Buy: The Mysterious Book of Genesis - Lilith, Enoch & Other Strange Studies: An Anthology on Amazon for only 99 cents
We must...refer to two arguments, which, although-they are abandoned by the most learned Orthodox critics, are still insisted upon by many persons. The first is, that the Hebrew word "Eloheem," translated God, is in the plural number, indicating, as is supposed, a plurality of persons in the Godhead Our answer to this is the same which is given bv John Calvin and Professor Stuart, whose orthodoxy will not be questioned, and is in these words: "For the sake of emphasis, the Hebrews commonly employed most of the words which signify Lord, God, &c, in the plural form, but with the sense of the singular." In proof of which, I refer to Exodus vii. 1, where the word god is applied to Moses, "And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh." The Hebrew is here in the plural, and, literally translated, would be gods. A similar passage occurs 1 Sam. xxviii. 13, where the word gods, in the plural umber, is applied to Samuel. In fact, this plural form to nouns of a singular number is a common idiom in the Hebrew language where intensity of meaning is expressed. The names of many of the heathen idols, as of Baal, of Dagon, of Ashtoreth, Beelzebub, and even of the golden calf made by Aaron, Ex. xxxii. 4, are all in the plural number. So in Gen. xxiv. 9, where it is said the servant put his hand on the thigh of Abraham his master, the word master is in the Hebrew plural, that is, masters. The same mode of expression occurs in other places, of Potiphar, of Pharaoh, and of Joseph, all of whom are spoken of in the plural number, as a token of unusual respect. I have before me no less than fifty instances, in which words having a singular meaning are in the plural form, according to the Hebrew usage. As in Prov. i. 20, "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the street"; the Hebrew word for wisdom is in the plural. In the same manner, I can give you instances in which the words salvation, love, truth, desolation, death, pride, and many others, are in the plural form in the Hebrew, though translated in the singular. These considerations are enough to show that the use of the word Eloheem is, according to Professor Stuart's explanation, nothing but a Hebrew idiom, upon which no doctrine of a plurality of persons can be built.
The other argument to which I refer is of a similar sort, it is founded upon the words, Gen. 1. 26, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," which we also regard as an idiomatic mode of expression, commonly called the plural of excellence or of dignity. We can give instances in Sacred Scripture of its use by earthly kings, by Jesus Christ, by the Apostle Paul, and by many others. In 1 Thess. ii. 18 are these words: "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again, but Satan hindered us"; where the Apostle applies the pronouns, we and us, to himself. We might quote other passages showing the same use of the plural, but it is not needful, as the argument is abandoned by a large part of Trinitarian writers. Martin Luther, Grotius, Bishop Patrick, Dr. South, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Archbishop Whately, are all good Orthodox authorities, and all of them agree with us upon this point.
I do not know of any other arguments now used, to prove that a plurality of persons in the Godhead is hinted at in the Old Testament. One thing, very important, is certain, that, if any such hints were conveyed, the Jews never understood them. The presumption is, that they knew their own language, and it is certain they understood that the Unity of God was taught by their Scriptures in the most absolute and unqualified manner. Such was their interpretation of Moses and the Prophets at the time when Christ came. In all Palestine there probably could not have been found a single man or woman, who supposed that there was any distinction of persons, such as is now taught, in the Unity of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment