To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Subject: HF033 - Oneness, Trinity, and the Ancient Faith
Date sent: Mon, 21 May 2001 17:36:09 -0500
Hebraics,
This is Bible study HF033 - Oneness, Trinity, and the Ancient Faith
On another forum there has been discussion on the differences
between the Trinitarian and Oneness doctrine. Many folk aren't
aware of how ancient both these theologies are. But neither are
most Christians aware that the Trinity nor the Oneness doctrine
was taught by the earliest Christians. They were the result of later
developments.
I was asked to explain how the Hebrews viewed God. With that
discussion in mind, I thought it would do well to provide a Bible
study on Hebraic-Foundations, into how Christianity began drifting
from its original Hebraic base. The eventual result was a theology
that came out of the Church Councils.
However, this study is not to defame either the Trinity doctrine or
the Oneness doctrine. It is merely to give an idea of how these
theologies developed over time. The truth of the matter is that both
doctrines sought to protect the Deity of Jesus Christ.
Since this forum is concerned with pre 325 A.D. Christianity, I'll
only make brief references to anything that happened after the
Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Yet I want to point out a little known
fact. Once the Council of Nicea declared that trinitarianism was the
official religion of the Christian Church, out of this came the loss of
the lives of many Christians.
Here is a quote from Ramsay MacMullen who authored Christianity
& Paganism in the Fourth to Eight Centuries. MacMullen says,
"More Christians died for their faith at the hands of fellow Christians
than had died before in all the persecutions." His reference was to
the forced theology that came out of Nicea and later Councils.
Isn't it amazing? Jesus Himself said, "If my kingdom were of this
world, then my servants would be fighting." How then can all this
bloodshed be said to represent true Christianity? It can't. True
Biblical Christianity is not about forcing men to accept a theology.
It is about a Saviour who came into the world to provide redemption
to a loss humankind.
We will not be able to cover this study in one setting. In Part #1, I'll
deal largely with how the ancient Hebrews viewed God, and what
result this ancient view had on early Christianity. Some of what I
will provide has been stated in previous studies.
Yet to gain a deeper appreciation for Biblical Christianity, we need
to have some knowledge of the ancient faith of God's people. It is
as one Jewish writer says, "Christianity is the most Jewish of all
the non-Jewish religions." Let's find out why this is so.
First let consider the terms 'Oneness' and 'Trinity.' These terms
would have been unfamiliar to the earliest believers. Yet both terms
contain truths that the earliest Christians would recognize. The
problem with Oneness, would be an oversimplication of Deity. Yet
the Jewish Christians would most certainly rally to the 'Unity'
aspect of God.
With the Trinity doctrine, the earliest Christians would likely
scratch their heads. One reason is because the Trinity doctrine
uses Latin terms that have no direct counterpart in either Hebrew or
in Greek. And it would be much too complicated for the simple faith
of the earliest Christians.
The problem is that both concepts are an overreach of Biblical
teaching. While the oneness doctrine is an oversimplification, the
trinity doctrine with its Latin base, can be very complicated. Both
theologies began their development a couple hundred years after
Christ. (Are you surprised?)
One thing early Jewish Christians would agree on in regard to both
Oneness and Trinity theologies, is that there can only be one God.
And this is something both Trinitarians and Oneness believers
need to understand about one another. Neither group teaches a
multiple Godhead. There is a vast difference between tritheism and
trinitarianism.
Now for the ancient Hebrew base. God's ancient people were not
that different from Christians when it came to their view of God. But
their great wonder was with Messiah. Some thought of Him as
God. Others thought He was an angel, in particular, an angel they
called Medatron. Still others thought Messiah would be Hezekiah,
or Melchizedek, or Enoch, or even some other Bible character. So,
like Christians, they held lots of views. The difference is that they
didn't kill one another over the varied views.
As I said earlier, the ancient Jews were less concerned with the
Godhead, than they were with Messiah. They knew there could
only One God. But they were infatuated with Messiah. He was the
center of their world. Just about everything in the Scriptures spoke
to them of Messiah. Where it says, "The Spirit of God hovered over
the surface of the deep," they said, "That was the Spirit of
Messiah."
Where God said, "Let there be light," the ancients said that light
belonged to Messiah. They went on to explain that when Adam
sinned, the light that was given for men to walk in, was withdrawn.
It could only be returned with Messiah. Keep in mind that these
concepts are introduced to Christians in the New Testament.
Where Jacob said, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a
lawgiver from between his feel, until Shiloh comes, and to Him shall
be the obedience of the peoples," they said, 'Shiloh is Messiah.'
So the things we argue over would be of little value to God's ancient
people. I personally believe that Oneness and Trinitarian arguments
are of little value to God's people. If we would learn to speak only
where the Bible speaks, that in itself would nullify most of our
arguments.
Ancient Jewish theology had a concept that was shared with the
Greek philosophers, that they called 'Memra.' This was their
counterpart to 'Logos.'
They believed the Memra, or, the Word of God, was very much God
Himself, but appeared in a form that could be apprehended by
created beings.
Then when they spoke of 'the form of God' they connected this with
the Memra. Often then called Memra, the Messiah. It would go like
this - Since God Himself cannot be seen, to know God, we must
meet Memra, or God's Word. How very Christian this sounds.
To the ancients, Memra (the Word) was God's agent in creation, in
visitations, and in any way that God would have direct contact with
people. Sound familiar? Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me."
Various terms used by the ancient Jews would be interchanged.
The Shekinah and the Messiah were sometimes interchanged.
Then they used the term haKovod, which meant 'the glory' of God.
They said that over the mercy seat was a light. In the light was a
form. The form was called haKavod. But they also said the form
was Messiah.
When Paul said that Jesus, "existed in the form of God," a Jewish
reader would instantly understand what he meant. And when Jesus
said, "I am the light of the world, he who follows Me, will not walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life," a Jewish reader would
likely have a deeper appreciation for what Jesus was actually
saying. They would think of the original creation.
When you understand the Jewish background of the New
Testament, it allows for a deeper appreciation on things that Jesus
said, and things that the apostles wrote.
When John wrote, "We beheld His glory, glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," a Jewish reader
would think, 'Oh, yes. HaKovod.' (Or, the glory of God.)
The list goes on and on.
So we want our world to open up, we must get past creedal
religion, and get back to the Bible itself. Learn to accept some of
the mystery of Deity. Simply let the Lord explain Himself to your
own heart.
What I've shared is a very minute background on the ancient faith.
I'll leave this part of the study open for awhile. Please feel free to
comment.
Next we will look at how various theologies emerged.
The study is open for questions or discussion.
Shalom in Christ,
Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace
of God; that no root of bitterness springing up
causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)