Hebrew, Early Judaic, and
Early Christian Thought
Contents
1.
Monarchism
and the Heavenly Council
2.
The
Title of Spirit in Judaeo/Christian Thought
3.
The
Heavenly Council in the Dead Sea Scrolls
4.
Multiple
Functions of the Heavenly Council
5.
The
Role of Christ on the Heavenly Council
6.
The
Council of the Gods as a Heavenly Tribunal
7.
The
Church FatherOrigen and the Heavenly Council
8.
Pseudo-Monotheistic
Passages
9.
Grace
and Salvation in Judaeo/Christian Thought
10.
Theosis:
Gaining Salvation by Becoming a God
11.
The
Anthropomorphic and Corporeal Nature of God
12.
The
Glory of God
13.
Multiple
Heavens
14.
The
Image of God and Theomorphism
15.
’El
and ’Elohim as Titles of Divinity and Personal Names of God
16.
Judaic
and Early Christian Beliefs in a Pre-existence
17.
The
Hellenization of Christianity and Paul’s Warnings about Greek Metaphysical
Absolutism
1.
Monarchism and the Heavenly Council
Monarchism, related to the terms henotheism and
monolatry,[1]
is the worship of a supreme God–whose majesty might, and holiness merit
undisputed respect and veneration–without the denial of the existence of other
gods. These other gods are members of
the heavenly council of the gods, also known as the ‘heavenly’ or ‘divine assembly.’ The gods on the council are enormously
powerful and holy in their own right, but cannot match the splendor, power, and
holiness of God, who stands at the head of the council as its divine monarch,
and are, therefore, not worthy of independent worship.[2] Professor G. Ernest Wright writes:
There is a large amount of evidence in the Old
Testament for the heavenly assembly or council, presided over by God and
composed of Divine attendants, heralds, and administrators.[3]
Tryggve
N. D. Mettinger describes the heavenly council in terms of an earthly monarchy,
with God sitting as king, and the members of the council surrounding him as his
advisors. He writes:
Just as earthly monarchs
have a court and a government, the King of kings had his court of advisors...
The God of the Bible is surrounded by myriads of heavenly beings, for whom the
Hebrew language has a rich terminology.
Thus we encounter such designations as “the sons of God,” “the divine
council”; and the “divine assembly.”[4]
Herbert Nieher describes the
council and the gods who sit on it:
The divine assembly can also
be called ’elohim. These ’elohim cannot
be confused with [Yahweh] because in nearly all the places where the divine
assembly is called ’elohim, it is
stressed that [Yahweh] is higher than the
’elohim. The divine assembly
fulfills several tasks on [Yahweh’s] behalf; it serves him, gives him advice,
glorifies him, mediates between [G]od and humans, protects peoples and human
beings, and hears the prayers of humanity.[5]
Mullen writes that God is
recognized in Hebrew and Canaanite tradition as the head of the council:
The most striking similarity
between the council in Ugaritic and in early Hebrew literature is the role
played by the high god– ’El– in the Ugaritic texts and Yahweh in the Old
Testament. Both are depicted as
creator, king, and absolute ruler of the gods.[6]
El ... was the king, father,
and progenitor of the gods in Canaanite mythology. As such, he stood at the head of the pantheon, unaffected by the
various conflicts among the younger, cosmogonic deities. When consulted, he delivered his
decree. El must thus be pictured as the
aged judge who, as we shall show, sat at the head of the assembly, surrounded
by the other gods. Likewise, the
pictures of Yahweh in his council present him as the head of the assembly, the
god whose decree determined the decision and actions of his messengers and holy
ones.[7]
Ex 15:11 “Who is like unto thee, O LORD,
among the gods” (King James Version[8]).[9]
Ps 29:1-2 “Ascribe to the LORD, you gods,
ascribe to the LORD glory and might” (New English Version[10]).[11]
Ps 47:6-7 “Sing praises you gods, sing praises,
sing praises to our king, sing praises.
For he is king of all the earth, O gods, sing a skillful song” (Anchor[12]).
Ps 50:1 “The God of gods is Yahweh [Jehovah], he spoke and summoned the earth, From the rising of the sun to its setting” (Anchor).
1 Cor 8:4-6 There are gods many and lords many, but
to us there is one God. (Cf. Origen, Against Celsus, 4, 29 below.)
Council members are given a
number of titles:
1. Sons of God The
Canaanite (bn ’ilm) and Hebrew titles of bene ’elim (Job 1:6) and
bene ’elohim (Job 38:7) bene ’el (Deut 32:8 NEV)--translated
literally as ‘sons of God`–mean ‘gods,` and specifically refer to the gods who
sit on the heavenly council; the Greek parallel is ‘uioi theou (Romans
8:14).
2. Gods The
Hebrew plural ’elim (Ex 15:11) and ’elohim (Ps 82:1), or the
Greek plural theoi (1 Cor 8:5).
3. Lord The
Hebrew plural adonim (Deut 10:17), or singular adon (Zech 4:4-5);
the Greek plural kurioi (1 Cor 8:5; 1 Tim 6:15) or singular kurie
(Acts 10:4, 14; 11:8).
4. Holy Ones The
Hebrew plural qedosim (Job 5:1) or qodes (Deut 33:2), often
translated as ‘saints` in the KJV Old Testament.
5.
Angels
or Archangels In Hebrew the plural mal’akim
(Gen 19:1) or singular mal’ak (Jud 5:23); the Greek plural aggeloi
(Mat 4:11) or singular aggelos (Mat 1:20); a new title in the Greek archaggelos
(Jude 1:9).
6. Stars The
Hebrew plural kokabim (Deut 4:19); Greek ’asteron (Rev 1:16, 20).
7.
Paul
uses four Greek plurals from Colossians 1:16 refer to various classes/ranks of
angels in heaven. All of the following
denote levels of authority and rule in heaven:
a. Thrones, Thronoi; b. Dominions (Lordships), Kuriotates;
c. Powers (Rulers), ’Archai; d. Principalities (Authorities), ’Exousiai.
8.
Watchers Aramaic plural ’irin
(Dan 4:17) singular ’ir (Dan 4:13).
9.
Princes The Aramaic plural sharim
(Dan 10:13) or singular sar (Dan 4:13).
10.
Spirits The Hebrew ruah
(1 Kings 22:21); the Greek singular pneuma (Acts 23:9) and plural pneumata
(Heb 1:14; Rev 3:1; 4:5).
11.
Kings The Greek applies a
new title to men who become members of the council, basileuonton (1 Tim
6:15).
Miller elaborates on the
titles of the heavenly council; they include:
1.
Council
of God Hebrew ’adat
’el (Ps 82:1).
2.
Council
of the holy ones Hebrew sod qedosim (Ps 89:8).
3.
Assembly
of the holy ones Hebrew qehal
qedosim (Ps 89:6).
4.
The
mount of assembly Hebrew mo’ed
(Isa 14:13).
5.
Council
of Yahweh Hebrew sod
yhwh (Jer. 23:18).
6.
Council
of God Hebrew sod
’eloah (Job 15:8).
7.
Host
of heaven Hebrew
saba hassamayim (2 Kings 21:3); Greek stratias ou’raniou (Luke
2:13).
8.
Stars
of God Hebrew
kokebe ’elohim (Job 38:7).[13]
The Book of Daniel is
helpful in defining the roles and titles of members of the heavenly
council. In Daniel members of the
council are called ’irin or “watchers,” and qadisin “holy ones”
(Hebrew ’irim and qedosim):
“As I was watching, there was a Watcher, a Holy One coming down from heaven”
(Dan 4:13 NEV); “The issue has been determined by the Watchers and the sentence
pronounced by the Holy Ones” (4:17 NEV; cf. 4:23, 8:13, 8:15ff). The NEV footnote to Dan 4:13 states:
“Watcher, Holy One are synonyms for ‘angel.’”
In 10:13 Michael is called “one of the chief princes [sharim]”
(New International Version[14]),
referring of course to his premier status on the council. In 10:19 Daniel also calls an angel “my
lord.” Therefore, the titles of council
members in Daniel include gods (2:47, ’elohin; 11:36 ’elim),[15]
son of the gods (3:25 NIV, bar ’elohin), angels, watchers, holy ones, princes,
and lords. The comfortable precedent of these titles in Daniel makes it very
difficult for the “gods” and “lords” of 1 Cor 8:4-6 to be interpreted in any
other way than monarchic. In fact, all
the titles of the members of the heavenly council can be found in the New
Testament or in contemporaneous Judaeo/Christian texts. Consider the following list of common titles
for the gods that are repeated in the first centuries of Christianity:
1. Kings/gods/lords A new title is applied to members of
the council in the New Testament as Christ is King over kings (1 Tim 6:15; Rev
7:14; 19:16). The title of gods is also
used in John 10:34-35 and 1 Cor 8:4-6). Compare passages that deal with the
heavenly council in the Dead Sea Scrolls; "Rise up, rise up Oh God of
gods, and be exalted with power, [King of kings!]" (1QM XIV 16).
"[Ra]phael and Michael, [Sariel and Gabriel] went [and said in front of
the Lord of the world; [you are the God of gods and the Lord of lords and the
King of kings.]" (4Q221 III 13-14); "For he is the God of the gods of
all the chiefs of the heights, and king of kings of all the eternal
councils" (4Q403 I 34); "For he is the God of the gods of all the
chi]efs of the heights, and king [of kings of all the eternal councils"]
(4Q405 4-5, 2). Christ is also known as
Lord over lords (Rev 7:14; 19:16).
Compare this with Apocalypse of Zephaniah A[16],
"And a spirit took me and brought me up into the fifth heaven. And I saw angels who are called
‘lords’" (Cf. 4Q221 III 13-14 above).[17]
2. Lord Angels who speak to
Cornelius and Peter are addressed in the New Testament as “Lord” (Acts 10:4,
14; 11:8). Compare the use of Lord in
the following Judaeo/Christian Pseudepigraphal passages: "And the LORD
sent ... the archangel Gabriel. And he
said to me, “Be brave Enoch! Don’t be
frightened! ... And I answered him [Michael] and said, “Woe to me, my
LORD!" (2 Enoch J 21:3-4); "My lord Commander-in-chief [Michael], who
is this most wondrous man ..." (Testament of Abraham A 11:8); And the man
called her a second time and said, “Aseneth, Aseneth.” And she said “Behold (here) I (am)
Lord. Who are you, tell me. And the man said, I am the chief of the
house of the Lord and commander of the whole host of the Most High... Aseneth
rejoiced ... and said to him ... “What is your name, Lord; tell me in order
that I may praise and glorify you for ever(and) ever" (Joseph and Aseneth
14:6-8; 15:12).
3. Stars Angels who have
stewardship over the seven churches in Asia are given the title of stars (Rev
1:16, 20). In like manner 4 Ezra states
that the inheritance of the faithful to have "their face is to shine like
the sun, and ... they are to be made like the light of the stars, being
incorruptible from then on" (7:97); 2 Baruch declares that "they will
be like the angels and be equal to the stars" (51:10); the Testament of
Moses claims they will be raised "to the heights," and
"firmly" "fix[ed] ... "in the heaven of the stars, in the
place of their habitations" (10:9-10).
4. Sons of God Faithful members of the Church are
told they will be glorified and become the sons of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:14,
19; 1 John 3:2). Compare the following:
"I told him his name and what rank he held among the sons of God. 'Are you not Uriel, the eighth after me? And
I, Israel, the archangel of the power of the Lord and the chief captain among
the sons of God?'" (Prayer of Joseph OTP 2, Fragment A 6-7);
"<Melchizedek> is the one [who will prevail on this day over] all
the sons of God, <bene el>" (11Q13 II, 14); "Who is the
heavens is like you] my God? And who
among the sons of gods? And in the
whole [company of the holy ones?...]" (4Q381 15, 6-7). It is important to note that Paul makes it
clear that both genders are included among the faithful in the hereafter. In several places in his epistles he
indicates that it not just the sons of God who are welcomed into God’s
presence, but all of God’s children (tekna) are “joint-heirs with
Christ” (Rom 8:16; cf. 9:26; Gal 3:7).
5. Angels/Archangels The title of angel is obviously retained
throughout the New Testament and the Western religious tradition. The title that is relatively new to New
Testament Judaism is that of archangel.
It is used by Early Christians and applied to Michael (1Thess 4:16; Jude
1:9). Compare the following Pseudepigraphal
documents: "And the LORD summoned Vereveil, one of his archangels" (2
Enoch A 22:10); "“It is well that
you have come, my Lord, with your great archangel, Michael" (Testament of
Isaac 6:28); "And Sariel the archangel came to me and I saw (him), and his
appearance was very beautiful and awesome" (The Ladder of Jacob OTP 2,
3:3). In Jewish tradition the
archangels number seven. 1 Enoch
identifies the seven as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Sur’el, Raguel, Saraqua’el,
and Remiel (OTP 1, 20:1-7; cf. n. g).
6. Holy ones/Princes None of these three terms are applied to
divine beings in the New Testament.
They do, however, appear in Judaeo/Christian texts contemporary with the
New Testament. Job, in the Testament of
Job, shows his "throne with the splendor of its majesty, which is among
the holy ones." He further
explains, "My throne is in the upper world, and its splendor and majesty
come from the right hand of the Father" (OTP 1, 33:2-3). The Dead Sea Scrolls show how
"God" is "awesome in the splendor of [his] majesty, and the
congregation of [his] holy ones <qedosim> is amongst us for
everlasting assistance" (1QM XII 12,7); they also show the belief that the
righteous can "become united with the sons of your truth and in the lot of
[God’s] holy ones" (1QH XIX 11).
The title of prince is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls; “And exalt him,
you chiefs of the princes with his wonderful portion... Praise [the God of the divinities, the seven
priests who approach...{the chiefs of the princes of the wonderful pri[esthoods]}...
the prince, the angels of the king in their wonderful residences” (4Q403 II
20-21, 23). Princes is also found in
the apocryphal Epistles to the Apostle (note also references to the divine
titles of Col 1:16; cf. Testament of Levi 3:3-5, 7-8 below); “While I was coming from the Father of all,
passing by the heavens ... and passing by the angels and archangels in their
form and as one of them, I passed by the orders, dominions, and princes ... and the archangels ... followed me” (NTA,[18]
Ethiopic, 13). Watchers, treated as
synonymous with holy ones,[19]
is also found in 1 Enoch, where it is claimed that “Enoch was hidden ... And
his dwelling place as well as his activities were with the Watchers and the
holy ones” (OTP 1, 12:1-2).
7.
Spirits The divine title spirit (pneuma)
appears in Acts 23:9 as the Pharisees say that perhaps Paul has been visited by
an angel or a spirit. One can posit,
then, two types of heavenly beings from this evidence. For Early Christians a spirit can be an
anthropomorphic spiritually embodied being without flesh and bones, as seen in
Luke 24:39 when Christ first appears to the apostles and is mistaken for a
spirit, or an angel who is physically embodied and can intercede on God’s
behalf. But it seems that physically embodied
angelic beings can have the title of spirit as well. This is clarified in the crucial passage of Heb 1:14, where the
title spirits (pneumata) appears as the Christian author explains that
all angels are “ministering spirits.”[20]
Peter Hayman describes this
relationship between God and the gods as a difference in “class” but not
“kind”:
The Hebrew Bible is quite
clear on the fact that these figures belong to the class of divine beings
bene ’elohim/ bene ’elim, members of the 'host of heaven
(saba hashamayim). Yahweh
belongs to this class of beings, but is distinguished from them by his kingship
over the heavenly host. However he is
not different from them in kind.[21]
Thus, passages such as Deut
10:14-17, where the God of the heavens is described is “God of gods and Lord of
lords” (cf. 1 Enoch 9:4) are best described as monarchic, as the gods who
reside and rule at the side of God receive veneration but not worship.
Joseph Smith reveals a
plurality of the gods in the Nauvoo era of the Church of Jesus Christ. Note the similarities with Hebrew, Early
Judaic, and Early Christian thought.
God is at the head of the council, and the gods counsel with him as his
advisors and servants. The existence of
the gods does not undermine the rule of God the Father:
A time to come in the which
nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be
manifest... And also, if there be bounds set to the heavens ... According to
that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all
other gods before this world was ... (D&C 121:28, 32[22]
dated March 20, 1839; cf. 76:58 and 29:12 (below).)
And again, verily I say unto
you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and
everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise
... it shall be said unto them‑‑Ye shall come forth in the first
resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next
resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers,
dominions, all heights and depths ... and if ye abide in my covenant... it
shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them,
in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out
of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set
there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon
their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds
forever and ever. Then shall they be gods,
because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to
everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all
things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all
power, and the angels are subject unto them. (D&C 132:19-20)
It has been a doctrine
taught by this church that we were in the Grand Council amongst the Gods when
the organization of this world was contemplated and that the laws of government
were all made and sanctioned by all present and all the ordinances and
ceremonies decreed upon.[23]
I once asked a learned Jew,
"If the Hebrew language compels us to render all words ending in 'heim'
[“him”] in the plural, why not render the first Eloheim [ ’elohim]
plural?" He replied, "That is
the rule with few exceptions; but in this case it would ruin the Bible.”[24]
The Book of Abraham also
explains the deliberations of the council in the pre-existence. Note the debates made in the council as a
second estate is being offered to God's children:
Now the Lord had shown unto
me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and
among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these
souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said:
These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he
saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them;
thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto
those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will
take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And
we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the
Lord their God shall command them; And they who keep their first estate shall
be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in
the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep
their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.
(Ab 3:22-26) [25]
Breck England describes the
early Church of Jesus Christ doctrine of a plurality of gods:
The Prophetic Almanac for
1845... contained... extracts from the writing and
speeches of Joseph Smith and others.
One intriguing aspect of the almanac is "The Mormon Creed," a
list of doctrinal concepts in question-answer form. This is one of the earliest summary statements of Mormon belief:
"What is man? The offspring of
God... What is his final destiny? To be like God. What has God been? Like
man... How many gods are there? There are Lords many, and gods many: but to
us there is but one God” (Orson Pratt, Prophetic Almanac for 1845,
5-10). Although these answers could not
be simpler, they are very far reaching; the Mormons did not shrink from
proclaiming godhood their ultimate destiny and eternal progression or evolution
the basic justification for the existence of man on earth.[26]
2. The Title of Spirit in
Judaeo/Christian Thought
The title of ‘spirit,’ as
was previously shown to be a title of the members of the council of gods (Acts
23:9, Heb 1:14, 1 Enoch 15:4, 8-9), merits closer inspection. Often anachronistic meanings are pushed back
into the Old and New Testaments, such as is seen when John 4:24 is thought to
shows that God is an immaterial spirit.
However, passages in the Bible (such as Acts 23:9, and Heb 1:14
mentioned above) show that ‘spirit’ is a title that can be applied to God’s angelic
corps, regardless of whether they are spiritually or physically embodied. In these cases the title ‘spirit’ would be
equivalent to ‘higher divine corporeal being,’ and have nothing to do with
Greek metaphysical absolutes which would declare that spirit must be
incorporeal. In fact, the Dead Sea
Scrolls also show how ‘spirit’ is a title for members of the heavenly council:
Sing to the God who is
awesome in power [all the spirits of knowledge and of light], to exalt together
the splendidly shining vault of the sanctuary of his holiness. [Praise him,] divine spirits, praising [for
ever] and ever the main construction.
The spirits of the holy of the holies, the living gods <'elohim>,
the spirits of everlasting holiness above all the holy ones [... marvelous
wonder of splendor ...and the glory ] in the most perfect light, and the
knowledge [... in all the wonderful sanctuaries. The spirits of the gods around the residence of the king of truth
and justice. All its walls ...] (4Q403
I 41-46)
And at its feet [...] the
manifestation of the glorious form of the chiefs of the kingdom of the spirits
[...] [...] his glory. And the gates,
in all their movements (?) [...] the shaft of lightning (?) [...] to
crush. The gods [...] among them run
gods <'elohim> in the form of embers [of fire ...] going
around. The spirits of the holy of
holies [...] of the holy of holies, spirits of the gods<’elohim>,
eternal vision [...] and the spirits of the gods<’elohim>, form of flames of fire around [...]
wonderful spirits. (4Q403 II 2-10)
“In the assembly of all the
deities [of knowledge, and in the council of all the spirits] of God” (4Q400 1 I 4-5).[27]
The Book of Revelations also
makes it clear that seven divine beings[28]
with the title of ‘spirits’ stand before the throne of God (3:1; 4:5). These are likely the seven angels who have
stewardship over the seven churches in Asia (1:11), and who are also given the
divine title of stars (1:20). It is
also very likely that they correspond with the seven archangels (see above) of
Judaeo/Christian tradition. Note how
they are called “seven torches of fire” (4:5), using language reminiscent of
the Dead Sea Scrolls which describe the “spirits of the gods” as “form of
flames of fire around” (4Q403 II 9). In
these passages the gods are thought to shine with glorious light (cf. Luke
24:4, 2 Cor 11:14, and “The Glory of God” below), and both John and the Qumran
scribes are attempting to describe the glorious nature of their luminous
bodies. The nature of the divine title
of spirit is elaborated upon in the Ascension of Isaiah, where the Holy
Ghost–who clearly is given the title of spirit–is seen to be an anthropomorphic
spiritually embodied being. The
Christian author records that the he saw the “second angel,” referring to the Holy
Spirit, “standing ... on the left of my LORD,” a clear reference to the
embodied nature of the Holy Spirit and the rest of the Christian Godhead (OTP
2, 9:30-36). The text further
reinforces the Holy Spirit’s spiritual embodiment as he and the archangel
Michael triumphantly carry the resurrected Christ triumphantly from his tomb on
their shoulders (3:16-17).
1 Corinthians 15 speaks of
the resurrected bodies of Christ and the saints as spiritual in nature, further
showing that spirit can refer to a physically embodied being. Paul states that there is a natural or
mortal body (soma psuchikon) and a higher spiritual body (soma
pneumatikon) that we will have in the resurrection (44). He further explains that Christ became a
life-giving “spirit” (pneuma) as part of his resurrection (45), and that
in his resurrected state he is a “spiritual” (pneumatikov, 46) or
“heavenly man” (epouranios, 48), like the other “heavenly ones” (epouprniou,
49) or angelic beings who dwell in the heavens. Hence, as Christ and the saints are understood to be physically
embodied corporeal beings in the resurrection, and as Paul describes these
corporeal bodies as “spiritual” in nature, it is conclusively shown that
‘spirit’ when applied to holy heavenly beings must be understood to mean
‘higher divine corporeal being.’ It is
also noteworthy that Hebrews 12:23 speaks the righteous in the hereafter as
“the spirits (pneumasi) of just men made perfect” (KJV). Since the New Testament consistently
interprets ‘spirit’ as a title of a divine being, it makes sense that John 4:24,
which also calls God “spirit” (pneuma), should be interpreted the same
way. Resurrected man, the gods, and the
resurrected Christ are pneuma or pneumatikos beings in the
hereafter, but the textual evidence clearly shows that these same beings are physically
embodied; and God who is also pneuma should be seen as a divinely
embodied being as well.
A number of these titles of
the council–God, Lord, Holy One, King, and Spirit–are applied directly to
God. The use of these titles for both
God and the gods shows a great deal of kinship between them. It is clear in the tradition of Hebrews,
Jews, and Early Christians, that God is mightier, holier, and more glorious
that the gods, but otherwise they are similar beings. The Ascension of Isaiah (c. 2nd century A.D.), for example, makes
it clear that God is “the Holy One, the One who rests among the holy ones”
(6:8,) but it is clear that both God and the gods belong to the class “holy
ones.” Compare this to the "Hymn
to the Creator" from the Dead Sea Scrolls, where God is also seen as the "the Holiest of Holy Ones":
Great and Holy are you, YHWH
<Yahweh>,
the Holiest of Holy Ones,
from generation to generation.
In front of him walks glory
and behind him copious
waters.
Goodness and truth surround
his face,
truth, uprightness and
justice are the base of his throne.
He separated light from
darkness
established the dawn with
the knowledge of his heart.
Then all his angels saw him
and sang
for he showed them what they
had not known.
(11Q5 XXVI 9-12)
3. The Heavenly Council in
the Dead Sea Scrolls.
One of most significant
sources on the council of the gods is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls were written by a group of
Jews called Essenes who withdrew from the larger Jewish community to Qumran on
the shores of the Dead Sea. The scrolls
were preserved in caves bordering the Dead Sea, and translated after their
discovery in the middle of the 20th century. The following five fragments are from the
Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (early 1st century A.D.), and were
hymns sung at by the semi-ascetic Jews at Qumran. They provide descriptions of the heavenly temple, the heavenly
holy of holies, God's throne, doors or gates leading into and out of the
presence of God, and references to the living quarters of the gods--the
"many mansions" of John 14:2.
The gods are seen as part of the council, entering and exiting the
heavenly temple as they perform the tasks assigned by God:
[...And exalt his
exaltation] to the heights, gods <’elohim> [of the august divinites,
and the divinity of his glory above] all the august [heights. For he is the God of the gods of all the
chi]efs of the heights, and king [of kings of all the eternal councils. By the words] of his mouth a[ll the august
divinities] exi[st; by what issues from his lips, all the] eternal [spirits];
by the wi[ll of his knowledge, all his creatures in their enterprises.] ...
(4Q405 4-5, 1-3 (4Q403 I, 33-36))
[... for a wonderful song]
in [eternal] happiness. You, praise
with them all the found[ations of the holy of the ho]ly ones, [the] supporting
[columns] fo the highest vault, and all the corners [of his building. Sing to God, who is awesome in power, all
spirits] of knowledge and of light, to exalt together the splendidly [shining]
vault [of the sanctuary] [of his holiness.
Praise him, divine spirits, praising] for ever and ever the main vault
of the heights, [all its beams] [and walls, all its form, the work of its
structure.] The spirits of the holy of
the holy ones, the living gods < ’elohim>, the spirits of
[everlasting] holiness [above all the holy ones ...] impressive wonder of
splendor [...] and the glory in the [most perfect] light, [and the knowledge
...] wonderful sanctuary. The spirits
of God around the residence [...] in the holy of the holy ones [...] ... [...]
... [...] the sound of [...] they shall
cause to hear (4Q405 6, 1-11 (4Q403 I, 40-45))
[...] their tasks [...]
[...] when they rise [...] [...] the throne of the glory of his kingdom and all
the assembly of whose who serve [...] wonderfully. The gods will not shudder for ever [...] for they are steady in
the tasks of all, because the gods of the offering [...] his offering. The gods <’elohim> praise when
they begin to rise, and all the spirits of the pure vault rejoice in his glory. And there is a voice of blessing from all
their divisions which counts the vaults of his glory. And the gates praise with jubilant voice. When the divinities of knowledge enter
through the gates of glory, and in all the departures of the holy angels to
their domains, the gates of the entrance and the gates of the exit declare the
glory of the king, blessing and praising all the spirits of God in the exits
and in the entrances through the gates of holiness. And among them there is no-one who omits a regulation or who
opposes the precepts of the king. They
do not deviate from the path nor do they go far from his territory. They do not esteem themselves above their
duties nor do they demean themselves.
For he will have compassion during the rule of the severity of his
obliterating wrath. He will not judge
while his glorious wrath resides. The
fear of the king of the gods <malak ’elohim> is dreadful for all
the gods <’elohim>. [He
sent them] on his mission in order ... And they go [...] ... [...] (4Q405 23
11-14)
Praise [the God of ...,]
you, the gods, among the holy of holies; and in the divinity [of his kingdom,
rejoice. Because he has established]
the holy of holies among the eternal holy ones, so that for him they can be
priests [who approach the temple of his kingship,] the servants of the Presence
in the sanctuary of his glory. In the
assembly of all the deities [of knowledge, and in the council of all the
spirits] of God, he has engraved his ordinances for all spiritual works, and
his [glorious] precepts [for those who establish] knowledge of the people of
the intelligence of his glory, the gods <’elohim> who approach
knowledge. Eternal [...]. and from the holy source of the sanctuaries
of the holy of [holies...] priests who approach, to serve in the presence of
the holy king of [the holy ones [29]
...] of his glory. And they confirm
each regulation for the seven [eternal counsels. Because he] set them up for himself as the ho[ly of the holy
ones, who serve in the holy of] holies.
[...] approached them in the council [...] of the knowledge of [...]
holy of holies, pr[iests ...] They are
princes [...] in the temple of the king.
[...] in their territory and in their inheritance [...] They do not tolerate anyone whose path is
[warped.] There is no impurity in their
holy offerings. For them he has
engraved ho[ly precepts] by which all the holy ones become perpetually holy;
and he purifies the pure [shining ones, so that they deal] with all those of
depraved path. And they shall appease
his will, in favor of all those converted from sin. [...] knowledge in the priests who approach, and from their
mouths (come) all the teachings of the holy ones, with the precepts of [his
glory...] his favors for compassionate, eternal forgiveness, and [to destroy]
in the vengeance of his jealously [...] He has established priests for himself,
who approach the holy of holies. [...
god] of the divine ones, priests of the exalted heights, who approach [...] ...
[...] (4Q400 1, I, 1-21)
Praise the God of the august
heights, you august ones among the divinites of knowledge. May the holy ones of God make holy the king
of glory, who makes holy with his holiness all the holy ones. The chiefs of the praises of all the gods,
praise the God of magnificent praises, for in the magnificence of the praises
is the glory of his kingdom. From it
come the praises of all the divinites, together with the splendor of all his
majesty. And exalt his exaltation to
the heights, gods <'elohim> of the august divinities, and the divinity
of his glory above all the august heights.
For he is the God of the gods of all the chiefs of the heights, and king
of kings of all the eternal councils.
{By the consent} {of knowledge} By their words a[ll the august
divinities] exist; by what issues from their lips, all the eternal spirits; by
the will of his knowledge, all his creatures in their enterprises. Sing with joy, those of you enjoying his
knowledge, with rejoicing among the wonderful gods. (4Q403 I 30-36)
The Songs to the Sage carry
a similar theme:
Bless[ings to the Ki]ng of
glory...
To the God of knowledge, to the resplendence of the powerful,
God of gods, Lord of all the
holy ones.
His rea[lm] is above the
powerful mighty
before the might of his
power are all terrified,
they scatter and flee before
the radiance of his dwelli[ng]
of his glory and majesty.
(4Q510 1, 1-3 (4QShir))
The War Scroll speaks of the
coming final conflict between light and darkness and the preparation
individuals must undergo to be part of the “sons of light.” The semi-ascetic Essenes had long since
separated themselves from the Jews of Jerusalem who they considered
unclean. Those who wished to join them
spent many years in semi-baptismal ritual purification before they were allowed
into the community. With this
cleanliness it was thought that God and the gods could enter into their
community. Note the belief that the
angelic holy ones are already thought to be present in the Qumran community,
and how even God could enter their presence and assist them:
[...] for you shall wage war
against them from the heavens [...]
For there is a multitude of
holy ones <qedosim> in
heaven and a host of angels in your holy dwelling to [praise] your [name.]
And the chosen ones of the
holy people you have established for yourself in [...]
The [bo]ok of the names of
all their armies is with you in your holy dwelling, [...] in the dwelling of
your glory.
And the rewards of your
blessings [...] the covenant of your peace you engraved for them with the
chisel of life,
in order to rule [...] during all times eternal, to organize the arm[ies] of your chosen ones in its thousands and in its myriads,
together with your holy ones
<qedosim> and your angels to direct the hand in battle
[and destroy] the rebels of
the earth by your great judgments.
And the people of the chosen
ones of the heavens will triu[mph].
You are a God, awesome in
the splendor of your majesty,
and the congregation of your
holy ones (qedosim) is amongst us for everlasting assistance.
[We will] treat kings with
contempt, the powerful with jeers and mockery,
for the Lord is holy and the
King of glory is with us together with his holy ones (qedosim).
The heroes of the army of
his angels are enlisted with us ... (1QM XI 17, XII 1-8)[30]
For great is] the plan of
your glory, and your marvelous mysteries on hi[gh;] in order to raise [from the
dust for yourself and subdue] [gods.
Rise up, ri]se up, Oh God of gods,['el 'elim] and be exalted with
power, King of kin[gs...] you have placed over [...] they scatter before you,
the sons of darkness, and your great light [... god]s and men [...like a fire]
which lights up the places of darkness and of ruin; in the places of the ruins
of Sheol will bu[rn...] (4QMa I 12-15)
This War Scroll
fragments further describes the preparations of God and the heavenly council
for the final conflict on earth.
Collins and Cross show that the archangel Michael is given authority
among the gods:[31]
He has sent everlasting aid
to the lot redeemed by the power of the majestic angel for the dominion of Michael
in everlasting light. He will the
covenant of Israel shine with joy, peace and blessing to God's lot. He will exalt the authority of Michael above
all the gods [’elim] and the dominion of Israel over all flesh. Justice will rejoice in the heights and all
the sons of his truth will have enjoyment in everlasting knowledge. (1QM XVII
6-8)
The Dead Sea Scrolls show
the similarities between the members of the heavenly court and man, for
Melchizedek is seen as having achieved the honor of presiding over the assembly
of the gods. Note how the Jews at
Qumran interpreted Ps 82:1-8:
[...] your God ... [...]
[...] And as for what he said: Lev 25:13 "In this year of jubilee,
[you shall return, each one, to his respective property", as is written: Dt
15:2 "This is] the manner (of effecting) the release: every creditor
shall release what he lent [to his neighbor.
He shall not coerce his neighbor or his brother when] the release for
God [has been proclaimed]". [Its
inter]pretation for the last days refers to the captives, about whom he said: Isa
61:1 "To proclaim liberty to the captives." And he will make their rebels prisoners
[...] and of the inheritance of Mechizedek, for [...] and they are the
inheri[tance of Melchizedek, who will make them return. He will proclaim liberty for them, to free
them from [the debt] of all their iniquities.
And this will [happen] in the first week of the jubilee which follows
the ni[ne] jubiless. And the day [of
atonem]ent is the end of the tenth jubilee in which atonement will be made for
all the sons of [God] and for the men of the lot of Melchizedek. [And on the heights] he will decla[re in
their] favor according to their lots; for it is the time of the "year of
grace" for Melchizedek, to exa[lt in the tri]al the holy ones of God
through the rule of judgment, as is written about him in the songs of David,
who said: Ps 82:1 "Elohim will stand up in the assem[bly of God,]
<’elohim> in the midst of the gods he judges". And about him he said: Ps 7:8-9 "Above it return to the
heights, God will judge the peoples".
As for what he sa[id: Ps 82:2 "How long will yo]u judge
unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah." Its interpretation concerns Belial and the
spirits of his lot, who were rebels [all of them] turning aside from the
commandments of God [to commit evil.]
But, Melchizedek will carry out the vengeance of God's judgements [on
this day, and they shall be freed from the hands] of Belial and from the hands
of all the sp[irits of his lot.] To his
aid (shall come) all "the gods <eli(m)?> of [justice";
he] is the one [who will prevail on this day over] all the sons of God, <bene
el> and he will pre[side over] this [assembly.] This is the day of [peace about which God]
spoke [of old through the words of Ias]iah the prophet, who said: Isa 52:7
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who
announces peace, of the mess[enger of good who announces salvation,] saying to
Zion" 'your God [reigns."]
Its interpretation: The
mountains are the pro[phets ...] And
the messenger is [the ano]inted of the spirit about whom Dan[iel] spoke [...
and the messenger of] good who announces salv[ation is the one about whom it is
written that [he will send him Isa 61:2-3 "to comfo[rt the
afflicted, to watch over the afflicted ones of Zion".] "To comfo[rt the afflicted", its
interpretation:] to instruct them in all the ages of the worl[d...] in truth.
[...] [...] it has been turned away from Belial and it [...] [...] in the
judgments of God, as is written about him: Isa 52:7 "Saying to
Zion: 'your God rules'" ["Zi]on" is [the congregation of all the
sons of justice, those] who establish the covenant, those who avoid walking [on
the pa]th of the people. "Your God"
is [... Melchizedek, who will fr]ee [them] from the hand Of Belial. And as for what he said: Lev 25:9 "You
shall blow the hor[n in every] land". (11QMelchizedek (11Q13 II, 1-25)
F. G. Martinez explains how
the exalted Melchizedek has been given total charge of the heavenly council by
the Qumran Jews:
The liberator, that is, the
leader of the heavenly spirits (literally gods) is Melchizedek, identified with
the archangel Michael and presented as the one who will judge the holy ones and
lead them to participate in his heritage... In his battle, Melchizedek not only
is assisted by "all the gods" [kol ’eli, line 14] and by the
"sons of God" [bene ’el, line 14], but is himself designated
as "your God" [’elohym, line 25] ...: "and 'your God' is
(Melchizedek, who) will save them from the hand of Belial.”[32]
Thus, it is clear from the
Dead Sea Scrolls that the Jews at the time of Christ had a strong belief in
council of the gods.
4. Multiple Functions of the
Heavenly Council
Further reference to the
members of the heavenly council is found in the Testament of Levi (2nd century B.C.). The text
indicates that the Holy Ones rule in the heavens as “thrones and authorities,”
and also act as priests in God’s heavenly temple. It also refers to angelic “messengers” and the “armies” or host
of heaven, who are angels of lesser rank and holiness. But the “Holy Ones,” “archangels,” and
“thrones and authorities” refers to members of the council of the gods:
In the second [heaven] are
the armies arrayed for the day of judgment to work vengeance on the spirits of
error and Beliar [Satan].[33] Above them are the Holy Ones. In the uppermost heaven [third or highest
heaven] of all dwells the Great Glory in the Holy of Holies superior to all
holiness. There with him are the
archangels, who serve and offer propitiatory sacrifices to the Lord ... In the heaven below them are the messengers
who carry the responses to the angels of the Lord's presence. There with him are thrones and authorities;
there praises to God are offered eternally. (3:3-5, 7-8; see also Ascension of
Isaiah 7:14, 21; Origen, Against
Celsus, 4, 29 below.)
The heavenly council is
present with God at the most important events of the universe, including when
the foundations of the earth were laid (Job 38:7) and the creation of man. Gen 1:26-27 shows the assembled members of
the council at the creation of Adam.
God converses with members of the council, saying “Let us make
man in our image” (KJV: cf. 3:22; 11:7; Is 6:8).
The Interpreter's Bible
comments on Gen 1:26:
God first consults with
divine beings other than himself ... [Hebrew thought] was familiar with the
idea of a heavenly host with whom God took council ... it is fitting, if not
necessary, that there should be something like cooperation on the part of the
whole company of heaven.[34]
The Book of Abraham
recognizes the presence of the council at the creation of Adam:
And the Gods took counsel
among themselves and said: Let us go down and form man in our image, after our
likeness; and we will give them dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image
of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them. (Ab 3:26-17)
In the Life of Adam and Eve
(1st Century A.D.) reference is made to the gods participating in the creation
of Adam in the Garden of Eden. This
conservative Jewish author shows no embarrassment or hesitation as he portrays
God commanding the members of the heavenly assembly–the "us" of
Genesis 1:26--to pay homage to Adam because he is an exact, albeit earthly,
copy of God. It is clear from the text
that it is not Adam who is being worshiped, but God’s image that has been
placed on him. God indicates to Adam
that he has been formed after his own image and that of the gods present
with him in the Garden. Adam’s image is
worshiped because he exactly resembles God’ glorious form, and approximately
resembles the images of the host of angels who accompanied him from
heaven. To pay homage to Adam, then,
was not an act of sacrilege for the author, for in paying respect to the
perfectly replicated image of God stamped upon Adam, the angels paid homage to
the creator and archetype of the divine image.
M. D. Johnson suggests a mixture of "transcendent majesty and
quaint anthropomorphism” is seen as God is described by the author. Latter-day revelation makes it clear that
Adam and Michael are the same person, but this detail is not known in extant
pseudepigraphal and apocryphal accounts.
Satan, who confronts Adam and Eve in the text, describes the events in
the Garden:
The devil replied, “Adam,
what are you telling me? It is because
of you that I have been thrown out of there.
When you were created, I was cast out from the presence of God and was
sent out from the fellowship of the angels.
When God blew into you the breath of life and your countenance and
likeness were made in the image of God, Michael brought you and made (us)
worship you in the sight of God, and the LORD God said, ‘Behold Adam! I have made you in our image and
likeness. And Michael went out and
called all the angels, saying “Worship the image of the LORD God, as the LORD
God has instructed. And Michael himself
worshiped first, and called me and said, ‘Worship the image of God,
Yahweh.’ And I answered, ‘I do not
worship Adam.’ And when Michael kept
forcing me to worship, I said to him, ‘Why do you compel me? I will not worship one inferior and
subsequent to me. I am prior to him in
creation; before he was made, I was already made. He ought to worship me. (OTP 2, Vita 13:1-14:3)
Another responsibility of
the members of the council was stewardship over areas of the earth. Evidence of this can be found in Deut. 32:8,
but the Masoretic text, from which most of the Old Testament has been
translated, has been edited and references to the stewardships of the gods
removed. The "sons of Israel"
(bene yisrael) currently found in the KJV is a deliberate revision of the text which originally read "sons
of God" (bene ’el).[35] The understanding is that God assigns
earthly stewardships to each of the members of the heavenly council. The NEV
translates the passage “according to the number of the sons of God,” and adds this
footnote: “The sons of God are minor figures in the divine ... council
to whom the Most High has assigned governorship of the nations,
retaining Israel for himself” (cf. Deut R. below). Collins and Cross write that ““Divine being” rendered literally would
be “a son of a God,” that is, in Semitic idiom, a member of the class “gods.”[36] In this passage, then, the gods are given
specific assignments over the nations.
The heavenly council also
meets together to counsel with God. In
1 Kn 22:19-38 the prophet Micaiah sees by revelation a meeting of the heavenly
assembly. This passage shows the
deliberatory nature of the council, in that God actively seeks the advice and
consent of the members of the assembly before proceeding with decisions of
great import. Micaiah describes God as
he solicits advice from members of the council (22:20). He asks how Ahab should be punished and
lured into a battle that out of pride (22:8, 18) and a misaligned allegiance to
Baal (18:19; 22:6) they did not first authorize with God’s commissioned
prophet. A discussion takes place among
the members of the council as to how best carry out God’s will. Micaiah describes the deliberation as “one
said on this manner, and another said on that manner” (22:20), with the
understanding that the various members of the council are placing their
recommendations before the full council.
At one point in the discussion a spirit who is part of the council
presents his plan to the assembly. He
will cause the prophets of Baal to fail in their prophecy by being a “lying
spirit” (22:22). God approves this plan
to punish Ahab, and the spirit who proposed it is directed to carry out the
decision of the council (22:22-23).
