Trinity
This is for you, Mishpocah…though I am only a wild branch grafted in, when I became a Christian, the Lord led to and concerned me with Messiah from the ancient Jewish perspective (in the context of His time and His people’s understanding) as opposed to through the gentile understanding which usually goes from the reformers forward. I wish we could talk face to face or e-mail back and forth because I have been given so much I would love to share with you (and everyone but I am not sure they are that interested in their roots, but consider this related to the tri-Une nature of our one and only Lord.
You see, not so contrary to common knowledge, the ancient Jewish Rabbi’s (often uncomfortably) actually wrestled with this idea. For instance, in the Midrash Rabbah Genesis, regarding this very point, we hear Rabbi Samuel Bar Hanman, speaking on the alleged authority of Rabbi Jonathan ben Uzziel, the writer of the Targum Jonathan. In it he tells the following story:
“At the time when Moses wrote...Moses said, 'Master of the Universe, why do you give an excuse here to the sectarians'? God answered him and said, 'You write, and whoever wants to err, let him err'!“
In Rabbinical circles there are certain Quabalistic works respected as “Talmud Torah“, that is for them the Oral Law, one of which is called “The Zohar“. These teachings are attributed to the traditions and teachings of a renowned 1rst century Rabbi named Simeon who appears to dialogue in the Talmud, but allegedly these ancient Jewish traditions were not placed into written form until the 13th century, by a Spanish Jewish Scholar, named Moses De’Leon. Many see them as merely unreliable mystical traditions of historic interest only, but it reflects the illumination of certain circles within the Rabbinic debate. Zoharic references are found throughout the Talmud proper, and to this day “The Zohar“ is held in high esteem among Orthodox and Hasidic Rabbis.
Though the Zohar is more or less rejected by Christians, including myself, as far as being God-inspired writings, but as Rabbinical commentary it is worthy of historical study, because Zohar is considered by them to be Talmud Torah, or part of the Oral Tradition. We Christians as followers of Rabbi Y’shua, who is ha’Moschiach, are advised to not adhere to anything outside the word of God for our authority, but it is of historic interest regarding this tradition that we speak of it here. In volumes II.43 and III.288 the Zohar makes comment regarding the mystery of the word YHVH. It says,
“The Ancient Holy One is revealed in three heads, which are united into one, and that Head is three exalted! The Ancient One is described as being three...how three can be one, can only be known by revelation of the Spirit.“
Imagine those early Apostles of Messiah Y’shua, being brought up under a strict Pharisaic type of Judaism, and then suddenly having their minds opened to the God of Abraham revealing Himself in three distinct persona? The realization that Messiah is the Memra/Logos of God spoken of by the Targumim, and that He is the Son of the Most High referred to over and over, in diverse ways throughout the Old Testament, and the Inter-Testamental literature of Judaism, this must have had a very powerful import on those that came to believe!
In many of our English Translations of Proverbs 22:20, King Solomon has YHVH saying, “Have I not written you excellent things in counsels and knowledge?“ Well the word that is interpreted “excellent“ here, is also the word for “threefold“. Having inspired many, one Rabbi, at the time his name escapes me, who felt it equally important to ask himself, “has Ha’Shem revealed Himself in threefold things, in counsels and knowledge“? And his conclusion was astounding. When reviewing the Torah and the Prophets from this perspective he came to the conclusion that indeed He had. What I then read was about three pages of the many ways that God has revealed His threefold or triune plan in the many things that He had Created. Here are some of them to ponder:
a) Man = body, soul, and spirit
b) Soul = will, intellect, and emotion
c) Family = husband, wife, and offspring
d) Government = Rulers, Prophets, and Priests
e) the Patriarchs = Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
f) the Tabernacle = Outer Court, the Holy place, the Holy of Holies
g) the Tanach = Torah, the Writings, and the Prophets
h) the Mishnah = Talmud, Halakot, Haggadot
i) the Name of God = Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh
j) the Name, the YHVH = three letters
k) the word Torah = three letters
l) the name of Moses = three letters
m) the tribe of Levi = three letters
n) Moses has two assistants, Aaron and Miriam, and so on
And what of the Creation:
o) Proton, electron, neutron
p) the three primary colors
q) space, matter, and time (which is each one and three…space = length, breadth, and width; matter = solid liquid and gas amd up of the atom a oneness composed of three, electrons, protons and neutrons; and time = past, present and future)
r) Earth’s core, mantle, and crust, and on and on…
Each of us has to decide for ourselves whether or not we are going to believe what the word says! He indeed has revealed Himself in the things that are made. Now either we are going to study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen rightly dividing the word of truth, or else, why bother pretending! Is He who is called the Word of God, the Lord Himself, or history’s best liar? And are we going to be believers or make believers? Which are you? I know! Eat well!
Maimonides, another Jewish scholar of renowned, was so upset by the difficulty this idea of God being echad (a Unity of plurality) posed, that is in the light of the Y’shua events, that in his 13 articles of faith, he changed all that in the Scriptures that would have been “echad“, that is this tri-Unity, with the word “yachid“ (to imply God’s numerical oneness) save article 2. The problem is that this taking away from, and adding to God’s word, was always strictly forbidden throughout the Scriptures and in the traditions of Judaism. It was considered abominable to the ethics of all the ancient Rabbi’s and Sages. Maimonides’ over concern disrespects the plenary rendering of the word and this becomes apparent here, even though put forth from a motive of sincerity. However, this is a clear violation of the very rules that Torah hermeneutics dictate in the Scriptures themselves. He obviously was willing to circumvent God’s commanding us not to add to or take away from His word, and not to waver to the right or the left, and thus altering or compromising the revealed truth. Did Maimonides do this for a theology, or to avoid the obvious conclusion? No matter how pure or sincere he considered his intent to be, he nonetheless acted on his human tendency to display his theological bias, and thus fell short of the Glory of God. Aren’t we all guilty of this at one point or another? Thank God for His merciful grace! Not to speak of the fact that Maimonides' (called Rambam) intentional negation is a very loud Rabbinical testimony to the doctrine’s actual presence in God’s Torah! Perhaps it would have been better to argue from the text as it was, or to simply ignore it all together!
Shalom Aliechem!
Paul S.
