How does one tell the difference?
Who is the "True God of the Bible" ?
by Phizzy 123 Replies latest watchtower bible
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rawe
Hi Phizzy,
Your thread raises a good question. I have not read all the posts in this thread, so please forgive me if some of this is a repeat.
There are two main God's of the OT. Jehovah and Elohim who are sometimes blended into one. You can see the separation of these most clearly in Genesis where Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 uses Elohim exclusively and at 2:4 Jehovah appears. The documentary hypothesis speaks more about how these two different dieties differ.
The OT writers are often concerned about rival gods such as Baal, who clearly people believed in as real at the time.
There is no question the development of 'God' continued after the OT writing ended. By the time the NT gets penned "Jehovah" by name completely disappears, although one NT writer use "Jah" in Revelation as part of the HalleluJAH phrase. I see three Gods in the NT.
There is the God of Jesus, who he called "Father"
There is the God of Paul, who he called "God"
And Paul also made Jesus Christ into "God"
Beyond the Gospels, it is Paul's letters that make up the bulk of NT writing. And they are filled to the brim with Jesus-speak -- he is the creator of all, all knowledge and wisdom is in him, Jesus this, Jesus that, etc. When modern day Christians go on and on about Jesus they are reflecting that mindset. To be clear, I don't think Paul or any other NT writer succeeded in defining the Trinity, but I see Paul more than any other laying the foundation for this post-Biblical doctrine.
Cheers,
-Randy
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mP
Randy
And Paul also made Jesus Christ into "God"
mP:
But is Pauls Jesus the same as the one of the gospels.
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Phizzy
Good question mP, it does not appear so, there are far too many differences, it is almost as though Paul's Christology was getting too much of a hold, and the later of the Gospels (assuming Mark to be the oldest) almost seem to be a riposte to Paul and an attempt to build an alternative Myth/Cult.