It is understood in Hebrew
thought that the prophets, such as Miicaiah above, actually have membership on
the divine council. Mullen points out
that Haggai (1:12) is called the messenger of Yahweh (mal'ak Yahweh) in
precisely the same manner that the gods on the council were called messengers.[37] Prophets thus have the important role of
being the heralds or messengers of the council’s decisions. For example, Jeremiah claims that his
authority stems from the fact that he has physically stood in the midst of the
heavenly council:
For who among them has stood
in the council [sod Yahweh] of the LORD to perceive and to hear his
work, or who has given heed to his word and listened? ... But if they had stood
in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to the people, and they
would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
(RSV[38] 23:18,22)[39]
Mullen claims that the same
should be understood in Job 15:8, where Job is asked if he has stood “in the
council of God” (sod eloah ) and “listened in” (RSV) as deliberations
were underway. He also explains that
Amos 3:7, which declares that God “does nothing, without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets” (RSV), means prophetic presence in the heavenly
council.[40] He claims that a mortal–such as Isaiah (6:8)
or Joshua the high priest (Zech 3:5)–can be the focus of the council's
attentions, and their participation helps to bring about the end of the
council's deliberations. He calls this
the “intervention of one of the participants,” and either human or angelic
action is necessary to carry about the decisions of the council.[41] When a prophet declares "Thus saith the
LORD," his proclamation was treated with the same importance as the
imperatives directed to the divine council.[42] To have the word of God delivered to you was
to have the authorized message of God, delivered directly from the council. Mullen writes,
It is also clear from the
prophetic material that the prophet was more than simply the mouthpiece of
Yahweh. He was Yahweh's messenger. The very designation nabi', “one who
is called” ... implies the background of the council, for the prophet was
called to proclaim the will of the deity which was issued from the
assembly... The prophet is the herald
of the divine council. He delivers the
decree of Yahweh, which is the decree of the council. The authority of the prophet as the herald/messenger of the
assembly is that of the power which sent him.
He is the vocal manifestation of the deity who dispatched him.[43]
Himmelfarb also concurs with
the understanding that the prophet participates in the council. She links the ascent of Enoch (Book of
the Watchers) with the book of Ezekiel and other early recognized
participation of the prophets in the council:
In content, Enoch's ascent
must be understood against the background of an aspect of prophetic thought not
limited to Ezekiel, the idea of the prophet's participation in the divine
council... In ancient Israel the prophets claim for themselves the role of
messengers alongside the regular members of the council.[44]
Thus, the prophet is more than
a mere messenger. He is God's appointed
servant, who is allowed to participate in heavenly decisions. He brings God's word directly to the people. He is authorized by the fact that he has
stood in the presence of God and as a member of the council, and has received
his will.
Job 1:6 “The day came when the members of
the court of heaven (bene ’elim, or ‘sons of God’) took their places in
the presence of the LORD, and Satan was there among them” (NEV).
Job 15:8 “Do you listen in God's secret
[heavenly] council or usurp all wisdom for yourself alone?” (NEV; cf Anchor and
RSV. See comments on Job 15:8 by Mullen
above.)
Ps 73:24 “Lead me into your [heavenly]
council, and with glory take me to yourself” (Anchor).
Ps 89:5-7 “The heavens praise thy wonders, O
LORD, and the council of the holy ones exalts thy faithfulness. In the skies who is there like the LORD, who
like the LORD in the court of heaven, like God who is dreaded among the
assembled holy ones, great and terrible above all who stand about him?” (NEV).
Is 6:1-8 Isaiah is purged from sin and stands
in the presence of God, as smoke or cloud, partially fills the edifice. God is understood to be an enthroned
anthropomorphic king dwelling in the heavenly temple. God addresses the heavenly assembly, asking who should represent
the “us” of the council: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us
(lanu) ?" (KJV) .
Col 1:13-16 Christ rules over all the members of the
heavenly council, he is supreme over “the invisible orders of thrones,
sovereignties, authorities, and powers” (NEV).
5. The Role of Christ on the
Heavenly Council.
Throughout the Old Testament
a second in command is continuously seen in heaven. The position of second in command is variously assigned to the
“angel of the LORD” (mal’ak Yahweh,[45]
also known as the captain of the heavenly host[46]) Michael,[47] the “son of man,” [48]
Melchizedek, and Enoch. By the time of
Christ it is generally accepted by most Jews that Michael is the right hand man
of God,[49]
but exceptions are made for exalted Melchizedek for the Jews at Qumran,[50]
and exalted Enoch for Jews in the 4th and 5th centuries
A.D.[51]
Josh 5:14 Joshua meets with the captain of the
heavenly host, the angelic army of God, before the conquest of Canaan. The captain is second in command in heaven
and leads the army of God, composed of members of the heavenly council and
other celestial beings.
Rev 12:7 Michael is named head of the heavenly
host, but it is also important to note that Christ takes command of the
heavenly armies in Rev 19:11-16 (cf. Testament of Isaac 2:1-5 below where
Michael is named the “chief of the angels”).
As one would imagine Christ
is thought to be the second in command for early Christians. However, early Christians not only put Jesus
in the number two spot, they lift him to a level where he is virtually equal
with God. For Early Christians it is
important to show that Christ’s status is greater than that of council. No member of the council is superior to
Christ, for he has overcome all things and has been exalted to God’s right hand
by God himself. Michael is still God’s
archangel, but Christ has been lifted above his divine status.
The premier status of Christ
on the council can be seen in a court session found in Revelations 4-5. The text shows God sitting on his throne
(4:3), 24 exalted elders (presbuterous) seated on thrones dressed in
white and wearing crowns (4:4), the seven exalted archangels or “spirits”
(pneumata) of God (4:5), and four heavenly creatures who praise God
(4:7-9). The issue at hand is to find
one worthy to open the scroll that God holds in his right hand. An angel on the council who acts as herald
for the council asks the assembled gods “who is worthy to open the scroll and
break its seals?” (NEV 5:2), and one of the exalted elders comforts John when
it appears that even among the heavenly court none is able (5:4-5). He explains that Christ, who is, after all,
the premier member of the council, “has won the right to open the scroll and
break its seven seals” (NEV 5:5).[52]
John 1:1-3, 14 Christ was a God along with the Father from
the beginning. He is given the title of
Word (Logos), and he dwelt among men in the flesh.
John 10:34-36 Christ asks the Jews why he could not be the
‘son of God`if God has called others gods in the past. James Tabor, in commenting on the Jews to
whom Christ's words were directed, suggests "there seems to be a sense in
which they too are "gods."[53]
Acts 7:42 Stephen recognizes and condemns
previous attempts to worship the gods on the heavenly council.
Phil 2:5-8 Christ, though he had already become
the preeminent member of the council, did not exploit his position, but humbled
himself, became mortal, and the author of salvation.
Col 1:13-16 Christ rules over all the members of the
heavenly council, he is supreme over “the invisible orders of thrones,
sovereignties, authorities, and powers” (NEV).
Heb 1:1-4 Christ merits a title superior to that
of the angels. He takes his seat on the
right hand of God, the highest seat of honor on the heavenly council, gaining
exaltation second only to that of God the Father.
The NEV comments on Hebrews
1:1-4:
The idea of Christ's
exaltation to a position of supreme authority (right hand) in the
heavenly “court” is derived from Psalms 110:1, which is quoted in Hebrews 1:13;
5:6; 7:21 and applied to Christ.
The Odes of Solomon (late 1st
to early 2nd century A.D.) shows how Christ obtained the right to be
the premier member of the council–sitting on the right hand of the Father. Note the monarchic language, God rules as
head of the council, with Christ as his second in command, as Lord, on his
right hand. Nevertheless, Christ is a
“greatest among the great ones,” or the premier member of the council of the
Gods, exalted over all of them at God’s right hand. In each of the following passages Christ speaks:
Hear the word of truth, and
receive the knowledge of the Most High.
Your flesh may not understand that which I am about to say to you; nor
your garment that which I am about to declare to you... I took courage and became
strong and captured the world, and it became mine for the glory of the Most
High, and of God my Father. And all who
saw me were amazed, and I seemed to them like a stranger. And he who knew and exalted me is the Most
High in all his perfection. And he
glorified me by his kindness, and raised my understanding to the height of
truth. And from there he gave me the
way of his paths, and I opened the doors which were closed. And I shattered the bars of iron, for my own
iron(s) had grown hot and melted before me. He who caused me to descend from on high, and to ascend from the
regions below; And He who gathers what is in the middle, and throws them to me;
He who scattered my enemies, and my adversaries; He who gave me authority over
chains so that I might loosen them; He who overthrew by my hands the dragon
with seven heads, and placed me at his roots that I might destroy his seed...
(The Spirit) brought me forth before the Lord’s face, and because I was the Son
of Man, I was named the Light, the Son of God; Because I was most praised among
the praised; and the greatest among the great ones. For according to the greatness of the Most High, so she made me;
and according to his newness he renewed me.
And he anointed me with his perfection; and I became one of those who
are near him. (OTP 2, Odes of Solomon 8:8-9; 10:4; 17:6-10; 22:1-5; 36:3-6)
The Book of Abraham explains
Christ’s deity in the same manner. Note
the preeminent status of Christ from the beginning. Christ is greater, or “ more intelligent,” than all those in the
preexistent council. Christ is one of
the “noble and great ones” among God’s rulers, but his preeminence is
recognized as he “was like unto God”:
And the Lord said unto me:
These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more
intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they;
I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all... Now the Lord had
shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world
was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good,
and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers;
for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and
he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou
wast born. And there stood one among
them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will
go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we
will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to
see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command
them; And they who keep their first
estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not
have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they
who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever
and ever. And the Lord said: Whom shall
I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And
another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send
the first. And the second was angry,
and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him. (Ab 3:19, 22-28)
6. The Council of the Gods
as a Heavenly Tribunal
Ps 82:1-8 The heavenly council functions as a
divine tribunal, judging sinful members of the heavenly court:
God takes his stand in the
court of heaven to deliver judgement among the gods ... This is my sentence:
Gods you may be, sons all of you of a high god, yet you shall die as men die;
princes fall, every one of them, and so shall you. (NEV; cf. 11Q13 II, 1-25,
and Origen, Against Celsus, 4, 29 below.)
The view of the Old
Testament is that members of the heavenly council, who are powerful and capable
of righteousness, could not approach the fullness of these qualities inherent
in the nature of God, and thus are not worthy of independent worship. The members of the heavenly council,
referred to in Psalms 82, have sinned and are to be punished. The New Testament writers interpret the
actions and condemnation of the members of the council as, "God spared
not the angels that sinned" (2 Peter 2:4, cf. Jude 6). Compare this with the analysis of Psalms 82
made in the Dead Sea Scrolls:
[And on the heights] he will
decla[re in their] favor according to their lots; for it is the time of the
"year of grace" for Melchizedek, to exa[lt in the tri]al the holy
ones of God through the rule of judgment, as is written about him in the songs
of David, who said: Ps 82:1 "Elohim will stand up in the assem[bly
of God,] <’elohim> in the midst of the gods he judges". And about him he said: Ps 7:8-9 "Above it return to the
heights, God will judge the peoples".
As for what he sa[id: Ps 82:2 "How long will yo]u judge
unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah." Its interpretation concerns Belial and the
spirits of his lot, who were rebels [all of them] turning aside from the
commandments of God [to commit evil.]
But, Melchizedek will carry out the vengeance of God's judgements [on
this day, and they shall be freed from the hands] of Belial and from the hands
of all the sp[irits of his lot.] To his
aid (shall come) all "the gods <eli(m)?> of [justice"; he]
is the one [who will prevail on this day over] all the sons of God, <bene
el> and he will pre[side over] this [assembly.] (11QMelchizedek (11Q13 II, 10-14)
One of the most important
functions of the heavenly council is the judging of men and angels. Members of the heavenly council, with God
presiding, judge both earthly and
heavenly affairs. Zechariah 3:1-8 shows
a scene similar to Psalms 82:1-8, when court convenes in the Holy of Holies in
the heavenly temple. Zechariah's vision
shows God sitting on his throne, surrounded by the gods who sit on the
council. Joshua, the man who held the
office of high priest during the time of the prophet Zechariah, stands before
an angel who acts as a herald and mediator of God's decisions.[54] The herald gives Joshua the word of the Lord
concerning "Branch" in verses 8-10.
Satan stands to the right of Joshua as an accuser, claiming that Joshua
is guilty of misdeeds. But God exonerates
Joshua from all guilt and condemns Satan (who is, presumably, cast out). Next, Joshua, by God's command, receives
purification in the form of clean white clothing, replacing the filthy articles
of clothing originally worn before the court.
The gods themselves clothe Joshua before the court continues with its
proceedings. The clean white clothing
is an indication that Joshua has been purified and is now worthy to stand in
the presence of the council and God.
Zechariah, who has been observing the proceedings of the court with his
angelica escort, shows is familiarity with the proceedings. He even takes part in the clothing of
Joshua, calling out to the gods that a mitre (turban or cap) should be included
in Joshua’s heavenly attire (5). The
members accept and carry out his suggestion.
His participation is indicative of his authority as the council’s
messenger, a position of rank on the council itself.
This white clothing is
identical to that worn by all high priests, including Joshua, when entering the
earthly Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple to perform the highest rites of the
Mosaic law. The high priest is allowed
to enter the most sacred room of the temple, the Holy of Holies, only one day
out of the year (Lev 16:29). This day
is called Yom Kipper, or `Day of Atonement.’ The high priest would usually garb himself in the elaborate
ritual clothing required by the law; including drawers, coat (tunic), girdle
(sash), robe (each of these articles of clothing made out of linen, the finest
material known in the ancient world) ephod, breastplate (on which twelve stones
are placed representing the tribes of Israel), mitre (turban or cap), and a
frontlet (to be attached to the front of the mitre) engraved with the words,
"Holiness to the Lord" (Exodus 28, 39). On the Day of Atonement, however, the dress of the high priest is
entirely unassuming when compared to the elaborate raiment usually worn. The high priest would wear a simple outfit
consisting of a white tunic, drawers, sash (all made of linen), and the cap
(Lev 16:4, Ezek 44:17-19). The high
priest would then offer up various sacrifices and enter the Holy of Holies
wearing this more modest outfit. There
he would utter the sacred name of Yahweh (Jehovah) and perform the rituals
intended to absolve Israel as a people of their sins. Entering the Holy of Holies is thought to be equivalent to
entering into the very presence of God.[55] Thus, God instructs council members to dress
Joshua in the same sacred clothing that would be worn by the high priest when
entering the presence of God in the earthly temple (Zec 3:4-5). It seems altogether fitting that the high
priest, who alone enters the Holy of Holies, on the most sacred day of the year
to atone for the sins of Israel, is allowed to stand in the presence of God in
the heavenly Holy of Holies, clothed in the simple white garments of his
priestly office. As Joshua is now
dressed in the garb of the high priest of Israel, he is prepared to officiate
in the heavenly Holy of Holies as he would in the Holy of Holies on the earth.
Joshua then receives a
divine commission to continue his righteous ministry on the earth. God covenants with Joshua that if he would
conform to the will of God and dutifully perform his role as the high priest of
Israel, then he will be allowed to control the temple and its precincts on the
earth after it is rebuilt (6-8). He
then receives a further promise of continued access to the Holy of Holies, to
God, and to the council of the gods in the heavenly temple. He is to be allowed to attend the council of
the gods as a member of the assembly.
He is told that the members of the divine assembly are his
"fellows," (reya (3:8), meaning ‘friends,` but better
translated as ‘associates,` or ‘colleagues.`
Cf. Odes of Solomon 36:3-6 above, and 2 Enoch J 22:6-10 below.). Joshua is again mentioned in Zecariah 6:11-13,
where he is given a crown and is promised that he will to rule at the side of
“Branch.”[56]
This is an astonishing
promise to any man. To receive the
right to walk among the gods in the heavenly temple is a great honor, but even
more so if that man is yet a mortal.
That he is allowed permanent access to the heavenly assembly, a seat on its council, and the eventual right
to rule with the Messiah illustrates how much man is like God and the other
members of the council. This belief
continues into later Judaic and early Christian thought. Mark Smith, an authority on Hebrew,
Canaanite, and other early Semitic cultures, suggests that Zechariah “includes
the high priest in the ranks of the celestial courts.”[57]
A similar cleansing motif is
found in the Testament of Levi (2nd century B.C.). Levi sees seven angels in vision who cleanse
and clothe him in the elaborate vestments usually worn by the high priest:
And I saw seven men in white
clothing, who were saying to me, ‘Arise, put on the vestments of the priesthood,
the crown of righteousness, the oracle of understanding, the robe of truth, the
breastplate of faith, the miter for the head, and the apron for prophetic
power.` Each carried one of these and
put them on me and said, ‘From now on be a priest, you and all your
posterity.` The first anointed me with
holy oil and gave me a staff. The
second washed me with pure water, fed me by hand with bread and holy wine, and
put on me a holy and glorious vestment.
The third put on something made of linen, like an ephod. The fourth placed ... around me a girdle
which was like purple. The fifth gave
me a branch of rich olive wood. The
sixth placed a wreath on my head. The
seventh placed the priestly diadem on me and filled my hands with incense, in
order that I might serve as priest for the Lord God. (OTP 1, Testament
of Levi 8:2-10)
Another heavenly court scene
is depicted in Daniel 7. In Daniel 7
the Seleucid emperor Antiochus Epiphanes IV [58]
(cf. “The Hellenization of Christianity” below), who is called the “little
horn” (8, 19-21; 8:9), is put on trial by the council. The thrones to be occupied by the gods are
“set in place” (NEV 9),[59]
the Ancient of Days takes his seat (9), and the Son of Man approaches the
assembled court in glory (13). The text
indicates that “the court sat, and the books were opened” (NEV 10), Antiochus
is judged guilty of crimes against God and his people (25), and his sovereignty
is to be taken away (26).
The Life of Adam and Eve (1st
century A.D.) records a trial of Adam, Eve, and the serpent held in the Garden
of Eden. God enters the Garden
accompanied by members of the council–the “us” who are present with God in the
Garden (Gen 3:22)–and the trial of Adam, Eve, and the serpent begins. (As mentioned above, Latter-day revelation makes
it clear that Adam and Michael are not the same person, but this detail is not
known in extant pseudepigraphal or apocryphal accounts.) Note that God’s final judgement is just and
cannot be overturned by the members of the council who are participating. But the gods do see a need for Adam to take
seeds from the Garden for sustenance and the proper worship of God, and they
admonish God to allow him to do so.
Thus the gods can make judgements independent of God, and have a great
deal to offer in the decisions of the council.
In the text Eve speaks to her children:
And in the same hour we
heard the archangel Michael sounding his trumpet, calling the angels, saying,
‘Thus says the LORD, “Come with me into Paradise and hear the sentence which I
pronounce on Adam.’” And as we heard the archangel sounding the trumpet, we
said, ‘Behold, God is coming into Paradise to judge us.’ We were afraid and hid. And God returned to Paradise, seated on a
chariot of cherubim, and the angels were praising him. When God came into Paradise, all the plants
... bloomed forth and were
established. And the throne of God was
made ready where the tree of life was... God said to [Adam], Who showed you
that you are naked unless you have forsaken my commandment which I delivered to
you to keep?” ... And he turned and said to [Eve], “Why have you done this?”
... God said to Adam, “Because you transgressed my commandment and listened to
your wife, cursed is the ground in your labors...” “Turning to me, the LORD
said to me, “Since you have listened to the serpent and ignored my commandment,
you shall suffer birth pangs and unspeakable pains...” “And after he had told
me these things he spoke to the serpent in great wrath ... “accursed are you
beyond all the wild beasts...” “Having said these things, he ordered his angels
to us cast out of Paradise. While we were being expelled and lamenting,
your father Adam begged the angels, “Let me be a little while so that I may
beseech God that he might have compassion and pity me, for I alone have
sinned.” And they ceased driving him
out. And Adam cried out with weeping
and said, “Forgive me, LORD, what I have done.
Then the LORD said to his angels, “Why have you stopped driving Adam out
of Paradise? Is the guilt mine, or did
I judge badly?” Then the angels fell on
the ground and worshiped the LORD, saying, “You are righteous, LORD, and you
judge uprightly.” ... “When the LORD
had said these things, he ordered us cast out of Paradise. And your father wept before the angels
opposite Paradise, and the angels said to him, “What do you want us to do for
you, Adam?? Your father answered and
said to the angels, “See, you are casting me out; I beg you, let me take
fragrances from Paradise, so that after I have gone out, I might bring an
offering to God so that God will hear me.”
And they come to God and said, “Jael, eternal king, command that
fragrant incenses from Paradise be given to Adam.” And God ordered Adam to come that he might take aromatic
fragrances out of Paradise for his sustenance.
When the angels allowed him, he gathered both kinds... (OTP
2, Apocalypse 22:1-3; 23:3,5; 24:1; 25:1; 26:1; 27:1-5; 29:1-6)
Another elaborate
description of the heavenly court is found in 3 Enoch (c. 500 A.D.). In this Pseudepigraphal work God is seen
seated on his throne, with members of the council called “watchers” acting as
the highest officials of the court.
Here the council members act in concert with God, he doing nothing
without first consulting them:
R. Ishmael said: The angel Metatron, Prince of the Divine Presence, said to me: Above all these are four great princes called Watchers and holy ones, high, honored, terrible,
beloved, wonderful, noble and greater than all the celestials, and among all
the ministers there is none equal to them...
Their abode is opposite the throne of glory, and their station is facing
the Holy One... so that the splendor of their abode resembles the splendor of
the throne of glory, and the brilliance of their image is as the brilliance of
the Sekinah (glory). They receive glory from the
glory of the Almighty, and are praised with the praise of the Sekinah. Moreover the Holy, One, blessed be he, does
nothing in his world without first taking counsel with them; then he acts
... There are two Watchers and two holy
ones. How do they stand before the Holy
One, blessed be he? It is taught that a
Watcher stands on one side and a holy one on the other. They abase the arrogant to the earth and
exalt the lowly on high... When the
Holy One, blessed be he, sits in judgment on the throne of judgement, his
garment is white like snow, the hair of his head is as pure wool, his whole
robe shines like a dazzling light and he is covered all over with righteousness
as with a coat of mail. The Watchers
and the holy ones stand before him like court officers before the judge; they
take up and debate every single matter and they close each case that comes for
judgment before the Holy One, blessed be he, as it is written, “Such is the
sentence proclaimed by the Watchers, the verdict announced by the holy ones”
[Dan 4:17]. Some of them decide the
cases; some of them issue the verdicts in the great court in Arabot [7th or highest heaven]; some of them raise the questions in the presence of the Almighty;
some complete the cases before the One Above, and some carry out the sentences
of the earth beneath ... Why are their names called Watchers and holy
ones? Because they sanctify the body
and the soul with lashes of fire on the third day of judgment ... (OTP 1,
28:1-10)
These are full council
members, not flunkies. Note that while
the watchers are not worshiped, they are given admiration and fully reflect the
God’s glory and image. The text
continues:
When the Holy One, blessed
be he, sits on the throne of judgment, Justice stands on his right hand, Mercy
on his left, and Truth stands directly facing him. When a man enters his presence for judgment, a staff, as it were,
extends toward him from the splendor of Mercy and takes up a position in front
of him. At once the man falls
prostrate, and all the angels of destruction fear and shrink from him, as it is
written, “His throne is established through Mercy and he sits upon it in truth”
[Isaiah 16:5] ... angels of mercy stand on his right, the angels of peace stand
on his left, and the angels of destruction stand facing him. A scribe stands below him and a scribe
stands above him. ( 31:1-2, 33:1-2)
The mention of only “four”
watchers and holy ones in 3 Enoch is unusual.
1 Enoch (c. 200 B.C.) 6:6 and 10:9 “implies that the Watchers are
numerous” (OTP 1, 283 n d). In like
manner 3 Enoch 30:1-2 limits the number of “princes” to 72 who are allowed to participate in the proceedings
of the heavenly court. These
elaborations are the speculations of a later period of Judaism, but even early
Judaeo/ Christian thought has a distinct angelology where the functions of the
members of the council and/or classes of angels are elaborated upon. For example: Col 1:16 names four classes of
divine beings: namely, thrones, dominions, powers, and principalities. These are divine beings with authority, but
their exact function was not elaborated upon by Paul. The Ascension of Isaiah (200 B.C.-400 A.D., OTP 2) 7:14,
21 also speaks of an angelic class called “thrones,” who have places of
authority in each of the lower heavens.
It seems that the angelology of 3 Enoch demands different functions for
the watchers, holy ones, and princes who sit on the council.
7. The Church Father Origen
and the Heavenly Council
In the 2nd
century Christianity underwent a process of Hellenization, in which they began to
place Greek absolutistic philosophy above the simple doctrines that they
developed internally or inherited from the Jews. But the Hellenized Church Fathers attempted to retain both their
unique Judaeo/Christian beliefs in the council of the gods, and a belief in
theosis, or that the righteous are to become gods in the hereafter. In the following passage, Origen of
Alexandria (185- c. 254) recognizes that the gods of the nations exist, but
they are but mere idols/demons. He
recognizes the legitimate gods who sit on the council, and argues that a belief
in the gods does not compromise the supremacy or exclusive worship of
Christ. Note that Psalms 82:1-8, Psalms
96:5, Mat 5:48, 22:30, Col 1:15, 1 John 3:2-3, and, perhaps most important, 1
Cor 8:4-6 are all interpreted in a monarchial and theotic fashion. Note also his total rejection of innate
depravity as men are not totally incapable of doing good:
For we know that there are
many creatures more honorable than man; and we have read that "God
standeth in the congregation of gods," but of gods who are not worshiped
by the nations, "for all the gods of the nations are idols." We have
read also, that "God, standing in the congregation of the gods, judgeth
among the gods" [Ps 82:1] We know, moreover, that "though there be
that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many and
lords many), but to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things,
and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him"
[1 Cor 8:5-6]. And we know that in this way the angels are superior to men; so
that men, when made perfect, become like the angels. "For in the
resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but the righteous
are as the angels in heaven" [Mat 22:30] and also become "equal to
the angels." We know, too, that in the arrangement of the universe there
are certain beings termed "thrones," and others
"dominions," and others "powers," and others
"principalities" [Col 1:15]
and we see that we men, who are far inferior to these, may entertain the
hope that by a virtuous life, and by acting in all things agreeably to reason,
we may rise to a likeness with all these. And, lastly, because "it doth
not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear, we
shall be like God, and shall see Him as He is" [1 John 3:2-3]. And if any
one were to maintain what is asserted by some (either by those who possess
intelligence or who do not, but have misconceived sound reason), that "God
exists, and we are next to Him," I would interpret the word
"we," by using in its stead, "We who act according to
reason," or rather, "We virtuous, who act according to reason."
For, in our opinion, the same virtue belongs to all the blessed, so that the
virtue of man and of God is identical. And therefore we are taught to become
"perfect," as our Father in heaven is perfect [Mat 5:48]. No good and
virtuous man, then, is a "worm rolling in filth," nor is a pious man
an "ant," nor a righteous man a "frog;" nor could one whose
soul is enlightened with the bright light of truth be reasonably likened to a
"bird of the night."[60]
In this text Origen
unequivocally identifies his belief in the council of the gods. These are not the heathen gods worshiped by
the nations, but the legitimate gods who act as part of God’s heavenly
government:
Before proceeding to the
next point, it may be well for us to see whether we do not accept with approval
the saying, "No man can serve two masters," with the addition,
"for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other," and further, "Ye cannot serve God
and mammon." The defense of this passage will lead us to a deeper and more
searching inquiry into the meaning and application of the words "gods"
and "lords." Divine Scripture teaches us that there is "a great
Lord above all gods." And by this name "gods" we are not to
understand the objects of heathen worship (for we know that "all the gods
of the heathen are demons"), but the gods mentioned by the prophets as
forming an assembly, whom God "judges," and to each of whom He
assigns his proper work. For "God standeth in the assembly of the gods: He
judgeth among the gods" [Ps 82:1] For "God is Lord of gods," who
by His Son "hath called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the
going down thereof." We are also commanded to "give thanks to the God
of gods." Moreover, we are taught that "God is not the God of the
dead, but of the living." Nor are these the only passages to this effect;
but there are very many others.
The sacred Scriptures teach
us to think, in like manner, of the Lord of lords. For they say in one place,
"Give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy endureth for ever. Give
thanks to the Lord of lords, for His mercy endureth for ever;" and in
another, "God is King of kings, and Lord of lords" [Deut 10:17]. For
Scripture distinguishes between those gods which are such only in name and
those which are truly gods, whether they are called by that name or not; and
the same is true in regard to the use of the word "lords." To this
effect Paul says, "For though there be that are called gods, whether in
heaven or in earth, as there are gods many, and lords many" [1 Cor 8:5].
But as the God of gods calls whom He pleases through Jesus to his inheritance,
"from the east and from the west," and the Christ of God thus shows
His superiority to all rulers by entering into their several provinces, and
summoning men out of them to be subject to Himself, Paul therefore, with this
in view, goes on to say, "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of
whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we
by Him" [1 Cor 8:6]; adding, as if with a deep sense of the marvelous and
mysterious nature of the doctrine, "Howbeit there is not in every man that
knowledge." When he says, "To us there is but one God, the Father, of
whom are all things; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things,"
by "us" he means himself and all those who have risen up to the supreme
God of gods and to the supreme Lord of lords. Now he has risen to the supreme
God who gives Him an entire and undivided worship through His Son — the word
and wisdom of God made manifest in Jesus. For it is the Son alone who leads to
God those who are striving, by the purity of their thoughts, words, and deeds,
to come near to God the Creator of the universe. I think, therefore, that the
prince of this world, who "transforms himself into an angel of
light," was referring to this and such like statements in the words,
"Him follows a host of gods and demons, arranged in eleven bands."
Speaking of himself and the philosophers, he says, "We are of the party of
Jupiter; others belong to other demons."
Whilst there are thus many
gods and lords, whereof some are such in reality, and others are such only in
name, we strive to rise not only above those whom the nations of the earth
worship as gods, but also beyond those spoken of as gods in Scripture, of whom
they are wholly ignorant who are strangers to the covenants of God given by Moses
and by our Savior Jesus, and who have no part in the promises which He has made
to us through them. That man rises above all demon‑worship who does
nothing that is pleasing to demons; and he rises to a blessedness beyond that
of those whom Paul calls "gods," if he is enabled, like them, or in
any way he may, "to look not at the things which are seen, but at the
things which are unseen." And he who considers that" the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God, not
willingly, but by reason of him who subjected the same in hope," whilst he
praises the creature, and sees how "it shall be freed altogether from the
bondage of corruption, and restored to the glorious liberty of the children of
God," — such a one cannot be induced to combine with the service of God
the service of any other, or to serve two masters. There is therefore nothing
seditious or factious in the language of those who hold these views, and who
refuse to serve more masters than one. To them Jesus Christ is an all‑sufficient
Lord, who Himself instructs them, in order that when fully instructed He may
form them into a kingdom worthy of God, and present them to God the Father. But
indeed they do in a sense separate themselves and stand aloof from those who
are aliens from the commonwealth of God and strangers to His covenants, in
order that they may live as citizens of heaven, "coming to the living God,
and to the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels, to the general assembly and Church of the first‑born, which
are written in heaven" [Heb 12:22-23].[61]
In this passage Origen
examines the meaning of Colossians 1:15.
He differentiates between the various classes of angelic beings,
identifying the ranks of gods, thrones, dominions, lordships, and powers:
It appears to me, then, that
the reasonable beings which exist are characterized by many forms, and that
some of them are the first, some the second, some the third, and so on to the
last. To pronounce exactly, however, which is the first, what kind of a being
the second is, which may truly be designated third, and to carry this out to
the end of the series, this is not a task for man, but transcends our nature.
We shall yet venture, such as we are, to stand still a little at this point,
and to make some observations on the matter. There are some gods of whom God is
God, as we hear in prophecy, "Thank ye the God of gods," and
"The God of gods hath spoken, and called the earth." Now God,
according to the Gospel, "is not the God of the dead but of the
living." Those gods, then, are living of whom God is God. The Apostle,
too, writing to the Corinthians, says: "As there are gods many and lords
many," and so we have spoken of these gods as really existing. Now there
are, besides the gods of whom God is God, certain others, who are called
thrones, and others called dominions, lordships, also, and powers in addition
to these. The phrase, "above every name that is named, not only in this
world, but also in that which is to come," leads us to believe that there
are yet others besides these which are less familiar to us; one kind of these
the Hebrews called Sabai, from which Sabaoth was formed, who is their ruler,
and is none other than God. Add to all these the reasonable being who is
mortal, man. Now the God of all things made first in honor some race of
reasonable beings; this I consider to be those who are called gods, and the
second order, let us say, for the present, are the thrones, and the third,
undoubtedly, the dominions. And thus we come down in order to the last
reasonable race, which, perhaps, cannot be any other than man. The Savior
accordingly became, in a diviner way than Paul, all things to all, that He
might either gain all or perfect them; it is clear that to men He became a man,
and to the angels an angel. As for His becoming man no believer has any doubt,
but as to His becoming an angel, we shall find reason for believing it was so,
if we observe carefully the appearances and the words of the angels, in some of
which the powers of the angels seem to belong to Him. In several passages
angels speak in such a way as to suggest this, as when "the angel of the
Lord appeared in a flame of fire. And he said. I am the God of Abraham and of
Isaac and of Jacob."[62]
In this text Origen attempts
to explain the nature of his Hellenized, absolute God and Christ. Even as he gives God an existence
metaphysically above and outside the universe, he still maintains his belief in
the gods who sit on the council. His
claims is that as the Son derives his divinity from the Father, so the Son
imparts of his divinity to the gods:
We next notice John's use of
the article in these sentences. He does not write without care in this respect,
nor is he unfamiliar with the niceties of the Greek tongue. In some cases he
uses the article, and in some he omits it. He adds the article to the Logos,
but to the name of God he adds it sometimes only. He uses the article, when the
name of God refers to the uncreated cause of all things, and omits it when the
Logos is named God. Does the same difference which we observe between God with
the article and God without it prevail also between the Logos with it and
without it? We must enquire into this. As the God who is over all is God with
the article not without it, so "the Logos" is the source of that
reason (Logos) which dwells in every reasonable creature; the reason which is
in each creature is not, like the former called par excellence The Logos. Now
there are many who are sincerely concerned about religion, and who fall here
into great perplexity. They are afraid that they may be proclaiming two Gods,
and their fear drives them into doctrines which are false and wicked. Either
they deny that the Son has a distinct nature of His own besides that of the Father,
and make Him whom they call the Son to be God all but the name, or they deny
the divinity of the Son, giving Him a separate existence of His own, and making
His sphere of essence fall outside that of the Father, so that they are
separable from each other. To such persons we have to say that God on the one
hand is Very God (Autotheos, God of Himself); and so the Savior says in His
prayer to the Father, "That they may know Thee the only true God;” but
that all beyond the Very God is made God by participation in His divinity, and
is not to be called simply God (with the article), but rather God (without
article). And thus the first‑born of all creation, who is the first to be
with God, and to attract to Himself divinity, is a being of more exalted rank
than the other gods beside Him, of whom God is the God, as it is written,
"The God of gods, the Lord, hath spoken and called the earth." It was
by the offices of the first‑born that they became gods, for He drew from
God in generous measure that they should be made gods, and He communicated it
to them according to His own bounty. The true God, then, is "The
God," and those who are formed after Him are gods, images, as it
were, of Him the prototype. But the archetypal image, again, of all these
images is the Word of God, who was in the beginning, and who by being with God
is at all times God, not possessing that of Himself, but by His being with the
Father, and not continuing to be God, if we should think of this, except by
remaining always in uninterrupted contemplation of the depths of the Father.
Now it is possible that some
may dislike what we have said representing the Father as the one true God, but
admitting other beings besides the true God, who have become gods by having a
share of God. They may fear that the glory of Him who surpasses all
creation may be lowered to the level of those other beings called gods. We drew
this distinction between Him and them that we showed God the Word to be to all
the other gods the minister of their divinity. To this we must add, in order to
obviate objections, that the reason which is in every reasonable creature
occupied the same relation to the reason who was in the beginning with God, and
is God the Word, as God the Word occupies to God. As the Father who is Very God
and the True God is to His image and to the images of His image — men are said
to be according to the image, not to be images of God — so He, the Word,
is to the reason (word) in every man. Each fills the place of a fountain — the
Father is the fountain of divinity, the Son of reason. As, then, there are many
gods, but to us there is but one God the Father, and many Lords, but to us
there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, so there are many Logoi, but we, for our part,
pray that that one Logos may be with us who was in the beginning and was with
God, God the Logos. For whoever does not receive this Logos who was in the
beginning with God, or attach himself to Him as He appeared in flesh, or take
part in some of those who had part in this Logos, or whoever having had part in
Him falls away from Him again, he will have his portion in what is called most
opposite to reason. What we have drawn out from the truths with which we
started will now be clear enough. First, we spoke about God and the Word of
God, and of Gods, either, that is, beings who partake in deity or beings
who are called Gods and are not. And again of the Logos of God and of the Logos
of God made flesh, and of logoi, or beings which partake in some way of the
Logos, of second logoi or of third, thought to be logoi, in addition to that
Logos that was before them all, but not really so. Irrational Reasons these may
be styled; beings are spoken of who are said to be Gods but are not, and one
might place beside these Gods who are no Gods, Reasons which are no Reasons.
Now the God of the universe is the God of the elect, and in a much greater
degree of the Saviors of the elect; then He is the God of these beings who are
truly Gods, and then He is the God, in a word, of the living and not of
the dead. But God the Logos is the God, perhaps, of those who attribute
everything to Him and who consider Him to be their Father.[63]
8. Pseudo-Monotheistic
Passages
There are a number of
passages in the Old Testament which seem to reject the existence of or need for
a divine council or the gods who those who sit on it. For example, Ex 20:3 says “Thou shalt have no other gods before
me.” This, however, does not declare
the non-existence of other gods, only that worship is to be exclusively given
to God.[64] In fact, the text itself presumes the
existence of gods other than Yahweh since being exist who are not to be
worshiped. More problematic is the
creedal Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 that staes that God is “one.” Here are several translations:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD
our God is one ( ’echad) LORD” (KJV, RSV).
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD
our God, the LORD is one ( ’echad) (NIV).
On the surface it seems that
a philosophic monotheism is being described.
In this interpretation God would be the single ‘ground of existence’ or
“one,” as seen in the KJV
translation. A more careful analysis,
however, shows that that translating ’echad
as “one” is problematic, and that
this passage remains clearly within the monarchic character of the Old
Testament. The literal rendition of the
passage is “Yahweh our God is one Yahweh,” but this makes little sense. Compare these translations of Deuteronomy
6:4 which allow a for a different translation of ’echad:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD is
our God, the LORD alone ( ’echad)” (NEV).
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD is
our God, the LORD alone ( ’echad)” (RSV and NIV variants).
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD is
our God, the unique ( ’echad) LORD” (BYU professor Steven Rick’s
translation).
Most scholars suggest that
the text itself demands that ’echad be translated as “alone.”
Peter Hayman discusses Deut 6:4, 4:35, 39 and writes that:
it is hardly ever
appropriate to use the term monotheism to describe the Jewish idea of God, that
no progress beyond the simple formulas of the Book of Deuteronomy can be
discerned in Judaism before the philosophers of the Middle Ages, and that
Judaism never escapes from the legacy of the battles for supremacy between
Yahweh, Ba’al, and El from which it emerged.[65]
T. J. Meek further comments
that:
Deut. 6:4 ... is usually
translated, "Hear, O Israel, Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one," whatever
that may mean. If it makes any sense at
all, it seems to mean that there was only one Yahweh and not many as there were
of the Baals. According to the
conservative Jewish scholar, Jacob Hoschander, the words "express the
unity of the Lord as far as Israel was concerned, and do not imply the doctrine
of an absolute Monotheism, which denies the very existence of all other
gods." Against the popular
rendering both grammar and syntax require the translation, "Hear, O
Israel; Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone," but even so there is again
nothing to suggest anything more than monolatry.[66]
In like manner, Jack Miles
reasons that Deut 6:4 is only a declaration of Israel’s full fidelity to
God. He writes that the passage
"is now more usually translated in the light of historical research"
as "the Lord is our God, the Lord alone."[67] Hayman also provides a translation of a
Rabbinic commentary on the Shema (Deut R.) which explicitly links the
monarchism of Deut 32:8, where God portions out stewardships to the members of
the heavenly council, with the declarations of the 'alone' God of Deut 6:4:
Hear, O Israel (Deut 6:4). This refers to Lam. 3:24--"the portion
of the Lord, says my soul." What
is "the portion of the Lord"?
When the Holy One, Blessed be He, shared out his world to the nations of
the world, as it says, When the Most High gave to the nations their
inheritance (Deut 32:8), and they each chose their own god, one chose for
itself Michael, one chose Gabriel, yet another chose the sun and the moon. But Israel chose for itself the Holy One,
Blessed be He, as it is said, For the Lord's portion is his people, etc. (Deut
32:8).[68]
Even the extremely late 3
Enoch (5th-6th century A.D.) continues to interpret the Shema in a monarchical
fashion. Enoch, who has been taken up
into the highest heaven, and transformed into the glorious Metatron, has been
“exalted above all gods.” Metatron, who
now stands as the second god next to Yahweh (3 Enoch 4:8; 10:1-6; 14:1-5), and
is proclaimed the “lesser Yahweh” by God himself (12:5), proclaims the Shema to
the assembled host of heaven; the exalted gods of glory:
Metatron is Prince over all
princes, and stands before him who is exalted above all gods. He goes beneath the throne of glory, where
he has a great heavenly tabernacle of light, and brings out deafening fire, and
puts it in the ears of the holy creatures, so that they should not hear the
sound of the utterance that issues from the mouth of the Almighty. When Moses ascended to the height, he fasted
121 fasts, until the dwellings of the hasmal [7th palace]
were opened to him, and lo, his heart was as the heart of a lion; he saw
countless legions of the hosts surrounding him . . . and 1,800,000 advocates
for Israel came out to meet Moses, and with them was Metatron, Prince of the
Divine Presence. They received the
prayers of Israel and placed them as a crown on the head of the Holy One,
blessed be he. And he (Metatron) said,
“Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one!” [Deut 6:4] and the face of
the Sekinah rejoiced and was glad. They
(the hosts) said to Metatron, “Who are these (the advocates), and to whom do
they give all this honor and glory?”
They received answer, “To the Majestic One of the House of Israel.” (OTP
1, 15B:1-3)
Other pseudo-monotheistic
passages in the Old Testament should also be understood in the same light. For example, Is 45:5 and 18 proclaim “I [am]
the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me... For thus
saith the LORD that created the heavens; I am the LORD; and there is none else”
(KJV). These, however, seem to show
nothing more than God is the supreme monarch of the heavens, rather than a
denial of the gods who rule at his sides.
In addition, special attention should be given to the text of Isaiah 40:
1-3, 6, 13-14, 25.
The Book of Isaiah chapter
40 is monarchic despite language that seems to indicate monotheism. God often speaks with the gods, such as when
he discusses with them the creation of man (Gen 1:26), Adam's fate after he and
Eve partook of the forbidden fruit (3:22), and as they prepare to thwart the
building of the tower of Babel: in the latter case saying, "let us go
down, and there confound their language" (KJV 11:7).[69] In Isaiah 40:1-3, 6, God gives commands in
first person plural, language which Cross calls " characteristic of
address in the divine council." In
other words, commands given by God in this manner are exclusively directed to the
members of the heavenly assembly. Cross
also writes that “this form is introduced by a plural imperative, often
repeated imperatives.”[70] The imperatives of Isaiah 40 are
"Comfort ye!" (1),
"Speak!" and "Declare!" (2), “Prepare!” and “Make
Straight!” (3), and the singular imperative "Proclaim!" (6) as the
herald speaks to the council.[71] Cross indicates that the “setting” of Isaiah
40:1-8 is “in the heavenly council in which Yahweh addresses his heralds.”[72] In like manner Isaiah 6:8 shows God seated
upon his throne in the holy of holies, and asking the heavenly council asking
who should represent them; "Whom shall I send, and who will go for
us?" (KJV). Cross writes that the
use of the first person plural in Isaiah 6:8 is “characteristic of address in
the divine council,"[73]
and points out other passages in the Old Testament where divine speech is
directed to the gods (Jud 5:3,23; Is 35:3-4; 40:1-8; 48:20-21; 52:7-10; 57:14;
62:10-12; Zech 3:4.).[74] This address to the council is
important, for his commands to the gods are found in the same chapter Isaiah indicates
that God needs no “counselor” (13-14) and has no “equal” (25). Obviously, Isaiah is using language which is
intended to show that God is the supreme ruler of the universe, but by
declaring that God is the matchless monarch of the universe he is neither
denying the existence of the gods nor their divine role in the heavenly
assembly. Thus, despite the
language of God being alone, and having no counselor, it is seen that the Old
Testament remains monarchic and the gods retain their divine stewardships.
