohim ] this plural should be understood in the sense of an intensification and eventually as an absolutization: God of gods, the highest God, quintessence of all divine powers, the only God who represents the divine in a comprehensive and absolute way. *Martin Rose, Names of God in the OT, ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible The plural form of Elohim, for example, is not a suggestion of polytheism, but expresses the exalted transcendence of God in his manifold fullness and perfection. No devout Jew in OT times would have understood either a trinitarian concept of God or a plurality of gods. * Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Monotheism, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), Hebrew grammar: Adonai plural: lord and Lord (also as an ordinary א דנ ים lords). The plural of majesty exists in all the forms, but in the 1st pers. sg. א דנ י it presents three peculiarities: 1) it is sacred (and reserved for God); 2) it has an (emphatic) qameṣ; 3) the value of the suffix is practically nil: the Lord. The plural of majesty has to a large extent ousted the singular. * Paul Joüon and T. Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (Roma: Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2006), If Elohim means more than one Then God [Elohim] would be composed of three El(s) [God in the singular]: (1) El Father, (2) El Son, (3) El Holy Spirit Together the three El(s) would be Elohim Does the Bible allow for this?

4 Isaiah 43:10 You are my witnesses, declares YHWH, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no El was formed, nor shall there be any after me. Isaiah 45:22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am El, and there is no other. Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old; for I am El, and there is no other; I am Elohim, and there is none like me. Genesis 1:26 Let Us G. Jorge Medina

5 God using plural language of Himself Common to Semitic languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, etc. Some call it a plural of divinity ; i.e. God speaking of himself in the multitude of His attributes (unlimited greatness) The Qur an on 1 God - إ ن ن ي أ ن ا اهلل ال إ ل ه إ ال أ ن ا ف اع ب د ن ي و أ ق م الص ال ة ل ذ ك ر ي Surah 20:14 Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance. Surah 4:171 ي ا أ ه ل ال ك ت اب ال ت غ ل وا ف ي د ين ك م و ال ت ق ول وا ع ل ى اهلل إ ال ال ح ق إ ن م ا امل س يح ع يس ى اب ن م ر ي م ر س ول اهلل و ك ل م ت ه أ ل ق اه ا إ ل ى م ر ي م و ر وح م ن ه ف آم ن وا ب اهلل و ر س ل ه و ال ت ق ول وا ث ال ث ة انت ه وا خ ي ر ا ل ك م إ ن م ا اهلل إ ل ه و اح د س ب ح ان ه أ ن ي ك ون ل ه و ل د ل ه م ا ف ي الس م او ات و م ا ف ي األ ر ض و ك ف ى ب اهلل و ك يال Surah 4:171 O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.

6 The singular Allah speaks: ك ت اب أ نز ل ن اه إ ل ي ك م ب ار ك ل ي د ب ر وا آي ات ه و ل ي ت ذ ك ر أ ول و األ ل ب اب - 38:29 Surah [This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded. و ل ق د خ ل ق ن ا اإل نس ان و ن ع ل م م ا ت و س و س ب ه ن ف س ه و ن ح ن أ ق ر ب إ ل ي ه م ن ح ب ل ال و ر يد - 50:16 Surah And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein Joüon & Muraoka on Gen 1:26 נ ע ש ה Gn 1.26 let us make man (plural of deliberation with oneself) (Paul Joüon and T. Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (Roma: Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2006), 347.) In English A literary plural in a soliloquy. Soliloquy = an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself (A monologue is a long discourse that can be addressed to other people) *

7 Just a way of speaking? Daniel 2:36 This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. Ezra 4:11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. Ezra 4:18 the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me. Back to Genesis 1:26 Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. The context Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. While the woman is formed later, Adam is created as the reflection of God: One man, with one name, mind, etc.

8 The context Genesis 11:7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another s speech. Genesis 11:8 So YHWH dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. * Dispersed,[י פ ץ] singular verb Twofold and threefold repetitions G. Jorge Medina Hebrew poetry Psalm 33:6 By the word [Dabar] of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath [Ruach] of his mouth all their host. Hebrew poetry Psalm 33:9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

9 Isaiah 6:3 And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! The thrice holy God? Jeremiah 22:39 O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! Heb. א רץ = Land, earth I Samuel 2:2 There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. God is never called the Holy Three in Scripture. Multiple references to one person 2 Chronicles 7:2 And the priests could not enter the house of YHWH, because the glory of YHWH filled YHWH s house.

10 Job 27:2 As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter David AND the son of Jesse? 1 Chronicles 12:18 We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you. Then David received them. Jacob AND Israel? 1 Chronicles 16:13 O offspring of Israel his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones! Isaiah 9:8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will fall on Israel. Lamentations 2:13 What can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is vast as the sea; who can heal you?

11 Joel 3:2 Micah 1:5 Zephaniah 3:14 Repetitive, yet singular meaning: Micah 4:2; Hosea 13:4 cf. Titus 2:13 Reading the Bible with Sherlock Holmes What does the text say? Is the baptism of Jesus intended as a revelation of a Trinity? Why? or why not? Matthew 3:13 17; John 1:29 34 Questions from the Gospels G. Jorge Medina

12 To keep in mind The oneness of God was never abolished, abrogated or changed in the New Testament In the NT a new dimension is added to the one God: humanity The only duality in the NT is that of Jesus as God and as human To try to find Persons in the New Testament would be an anachronism Trinitarian language and doctrine are centuries in the future The God of the OT is the same as the God of the NT New Testament writers/audience seemed to have no trouble with Jesus as God and man Always ask: How would a faithful monotheistic Jew (like Paul) understand this Scripture? Plural references emphasize: Different characteristics of the divine work (God, Father). Different roles in the plan of salvation (Savior, Judge, Lamb, Priest) Different manifestations of the same God (Son, Holy Spirit) Differences between the Everlasting Spirit and God s limitation in the flesh

13 Plural usage in the NT James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows Greek: pará to Theo kai Patri Toward the (1) God and (2) Father Emphatic Hebraism: The one who is our God, is also our Father. The context elucidates that the good we do to our brothers and sisters is not only moral (commanded by God), but also a good done to other children of the same family (children of the same Father). If the writer s intention was to make a difference between two persons, one God and the other Father, then God couldn t be Father and the Father couldn t be God; but this makes no sense. This should be kept in mind with similar phraseology in the New Testament. I Corinthians 8:4 6 we know that an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God but one. For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth as indeed there are many gods and many lords yet for us there is one God [Theós], the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord [Kúrios], Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. Mark 12:29 Jesus answered, The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord [Kúrios] our God [Theós], the Lord is one. John 20:28 Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God! Greek: Ho Kúrios mou, kai ho Theós mou One Theós, one Kúrios = Jesus Christ

14 Assignments Assignments Read the course textbook: Chapters 7 and 8 Memorize: John 14:7 9 II Corinthians 3:17 Assignments Choose one question from the Old Testament not addressed in class and give a oneness explanation Choose one question from the Gospels not addressed in class and give a oneness explanation * If all questions were addressed, choose any one and explain it