The Elect As Elohim (No. 1)

The Elect as ElohimPage 1

Christian Churches of God

No. 1

The Elect as Elohim

The Original Church Doctrines and the Advent of the Trinity

(Edition 2.5 19940311-19990322-20071112-20161215)

This paper deals with the multiplicity of the elohim in the Godhead and the destiny of the elect to become elohim. The capacity to become elohim or theoi was the view of the early Church. This paper is related to papers on The Deity of Christ and also The God We Worship and The Holy Spirit series.

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(Copyright 1994, 1998, 1999, 2007, 2016 Wade Cox)

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The Elect as Elohim

The Elect as ElohimPage 1

In the third and fourth centuries, the Church adopted a doctrinal shift from the position that the elect will exist as elohim or theoi which was the position held by Christ at John 10:34-35 from Psalm 82:6, and which was the original understanding of the Church. The original position is explained in detail in the work God Revealed. This paper is concerned with what the Bible text actually says and establishing the plan that it outlines. Having established the biblical schema, it will then be tested against the understanding of the earliest Church writers for accuracy. The problems and assumptions are outlined in the paper God Revealed Chapter 1 Ancient Monotheism (No. G1).

Most Hebrew-English Lexicons record the variant uses of the words. The variant uses of the names of the deity are extracted from this and explained from a Trinitarian framework. Such a paradigm requires the texts to be explained within a context which would not render the doctrine of the Trinity absurd. Consequently, some, such as Francis, Driver and Briggs or the more widely used Gesenius (Robinson, tr. Brown, Driver, Briggs update), are construed to explain the extensive meanings of the terms used for the deity and Host within a paradigm of a developing religion.

The discipline of Religious Studies also attempts to explain the context of the Old Testament and the New Testament in similar terms. This arrangement suits both Trinitarians and agnostics. The former, because the premise they adopt is that the final form of the structure was not developed until the Council of Chalcedon (ca. 451 CE) using Greek metaphysics, and the latter because the concept of a living God writing an inspired Bible is at variance with the syncretic nature of their studies. We are concerned with the actual words of the texts.

Words normally applied to the deity in Israelite and non-Israelite societies are also applied to humans. Such application is a consistent Middle East world-view, which extends the heavenly Host to interact with humans. The examination of the use of Eloah, elohim, el, elim (eliym) etc., the Hebrew or the Chaldean, and Aramaic equivalents, are contained in the work God Revealed. The examples of where Eloah (or Elahh) is used in the singular to refer to a concept of a god other than Eloah, are in 2Chronicles 32:15, Daniel 11:37-39, and Habakkuk 1:11. Eloah never has the article, although Habakkuk 1:11 determines it by the suffix and it is found once in the construct in Psalm 114:7 (see Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Harris ed., Moody, Chicago, 1980, p. 93). Such concerns do not detract from this paper. For example, the texts in Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius on El (SHD 410), page 42, show that the word means god but with various subordinate applications to express ideas of might, and is applied to men of might and rank.

Similarly, elohim (SHD 430) is explained as being plural in number and as referring to rulers, or judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places, or as reflecting divine majesty and power. Thus, the term is extended to humans as well as the angelic Host. The biblical texts show that this simple explanation of reflecting the divine majesty is the sense in which the terms were applied in the Bible. Thus, the name carried the authority which was of itself conferred by God. This sense is resisted by Trinitarians.

Trinitarian works which seek to further the concepts of the Bible as a developing structure proceeding into the Trinity are common. Good examples are that of Karen Armstrong’sA History of God(Heinemann, London, 1993) and C.M. LaCugna’sGOD FOR US: The Trinity and Christian Life(Harper, San Francisco, 1993).LaCugna admits (Encyc. of Religion, art. 'Trinity')that neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament contains a basis for the Trinity. The classic work referred to for such purposes is W.F. Albright’s Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan(London, 1968). G.R.Driver develops the concept of the myth in his Canaanite Myths and Legends(Edinburgh, 1956). R.L. Fox goes even further in this vein in The Unauthorised Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible (London, 1991).The fundamentalist Trinitarian approach has been to alter the translation of the biblical texts to disguise the concepts, and to deny the plurality of the word elohim. Joshua 22:22 is an example. The RSV renders the text:

The Mighty One, God the Lord! The Mighty One, God the Lord!

