June 2, 2021
When we look for the Trinity in the Old Testament, we will
have to look at the shadow this doctrine cast on the language of the text.
In the Creation story “God” is translated from the word “Elohim.”
This word is translated “God” many times in the Old Testament. This is PLURAL
noun which is always used with a SINGULAR verb. The best way to understand this
usage is God is both a plurality (trinity) and a singularity (one God).
If we want to have fun with this, “Elohim” is the plural of “El,”
which means “God.” There are times when, speaking about “El,” the Old Testament
uses the PLURAL verb. These are an unusual exception in Hebrew. There are also
plural adjectives, such as “qadash” (holy) that are attached to “El.” Either
this is awful Hebrew, or the writers (guided by the Holy Spirit) were trying to
make a point.
Another Old Testament word, generally translated “lord,” is “Adonai.”
This word is also a plural noun, always used with a singular verb.
There are those who point to the “Shema” found in
Deuteronomy 6:4. Generally it is translated, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is
one.” [ESV] First, the word translated “Lord” is the Tetragrammaton,
better understood as the sacred name of God. Personal pet peeve, the name is
YHWH, most likely pronounced “Yahweh” not “Jehovah.” Hebrew does not have a “hard
J” sound, so “Jehovah” is not possible. Also “Jehovah” comes from the name of a
Roman god “Jove.”
In the Shema, the word translated “one” is the word “echad”
which can be a “singular unity” or a “complex unity.” If an absolute
singularity was the intention, the word would have been “yachid.” Another plausible
way to understand the Shema is to translate it, “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord
alone.” [NLT]
An interesting twist shows up in Isaiah, where God the Son
(Jesus) announces, “Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not
spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.”
And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit. Thus says
the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who
teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” [Isaiah 48:16 – 17 ESV]
How do I figure this is Jesus (God the Son) speaking? First,
the speaker is someone who was present “from the time it came to be.” Second,
the speaker is someone who is always present. Third, notice the speaker claims the
“Lord God” sent Him and “His Spirit.” This
could only apply to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is mention along with the “Lord God”
who is the sender. These ideas are
repeated by Zechariah 2:6 – 12.
The Holy Spirit makes His presence known in Psalm 51:11 and
Isaiah 63:10. The mention of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah included a point of
personality…. He is grieved. Speaking of Isaiah, when he walked into the Temple
and saw the Lord, he heard, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I
send, and who will go for us?” [Isaiah 6:8a ESV] Notice the shift
from “I” to “us.”
The Jews did not (and do not) believe in a trinity. It could
not have been invented by the church since the texts existed before the church.
No comments:
Post a Comment