Old
Testament, Pre-Christian Jewish and Apostolic Evidence
By Keith Thompson
In their book Jesus:
Prophet of Islam Muhammad Ata Ur-Rahim and Ahmad
Thomson claim it was because of Paul “Jesus was deified” (Muhammad Ata
ur-Rahim, Ahmad Thomson, Jesus: Prophet
of Islam, [TTQ, INC., 2003], p. 72). However, the teaching of Jesus being
God, or God being multipersonal, is affirmed in the Old Testament, in
pre-Christian Jewish literature, and by Jesus and His disciples prior to Paul.
Old
Testament Evidence
In regards to the Old Testament, in Proverbs 30:3-4 we read
about a Father and Son who are called the “Holy Ones” – persons who are
incomprehensible in their nature. The text says,
“3I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy Ones. 4Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!” (Proverbs 30:3-4).
All the deeds listed in this passage are applied to Christ
in the Bible. For example, Jesus ascended to heaven and comes down (John 3:13;
Romans 10:6-7; Ephesians 4:7-10). Jesus gathered the winds in his fist and
wrapped up the waters in a garment (Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 14:22-33). Jesus
established the ends of the earth (John 1:3, 10; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews
1:8a, 10-12). So this “Son” is Jesus Christ. Moreover, when the author asks
what His and His Son’s name is, this is very important. God’s “name” in the Old
Testament signified His divine presence, essence or nature (Exodus 23:21; Deuteronomy 12:5, 11; 1 Kings 8:29 cited in
Walter Keiser, Exodus, ed. Frank E.
Gaebelin, The Expositor’s Bible
Commentary, Vol. 2, [Zondervan, 1990], p. 446). Hence, when this
biblical writer asks what the names of these two persons are, he is affirming
he (as well as humanity) is incapable of fully comprehending the presence,
essence or nature of these two Holy Ones - God and his Son.
Old Testament scholar Alan P. Ross notes various Midrash
writings prove ancient Jews understood this “Son” of Proverbs 30:3-4 to be a
divine figure alongside God called the “logos,”
(Alan P. Ross, Proverbs, ed. Frank E.
Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible
Commentary, Vol. 5, [Zondervan, 1991], p. 1119) which is who Christ is
identified as in the New Testament (John 1:1-3, 14; 1 John 1:1-2; Colossians
1:16; Hebrews 1:2).
Another Old Testament text is Isaiah 9:6 where mention is
made of a “Son” who would be given, which presupposes he existed before his
birth, and who is called “the Mighty God,” or el-gibbowr in the
Hebrew. This is the same Hebrew word applied to God Himself in the next
chapter, namely Isaiah 10:21. So there is no question
this Son is divine according to Isaiah’s use of the Hebrew language. The
ancient Jewish Targum of Isaiah
affirms this text is about the Messiah, as does Targum Jonathan and Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy (The
Targum of Isaiah, J.F. Stenning, Editor and Translator [Oxford: Clarendon],
p. 32; Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy, Rabbi H. Freedman and Maurice Simon,
Editors; Rev. Dr. J. Rabbinowitz, Translator [London: Soncino Press], I.20, p.
20).
Next, we read in
Daniel 7:13-14:
“13I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should worship him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
Jesus applied this text to Himself in the
gospels (e.g. Mark 13:26; 14:62). In fact James R. Edwards notes, “Dan. 7:13f
is never understood in early Judaism as a collective expression for ‘people of
the Holy One’ . . . but always as the individual Messiah” (James R. Edwards, Mark, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, Wm.
B. Eerdmans, 2002], p. 403 n. 44).
That this “Son of man” of Daniel 7 is deity is
proved by his coming “with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13) which is always
what God does in the Old Testament (e.g. Exodus
14:20; Numbers 10:34; Isaiah 19:1; Psalm 68:4; Psalm 104:1-3). Also, the fact this Son of man is worshiped by all
peoples proves He is deity. The word for “worship” here in the original
Aramaic (the language that Daniel 7 was written in) is pelach. Old
Testament scholar Stephan R. Miller notes that “… in every other instance where the verb פְּלַח (‘worship’; ‘serve,’
NRSV) occurs in biblical Aramaic (nine times), it has reference to service
(worship) rendered a deity (Dan 3:12, 12, 17-18, 28; 6:16[17], 20[21]; 7:14;
Ezra 7:24)” (Stephen R. Miller, Daniel, New American
Commentary, [B&H Publishing Group, 1994], p. 217). Thus, Jesus receives
worship rendered deity. Lexical analysis likewise proves this is what pelach means (Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm
Gesenius, A Hebrew and English lexicon of the Old Testament,, trans.
Edward Robinson, [Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1888], p. 847; Francis Brown,
S. R. Driver, Charles A. Briggs, The Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and
English Lexicon, [Clarendon Press, 1906], p. 2718). So you have two distinct persons who are God in Daniel: the Ancient of
Days (the Father) and the Son of Man, Jesus.
Another Old Testament text is
Isaiah 48:16 where YHWH is said to send YHWH and His Spirit. This is the
Trinity in the Old Testament. Two persons are YHWH and you have the divine Holy
Spirit.
Moreover, in Isaiah 63:8-10 there
are three distinct persons: the messenger or “Angel,” the sender of the Angel
who is God, and the Spirit. In this text God sends His Messenger and the
Messenger and His Holy Spirit then save God’s people. The Messenger is said to be
the “Messenger of His face” (v. 9) which was a Hebrew idiom meaning this
messenger is God’s face, i.e., He is the expression of God’s
self-revealing presence (Franz Delitzsch, Biblical
Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah, Vol. 2, [T. & T. Clark, 1873], pp. 454-455).
This brings us to the Angel of
the Lord in the Old Testament. On the one hand we’re told this Angel is a
distinct person from God (Judges 13:8; 2 Samuel 24:15-16), and yet He is
described as God or divine. For example, Hagar identifies the Angel as God
Himself after He appeared to her (Genesis 16:13). In fact, here the Angel
claims He would multiply her descendants (Genesis 16:10) which is what God
himself always says (e.g. Genesis 26:2-4). The Angel also appears in a burning
bush to Moses and when he speaks he is said to be God speaking (Exodus 3:2, 4,
14). Then in Exodus 4:5 we’re told it was actually God himself who appeared to
Moses in the burning bush. Moreover, God’s name is said to be in the Angel of
the Lord (Exodus 23:21). Again, the name of God is God’s divine nature (Exodus 23:21; Deuteronomy
12:5, 11; 1 Kings 8:29 cited in Walter Keiser, Exodus, ed. Frank E. Gaebelin, The
Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, [Zondervan, 1990], p. 446). The Angel appears to Gideon and he makes a
sacrifice to this Angel. In fact, he fears he would die after seeing this
divine being (Judges 6:19-23). Gideon thought this because the Jews believed if
you saw God face to face you would die (Exodus 33:20; Genesis 32:30). Thus, the
Angel is deity. The reason Gideon survived was because although the Angel is
God, He is not the same person as the Father. Lastly, the Angel appeared to Manoah
and his wife and then Manoah offered a sacrifice to Him (Judges 13:19-20).
Pre-Christian
Judaism
Now, what did the pre-Christian Jews and non-Christian Jews
shortly after the time of Jesus think about such issues as the Angel of the
Lord and God being multipersonal? Well modern non-Christian Jewish scholars
such as Daniel Boyarin and Alan F. Segal have proven in their books that
pre-Christian Jews and non-Christian Jews shortly after the New Testament
affirmed that the one God was comprised of multiple persons, just as
Christianity teaches. This proves Paul or later Christians did not invent this
idea as Muslims falsely claim.
For example, Boyarin’s conclusion of his research into this
matter was that such ancient Jews “believed that God had a divine deputy or
emissary or even son, exalted above all the angels, who functioned as an
intermediary between God and the world in creation, revelation, and redemption”
(Daniel Boyarin, The Jewish Gospels,
[The New Press, 2012], p. 5).
Likewise Alan F. Segal’s findings are summarized as follows:
“The ancient Israelite knew two Yahwehs—one invisible, a spirit, the other visible, often in human form. The two Yahwehs at times appear together in the text, at times being distinguished, at other times not. Early Judaism understood this portrayal and its rationale. There was no sense of a violation of monotheism since either figure was indeed Yahweh. There was no second distinct god running the affairs of the cosmos. During the Second Temple period, Jewish theologians and writers speculated on an identity for the second Yahweh. Guesses ranged from divinized humans from the stories of the Hebrew Bible to exalted angels. These speculations were not considered unorthodox. That acceptance changed when certain Jews, the early Christians, connected Jesus with this orthodox Jewish idea. This explains why these Jews, the first converts to following Jesus the Christ, could simultaneously worship the God of Israel and Jesus, and yet refuse to acknowledge any other god. Jesus was the incarnate second Yahweh. In response, as Segal’s work demonstrated, Judaism pronounced the two powers teaching a heresy sometime in the second century A.D.” (Michael S. Heiser, Two Powers in Heaven, drmsh.com/the-naked-bible/two-powers-in-heaven).
We will now provide some of the early evidence these Jewish
scholars have put forth in their works to prove this.
At the time of the book of Daniel, an extrabiblical
Alexandrian Jew named Ezekiel the Tragedian affirmed the presence of a second
divine figure on God’s throne (Howard Jacobson, The Exagoge of Ezekiel, [Cambridge University Press, 1983], p. 55).
In the first century Jewish Book of Enoch, the Messiah is described as pre-existing and being
worshiped by humanity (I Enoch, 48,
3-5). Then in the same Book of Enoch
70-71 the Messiah is expressly identified as God and “not counted among them
[i.e., humans]."
In the first century Jewish book Fourth Ezra mention is made of a divine man who conquers evil
armies at the end of the age and is then presented with offerings by the saints
(Fourth Ezra 13, 2-13). Fourth Ezra got this idea from Isaiah
66:20 which says the offerings will be brought to God. Thus, this second figure
is also God.
Now, a mid second century tradition (Alan F. Segal, Two Powers in Heaven, [Brill Academic,
2002], p. 54) preserved in the Mekhilita Midrash on the book of Exodus (Bahodesh, 5, Shirta 4) combats an earlier Jewish view
of God which said He was multipersonal according to various Old Testament
texts, i.e., that there were two Yahweh’s making up the one God.
Philo, an Alexandrian Jew in the
first century, affirmed God would appear to people as the Angel of the Lord in
visions. For him the Angel was a manifestation of God appearing in that form
(Philo, Som. I 234-237). In regards
to Philo’s view of the logos, Segal
notes, “Philo maintains that the logos
was God’s partner in creation. To this effect, he calls the logos, ‘The Beginning,’ ‘Ruler of the
Angels,’ and significantly, ‘the Name of God.’ But because the logos is an emanation of God, Philo can
also talk about him as God’s offspring, or the first-born son of God. As such
he is a kind of immortal, heavenly man or the true father of men” (Alan F. Segal, Two
Powers in Heaven, [Brill Academic, 2002], p. 173 quoting Leg. All. Iii,
96; Conf. 146; Agr. 51; Fug. 72, etc.).
As noted, similar beliefs were condemned by second century rabbis (Bahodesh, 5, Shirta 4; Alan F.
Segal, Two Powers in Heaven, [Brill
Academic, 2002], p. 173) showing their
existence in the Second Temple and Tannaitic period. We will cover some such writings.