The Dead Sea Scrolls shows
how Jews at the time of Christ can claim that God alone, but also declare in a
monarchic fashion that he is surrounded by the gods. The following hymn to God from the Dead Sea Scrolls uses language
that shows how God can be praised as the "prince of gods and king of the
glorious ones," and yet that there is "no-one besides" him:
What can I say if you do not
open my mouth?
And how can I answer if you
do not give me insight?
See, you are prince of gods
and king of the glorious ones,
lord of every spirit, owner
of every creature.
Without your will nothing
happens,
and nothing is known without
your wish.
There is no-one besides you,
no-one matches your
strength,
nothing, in contrast with
your glory,
there is no price on your might...
God of compassion and of
abundant favor,
because you have made me
know these things ...
To you all power [...]
by your pity in your great
goodness
and in the abundance of
[your compassion...]
I will delight in your
forg[iveness...] (1QH XVIII, 7-10, 14-16)
The Hellenistic Synagogal
Prayers (2nd to 3rd
centuries A.D.) continues this language of God being supreme in the heavens and
a tacit recognition of the gods. The
prayers show how even Hellenized Jews of the 2nd and 3rd
centuries continue to recognize that God alone rules as the monarch of the
universe. He is so supreme in majesty,
might, and glory that the members of the heavenly host cannot compare with
him. Yet, the hymns also continue to
recognize that he is “King of the gods,” and that he is the supreme “Holy One
above all holy ones,” continuing to show the essential similarity of God with
his council members. God’s majesty and
sovereignty do not preclude the existence of the gods:
Our eternal Savior: the King
of the gods, who alone is Almighty and Lord, the God of all beings ... And holy
seraphim, together with the six-winged cherubim, singing to you the triumphal
song, with never-silent voice cry out, Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth, the
heaven and the earth are full of your glory! And the other throngs of the hosts, archangels, thrones,
dominions, sovereignties, authorities, powers, crying out, say, Blessed by the
glory of the Lord from its place! ... For there is no god beside you alone,
there is no Holy one beside you; Lord God of knowledge, God of holy ones, Holy
One above all holy ones. For those who have been made holy are under your
hands. (OTP, vol 2, vol 2:1-2; 4:9-12, 27-29; cf. Ascension of Isaiah 8:1-15)
Compare this with a fragment from the Dead Sea War Scrolls. God cannot be compared with any others, for
his mighty works show his power, and he controls the ranks of the "holy
ones":
Who (is) like you, God of
Israel,
in the heavens or on earth,
to do great deeds like your
deeds,
marvels like your feats? ...
[... You created] the dome
of the sky,
the army of luminaries,
the support of the spirits,
the control of the holy
ones,
the treasures of glory,
[in the darkness] of the
clouds . . . (1QM X 8-9, 11-12)
Thus, the preponderance of
evidence shows that the Hebrew Shema, as well as the other psuedo-monotheistic
passages of the Old Testament, need to be interpreted monarchically. God is the supreme God of gods and Lord of
lords, but the gods and lords continue to rule by his side.
9. Grace and Salvation in
Judaeo/Christian Thought
The idea that man is sinful
but can be redeemed by grace and works is not
foreign to Judaic thought, as can be seen in the Dead Sea Scrolls:
For your glory, your have
purified man from sin, <grace implied> so that he can make himself holy
for you <works implied> from every impure abomination and blameworthy
iniquity, to become united with the sons of your truth and in the lot of your
holy ones, to raise the worms of the dead from the dust, to an [everlasting]
community and from a depraved spirit, to your knowledge, so that he can take
his place in your presence with the perpetual host and the [everlasting]
spirits ... (1QH XIX 10-13)
The New Testament is replete
with the understanding that God aids man in achieving salvation.
Mat 19:16-30 After the rich young man rejects Christ's
offer to sell all and join him, Christ chides the rich, saying that it is
easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Peter then asks how can
anyone be saved. Christ's answer is
helpful in understanding both grace and salvation in Judaic thought and early
Christianity. Christ says that nothing
is impossible to God, implying that God can save men even when they fall short
of salvation.
Luke 18:9-14 The parable of the Pharisee and the
Publican. The Pharisee thanks God that
he keeps the law and is not a sinner like the Publican, while the Publican
recognizes his sin and prays for forgiveness.
It is the heart that needs to be right with God, not the outer forms of
the law.
John 15:15-19; 17:16
Christ tells the apostles
that they his friends and no longer are servants/slaves as he has shared with
them all the sacred things of the Father.
They were of the world, but Christ has taken them from it.
Paul believes that once a person
gains the conviction that Christ atoned for the sins of the world, experiences
an inner conversion, and becomes a member of the Church through baptism, that
Christ would purify and exalt him. The
Christian is free, no longer subject to the strictures of the law, for Christ
has lifted him above and he is no longer subject to it. Paul believes that as we have been raised to
life with Christ and now have a ‘higher` or ‘heavenly nature,` being stripped
of earthly things. Man now follows the
whisperings of the Spirit rather than the harsh dictates of the law. Through Christ we have entered the realm
above where he sits at the right hand of God.
Paul believes that it is as if a Christian has one foot firmly planted
in the highest heaven. All he has to do
to achieve exaltation is to make sure that the foothold he has in heaven is not
lost by a return to the sins of the flesh.
If he is caught up in lies, fornication, or other sins, then he can be
pulled down from the exaltation that he has potentially qualified himself for
in heaven. The Christian, then, lives
with one foot in heaven as a heavenly man, but he also has one foot stuck on
the earth in mortality–what Paul calls our ‘lower nature` or the earthly man. One's life, after becoming a member of the
Church, seems to center on keeping the body that yet remains in mortality from
becoming entangled in webs of sin.
Thus, conscious action and continual striving are important to Paul, for
the Christian has not yet entirely achieved heaven. Upon death and resurrection the faithful Christian will be
welcomed into the celestial world to claim his inheritance. Paul writes:
In the rigid obstinacy of
your heart you are laying up for yourself a store of retribution for the day of
retribution, when God's just judgement will be revealed, and he will pay every
man for what he has done. To those who
pursue glory, honor, and immortality by steady persistence in well-doing, he
will give eternal life; but for those who are governed by selfish ambition, who
refuse obedience to the truth and take the wrong for their guide, there will be
the fury of retribution. There will be
trouble and distress for every human being who is an evil-doer, for the Jew
first and for the Greek also; and for every well-doer there will be glory,
honor, and peace, for the Jew first and also for the Greek For God has no favorites: those who have
sinned outside of the Law of Moses will perish outside its pale, and all who
have sinned under that law will be judged by the law. It is not be hearing the law, but by doing it, that men will be
justified before God... For all who are
moved by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
The Spirit you have received is not a spirit of slavery leading you back
into a life of fear, but a Spirit that makes us sons, enabling us to cry ’Abba!
Father!` In that cry the Spirit of God
joins with our spirit in testifying that we are God’s children; and if
children, then heirs. We are God’s
heirs and Christ’s fellow-heirs, if we share his sufferings now in order to share
his splendor hereafter. (Rom 2:5-13; 8:14-17 NEV)
Paul believes that the
faithful have been prepared to become divine, and our bodies are to be changed
and be come incorruptible and immortal.
We, therefore, should not focus on the lower world, but on God’s eternal
world where we will dwell. We must show
good works to that end:
No wonder we do not lose
heart! Though our outward humanity is
in decay, yet day by day we are inwardly renewed. Our troubles are slight and short-lived; and their outcome an
eternal glory which outweighs them far.
Meanwhile our eyes are fixed, not on the things that are seen, but on
the things that are unseen: for what is seen passes away; what is unseen is
eternal. For we know that if the
earthly frame that houses us today should be demolished, we possess a building
which God has provided–a house not made by human hands, eternal, and in
heaven. In this present body we do
indeed groan; we yearn to have our heavenly habitation put on over this one–in
the hope that, being thus clothed, we shall not find ourselves naked. We groan indeed, we who are enclosed within
this earthly frame; we are oppressed because we do not want to have the old
body stripped off. Rather our desire is
to have the new body put on over it, so that our mortal part may be absorbed
into life immortal [see 1 Cor 15:39-50 and the Ascension of Isaiah 9:9 in this
handout]. God himself has shaped us for
this very end; and as a pledge of it he has give us the Spirit. Therefore we never cease to be confident. We know that so long as we are at home in
the body we are exiles from the Lord; faith is our guide, we do not see
him. We are confident, I repeat, and
would rather leave our home in the body and go to live with the Lord. We therefore make it our ambition, wherever
we are, here or there, to be acceptable to him. For we must all have our lives laid open before the tribunal of
Christ, where each must receive what is due to him for his conduct in the body,
good or bad. (2 Cor 4:16-5:10 NEV)
Salvation is not entirely
assured, even for the baptized Christian.
Paul points out that those who do not cleave unto the higher nature
which Christ has lifted us to, will find themselves returned to a carnal state. Constant effort to keep ourselves above the
level of an earthly man is expected:
You, my friends, were called
to be free men, only do not turn your freedom into licence for your lower
nature, but be servants to one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment: ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.` But if you
go on fighting one another, tooth and nail, all you can expect is mutual
destruction. I mean this: if you are
guided by the Spirit you will not fulfil the desires of your lower nature. That nature sets its desires against the
Spirit, while the Spirit fights against it. They are in conflict with one
another so that what you will to do you cannot do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Anyone can see the kind of behavior that
belongs to the lower nature: fornication, impurity ... quarrels ... selfish
ambition ... I warn you, as I warned
you before, that those who behave in such ways will never inherit the kingdom
of God. But the harvest of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and
self-control. There is no law dealing
with such things as these. And those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the lower nature with its passions
and desires. If the Spirit is the
source of our life, let the Spirit also direct our course... Make no mistake about this: God is not to be
fooled; a man reaps what he sows. If he
sows seed in the field of his lower nature, he will reap from it a harvest of
corruption, but if he sows in the field of the Spirit, the Spirit will bring
him a harvest of eternal life. (Gal
5:13-25, 6:7-8 NEV)
Man’s condition, as a
creature of the lower world, was such that God’s mercy and grace were necessary
to lift and justify us, as none of us can keep the law perfectly. With our acceptance of Christ we have
already achieved salvation in the presence of God; but this is conditional upon
continued good works. If w are faithful
and maintain our status as heavenly men and women, our exaltation is assured:
I pray that your inward eyes
may be illumined, so that you may know what is the hope to which he calls you,
what the wealth and glory of the share he offers you among his people in their
heritage, and how vast the resources of his power open to us who trust in him. They are measured by his strength and the
might which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead, when he
enthroned him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above government
and authority, all power and dominion, and any title of sovereignty.... But God, rich in mercy, for the great love
he bore us, brought us to life with Christ even when we were dead in our sins;
it is by his grace you are saved. And
in union with Christ Jesus he raised us up and enthroned us with him in the
heavenly realms, so that he might display in the ages to come how immense are
the resources of his grace, and how great his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. For it is by his grace you are
saved, through trusting him; it is not your own doing. It is God’s gift, not a reward for work
done. There is nothing for anyone to
boast of. For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to devote ourselves to the good deeds for which God has
designed us. (Eph 1:18-21, 2:4-10 NEV)
Paul continues to emphasize
that salvation is assured as long as we keep our lives in harmony with
Christ. By baptism we have been buried
and raised with Christ: divested of our lower nature and raised with him to the
realms above. The law, therefore, has
no more claim over us, so live a life rooted with Christ in the heavenly
realms. Our new nature conforms us
completely to the spiritual image of God:
Therefore, since Jesus was
delivered to you as Christ and Lord, live your lives in union with him. Be rooted in him; be built; be consolidated
in the faith you were taught; let your hearts overflow with thankfulness. Be on your guard; do not let your minds be
captured by hollow and delusive speculations, based on traditions of man-made
teaching and centered on the elemental spirits of the universe and not on
Christ. For it is in Christ that the
complete being of the Godhead dwells embodied, and in him you have been brought
to completion. Every power and
authority in the universe is subject to him as Head. In him also you were circumcised, not in a physical sense, but by
being divested of the lower nature; this is Christ’s way of circumcision. For in baptism you were buried with him, in
baptism also you were raised to life with him through your faith in the active
power of God who raised him from the dead.
And although you were dead because of your sins and because you were
morally uncircumcised, he has made you alive with Christ. For he has forgiven us all our sins; he has
canceled the bond which pledged us to the decrees of the law. It stood against us, but he has set it
aside, nailing it to the cross. On the
cross he discarded the cosmic powers and authorities like a garment; he made a
public spectacle of them and led them as captives in his triumphal procession
... Did you not die with Christ and
pass beyond reach of the elemental spirits of the universe? Then why behave as though you were still
living the life of the world? Why let
people dictate to you: ‘Do not handle this, do not taste that, do not touch the
other`-all of them things that must perish as soon as they are used? That is to follow merely human injunctions
and teaching. True, it has an air of
wisdom, with its forced piety, its self-mortification, and its severity to the
body; but it is of no use at all in combating sensuality. Were you not raised to life with
Christ? Then aspire to the realm above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, and let your thoughts dwell
on that higher realm, not on this earthly life. I repeat, you died; and now your life lies hidden with Christ in
God. When Christ, who is our life, is
manifested, then you too will be manifested with him in glory. Then put to death those parts of you which
belong to the earth–fornication, indecency, lust, foul cravings, and the ruthless
greed which is nothing less than idolatry.
Because of these, God’s dreadful judgement is impending; and in the life
you once lived these are the ways you yourselves followed. But now you must yourselves lay aside all
anger, passion, malice, cursing, filthy talk-have done with them! Stop lying to one another, now that you have
discarded the old nature with its deeds and have put on the new nature which is
being constantly renewed in the image of its Creator and brought to know
God. (Col 2:6-3:11 NEV)
Paul is thus consistent with
the teachings of Christ. Grace is
offered to all who make the effort to overcome sin, even when they seem to fall
short of perfection. They must but
extend their faith to God, be received by baptism into the Church, and strive
to put off the sins of the flesh. One
must also continue to merit that grace by the actions that they take. Nicklesburg and Stone suggest that Paul
believes that grace could be lost when one's works are evil:
The theme that one is to be
judged according to one's deeds is far more frequent in the New Testament than
many Christians recognize. The idea is
explicit in the parable of the great judgment in Matthew 25:31-46 ... For the apostle Paul, one is made right with
God ("justified") by the grace of God, which is appropriated through
faith. Nonetheless, one can annul this
relationship by a life of deeds that contradict it.[75]
10. Theosis: Gaining
Salvation by Becoming a God
Dan 12:3 The faithful wise will shine with
glory in the heavens, and be like the stars–a recognized title of the gods.
(Cf. 1 Enoch 104:2)
Luke 20:36 Christ teaches that men will become
angels or the “sons of God” in the resurrection (NEV)
Mark 10:37-40 James and John desire to sit on the right and
left hand of Christ in heaven. Christ
indicates that this is not his right to assign, but that those supreme places
of honor will be filled by the Father.
Rom 8:14-17 We are the children of God, and if
children then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
1 Cor 3:21-23 All things belong to the faithful. The faithful belong to Christ, who belongs
to God.
1 Cor 6:2-3 The faithful will judge the world; they
will also judge angels.
Eph 1:20-22 Christ has overcome all things, and has
been raised by God to his right hand in the heavenly realms, putting all things
in subjection to Christ's feet, and placing Christ as the head of the Church.
(See NEV)
Eph 2:4-7 God has raised us up and enthroned us
with Christ in the heavenly realms. (See NEV)
1 John 3:1-3 Our bodies will be transformed like unto
Christ's who is like the Father.
Heb 12:23 The spirits of righteous men are to be
made perfect–spirit, of course, being a title of a divine being.
Rev 1:6 The Saint’s lineage is that of
God’s royal house. They will serve as
God’s priests in his presence in the hereafter.
Rev 2:26-28 Christ will give authority to the
Saints--the same authority he received from the Father–to rule the nations.
Rev 3:12 Those who are victorious will become
a pillars in the heavenly temple. God's
name is written on their foreheads.
Rev 3:21 A significant theosis is seen as
Christ invites us to sit in his throne as he has merited the right to sit with
the Father in his throne.
Rev 4:4 24 faithful elders are seated upon
thrones directly in front of God in the heavenly temple. As these thrones would normally be occupied
by members of the heavenly council, it is seen that John recognizes the
divinity of the 24 exalted elders.[76]
Rev 5:10 We are to become part of the “royal
house,” to serve God as priests, and we shall reign on the earth.
Rev 20:4,6 Other thrones of judgement are given to
the Saints, they are priests of God and Christ.
Rev 21:2-5,24-27; 22:1-5
Men will reign with God and
Christ forever, a permanent enthronement of the faithful.
Paul's position on grace
must be examined from an understanding of theosis, a belief that one gains
salvation by becoming a god. James
Tabor explains that “Paul's understanding of salvation involves a particularly
Jewish notion of apotheosis, (another term for theosis) and would have
been understood as such by his converts.”[77] Morton Smith suggests that Paul's belief is
that Christians have already been exalted with Christ while in mortality.[78] The War Scroll also describes a
belief in theosis:
[...] the perfect
[...et]ernal; a throne of strength in the congregation of the gods <adat
’elim> above which none of the kings of the East shall sit, and their
nobles not [...] silence (?) [...] my glory [is incomparable] and besides me
no-one is exalted. And he does not come
to me, for I reside in [...] in the heavens, and there is no [...] [...] I am
counted among the gods and my dwelling is in the holy congregation; [...my
de]sire is not according to the flesh [and] and all that is precious to me is
in glory [...] holy [pl]ace. Who has
been considered despicable on my account?
And who is comparable to me in my glory? Who, like the sailors, will come back to tell? [...] Who [...] sorrows like me? And who [...] anguish who resembles me? There is no-one. He has been taught, but there is no comparable teaching. [...] And who will attack me when I open [my
mouth]? And who can endure the flow of
my lips? And who will confront me and
retain comparison with my judgement? [...]
For I am counted among the gods, and my glory is with the sons of the
king. To me, pure gold, and to me, the
gold of Ophir ... the just in the God of [...] in the holy dwelling, sound
[...] (4Q491 [4QMa] 11, I, 11-24)
The same fragment is
translated by Smith:
[El Elyon <God most
high> gave me a seat among] those perfect forever, a mighty throne in the
congregation of the gods. None of the kings of the east shall sit in it and
their nobles shall not [come near it].
No Edomite shall be like me in glory, and none shall be exalted save me,
nor shall come against me. For I have
taken my seat in the [congregation] in the heavens And none [find fault with
me]. I shall be reckoned with gods <’elim>
and established in the holy congregation.
I do not desire [gold,] as would a man of flesh; everything precious to
me is in the glory of [my God]. [The
status of a holy temple,] not to be violated, has been attributed to me, and
who can compare with me in glory? What
voyager will return and tell [of my equivalent]. Who [laughs] at griefs as I do?
And who is like me [in bearing] evil?
Moreover, if I lay down the law in a lecture [my instruction] is beyond
comparison [with any mans']. And who
will attack me for my utterances? And
who will contain the flow of my speech?
And who will call me into court and be my equal? In my legal judgment [none will stand
against] me. I shall be reckoned with
gods. And my glory, with [that of] the
king's sons. Neither refined gold, nor
gold of Ophir [can match my wisdom].[79]
This Hymn to God from the
Dead Sea Scrolls also explicitly shows that the future of the righteous is to
become a god in God’s presence:
I thank you, Lord,
because you saved my life
from the pit,
and from Sheol and abaddon
you have lifted me up
to an everlasting height,
so that I can walk on a
boundless plain.
And I know that there is
hope
for someone you fashioned
out of clay
to be an everlasting
community.
The corrupt spirit you have
purified
from the great sin
so that he can take his
place
with the host of the holy
ones,[80]
and can enter in communion
with the congregation of the
sons of heaven. (1Qh XI 19-22)
These passages from the Dead
Sea Scrolls, spoken to the
priests/leaders of the Qumran community, also indicate an extreme theosis:
May the Lord bless you from
[his] holy [residence]. May he set you
as a glorious ornament in the midst of the holy ones. For you may he renew the covenant of [eternal] priesthood. May he grant you a place [in the] holy
residence]. May [he judge] all the
nobles by your works and by what issues from your lips, all the [princes of]
the peoples. As inheritance may he give
you the first fruits of [all de]lights.
And by your hand may he bless the designs of all flesh. (1Q28 III
25-28)
He will be pleased with the
tread of your feet [...] of man and of the holy ones [...] [...] and has been
mingled with him [...] ... [...] May
everlasting blessing be the crown of your head. [...] [...] to control [...]
[...] around him over [...] [...] and has justified your from all [...] he has
chosen you [...] [...] to raise above the heads of the holy ones, and with you
to [...] by your hand the men of the council of God and not by the hand of the
prince of [...] one to his fellow. You
shall be like an angel of the face in the holy residence for the glory of the
God of the Hosts [...] You shall be
around, serving in the temple of the kingdom, sharing the lot with the angels
of the face and the Council of the Community [...] for eternal time and for all
the perpetual periods. For [all] your
judgments [are truth.] They have made
you holy among your people, like a luminary [which lights up] the world with
knowledge, and shines on the face of the Many [...] consecrated for the holy of
holies. Because [you shall be made
holy] for him and give glory to his name and his holy things. (1Q28 IV)
The pseudepigraphal passage
2 Esdras (4 Ezra, 1st century A.D.) includes a vision of Christ
placing crowns on the heads of the saints:
Be ready for the rewards of
the kingdom, because the eternal light will shine upon you forevermore. Flee from the shadow of this age, receive
the joy of your glory; I publicly call on my Savior to witness. Receive what the Lord has entrusted to you
and be joyful, giving thanks to him who has called you to heavenly
kingdoms. Rise and stand, and see at
the feast of the Lord the number of those who have been sealed. Those who have departed from the shadow of
this age have received glorious garments from the Lord. Take again your full number, O Zion, and
conclude the list of your people who are clothed in white, who have fulfilled
the law of the Lord. The number of your
children whom you desired is full; beseech the Lord's power that your people,
who have been called from the beginning, may be made holy." I Ezra, saw on Mount Zion a great multitude,
which I could not number, and they all were praising the Lord with songs. In their midst was a young man of great
stature, taller than any of the others, and on the head of each of them he
placed a crown, but he was more exalted then they. And I was held spellbound.
Then I said to the angel, "Who is that young man who places crowns
on them and puts palms in their hands?"
He answered and said to me, "He is the Son of God, whom they
confessed in the world." So I
began to praise those who had stood valiantly for the name of the Lord. Then the angel said to me, "Go, tell my
people how great and many are the wonders of the Lord God which you have
seen." (OTP 1, 2:35-48)
It is the savior himself who
places crowns on the heads of those who remained faithful and confessed Christ
while in mortality. Even though each
faithful saint is crowned with glory, Christ retains his exaltation and is in
no way diminished by man’s exaltation.
2 Esdras 2:35-48 contains direct parallels to the Book of Revelations,
including: promises of crowns and exaltation (2:10, 3:20), showing multitudes of saints surrounding the throne of God (7:9), and the while
clothing of the exalted (3:4, 6:11, 7:13).
In 2 Esdras 7 the faithful are also promised that they will see
the glory of the Lord. Ezra explains
the physical changes they will experience:
How their face is to shine
like the sun, and how they are to be made like the light of the stars, being
incorruptible from then on... they shall rejoice with boldness, and shall be
confident without confusion, and shall be glad without fear, for they hasten to
behold the face of him whom they served in life and from whom they are to
receive their reward when glorified. (OTP 1, 7:97-98)
2 Baruch deals with the
transformation the elect will experience at the resurrection:
Also, as for the glory of
those who proved to be righteous on account of my law, those who possessed
intelligence in their life, and those who planted the root of wisdom in their
heart-their splendor will then be glorified by transformations, and the shape
of their face will be changed into the light of their beauty so that they may
acquire and receive the undying world which is promised to them. Therefore, especially they who will then
come will be sad, because they despised my Law and stopped their ears lest they
hear wisdom and receive intelligence.
When they, therefore, will see that those over whom they are exalted now
will then be more exalted and glorified than they, then both these and those
will be changed, these into the splendor of angels and those into startling
visions and horrible shapes ... Miracles, however, will appear at their own
time to those who are saved because of their works and for whom the Law is now
a hope, and intelligence, expectation, and wisdom a trust. For they shall see that world which is now
invisible to them, and they will see a time which is now hidden to them. And time will no longer make them
older. For they will live in the
heights of that world and they will be like the angels and be equal to the
stars. (OTP 1, 51:1-10)
2 Enoch actually describes
the exaltation of the prophet Enoch.
Enoch is lifted up to the highest heaven where he is brought face to
face with God. He is glorified and
admitted as a member of the council of the gods:
And Michael, the LORD's
archistratig,[81]
lifted me up and brought me in front of the face of the LORD. And the LORD said to his servants, sounding
them out, "Let Enoch join in and stand in front of my face
forever!" And the LORDS's glorious
ones did obeisance and said, "Let Enoch yield in accordance with your
word, O LORD!". And the glorious
ones did obeisance and said, "Let him come up!" And the LORD said to Michael, "Go, and
extract Enoch from [his] earthly clothing.
And anoint him with my delightful oil, and put him into the clothes of
my glory." And so Michael did,
just as the LORD had said to him. He
anointed me and he clothed me. And the
appearance of that oil is greater than the greatest light, and its ointment is
like sweet dew, and it fragrance myrrh; and it is like the rays of the
glittering sun. And I looked at myself,
and I had become like one of his glorious ones, and there was no observable
difference. (J 22:6-10)
The Ascension of Isaiah
records that Isaiah’s face experiences an increase of glory as he ascends to the highest heaven. Isaiah is told that he will see God after
his transformation is complete and God matches Isaiah’s appearance and
likeness. The angel escorting him also
tells Isaiah he has a throne, robes, and a crown waiting for him in the highest
heaven:
“For above all the heavens
and their angels is placed your throne, and also your robes and your crown
which you are to see.”... And I
[Isaiah] said to the angel who (was) with me, for the glory of my face was
being transformed as I went up from heaven to heaven... And he said unto me...
“and (that) you may see the LORD of all these heavens and of these thrones
being transformed until he resembles your appearance and your likeness... Hear then this also from your companion...
you will receive the robe which you will see, and also other numbered robes
placed (there) you will see, and then you will be equal to the angels who (are)
in the seventh heaven... He who is to
be in the corruptible world [Christ] has not (yet) been revealed, nor the robes,
nor the thrones, nor the crowns which are placed (there) for the righteous...”
(7:22, 25, 8:7, 10, 14-15, 26)[82]
Isaiah is then challenged as
he enters the highest heaven with his angelic guide. The angel in charge of the sixth heaven asks “How far is he who
dwells among aliens to go up?” (9:1).
Christ himself declares, “The holy Isaiah is permitted to come up here,
for his robe is here” (9:2, 5). Isaiah
then describes the faithful who have been accepted into the highest heaven:
And he took me up into the
seventh heaven, and there I saw a wonderful light, and also angels without
number. And there I saw all the
righteous from the time of Adam onwards.
And there I saw the holy Abel and all the righteous. And there I saw Enoch all who (were) with him, stripped of (their) robes of the
flesh; and I saw them in their robes of above, and they were like the angels
who stand there in great glory.
(9:6-10)
In the Testament of Adam (2nd
to 5th century), Adam is told his destiny is to be a god:
“He spoke to me about this
in Paradise after I picked some of the fruit in which death was hiding: ‘Adam,
Adam do not fear. You wanted to be a
god; I will make you a god, not right now, but after a space of many
years. I am consigning you to death,
and the maggot and the worm will eat your body.’ And I answered and said to
him, ‘Why, my Lord?’ “And he said to
me, ‘Because you listened to the words of the serpent, you and your posterity
will be food for the serpent. But after
a short time there will be mercy on you because you were created in my image, and
I will not leave you to waste away in Sheol... “‘And after three days, while I
am in the tomb, I will raise up the body I received from you. And I will set you at the right hand of my
divinity, and I will make you a god just like you wanted. And I will receive favor from God, and I
will restore to you and to your posterity that which is the justice of heaven.’
(OTP 1, 3:2-4)
Stephen E. Robinson (BYU
professor) comments on the Testament of Adam, stating emphatically that:
One striking feature of the Testament
of Adam is that Adam is intended from the beginning to become a god; his
deification is promised in no uncertain terms (3:2,4). The fall of man is seem as an unfortunate
misstep, but the outcome is sure: Adam will become a god... The explicit promise
of deification to Adam is unexpected but not without precedent. Cf. Jn 10:33-36. (OTP 1, 991, 994)
In the Testament of Isaac (2nd
century A.D.) the face of an angel, which resembles Abraham’s, is compared to
the face of God.; Note the superior position of Abraham to the angel, and the
fact that Isaac’s throne awaits him in the hereafter:
Then the angel said to him,
“ O my beloved Isaac, I have been sent to you from the presence of the living
God to take you up to heaven to be with your father Abraham and all the
saints. For your father Abraham is
awaiting you; he himself is about to come for you, but now he is resting. There has been prepared for you the throne
beside your father Abraham; likewise for your beloved son Jacob. And all of you shall be above every one else
in the kingdom of heaven in the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit. You shall be entrusted with
this name for all future generations: The Patriarchs. Thus you shall be fathers to all the world, O faithful elder, our
father Isaac.” Isaac answered, saying
to the angel, “I am truly amazed concerning you. Are you not my father Abraham?”
The said the angel to him, “I am not your Father Abraham, but I am the
one who ministers to your father Abraham... ” (OTP 1, 2:6-11)
Compare the theosis of the
early Judaeo/Christian tradition with that of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints:
And ye shall never endure
the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory ye shall be changed in
the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality; and then shall ye be
blessed in the kingdom of my Father.
And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh,
neither sorrow save it be for the sins of the world; and all this will I do
because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye
might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand. And for this cause ye shall have fulness of
joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be
full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as
I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one. (3 Nephi
28:8-10)[83]
And again, verily, verily, I
say unto you, and it hath gone forth in a firm decree, by the will of the Father,
that mine apostles, the Twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem,
shall stand at my right hand at the day of my coming in a pillar of fire, being
clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in glory
even as I am, to judge the whole house of Israel, even as many as have loved me
and kept my commandments, and none else. (D&C 29:12)
And again we bear record‑‑for
we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning
them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just– They are they who
received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized
after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this
according to the commandment which he has given– That by keeping the
commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive
the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed
unto this power; And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit
of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and
true. They are they who are the church
of the Firstborn. They are they into
whose hands the Father has given all things‑‑ They are they who are
priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory; And are
priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the
order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son. Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods,
even the sons of God– Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death,
or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's, and
Christ is God's. And they shall
overcome all things. (D&C 76: 50-60)
God shall give unto you
knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost,
that has not been revealed since the world was until now; Which our forefathers
have awaited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, which
their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for the fulness
of their glory; A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld, whether
there be one God or many gods, they shall be manifest. All thrones and dominions, principalities and
powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for
the gospel of Jesus Christ... According to that which was ordained in the midst
of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was, that
should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall
enter into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest. (D&C 121:27-29,
32)
And again, verily I say unto
you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and
everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise,
by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of
this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them‑‑Ye shall come
forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in
the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and
powers, dominions, all heights and depths‑‑then shall it be written
in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed
innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to
shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my
servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of
full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels,
and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things,
as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a
continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they
be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be
above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods,
because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. (D&C
132:19-20)
The theosis of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is virtually identical to that of Early
Christian thought. Its belief that men
may become as God, however, never means that God is supplanted.
11. The Anthropomorphic and
Corporeal Nature of God
Hebrew, Jewish, and early
Christian thought unequivocally understood God to be the celestial archetypal
man. He is a physically embodied being
of glory, honor, and power; the heavenly man after which all other men are
patterned. Throughout the Bible,
apocrypha, and pseudepigrapha, God is seen as a being who has physical
location, duration in time, and human attributes such as rational discursive
thought and emotion. His celestial
form, however, is not subject to the same limitations mortal men
experience. Whereas man is sinful and
can fall to an earthly nature, God is sinless, holy, and morally perfect; man
is limited in thought and action, but God’s omniscience is such that he even
knows when a sparrow has fallen to the ground (Mat 10:20); man is mortal and
will die, but God is immortal; man can barely effect his environment, while
God’s magnificent power is such that he can shake the world.
Gen 3:8 “The man and his wife heard the
“sound” [qol] of The LORD God walking in the garden...” (NEV).
2 Enoch (1st
century A.D.) continues the tradition of God walking in the Garden of Eden. The text relocates Eden to the third
heaven:
And the men took me from
there. They brought me up to the third
heaven. And they placed me in the midst
of Paradise. Every tree was in
flower... And the four rivers were
flowing past with gentle movement ...
And the tree of life is in that place, under which the LORD takes a rest
when the LORD takes a walk in Paradise. (OTP 1, 8:1-3, recension A)
Ex 25:22 God occupies a specific physical
location. God tells Moses he will
commune with him from above the mercy seat and between the two cherubim upon
the ark of the testimony (covenant).
Mat 18:10 Christ tells the disciples that angels
behold the face of the Father continually, meaning that they gaze upon his
visage as they abide in his physical presence in the heavenly temple.
Phil 3:21 Our vile bodies will be fashioned
like unto Christ's incorruptible one.
1 John 3:2-3 We are the sons of God. When we see Christ we shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is. (Cf. Origen, Against Celsus, 4, 29 below.)
Rev 21:2,10,22-23 The New Jerusalem descends from
heaven. God and Christ will personally
dwell there.
Rev 21:3-4 God’s anthropomorphic action of wiping
away tears from the Saints in the New Jerusalem is portrayed.
Rev 22:1 The throne of God will be relocated
to the New Jerusalem.
In the Testament of
Abraham (1st to 2nd
century A.D.): Adam’s appearance is like the “Master’s.” The title of “Master Lord” is given to God
in 4:6, making it clear that the reference is to God. Note, then, that a man, specifically Adam, looks exactly like
God:
Michael turned the chariot
and brought Abraham toward the east, to the first gate of heaven. And Abraham saw two ways. The first way was strait and narrow and the
other broad and spacious. [And he saw there two gates. One gate was broad], corresponding to the
broad way, and one gate was strait, corresponding to the strait way. And outside the two gates of that place,
they saw a man seated on a golden throne.
And the appearance of that man was terrifying, like the Master’s... And
when the wondrous one who was seated on the throne of gold saw few entering
through the strait gate, but many entering through the broad gate, immediately
that wondrous man tore the hair of his head and the beard of his cheeks, and he
threw himself on the ground from his throne crying and wailing. And when he saw many souls entering through
the strait gate, then he arose from the earth and sat on his throne, very
cheerfully rejoicing and exulting. Then
Abraham asked the Commander-in-Chief, “My lord Commander-in-chief, who is this
most wondrous man, who is adorned in such glory, and sometimes he cries and
wails while other times he rejoices and exults?” The incorporeal one said, “This is the first formed Adam who is
in such glory, and he looks at the world, since everyone has come from
him. (OTP 1, A, 11:1-4, 6-9)
1 Enoch (ca. 200 B.C.) fully
reflects the Jewish understanding of an anthropomorphic Deity:
And I observed and saw
inside it a lofty throne-its appearance was like crystal... It was difficult to
look at it. And the Great Glory was
sitting upon it-as for his gown, which
was shining more brightly than the sun, it was whiter than any snow. None of the angels were able to come in and
see the face of the Excellent and the Glorious One; and no one of the flesh can
see him-the flaming fire was round about him, and a great fire stood before him. And the Lord called me with his own mouth
and said to me, "come near to me, Enoch, and to my holy Word." And he lifted me up and brought me near to
the gate, but I (continued) to look down with my face. But he raised me up and said to me with his
voice ... (OTP 1, 1 Enoch 14:18-22, 24-25, 15:1)[84]
Note that it is not
impossible to see the face of God.
Enoch sees the brilliant light streaming from God's face, and struggles
to describe it. Charlesworth notes the
difficulties experienced by scribes as they transcribed texts describing God's
physical body:
The state of the
[manuscripts] betray the embarrassment of scribes over this attempt to describe
the appearance of the Lord. Two
tendencies may be observed. One tries
to expurgate the physical imagery, especially the comparison with scintillating
iron. This has been heavily censored in
short [manuscripts], but V [and] N [manuscripts] have omitted [verses] 1-3
altogether.[85]
Himmelfarb notes that the
description of God's white robe in 1 Enoch 14:20 is to be taken literally, and
that this anthropomorphism should not be characterized as extreme. She points out that the Jewish rabbis,
"do not hesitate to describe God's prayer shawl and
phylacteries." She also elaborates
on the physical description of God by comparing Ezekiel 1:26-28, particularly
the brilliant rainbow surrounding him.[86] In like manner the apocryphal text 2 Enoch
also describes the face of God:
I saw the view of the face
of the LORD, like iron made burning hot in a fire [and] brought out, and it
emits sparks and is incandescent. But
the face of the LORD is not to be talked about, it is so very marvelous and
supremely awesome and supremely frightening.
[And] who am I to give an account of the incomprehensible being of the
LORD, and of his face, so extremely strange and indescribable? ... Who can give an account of his beautiful
appearance, never changing and indescribable, and his great glory? (2 Enoch J
22:1-3)
In the Testament of Isaac (2nd
century A.D.) the face of an angel, which resembles Abraham’s, is compared to
the face of God:
It came to pass, when the
time drew near for our father Isaac, the father of fathers, to depart from this
world and to go out from his body, that the Compassionate, the Merciful One
sent to him the chief of the angels, Michael, the one whom he had sent to his
father Abraham, on the morning of the twenty-eighth day of the month
Misri. The angel said to him, “Peace be
upon you, O chosen son, our father Isaac!”
Now it was customary every day for the holy angels to speak to him. So he prostrated himself and saw that the
angel resembled his father Abraham.
Then he opened his mouth, cried with a loud voice, and said with joy and
exultation, “Behold, I have seen your face as if I had seen the face of the
merciful Creator.” (OTP 1, 2:1-5)
The Ascension of Isaiah
describes each of the members of the Godhead.
Isaiah describes Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit as anthropomorphic beings of great glory. Note the approachableness of God as the
faithful surround him in worship:
And I saw one [Christ] standing
(there) whose glory surpassed that of all, and his glory was great and
wonderful. And when they saw him, all
the righteous whom I had seen and the angels came to him... and worshiped him. And then the angel who led me said to me,
“Worship this one... This is the LORD of all the praise which you have
seen.” And... I saw another glorious
(person) [Father] who was like him, and the righteous approached him... And then the angels approached and worshiped
him. And I saw the LORD and the second
angel [Holy Spirit], and they were standing, and the second one whom I saw
(was) on the left of my LORD. And I
asked the angel who led me and I said to him, “Who is this one?” And he said to me, “Worship him, for this is
the angel of the Holy Spirit who has spoken in you and also in the other
righteous.” (9:27-29, 30-36)
The spiritual embodiment of
the Holy Spirit is emphasized by the author as he and the archangel Michael are
seen to carry the resurrected Christ triumphantly from the tomb on their
shoulders; “the angel of the Holy Spirit and Michael, the chief of the holy
angels, will open his grave on the third day, and that Beloved, sitting on
their shoulders, will come forth” (3:16-17).
The separate nature of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are distinctly emphasized. Note also the fact that Christ who is
anthropomorphic and spiritually embodied throughout the Ascension of Isaiah, is
said to have changed his form to be like that of man. This is a significant transformation for the author, but it is
essentially a lessening of the glory held by Christ as he becomes mortal. The anthropomorphic attributes held by
Christ before and after his mortal experience do not change on a fundamental
level. The conclusion: God, Christ, and
man are much more alike than they are different:
For Beliar [Satan] was very
angry with Isaiah because of the vision, and because of the exposure with which
he had exposed Sammael [a fallen angel], and that through him there had been
revealed the coming of the Beloved from the seventh heaven, and his
transformation, and his descent, and the form into which he must be
transformed, (namely) the form of a man ... and that the angel of the Holy
Spirit and Michael, the chief of the holy angels, will open his grave on the
third day, and that Beloved, sitting on their shoulders, will come forth and
send out his twelve disciples, and they will teach all nations and every tongue
the resurrection of the Beloved ..., and in his ascension to the seventh heaven
from where he came (OTP 2, 3:13, 15-18)
12. The Glory of God
One of the attributes of the
anthropomorphic God of the Judaeo/Christian tradition is the kabod or
“glory” which surrounds his physical form.
The belief is that when God does not desire to be seen he surrounds
himself with a light so blindingly brilliant that one cannot see him. This light is sometimes further surrounded
by a cloud or smoke, and this light or a combination of light and smoke
constitute the glory of God.[87]
Ex 14:24 God, who is personally present in
the pillars of fire and cloud which went before Israel during the exodus, looks
out from the fiery pillar upon the armies of Pharaoh. A specific physical location for God is indicated, as well as the
anthropomorphic action of seeing. The
pillars of fire and cloud are evidence of God’s glory, or kabod, that
masks his body.
Ex 16:10 Moses and the elders of Israel see
the kabod of God. This glory is
a brilliant light and/or cloud that surrounds the immediate person of God. A prophet who claims to have seen the glory
of God has seen the celestial light that surrounds and conceals his physical
body. It may also be the case that he
has actually seen God’s body surrounded by glory.
Ex 33:9-11 A pillar of cloud which contains and
conceals God descends from heaven after Moses goes into the tabernacle. Moses, then, speaks to God face to face;
i.e., each facing the other in the tabernacle.
Num 12:5-8 The pillar of cloud again descends to the
Tabernacle and Miriam, Aaron, and Moses see God. He declares that Moses is his prophet, and that a true prophet
will behold his “similitude,” meaning the prophet will be allowed to see his
glorious body.
Num 14:14 “And they will tell [it] to the
inhabitants of this land: [for] they have heard that thou LORD [art] among this
people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and [that] thy cloud standeth
over them, and [that] thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a
cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night” (KJV; Cf. Num 31:15; Neh 9:12; Ps
99:7; 1Ne 1:6; Hel 5:24, 43; D&C 29:12).
1 Kn 8:10-11 A cloud fills the temple at its
dedication. It masks God from human
eyes as he enters the sacred inner rooms.
The cloud indicates that God is now physically present in the temple.
Ps 18:6-19 God masks himself by cloud and travels
from his heavenly temple to rescue David.
His downward motion “bows” or sweeps aside the skies. His movement forces the earth and water
aside as he travels forward. He reveals
the "foundations of the world" in his rush to reach David's
location. Dahood calls Psalms 18:1-20
“God's intervention in the form of a theophany.”[88]
Ezek 1:26-28 God is seen sitting on his throne, with
his brilliantly glowing kabod partially obscuring him.
Mat 17:1-8 At the Mount of Transfiguration a cloud
containing the Father moves toward the mountain where Christ and the disciples
see the exalted Moses and Elijah.
Christ begins to shines with his own brilliant light, indicative of his
own divine nature that has been hidden in mortality, as the Father's physical
presence hovers over them in the bright cloud.
The Father's voice is also heard by those assembled.
John 1:1-4,14 The Word, Christ, became flesh. He had achieved the status of God before the
world began. Christ displays the same
glory\light that accompanies God the Father (cf 17:5; Luke 9:32; Titus 2:13).
Acts 7:55-56 Stephen sees the glory of God with Christ
at his right hand, the premier place of authority in heaven.
1 Tim 6:16 God dwells in an unapproachable light,
no man has seen nor can ever see God; a reference to the kabod and the
fact that only those authorized and righteous are invited into the presence of
God to see his glorious person.
Rev 15:8 The heavenly temple fills with smoke
and the glory of God, no one can enter until it clears.
Rev 21:22-23 No light is needed in the New Jerusalem,
for the light from Christ and God’s physical presence light the city.
The significant
pseudepigraphal text Pseudo-Philo (first century A.D.) shows an author arguing
that Moses did see God and speak to him.
The children of Israel stand before the mountain, apparently skeptical
that man can see and speak with God and live, but become completely convinced
as the theophany continues. It is
accepted that a man may hear God and live, so the understanding that Moses saw
God is required by the text. The text
also implies that Moses spends some time in the highest heaven, and he later
returns to the level of the moon and sun.
Note the later theophany as the cloud of God’s glory descends and covers
all of the nation of Israel:
And he said to Moses,
“Behold I will call you tomorrow; be prepared and tell my people, ‘For three
days let no man approach his wife,’ and on the third day I will speak to you
and to them. And afterward you will
come up to me, and I will put my words in your mouth, and you will enlighten my
people . . . And on the third day there were claps of thunder and the
brightness of lightning, and the sound of trumpets sounded aloud. Terror came upon all the people who were in
the camp. And Moses brought the people
out before God. And when the LORD
ceased speaking, the people were very much afraid, because they saw the
mountain burning with torches of fire.
And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, but do not let God speak to us
lest perhaps we die. For behold
today we know that God speaks to a man face to face and that man may live. . .”
And all the people stood far off, but Moses drew near the cloud, knowing that
God was there. . . And Moses came down.
And when he had been bathed with invisible light, he went down to the
place where the light of the sun and the moon are; and the light of his face
surpassed the splendor of the sun and the moon; and the light of his face
surpassed the splendor of the sun and the moon, and he did not even know this. And when he came down to the sons of Israel,
they saw him but did not recognize him.
But when he spoke, then they recognized him. . . . And afterward, when
Moses realized that his face had become glorious, he made a veil for
himself with which to cover his face. . . . And Moses hastened and did
everything that God commanded him. . . . And when all this was done, the cloud
covered them all. Then
Moses called to the LORD, and God spoke to him from the tent of
meeting, saying, “This is the law of the altar . . .” (OTP 2, 11:2, 4,
14-15; 12:1; 13:1-2–italics in original. Cf 14:5)
In the Book of Mormon, the
brother of Jared and his extended family have experiences similar to Israel as
they travel through the Arabian wilderness.
The Lord went “before them,” giving them directions “whither they should
travel” as he “stood in a cloud” (Eth 2:5-6).
The brother of Jared also sees the Lord on a the top of a mountain (3:1)
as he petitions the Lord to touch the stones “molten out of a rock” (3:1-5); compare the account in Exodus where God
appears to Moses on Mt. Sinai (19:19-22).
From this account it is clear that Christ leads the Jaredites through
the wilderness. Note that while Christ
is a spiritual being, he is still understood to be embodied in a spiritual body
(compare the Ascension of Isaiah 3:16-17;
9:39-42 above):
And it came to pass that
when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod the Lord came down and talked
with the brother of Jared; and he was in a cloud, and the brother of Jared saw
him not... And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go
forth into the wilderness ... And it
came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he
stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel... And it came
to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of
Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him... And it came to pass that
when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched
forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil
was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of
the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood;... And
when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and
said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall;
therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto
you... And never have I showed myself
unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast.
Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were
created in the beginning after mine own image.
Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and
man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee
to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh. (Eth 2:4-5,14; 3:6, 13, 15-16)
The greatest recorded
theophany in Christian history occurs when the corporeal Father and his
resurrected Son appear to Joseph in the Sacred Grove. Note the anthropomorphisms and the kabod of God–pillar of
light–in the account. Note also that
the Father and Son are not visible until Joseph was enveloped within the fiery
pillar:
But, exerting all my powers
to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized
upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and
abandon myself to destruction‑‑not to an imaginary ruin, but to the
power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power
as I had never before felt in any being‑‑just at this moment of
great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness
of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. (JS Hist 16)[89]
13. Multiple Heavens
One consistent theme in
early Judaeo/Christian thought is that God dwells in the highest or third
heaven. In the highest heaven is found
his heavenly temple, including a holy place and a holy of holies where he sits
enthroned in majestic might.
2 Cor 12:3-4 Paul is caught up to the third heaven,
paradise, where God dwells. The belief
in multiple heavens is understood.
Eph 4:10 Christ is said to have “ascended up
far above all heavens (KJV);” i.e., to the third heaven.
Heb 4:14, 7:26, 9:26
Christ was made “higher than
the heavens” (KJV); i.e., he dwells in the presence of God in the third heaven.
The Testament of Levi talks
of Levi journeying through three heavens and his seeing God sitting on his
throne. Levi falls asleep and with an
angelic guide enters the first heaven.
He sees the relative darkness of the first heaven (3:2) and compares it
to the much brighter second heaven (2:8).
The second heaven is described as having, "a measureless height in
it" (2:8). Levi is also promised
that he will "stand near the Lord" (2:20). The angel finally opens the gates of the third heaven, and takes
Levi to a vantage point from which he sees God seated on his throne in the
heavenly temple (5:1):
And behold, the heavens were
opened ... And I entered the first heaven, and saw much water there
suspended. And again I saw a second
heaven much brighter and more lustrous, for there was a measureless height in
it. And I said to the angel, `Why are
these things thus?' And the angel said
to me, `do not be amazed concerning this, for you shall see another heaven more
lustrous and beyond compare. And when
you have mounted there, you shall stand near the Lord'... `Listen, therefore, concerning the heavens
which have been shown to you. The
lowest is dark for this reason: it sees all the injustice of humankind and
contains fire, snow, and ice, ready for the day determined by God's righteous
judgment. In it are all the spirits of
those dispatched to achieve the punishment of mankind. In the second are the armies arrayed for the
day of judgment to work vengeance on the spirits of error and of Beliar
[Satan]. Above them are the Holy
Ones. In the uppermost heaven of all
dwells the Great Glory in the Holy of Holies superior to all holiness. There with him are the archangels, who serve
and offer propitiatory sacrifices to the Lord in behalf of all the sins of
ignorance of the righteous one... In the heaven below them are thrones and
authorities: there praises to God are offered eternally ... and I saw the Holy
Most High sitting on the throne. (OTP 1, 2:6,8-10; 3:1-6,8-9; 5:1-2)
Thus it is clear that the
Judaism at the time of Christ believed in three heaven, with God living in the
highest or third heaven. Sometime in
the late 1st or early 2nd centuries A.D.–after the New
Testament canon was closed–many Jews and Christians expand the number of
heavens from three to seven. This
probably reflects the fact that the number seven is holy, and God who is the
holiest being must reside in the newly created seventh heaven. H. C. Kee points out that later editors
changed the reference in the Testament of Levi from three heavens to seven.[90] M. D. Johnson’s comment is also significant.
In the Vita and ApMos there
are both an earthly Paradise, Eden, and a heavenly, which is located in the
third heaven. The latter is referred to
here and in Vita 29:1 . . . In some popular Jewish and Christian writings there
are said to be seven heavens, as in ApMos 35:2 and 2 En 1-20 . . . ; an older
view, perhaps, is that there were three heavens, as is implied in 2Cor 12:2-3
(the third heaven is designated “Paradise”) and TLevi 3 . . .[91]
Otzen writes about the
journey one must take to reach the highest heaven where God dwells. He describes the earthly temple as copy of
the heavenly temple, a microcosm of the heavens:
In the temple area one
proceeds through sections of increasing holiness until one arrives at the Holy
of Holies. And similarly, from the
lower heavens one ascends through spheres of increasing holiness until one achieves
the highest of heavens, before the throne of God. The temple is microcosm, while heaven is macrocsom.[92]
The Hellenized Church Father
Tertullian (ca. 140-202) comments on Paul and indicates his belief in multiple
heavens:
But since he (Paul) has
described that assumption of himself up to the third heaven as something great
and pre‑eminent, it cannot be that these men ascend above the seventh
heaven, for they are certainly not superior to the apostle. If they do maintain
that they are more excellent than he, let them prove themselves so by their
works, for they have never pretended to anything like [what he describes as
occurring to himself]. (ANF vol 1, “Against Heresies” 2, 30)
The Hellenized Church Father
Origen (185-ca. 254) shows that a belief in multiple heavens continues in later
Classical Christian thought. He
comments on Paul’s ascension to the third heaven:
Ye shall see the heavens
opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
man." And so Paul was carried away into the third heaven, having
previously seen it opened, since he was a disciple of Jesus. It does not,
however, belong to our present object to explain why Paul says, "Whether
in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know not: God
knoweth." (Against Celsus, 1, 48)
But, Origen also seems to
indicate that some debate remained on how many heavens existed. He seems to discount the tradition that had
developed of seven heavens, and claim that this tradition was “borrowed”:
The Scriptures which are
current in the Churches of God do not speak of "seven" heavens, or of
any definite number at all, but they do appear to teach the existence of
"heavens"... Moses, our most ancient prophet, says that a divine
vision was presented to the view of our prophet Jacob, — a ladder stretching to
heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon it, and the Lord
supported upon its top... Let Celsus know, moreover, as well as those who read
his book, that in no part of the genuine and divinely accredited Scriptures are
"seven" heavens mentioned; neither do our prophets, nor the apostles
of Jesus, nor the Son of God Himself, repeat anything which they borrowed from
the Persians or the Cabiri. (Ibid, 6, 22-23)
Cyprian (ca. 200-258 A.D.)
also comments on Paul, and explains that entering the highest heaven is also
exaltation with Christ:
The blessed Apostle Paul
proves; who by the divine condescension, being caught up into the third heaven
and into paradise, testifies that he heard unspeakable words, who boasts that
he saw Jesus Christ by the faith of sight, who professes that which he both
learnt and saw with the greater truth of consciousness, and says: "The
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming
glory which shall be revealed in us." Who, then, does not with all his
powers labor to attain to such a glory that he may become the friend of God,
that he may at once rejoice with Christ, that after earthly tortures and
punishments he may receive divine rewards?... how much more excellent and greater
is the glory... to accompany Him when He shall come to receive vengeance from
His enemies, to stand at His side when He shall sit to judge, to become co‑heir
of Christ, to be made equal to the angels; with the patriarchs, with the
apostles. with the prophets, to rejoice in the possession of the heavenly
kingdom! (Treatises of Cyprian 11, “On the Exhortation to Martyrdom”)
A portion of the work known
as the Vision of Paul (ca. 300) further addresses Paul’s ascent to the
third heaven:
And I followed the angel,
and he raised me to the third heaven, and placed me at the entry of the door...
the angel turned again to me and said: Blessed art thou, if thou hadst entered
into these doors, for it is not allowed to any to enter except only to those
who have goodness and innocence of body in all things... And when I had entered
the interior of the gate of Paradise, there came out to meet me an old man
whose countenance shone as the sun; and when he had embraced me he said: Hail,
Paul, beloved of God. And he kissed me with a cheerful countenance... And the angel answered and said to me,
Whatever I now show thee here, and whatever thou shalt hear, tell it not to any
one in the earth. And he led me and shewed me: and there I heard words which it
is not lawful for a man to speak. And again he said, For now follow me, and I
will shew thee what thou oughtest to narrate in public and relate. And he took me down from the third heaven,
and led me into the second heaven, and again he led me on to the firmament and
from the firmament he led me over the doors of heaven... (ANF, vol 10, Vision
of Paul, 19-21)
The Ascension of Isaiah (200
B.C.-400 A.D.) indicates that one increases in holiness as they approach God’s
presence. Isaiah is conducted by an
angel through the heavens to the highest heaven. Isaiah notes that each heaven and the angels who dwell therein
are more glorious than those previous as he ascends. The beings on the right hand are more glorious than the beings on
the left, and the angels on the right lead the ones on the left in praise of
God who dwells in the highest heaven:
And after this he took me up
above the firmament; this is the (first) heaven. There I saw a throne in the middle, and on the right and on the
left of it there were angels. And (the
angels on the left) were not like the angels who stood on the right, but those
who stood on the right had more glory, and they all sang praises with one
voice. And the throne was in the
middle, and it they praised, and those on the left after them; but their voice
was not like the voice of those on the right, nor their praise like the praise
of those (on the right). And I asked
the angel who led me and said to him, “To whom is this praise directed?” And he said to me, “To the praise of (the
One who sits in) the seventh heaven, the One who rests in the holy world, and
to his Beloved, from where I was sent to you.
To there it is directed. (OTP 2, 7:13-17)
Isaiah witnesses the same
pattern in the succeeding heavens as he ascends; in heavens 1 through 5 a throne
with an angelic being is placed in the center of the heaven, angels are seen to
the right and the left of the throne, those of the right have more glory than
those on the left, those on the right lead those on the left in praise of God
in the highest heaven, and each heaven is more glorious than that preceding
it. No such chorus of angels is seen in
the 6th heaven, for praise is given directly to God as he is
immediately accessible in the heaven
above (7:18-20; 24, 28-31, 32-36, 8:6-7).
After Isaiah enters the highest heaven he witnesses Christ’s future
descent to the earth. Isaiah notes that
Christ’s glory lessens as he descends to each level and he gets farther and
farther from the presence of God.
However, when Christ returns to the highest heaven he will ascend in
triumph and full glory to the Father:
And I heard the voice of the
Most High... as he said to my LORD Christ... “Go out and descend through all
the heavens... And you shall make your
likeness like that of all who (are) in the five heavens... And none of the
angels of that world shall know that you (are) LORD with me of the seven
heavens and of their angels... And
afterwards you shall ascend from the gods of death to your place, and you shall not be transformed in each of the
heavens, but in glory you shall ascend and sit at my right hand...” And thus I
saw when my LORD went out from the seventh heaven into the sixth heaven. And the angel said to me, “Understand,
Isaiah, and look, that you may see the transformation and descent of the LORD.”... And I saw
when he descended into the fifth heaven, that... he made his form like
that of the angels there, and they did not praise him, for his form was like
theirs... And then he descended into
the fourth heaven and made his form like that of the angels there; and when
they saw him, they did not praise him or glorify him, for his form (was) like
their form. And again I saw when he
descended into the third heaven, that he made his form like that of the angels
who (were) in the third heaven. And
those who kept the gate of the (third) heaven demanded the password, and the
LORD gave (it) to them in order that he should not be recognized... And again I saw when he descended into the
second heaven, that there again he gave the password, for those who kept the
gates demanded (it), and the LORD gave (it)...
And again I saw when he descended into the first heaven, that there he
gave the password to those who kept the gates.
And he made his form like that of the angels who (were) on the left of
that throne... And as for me, no one
questioned me because of the angel who led me... And I saw when he descended and made himself like the angels of
the air, that he was like one of them.
(OTP 2, 10:7-9, 11, 14-15, 17-18, 20-25, 27-28, 30)
M.A. Knibb points out that
the word “throne” as found in 7:14, and 7:21 “is used absolutely as the name of
a class of angels” (see texts related to Colossians 1:16 above).[93] Note that Isaiah was never challenged about
his presence in the heavens until he reached the 7th heaven, as he
was with an exalted angelic being from the highest heaven (see 10:28
above). The angel in charge of the 6th
heaven, however, was an equal or near
equal of Isaiah’s escort, and had the right and responsibility to make sure
that Isaiah was invited to enter the seventh heaven before he allowed Isaiah to
proceed. Christ, on the other hand,
diminished his glory as he descended, making his appearance equal to the angels
of each heaven, and so was rightly challenged at each level as he
descended. Parallels showing the
importance of the right and left hand are also found in Christ’s parable of the
sheep and the goats-where sheep are placed on the right hand of Christ and are
exalted, and the goats who are on the left are cast out (Mat 25:31-46). The importance of residing to the immediate
right and left of Christ and God is understood in the New Testament story of
the mother of James and John, as she requests that her sons be allowed to sit
on the right and left hands of Christ-obviously seen as important places of
authority and honor in the celestial world (Mat 20:21, Mark 10:37).
The Dead Sea Scolls also
talk of the higher heavens:
[For on the first day he
created the] upper hea[vens,] (4Q216 V 4; cf. 4Q298 III 2-3)
The Testament of Jacob (2nd to 3rd century
A.D.) describes Jacob’s vision of God in the highest heaven, with a reference
to the gates of heaven and the heavenly temple:
“Blessed are you also, O
Jacob, for you have seen God face to face.
You saw the angel of God–may he [God] be exalted!–and you saw the ladder
standing firm on the ground with its top in the heavens. Then you beheld the Lord sitting at its top
with a power which no one could describe.
You spoke out and said, ‘This is the house of God and this is the gate
of heaven.’ Blessed are you, for you
have come near to God and he is strong among mankind, so now do not be
troubled, O chosen one of God. . .” (OTP vol 1, 2:14-18)
1 Enoch 14:9-19 recognizes
several structures in heaven that constitute the heavenly temple. It is understood that the earthly temple is
an exact but much smaller replica of the heavenly temple. Himmelfarb identifies in 1 Enoch the three
major features of the heavenly sanctuary, the vestible, the holy place, and the
holy of holies.[94] A great wall of marble surrounded by tongues
of fire is passed by Enoch, but which is described or a building of hailstones
and fire in another recension, and can be equated with the vestibule. Within the walls is a great house of white
marble, with floors of crystal, and the ceiling like stars and lightning, and
would understood as the holy place. A
final more magnificent house, the heavenly holy of holies, is seen which is the abode of God. Inside the holy of holies are a floor and a
ceiling which are like fire. Also seen
is God’s throne which appears as crystal, and is similar to the chariot throne
described in Ezekiel 1. God is seen on
the throne in verse 20, with streams of fire coming from the throne as is seen
in Daniel 7:10 (cf.1 Enoch 60:1-2):
And behold I saw the clouds
. . . , the winds were causing me to fly and rushing me high up into
heaven. And I kept coming (into heaven)
until I approached a wall which was built of white marble and surrounded by
tongues of fire; and it began to frighten me.
And I came into the tongues of the fire and drew near to a great house
which was built of white marble, and the inner wall(s) were like mosaics of the
white marble, the floor of crystal, the ceiling like the path of the stars and
lightnings between which (stood) fiery cherubim and their heaven of water, and
flaming fire surrounded the wall(s), and its gates were burning with fire. And I entered into the house, which was hot
like fire and cold like ice, and there was nothing inside it; (so) fear covered
me and trembling seized me. And as I
shook and trembled, I fell upon my face and saw a vision. And behold there was an opening before me
(and) a second house which is greater than the former and everything was built
with tongues of fire. And in every
respect it excelled (the other)–in glory and great honor–to the extent that it
is impossible for me to recount to you concerning its glory and greatness. As for its floor, it was of fire and above
it was lightning and the path of the stars; and as for the ceiling, it was flaming
fire. And I observed and saw inside it
a lofty throne–its appearance was like crystal and its wheels like the shining
sun; and (I heard?) The voice of the cherubim; and from beneath the throne were
issuing streams of flaming fire. It was
difficult to look at it. And the Great
Glory was sitting upon it–as for his
gown, which was shining more brightly than the sun, it was whiter than any
snow. None of the angels were able to
come in and see the face of the Excellent and the Glorious One; and no one of
the flesh can see him–the flaming fire was round about him, and a great fire
stood before him. . . . And the Lord called me with his own mouth and said to
me, "come near to me, Enoch, and to my holy Word." And he lifted me up and brought me near to the
gate, but I (continued) to look down with my face. But he raised me up and said to me with his voice, “Enoch.” I (then) heard, “Do not fear, Enoch,
righteous man, scribe of righteousness; come near to me and hear my voice. . .
“ (OTP vol 1, 14:18-22, 24-25; 15:1)
1 Enoch 71 contains more
description of the holy of holies and God seated upon his throne:
(Thus) it happened after
this that my spirit passed out of sight and ascended into the heavens. And I saw the sons of the holy angels
walking upon the flame of fire; their garments were white–and their
overcoats–and the light of their faces was like snow. Also I saw two rivers of fire, the light of which fire was
shining like hyacinth. Then I fell on my face before the Lord of the
Spirits. And the angel Michael, one of
the archangels, seizing me by my right hand and lifting me up, led me out into
all the secrets of mercy; and he showed me all the secrets of righteousness. .
. . He carried off my spirit, and I, Enoch, was in the heaven of heavens. There I saw–in the midst of that light–a
structure built of crystals; and between those crystals tongues of living fire.
. . . Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Phanuel, and numerous (other) holy angels that
are in heaven above, go in and out of that house–Michael, Raphael, Gabriel,
Phanuel, and numerous (other) holy angels that are countless. With them is the Antecedent of Time: His
head is white and pure like wool and his garment is indescribable. I fell on my face, my whole body mollified
and my spirit transformed. (OTP 1, 71:1-3, 5-11)
John 14:2 God has prepared many mansions for the
faithful in the highest heaven.
In the Apocalypse of Elijah
(1st to 4th century A.D.) the angelic Thrones can
administer punishment, but those redeemed by Christ are free from their
punishment. Being escorted by angels to
the presence of God, to the beings who surround God in the highest heaven, is a
common theme throughout the Pseudepigrapha.
The habitations of God, the angels, and the elect is described as
Christ’s “city.”]
Remember that he [Christ]
has prepared thrones and crowns for you in heaven, saying. “Everyone who will
obey me will receive thrones and crowns among those who are mine.” The Lord said, “I will write my name upon their
forehead and I will seal their right hand, and they will not hunger or
thirst. Neither will the son of
lawlessness prevail over them, nor will the thrones hinder them, but they will
walk with the angels up to my city.”
Now, as for the sinners, they will be shamed and they will not pass by the
thrones, but the thrones of death will seize them and rule over them because
the angels will not agree with them.
The have alienated themselves from his dwellings. . . . Hear, O wise men
of the land, concerning the deceivers . . . , making themselves strangers to
the covenant of God and robing themselves of the glorious promises. (OTP 1,
1:8-13)[95]
Fragments from the Dead Sea
Scrolls also contains references to the many mansions found in the highest
heaven.
The spirits of God around
the residence [...] in the holy of the holy ones [...] ... [...] ... [...] the
sound of [...] they shall cause to hear
(4Q405 6, 11)
[...] he will hide me [...]
[...] among his holy ones [...] [...] together with his holy ones [...] [...]
giving thanks to God. Because [...]
[...in] the houses of their glory will they be gathered [...] [...] You are the
God of gods [...] (4Q511, 7-12)
And they will recount the
splendor of his kingdom, according to their knowledge, and they will extol [his
glory in all] the heavens of his kingdom.
And in all the exalted heights [they will sing] wonderful psalms
according to all [their knowledge,] and they will tell [of the splendor] of the
glory of the king of the gods <malak 'elohim> in the residences of
their positions. And [...] how will he
be regarded amongst them? And how will
our priesthood (be regarded) in their residences? (4Q400 1-21)
. . . the angels of the king
in their wonderful residences. (4Q403 II 2-26)
Sing favored ones, sing to
the king of [glory, be happy in the assem]bly of God, exult in the tents of
salvation, praise in the [holy] residence, exalt together with the eternal
hosts. (4Q427 Frag 7 I 8-18)
The Testament of Abraham
makes reference to the many mansions available to the faithful in highest
heaven:
And immediately Michael the
archangel stood beside [Abraham:] with multitudes of angels, and ... the angels
escorted his precious soul, and ascended into heaven ... to God, the master of
all, and they set it (down) for the worship of the God and Father. And after great praise in song and
glorification had been offered to the Lord, and when Abraham had worshiped, the
undefiled voice of the God and Father came speaking thus: “Take, then, my
friend Abraham into Paradise, where there are the tents of my righteous ones and
(where) the mansions of my holy ones, Isaac and Jacob, are in his bosom, where
there is no toil, no grief, no moaning, but peace and exultation and endless
life.” [Let us too, my beloved brothers, imitate the hospitality of the
patriarch Abraham and let us attain to his virtuous behavior, so that we may be
worthy of eternal life, glorifying the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit;
to whom be the glory and the power forever. Amen.] OTP 1, A, 20:10, 12-15)
Compare this passage with 2
Baruch (early 2nd century A.D.)
You [Lord] command the
number which will pass away, and which will be preserved. And you prepare a house for those who will
be. (OTP 1, 48:6)
4th Ezra (late
first century A.D.)
. . . and he who is above the heavens can understand what is above
the height of the heavens. (OTP 1, 4:21)
“O Lord who inhabits
eternity, whose eyes are exalted and whose upper chambers are in the air, whose
throne is beyond measure and whose glory is beyond comprehension, before whom
the hosts of angels stand trembling . . . (OTP 1, 8:20-21)
1 Enoch also describes the
residences of the angels of heaven in the same manner that God lives in the
heavenly temple.
In those days, whirlwinds
carried me off from the earth, and set me down into the ultimate ends of the
heavens. There I saw other dwelling
places of the holy ones and their resting places too. (OTP 1, 39:4)
A belief in a graded
salvation is also found in later Christian texts. The early Christian Bishop Papias (ca. 70-155 A.D.) explains that
the meaning of Christ’s parable of the sower is a graded salvation:
As the presbyters say, then
those who are deemed worthy of an abode in heaven shall go there, others shall
enjoy the delights of Paradise, and others shall possess the splendor of the
city; for everywhere the Savior will be seen, according as they shall be worthy
who see Him. But that there is this distinction between the habitation of those
who produce an hundredfold, and that of those who produce sixty‑fold, and
that of those who produce thirty‑fold; for the first will be taken up
into the heavens, the second class will dwell in Paradise, and the last will
inhabit the city; and that on this account the Lord said, "In my Father's
house are many mansions:" for all things belong to God, who supplies all
with a suitable dwelling‑place, even as His word says, that a share is
given to all by the Father, according as each one is or shall be worthy... this
is the gradation and arrangement of those who are saved, and that they advance
through steps of this nature; and that, moreover, they ascend through the
Spirit to the Son, and through the Son to the Father... (ANF vol 1, Fragments
of Papias, 5 (also quoted by Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5, 36)
The work entitled the Shepard
of Hermas (ca. 140 A.D.) also shows the belief in a graded salvation:
"Listen," he said:
"they whose branches were found withered and moth‑eaten are the
apostates and traitors of the Church, who have blasphemed the Lord in their
sins... These, therefore, at the end were lost unto God... And they who gave
them in withered and undecayed, these also were near to them; for they were
hypocrites, and introducers of strange doctrines... These, accordingly, have a
hope of repentance... But all who will not repent have lost their lives; and as
many of them as repented became good, and their dwelling was appointed within
the first walls; and some of them ascended even into the tower. “You see,
then," he said, "that repentance involves life to sinners, but non‑repentance
death.” (Book third, Similitudes, 8, 6)
14. The Image of God and
Theomorphism
It is an established fact
within Hebrew thought that God created man after his own image and that of the
other members of the council. The term
anthropomorphism is often used to describe how God is to be pictured, but the
emphasis of Hebrew and Christian thought should not be misunderstood. They believe that it is not God that is
created in man's image, but man who is patterned after God's. God first had the attributes that are now
possessed by man. Mark Smith recognizes
that it is not God who is diminished in biblical language, but man who is
elevated:
Genesis 1 presents a vision
of the human person in the likeness of the divine. Rather than reducing Yahweh [Jehovah] to human terms through an
anthropomorphic portrait, Genesis 1:26-28 magnifies the human person in divine
terms.[96]
Von Rad points out that the
scriptural emphasis is the image of God, not the image of man. He uses the term 'theomorphic' to describe
man; meaning that we are created after the image of God and not the reverse;
“It cannot be said that Israel regarded God anthropomorphically, but the
reverse, that she considered man as theomorphic.”[97] Von Rad's point is well taken. God's image is the original pattern. Because God wants to give man honor and
respect he created him after his-the highest-form. Von Rad illustrates the importance of man to God by comparing the
creation to a pyramid, with man being the pinnacle of creation. He suggests that God created the heavens and
the earth as a foundation. Higher and
more important are plant and animal life.
Man is at the top of the creative pyramid:
On the topmost step of this
pyramid stands man, and there is nothing between him and God: indeed, the
world, which was in fact made for him, has in him alone its most absolute
immediacy to God. Also, unlike the rest
of creation, he was not created by the word; but in creating him God was
actuated by a unique, solemn resolve in the depths of his heart. And in particular, God took the pattern for
this, his last work of Creation, from the heavenly world above. In no other work of Creation is everything
referred so very immediately to God himself as in this.[98]
Clyde Holbrook recognizes
that the Hebrew belief of God making man in his own image, found in Gen
1:26-27, 5:1-2, and 9:6, is to be taken literally. He suggests that it is “all but impossible" to conclude
anything else but that the image of God given to man includes the belief that
God mirrors man's image as well. He
also points out that scholars stress the "physical resemblance between God
and Man.” Holbrook echoes other Old
Testament scholars, stressing that a case of theomorphism is being presented,
not anthropomorphism.[99] G. Ernest Wright shows that the Hebrew
understanding is that God has a tangible corporeal form:
The Hebrew word “image”
means primarily a definite material object which is made to look like or
to represent something else... How can
man be an "image" of God in this sense? Does it mean that man physically resembles the corporeal form of
God? Or is the word given an extended
meaning and intended to convey only a spiritual resemblance? A moment's reflection of the nature of man,
as the Bible conceives it, will make it evident that we are not permitted to
phrase in this way ... Man "in the image of God" means, therefore,
that there is a correspondence between the total being of God and the total
being of man.[100]
Von Rad suggests that the
words 'image' and 'likeness' in Genesis are meant literally:
The words image ... and
likeness ... the second interprets the first by underlining the idea of
correspondence and similarity–[they] refer to the whole of man and do not
relate solely to his spiritual and intellectual being: they relate equally, if
not first and foremost, to the splendor of his [God's] bodily form.[101]
Gen 1:26-27 God creates man after the image of
himself and the gods on the council, “Let us make man in our
image” (KJV).
Gen 3:22 The man has become as one of “us,”
an indication that man, who is in the image of God, has become even more like
God and the members of the council, in that they “know good and evil” (KJV).
In Genesis 3:22, God,
according to Professor Wright, recognizes that man “has asserted himself to
possess a knowledge like that possessed by a member of the heavenly council.”[102]
2 Enoch records that after
Enoch’s ascension into heaven that his ability to process and expound upon
complex subjects has become equal to that of the gods:
And the LORD summoned
Vereveil, one of his archangels, who was wise, who records all the LORD’s
deeds. And the LORD said to Vereveil,
“Bring out the books from the storehouses, and give a pen to Enoch and read him
the books.” And Vereveil hurried and
brought me the books mottled with myrrh.
And he gave me the pen from his hand.
And he was telling me all the deeds of the LORD, the earth and the sea,
and all the elements and the courses and the life... and everything that it is
appropriate to learn. And Vereveil
instructed me for 30 days and 30 nights, and his mouth never stopped
speaking. And, as for me, I did not
rest for 30 days and 30 nights, writing all the symbols. And when I had finished, Vereveil said to
me, “ you sit down; write everything that I have explained to you.” And I sat down for a second period of 30 days and 30 nights, and I wrote
accurately. And I expounded 300 and 60
books. And the Lord called me; and he placed me to the left of himself
closer than Gabriel. And I did
obeisance to the Lord. (2 Enoch
22:10-24:1, recension A)[103]
Gen 9:6 No innocent blood is to be shed,
for man is in the sacred image of God.
Deut 4:15-16 One should not create a masculine or
feminine image of God, for he withheld his form from Israel at Mt. Sinai, and
any graven image created by man cannot do justice to his supreme majesty.[104]
Num 23:19 God is not as mortal man, since
he cannot lie, as he is the archetypal celestial man.
In the History of the
Rechabites (1st to 4th
centuries A.D.) the Rechabites are described as a people who are individually
surrounded by a kabod. After their
creation Adam and Eve resemble God so much that they even have their own
glory. After the fall their glory is
removed:
But we are covered with a
stole of glory (similar to that) which clothed Adam and Eve before they sinned.
(OTP 2, 12:3-4)
A well known theme in
Judaeo/Christian literature is that Adam shares God’s exact likeness. In the Life of Adam and Eve (first century
A.D.) Adam and Eve are clothed with glory/light. After the fall they are stripped of their
coverings of light. Eve recounts her
sorrow as she reflects upon her loss of the kabod:
And at that very moment my
eyes were opened and I know that I was naked of the righteousness with which I
had been clothed. And I wept saying,
“Why have you done this to me, that I have been estranged from my glory with
which I was clothed?” (OTP 2,
Apocalypse 20:1-2 )
3 Baruch (Greek; 1st
to 3rd century A.D.) shows how Adam lost the glory (Hebrew kabod,
Greek doxa, Jewish shekinah) of God. Also suggested is that man chooses to become carnal and divorce
themselves from the glory of God. See
also the Life of Adam and Eve above.]
Then know, Baruch, that just
as Adam through this tree was condemned and was stripped of the glory of God,
thus men now who insatiably drink the wine deriving from it transgress worse
that Adam, and become distant from the glory of God, and will secure for
themselves eternal fire. (OTP 1, 4:16)
The relationship between
God, the members of the council, and man is explained in Psalms 8:4-5. The KJV indicates that man “is a little
lower than the angels,” or of slightly lesser status than the gods ( ’elohim). Mitchell Dahood claims that the ’elohim
in this passage are, “members of the heavenly court of Yahweh.”[105] Other versions of the Bible translate Psalms
8:4-5 as follows:
NEV “What is man that thou shouldst remember him, mortal man that
thou shouldst care for him? Yet thou
hast made him a little less than a god (’elohim), crowning him with
glory and honor. Thou makest him master
over all thy creatures; thou hast put everything under his feet.”
RSV “What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of
man that thou dost care for him? Yet
thou hast made him little less than God (’elohim), and dost crown him
with glory and honor.”
Anchor “What is man that you should think of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him? Yet you have made him a little less than the gods (’elohim),
with honor and glory you crowned him.”
It is understood in the Old
Testament–particularly as God rules with the gods on the heavenly
council–that the gods are similar in nature to, but of a slightly lesser status
than God. If they had drastically
power, honor, glory, and might they would not merit the title of ‘gods.’. Psalms 8 teaches that the difference between
man and the gods is also relatively minor, man being of the same ‘genus` or
‘species,` as they. The difference
between man and the gods, then, is one
of class, not type! Man is, therefore,
a special and unique creation in the universe, sharing enough similarity to the
gods as to be only “a little less” than them.
But if the gods are beings who closely mirror God’s image, holiness, and
power, and man is only a little less than the gods, then man is correspondingly
similar to God as well!
The Testament of Abraham reflects
the similarities and differences between the gods and man. Anthropomorphism is attributed to both God
and Michael, including the reference to the heavenly city, Michael's
conversation with God, and his a descent from God's presence. Michael is anthropomorphic, but with glory
and great beauty. It is seen that
Michael has feet, and they get dusty, hence the washing his feet by Abraham.
The nature of an "incorporeal one" is different than that of
men, for they do not have the same bodily functions (A 4:5, 7-11), but Michael
shows a need for rest (as is seen in after God's creative effort in Gen
2:2). It should also be noted that the
meaning of "incorporeal" here is not immaterial, rather non-mortal:
Abraham lived the measure of
his life ... But even to him came the common and inexorable bitter cup of death
and the unforeseen end of life.
Therefore the Master God called his archangel Michael and said to him,
"Commander-in-chief Michael, go down to Abraham and tell him about his
death, so that he may arrange for the disposition of his possessions... But
you, archangel Michael, go to Abraham, my beloved friend, announce his death to
him ... So the Commander-in-Chief left the presence of God and went down to
Abraham at the oak of Mamre, and he found the righteous Abraham ... When
Abraham saw the Commander-in-Chief coming from afar, in the manner of a
handsome soldier, then Abraham arose and net him, just as was his custom to
greet and welcome all strangers. And
the Commander-in-chief saluted him and said, "Hail, honored father,
righteous soul elect of God, true friend of the heavenly One." And Abraham said to the Commander-in-chief,
" Hail, honored soldier, bright as the sun and most handsome, more than
all the sons of men. Well met! Therefore I ask your presence whence and
from what army and from what road your beauty has come here." The Commander-in-chief said, "Righteous
Abraham, I come from the great city. I
have been sent from the great king to provide for the succession of a true
friend of his, for the king summons him." ... Then they came near the
house and sat in the courtyard. And
when Isaac saw the face of the angel he said to Sarah his mother, "My lady
mother, behold: The man who is sitting with my father Abraham is no son of the
race which dwells upon the earth."
And Isaac ran and did obeisance to him and fell at the feet of the
incorporeal one. And the incorporeal
one blessed him and said, "The Lord God will bestow upon you his promise
which he gave to your father Abraham and his seed ... Then Abraham said to
Isaac his son, "Isaac, my child, draw water from the well and bring it to
me in the vessel so that we may wash this stranger's feet; for he is tired,
having come to us from a long journey. " ... And then Abraham went forward
and washed the feet of the Commander-in-chief Michael. Then Abraham said to
Isaac his son, "My beloved son, go into the guest room and beautify
it. Spread out for us there two
couches, one for me and one for this man who is staying as our guest
today. Prepare for us there a dining
couch ... and a table with an abundance of everything good. Then the Commander-in-chief rose up and went
outside ... and he ascended into heaven in the twinkling of an eye and stood
before God and said to him: "Master, Lord, let your might know that I
cannot announce the mention of death to that righteous man ... Then the
Lord said, "Michael,
Commander-in-chief, go down to my friend Abraham, and whatever he should say to
you, this do; and whatever he should eat you also eat with him..." And the
Commander-in-chief said, "Lord, all the heavenly spirits are incorporeal,
and they neither eat nor drink..."[106] The Lord said, "Go down to him, and do
not be concerned about this. For when
you are seated with him I shall send upon you and all-devouring spirit, and ...
it will consume everything which is on the table..." (A 1:1, 3-4, 6;
2:1-6; 3:5-9; 4:1-2, 57, 9-11)
2 Enoch describes Adam after
his creation. He is given an honored
position as the image of God, with the title of “second angel” given to
him. In other words, Adam is
essentially like the angels. Note God’s
anthropomorphic thought process taking place as he creates and recites the
following poem:
Behold, I have thought up an
ingenious poem to recite:
From invisible and visible substances
I created man.
From both his natures come
both death and life
And (as my) image he knows
the word like (no) other creature.
But even at his greatest he
is small,
and again at his smallest he
is great.
And on the earth I assigned
him to be a second angel, honored and great and glorious. And I assigned him to be a king, to reign
[on] the earth, [and] to have my wisdom.
And there was nothing comparable to him on the earth, even among my
creatures that exist... And I created for him an open heaven, so that he might
look upon the angels singing the triumphal song. (OTP 1, J 30:10-12; 31:2)
Rom 8:29 Christ is conformed to be in the image
of God's son, the firstborn among a large family.
1 Cor 11:7 Men (masculine gender) carry the image
of God in their facial features. They
must not cover their faces or they will dishonor the divine image of God
stamped on their own features. In the
belief of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints it is understood that
men and women are created after the image of their Heavenly Father and Mother.
Just as Jewish thought
declared Adam to look exactly like God (page 2 above), so Christ is also
thought to be in God’s exact image. The
author of Hebrews records that Christ is so honored by God that he is in God’s
exact image; i.e., there is no difference between the physical image of Christ
and God. Christ’s exaltation is so
complete that he now rules with God over the angels of the council:
GOD, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in
these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a
more excellent name than they. (Heb 1:1-4)
The Epistles of the Apostles
(c. early to mid 2nd century A.D.) reflects a Christianity battling
the Gnostic heresy. Christ was born of
Mary, and was divinely incarnated as the Son of God. The text makes it clear that Christ is God, but demonstrates the
separate nature of the Father and Son.
Note that Christ is in the exact image of the Father:
Then we said to him, “Will
you really leave us until your coming?
Where will we find a teacher?”
And he answered and said to us, “Do you not know that until now I am both
here and there with him who sent me?”
And we said to him, “O Lord, is it possible that you should be both here
and there?” And he said to us, “I am
wholly in the Father and the Father in me after his image and after his form
and after his power and after his perfection and after his light, and I am his
perfect word.” (NTA, Ethiopic 17)
2 Enoch also elaborates on
the image of God given to man. The text
speaks of God's actual face and the honor with which the image of God placed on
each of our faces must be given. The
preface to the text records that, "Enoch teaches his sons so that they
might not insult the face of any person, small or great." The text continues:
The LORD with his own two
hands created mankind; in a facsimile of his own face, both small and great,
the LORD created [them]. And whoever
insults a person's face, insults the face of a king, and treats the face of the
LORD with repugnance. He who treats
with contempt the face of any person treats the face of the LORD with
contempt. He who expresses anger to any
person without provocation will reap anger in the great judgment. He who spits on any person's face,
insultingly, will reap the same at the LORD's great judgment. Happy is the person who does not direct his
heart with malice toward any person, but who helps [the offended and] the
condemned, and lifts up those who have been crushed, and shows compassion on
the needy. (OTP 1, J 44:1-4)
There can be no clearer
declaration. God's face is divine and
holy. It characterizes the ultimate
perfection any being can achieve, and contempt for the face of any man is
contempt for the very face of God! F.
I Anderson makes the comment:
The idea is remarkable from
any point of view. The universal
kinship of the human race is both biological and theological. Whatever the diversity ... every individual
is "the face of the LORD."
Here the imago dei is the basis for the universalistic humane
ethics.[107]
Joseph Smith considered also
considered man to be theomorphic. He
believes that God’s image is archetypal, and that he shares it with man:
God himself was once as we
are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is
the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this
world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was
to make himself visible,—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him
like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a
man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and
received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with him, as one
man talks and communes with another.[108]
15. ’El and ’Elohim as
Titles of Divinity and Personal Names of God
As noted earlier ’elohim
is a plural title meaning ‘gods,` but it has other meanings as well. Conrad L'Heureux indicates that ’elohim
can be translated as "God" a "god" or "gods."[109] There are three general meanings of ’elohim
and its singular counterpart ’el.
1. A title meaning God or gods.
a. 'el is a singular title translated either as ‘God`
or ‘a god.` Psalms 42:2-3 translates ’el
as God:
For the living God [’el].
(Anchor)
Genesis 1:1 records that “In the beginning God created,” (bereshit bara ’elohim). The Hebrew bara is a singular masculine verb that means ‘organize,` or create by organization, and when used with ’elohim is appropriately translated as the singular “G