Mark S.Smith in The Early History of God(Harper, San Francisco, 1990, p. 8)notes the Hebrew text as ‘el’elohim yhwh ‘el’elohim yhwh or God of gods is yhwh God of gods is yhwh. Thus El of Elohim means head of a plurality. Smith holds the text to exhibit the assimilation of the word el into Hebrew and its development into a generic noun meaning god. Smith argues for the development of the Hebrew concepts, from the Canaanite, perhaps from the period of Iron Age I, as shown from the Ugaritic corpus, imposing themselves on the cult of Yahweh (Intr., p. xxvii). He says that by the end of the Monarchy, monolatrous Yahwism was the norm in Israel, allowing the gradual development of Monotheism (ibid.). Smith admits importation of practices into the religion of Israel. He argues that some practices regarded as syncretic belong to Israel’s ancient religious heritage (ibid., p. xxxi), perhaps also from the Canaanite linguistic base which is essentially the same language as Hebrew. Smith attempts to establish the biblical claims and then examine them within a wider framework.

This work is also concerned with establishing the biblical framework so that it can be examined more widely but with conclusions different to those of Smith. That examination is further undertaken in the work Mysticism Chapter 4 Judeo-Christianity (No. B7_4). Thus, the framework should not be written down by sociological prejudice. The structure must be faithfully restored by assumingthat the Bible text means what it says. Trinitarian prejudice interferes with this process. The Dead Sea Scrolls, Ugarit and Nag Hammadi texts have shed important light on what was actually understood to be the meaning of the biblical texts at the time of Christ and these are referred to as necessary.

What is of importance is that no serious scholar denies that, at the time of Christ, the Bible was understood to refer to a Council of the Elohim or Elim and that the term extended way beyond the concept of a duality or a Trinity. A significant work on the subject is The Psalms: Their Origin and Meaning by Leopold Sabourin, S.J.,(Alba House, NY;revised and updated version (post-1974)). Sabourin demonstrates the concept of the Council of the Elohim in his work. On pages 398f.,Sabourin lists the usage of Eloah but avoids dealing with the significance. From pages 72-74, Sabourin addresses Psalm 86:8-10, 95:3, 96:4, and 135:5. The Bene Elim are identified as the Sons of God as are the Bene Elyon (Sons of the Most High). On pages 102-104, he mentions the saints or Holy Ones (qedosim) from Psalm 89:6-8 who are God’s celestial attendants and that the term is used also of the human faithful. These supra-terrestrial beings are of the Bene Elim or the Bene HaElohim. The Bene HaElohim are the Sons of the God(s). Sabourin, noting also Coppens comment (ETL, 1963, pp. 485-500) that the noun qedosimin the Masoretic Text designates the supra-terrestrial Court of YHVH, who are held to be elohim (pp. 102-103), says of this:

The concept of a heavenly assembly is not a purely literary form, but is an element of the living pattern of Israelite faith (p. 75).

The pattern of the usage of the terms for God is of an extended order. There is no doubt that the meaning was understood whether it was written in Hebrew, or Aramaic, or Chaldee. The pattern is undoubtedly of an extended order, which included humans, and involved a Council that Christ had established on Sinai. These elohim are referred to in Exodus 21:6, where the word is translated as judges.

