"The LORD our God is one (essence)"

Post by **_Ely** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 6:53 pm

Hey folks,

This is a question that I've been meaning to ask. We all know of the very many statements in scripture where Yaweh tells His people in no uncertain terms that He is one. For example:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:2-3

“ Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘ I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God." Isaiah 44:6

Okay, if I understand correctly, most Christians would understand passages such as these to be asserting that there is only one divine nature/essence/substance. But I want to find out how such an idea was meant to combat the false beliefs of the pagans. Does anyone know if the pagans (i.e. the likes of the Canaanites, the Egyptians and the Baylonians), believe there was more than one God nature/essence/substance"?

Shalom
Ely

Post by **_TK** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 7:23 am

ely-

are you asking whether the egyptians, despite having many gods with different names (amon-ra, osiris, isis, etc) thought that these gods were representations of one essence? the same could be said of Baal and asherah.

i always assumed that pagans, including the Greeks, believed in SEPARATE gods; for e.g. greek myths often have the gods competing with each other, or even procreating with each other.

TK

Post by **_Ely** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 7:57 am

TK wrote:ely-

are you asking whether the egyptians, despite having many gods with different names (amon-ra, osiris, isis, etc) thought that these gods were representations of one essence?

Exactly, yes. Or did they believe that each god represented a different essence?

Post by **_TK** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:12 am

i am not an expert in pagan religion (thank goodness) but there mere fact that Hades was god of the underworld, Ares was the god of war, poseidon was god of the sea, and zeus was the "king" god, it would seem they were not taken to be of the same "essence."

at least that's what i gather from "jason and the argonauts" and "clash of the titans."

TK

Post by **__id_1941** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 1:13 pm

What you see in the god's of the nations is that there was no unity among them. they fought with one another, thwarted each others plans and purposes, warred with one another and even killed each other.

But of the one true God there is unity of purpose and plan.

Post by **_Ely** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 6:31 pm

Hey fellas,

So, do you think that when the Tanakh affirms and re-affirms the oneness of God, it is referring to the oneness of purpose between the members of God (or "the Godhead") as opposed to the disunity and disharmony between the various pagan gods?

Post by **_TK** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:33 pm

what's the Tanakh again? sorry, i must be... umm.. hideously uninformed.

TK

Post by **__id_1941** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:30 pm

TK,

The Tanakh is what you would call the Old Testament.

Post by **__id_1941** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:35 pm

Ely,

I am sure that you are aware that "Echad" is used to denote a unity of more than one as well as used to represent a numerical 1. a Good example of two being "echad" is in genesis 2:24

Gen 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become *one flesh.

Post by **_Paidion** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 12:06 am

Genesis 3:22 Then Yahweh God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil..."

Who is this "us"? Is Yahweh talking to angels? Or is the Father talking to His only-begotten Son, both of whom share the name "Yahweh"?