The first century Jewish historian
Josephus combated the Jewish belief current in his day that God had assistants
in creation (Josephus, Against Apion,
II, 92) which shows such a belief existed in his day.
The late first century Jewish book
Apocalypse of Abraham presents a
figure named Yahoel as the second power in heaven who has God’s name in Him
(Apoc. Abr. 10.). Having God’s name in you, again, refers to God’s divine
presence or essence. Thus, Exodus 23:21 says the Angel of the Lord has God’s
name in Him, the same name of God (i.e., presence or essence) which resided in
the Temple (Deuteronomy 12:5, 11; 1 Kings 8:29 cited in Walter Keiser, Exodus, ed. Frank E. Gaebelin, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol.
2, [Zondervan, 1990], p. 446). Hence, when the Apocalypse of Abraham affirms this second power in heaven, Yahoel,
had God’s name in Him, it affirms he is divine.
In a portion of the first century
Jewish text known as Prayer of Joseph, preserved
for us by Origen, both the Prophet
Jacob and an angel named Uriel claim ascendancy as the pre-existent second
Yahweh or divine Angel of the Lord who appeared to men in the Old Testament (The Prayer of Joseph, quoted in Alan F. Segal, Two
Powers in Heaven, [Brill Academic, 2002], pp. 199-200).
This is the religious milieu in which Jesus appeared. The
earliest Christians rightly identified Jesus as this pre-existent second divine
Yahweh of the Old Testament who assisted the Father in creation and appeared to
men on behalf of the Father (John 1:1-3, 10; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews
1:8a, 10-12).
Now, in his work Who
did Jesus think He Was?, the New Testament scholar J. C. O'Neill has also
shown Trinitarian belief among pre-Christian Jews as well as non-Christian Jews
shortly after the time of Christ, which further proves Paul or later Christians
did not invent such ideas. In concluding his research O'Neill wrote, “There is
no doubt there were Jews before Christ who recognized that although God was
one, he was also three” (J. C. O'Neill, Who
Did Jesus Think He Was?, [Brill, 1995], p. 94). We will cover a few of his
findings.
Commenting on Genesis 18:2 where Abraham saw three divine
men, Philo reports a Jewish tradition affirming these three are God. He said,
“it is reasonable for one to be three and for three to be one” (Philo, De Abrahamo 199-122, trans. Younge
[1854-1855, Vol. 2, pp. 420-421]). Hence, such ancient Jews viewed Genesis 18:2
as referring to God being three and yet one.
Also, the pre-Christian Jewish book 1 Baruch contains a Trinitarian formula: “For I have set hope for
your salvation on the Eternal One; and joy has come to me from the Holy One at
the mercy which will soon be present for you from your Eternal Savior” (1 Baruch, 4.22). Three divine persons
are clearly seen.
Moreover, 1 Enoch
62:1-2 contains a Trinitarian formula mentioning the Lord and the Spirit being
poured on a Chosen One who is the pre-existent divine Son of Man from I Enoch, 48, 3-5; 70-71.
The Romance of Joseph
and Aseneth, composed in the first century or sometime shortly before, says
there is God the Father, that Joseph represented the Son of God who looks like
Archangel Michael (6.2,6; 14:9), and that when Joseph kissed Aseneth he
bestowed on her the Spirit of Truth (19.11). This is Trinitarian.
Jesus and
Apostolic Evidence
Now, the primitive Christians writing in the first century
viewed Jesus as this second Yahweh in heaven these Jewish sources spoke of. In
the following texts Jesus is presented as this pre-existent second Yahweh who
assisted God in creation (John 1:3, 10; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:8a,
10-12). Because the earliest Christians correctly viewed Jesus this way, we see
the following kinds of texts in the New Testament.
Firstly, Jesus applied numerous Old Testament texts about
God to Himself thus proving He is God. In Isaiah 43:2-3 God tells His people
not to be afraid when they pass through the waters for He is the Lord their
God. Well, in Matthew 14:24-27 the disciples were afraid because the waters
were beating against their boat. Then Jesus said “Take heart. I Am. Do not be
afraid” (v. 27).This shows Jesus believed He was God.
Moreover, in Malachi 3:1 and 4:5 a messenger, that is, a
voice crying in the wilderness, is said to precede Yahweh’s coming to His
people. In Matthew 11:10, however, Jesus applies this text to John the Baptist
and Himself, meaning John the Baptist makes the way for Jesus who is Yahweh who
comes to His people. In fact here in Matthew 11:10
Jesus paraphrases Malachi 3:1 as saying “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.” By saying the
messenger is sent before your [i.e., Jesus’] face, when Malachi 3:1 is actually
about the messenger being sent before God’s face, Jesus was calling Himself
God. As R. T. France explains, “. . . the first person of Mal 3:1 (‘prepare the
way before me’) has become a second person (‘before you’), thus allowing the
possibility of taking the forerunner as preceding someone other than God
himself” (R. T. France, The Gospel of
Matthew, ed. Joel B. Green, The New
International Commentary on the New Testament, [Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2007], p.
428).
Jesus’ disciples likewise applied to Him Old
Testament texts about God.
In Isaiah 8:12-13 Isaiah calls men to sanctify
Yahweh in their heart. Peter applies this to Jesus and exhorts men to sanctify
Christ in their heart (1 Peter 3:15).
In Zechariah 12:10 Yahweh is the pierced one
upon whom men would look and mourn. However, the Apostle John applies this text
to Jesus at his crucifixion (John 19:36-38).
Peter, referring to Jesus, says there is no name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). This is
because, as the background text proves, “The name of the LORD is a strong
tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).
In Deuteronomy 10:17 Yahweh is the “King of
Kings.” And in Isaiah 44:6 Yahweh is the “First and the Last.” However in
Revelation 17:14 and 19:16 Jesus is “King of Kings,” and in Revelation 2:8 and
22:12-13 Jesus is “First and Last.”
In John 20:28 Thomas calls Jesus his Lord and
God. In Acts 20:28 we’re told God purchased His church with His own blood (Acts
20:28).
Moreover, according to the New Testament Jesus
shares the same essential, incommunicable attributes of God, proving He is one
in essence with the Father.
For example, while the Old Testament says God is
omnipresent (1 Kings 8:27), in Matthew 18:20 Jesus says when two or more gather
in His name He will be present. This means Jesus could be at more than one
place at once and is thus omnipresent. In 1 Kings 8:39 we’re told God knows all
things including the hearts of all men. However, in Mark 2:6-8 Jesus knew the
scribes were questioning in their heart, and in John 16:30 the disciples say
the following to Jesus: “Now we know that you know all things and do not need
anyone to question you. . .” (John 16:30). In Job 42:2 Yahweh is said to be
able to do all things thereby affirming his omnipotence. Yet, in John 5:19
Jesus says he can do whatever the father does. In Isaiah 40:18 we learn that
Yahweh is incomprehensible. However, Matthew 11:27 teaches Jesus is
incomprehensible too since there Jesus says no one knows the Son except the
Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son. Moreover, while Psalms 90:2
says Yahweh is eternal – or from everlasting to everlasting, the New Testament
teaches Jesus pre-existed and is eternal in numerous places (Matthew 20:28;
Mark 2:17; Luke 4:43; John 1:1-3; 8:56-59; 17:5; Colossians 1:16-17). For
example, in Luke 4:43 Jesus teaches he was sent to earth, and in John 8:58-59
Jesus taught He is the “I Am” who existed before Abraham which led to the Jews
picking up stones to stone Him for blasphemy.
Thus, the idea Jesus’ deity or God
being multi-personal was invented by the blessed Apostle Paul has been shown to
be a view which cannot be sustained by the evidence.
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