The word is thus acknowledged as being plural here, and in Exodus 22:8-9, by its translation as judges, but the word used is elohim. There are, however, two perfectly sound and common words for judge(s) in Hebrew. These are paliyl (SHD 6414; Ex. 21:22; Deut. 32:31) and shaphat (SHD 8199; Num. 25:5; Deut. 1:16, et seq.). The words were in use at the time the word elohim was used. Thus, the distinction was meant to convey a concept other than judge. The concept the term was intended to convey was of the authority of God as it was extended to the congregation of Israel. The Governing Council of Israel was thus part of the Elohim. This extension was as a reflection of the heavenly system, as was noted from Hebrews 8:5. The pattern was understood in a consistent manner throughout the Old Testament, and was applied in like manner in the New Testament. It was God’s stated intention that, from this covenant, He would write the Law in the hearts and minds of men and they would not need teachers (Heb. 8:10).

The Old Testament demonstrates the subordinate relationships of the Elohim and indicates their extent. It also identifies the Angel of YHVH (reading the term as Yahovah from the ancient renderings of Yaho from the Elephantine texts; cf. Pritchard, The Ancient Near East: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures, Princeton 1958, pp. 278-282) and his relationship to the Law, which is fundamental to the issue of the position and authority of Christ. The progressive identification of the Angel of YHVH occurs from Genesis 16:7 (see NIV footnote). He is also identified by commentators as the Angel of the Presence (Isa. 63:9). There are also instances of multiple entities appearing and being referred to as YHVH. The instances of the alterations of YHVH to Adonai (by the Sopherim) in 134 places are at Appendix 32 of The Companion Bible (see also App. 31 for the fifteen extraordinary points and App. 33 for emendations and Ginsburg, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, pp. 318-334 for details).

The Angel appeared to Abraham and his family. Hagar saw the Angel (Gen. 16:7) who was referred to as You Are the God Who Sees. He was an El. The entity was interchangeably referred to as the Angel of Yahovah and Yahovah, the One Speaking to Her – thus implying multiplicity. This Angel, who was Yahovah, appears to Abraham in Genesis 17; 18:3 (the first of the 134 alterations of the Sopherim; see Massorah, ss. 107-115 and Ginsburg, ibid.). The substitutions affecting this concept are at Genesis 18:3,27,30,32; 19:18; 20:4; Exodus 4:10,13; 5:22; 15:17; 34:9; Numbers 14:17. Elohim was treated in the same way and thus the list requires expansion. The three entities appearing to Abraham were referred to as YHVH with no distinction and the two Angels in Genesis 19 who destroyed Sodom were addressed as YHVH, both together and without distinction, which is probably the reason for the change by the Sopherim. The destruction of Sodom was done by elohim (Gen. 19:29). Thus, the title Yahovah or YHVH is applied in a hierarchical structure from YHVH of Hosts, God Most High or Eloah to the Elohim of Israel who is a subordinate god, to the two Angels who were in turn subordinate to that Elohim. Thus, the term is one of authority delegated from Eloah. The elohim who was the Angel of YHVH also appeared to Abimelech at Genesis 20:4 et seq. At Genesis 21:17-30, elohim is referred to as the Angel of elohim.

Abraham was himself referred to as elohim in Genesis 23:6. The terms are translated mighty prince but the words are nâsîy’ (SHD 5387) an exalted one as a king or sheik and elohim (SHD 430), hence king or prince elohim.

Genesis 23:6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. (KJV)

The words rendered mighty prince are in effect prince of the elohim. This is a little inconvenient for the Trinitarians and modern Judaism, so they both render it mighty prince. Hence Abraham and Moses were both termed elohim in the Bible.

The Angel of YHVH was termed elohim, Yahovah, and The Angel of Yahovah in the sacrifice of Isaac at Genesis 22:11-12 (see The Interlinear Bible). This subordinate Being was not omniscient. He appeared in Genesis 24:7,30-44,48 and was clearly not Eloah.

The Angel of YHVH revealed himself to Jacob as the El BethEl or the God (El) of the House of God, hence the High Priest of the House of God (Gen. 28:21-22). This YHVH, the Elohim of the Patriarchs and the El of the House of God, later identifies himself as the Angel of HaElohim or The God(s) (Gen. 31:11-13). This elohim instructs Jacob (Gen. 35:1-13). Genesis 35:11ff. uses AbiEl or God is My Father. The term Elohim Abi El Shaddai also has the meaning theGod Who Worships Almighty God (see the paper God Revealed Chapter 1 Ancient Monotheism (No. G1)). This Angel was the Peniel or the Face of God (Gen. 32:24-30). Hosea identifies this Angel as elohim (Hos. 12:2-9). This Angel, one of the elohim, was the Elohim (or Captain) of the Host (Elohi ha Tseba’avch) wrongly termed God of Hosts (deleting reference to The).

He was an ‘ach elohim or the Brother Elohim denoting a wider family relationship of the elohim. Amos 9:5 also has similar meaning which accords with Joshua 5:15. This Angel was the Commander of the Host or Captain of the Army of God. Yahovah is His Memorial appears to be another term for the Angel. The concept of seal or mark is probably meant from Exodus 3:15 (My Name is My Memorial). Jacob viewed this elohim as the Angel of Redemption (Gen. 48:15-16).

This Angel of YHVH addressed Moses at the Mountain of the God(s) (HaElohim) and identified himself as the Elohi of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex. 3:1-6,10-12). He is distinguished from and is a messenger for Eloah, the God of Hosts or God Most High. This Being was the Angel in the Cloud of the Exodus (Ex. 13:21; 14:19 (note interchangeable identification)) who was the YHVH who drove the sea back (Ex. 14:21), the YHVH in the Pillar of Fire and Cloud (Ex. 14:24). He thus has interchangeable titles. It was he who gave the Law to Moses and established the seventy Elders of Israel (Ex. 24:9-18). Deuteronomy 5:30-33 identifies this entity as YHVH and he is a messenger of YHVH of Hosts, whom Christ says no man has ever seen and voice no man has heard (Jn. 5:37; 6:46). This Angel was understood to be the Presence of God and hence the Angel of the Presence. He is a subordinate God appointed as Elohi of Israel by his God above his partners (Ps. 45:6-7; see also Heb. 1:5-13; Rom. 15:6; Eph. 1-3). The YHVH sent this Angel to bring Israel out of Egypt (Num. 20:16) and to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan (Ex. 33:2-3). This Angel was the YHVH who spoke to Moses face to face (Ex. 33:11) and Moses did not differentiate between them in any significant way (Ex. 33:12-17). Thus, the presence of God was held to be in the Angel who was his face or persona which is the Latin word for face or mask and from which person is derived and which is incorrectly applied and confined in the Trinity.

This Angel of YHVH remained with Israel through the period of the Judges and is referred to as YHVH (see Jdg. 6:11ff.). The Angel is referred to as Adonai (v. 13), and YHVH (v. 15) (altered by the Sopherim), and the Angel of Elohim (v. 20). This Angel is also referred to as YHVH Shalom or He Causes Peace, hence he is the Prince of Peace, a title of Messiah. Gideon prayed and sacrificed to The God and not this elohim (Jdg. 6:36), although this elohim enabled the Spirit of the Lord to enter Gideon (Jdg. 6:34).

The Angel appeared to Samson’s parents and was referred to as elohim (Jdg. 13:19-20). The Angel declared his name as pel’iy (Jdg. 2:18), approximating wonderful, which is a title of Messiah (from Isa. 9:6). The Angel appears in the days of the Kings (2Sam. 24:16, 1Chr. 21:12-30). This Angel is a mediator between Heaven and Earth from 1Chronicles 21:16. The Angel of YHVH was the YHVH who spoke through the prophet Gad (v. 18). The version in Samuel shows that two YHVHs are involved: the Angel of YHVH and the YHVH for whom sacrifice is being made. YHVH then commands the Angel (1Chr. 21:27). David was motivated by fear of the Angel of YHVH and hence relocated the Temple or House of The God (1Chr. 22:3).