Christians worship a different God than Jesus Christ. Even though they make him part of their
God. Since the third century, and more
so since the fourth century, Christians have even been worshipping a completely
different God than their antecessors, especially those who came from the
original Jesus movement in first century Palestine, the followers of the Way, the
adherents of which were individually called Nasoreans in the beginning.
The English phrase “the Way” translates into Hebrew as
“ha-Darekh”, as in The Way (ha-Derekh), The Truth (ha-Emet), and The Life
(ha-Chayim). In Chinese, the Way or
ha-Derekh becomes Dao. The Dao is not
the same as ha-Derekh, despite the identical nomenclature (in translation),
which is but a coincidence.
The God of the Christians is Trinitarian, a triune Godhead
of three Persons said to be separate and coequal. This Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—is wholly an invention of Gentile Christians that any first century
Israelite would view as anathema.
Israelite here is more appropriate than “Jew”. Although there were some so-called in the
first century CE, the term referred strictly to those native to Judea and their
descendants. For example, look at the
way the composer of the Gospel of John,
almost certainly a Palestinian Israelite himself, used the word “Jew” in his
work, almost as if they were a foreign people (which they certainly considered
themselves).
The Samaritans had a rough parity with Jews in terms of
population both within Palestine and in the Diaspora. Galileans, descendants of undesirables from
Judea exiled to the District (Galil) of the Gentiles (Goyim) plus their
forcibly-converted Iturean Arab neighbors, were barely tolerated by their
Judean cousins, even less so than the also forcibly-converted Idumeans.
The Unity of God, of Yahuweh, was the essential dogma of
every variety of Israelite religion in the first century CE, whether Sadducee,
Bet Shammai Pharisee, Bet Hillel Pharisee, Essene, Samaritan, Bene Tzedek
(precursor to the Karaim), Hellenists, or one of the myriad others. Devout male Israelites in Palestine, and
perhaps some in the Diaspora also, wore the ultimate creedal statement of
belief in the Unity on their left hand and foreheads daily. This statement forms the foundation of the much-expanded
modern Shema, which in the beginning was simply: “Hear, O Israel, YHWH our God,
YHWH is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
And yes, you read correctly; Israelite males in first
century Palestine wore the name of Yahuweh on their foreheads and left wrists
(in what are called “tefillin”), just like the followers of the beast in the Revelation of John the Divine did with
the “number of his name”, 666. In fact,
it was that very thing which the author of Revelation
intended to call to mind. Just as the
fact that the Four Horsemen (Tyranny, War, Famine, and Plague) were intended to
call to mind the Four Craftsmen (Elijah, Righteous Priest, Messiah ben Joseph,
and Messiah ben David) of Rabbanite Jewish eschatology based on Zechariah 1:18-21.
Speaking of that awesome number that scares the crap out of
so many superstitious fools, it represents wealth. Period.
The reason it does in Jewish philosophy going back past the turn of the
era is that it is the number of “talents” the mythical King Solomon (not the
real Prohibition era bootlegger of the same name from Boston) received in
tribute and taxes every year. Having
“666” written on their foreheads and hands meant those people in Revelation worshipped wealth, and probably
advocated libertarianism, neoliberalism, and trickle-down economics.
While it is true, as I have written elsewhere, that the
Alexandrian philosopher Julius Philo Judaeus posited in his early writings what
could have been a rudimentary precursor to the Holy Trinity of the Christians,
the other two “persons” (the Logos, the Word or Reason, and Sophia, or Wisdom)
were for him no more than emanations of the One True God. That was the beginning of his attempt to
harmonize and synchronize Israelite religious philosophy with Platonism. One of Platonism’s central cosmological themes
was that of the Logos as a medium between The One and Creation. Like Israelite religion in the first century,
Platonic philosophy held Wisdom to be a quasi-persona, separate from the
Logos.
But for most Pharisees, Essenes, Sadducees, proto-Karaites,
Samaritans, Hellenists, Galileans, Idumeans, and other Israelites in first
century Palestine, there was just God. In
his subsequent writings, Philo equated Logos with Sophia (he wrote in Greek).
In first century Israelite mystical and philosophical thought,
the Logos (Memra in Hebrew) and Sophia (Hokhma) equate not merely to each other
but also to Understanding (Sapientia/Binah) and the Presence (Shekhinah). All of these were, and still are, considered
emanations of God that are aspects of the Holy Spirit (Pneuma Hagion, Ruach
ha-Kodesh), the means through which the transcendent Lord God Almighty is
immanent in Creation.
Adherents of the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, particularly
evangelicals, point to two New Testament passages in particular to support the
claim that followers of Jesus have always believed in the Trinity. First is the Great Commission in chapter 28
at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, whose verse 19 reads (in RSV): “ Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.
Second is the fifth chapter of the First Epistle of John, who seventh
verse reads (in KJV): “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
The problem with these two verses is that both are
interpolations, or redactions, inserted by scribes committing “pious fraud” in
the name of synchronizing Scripture with later doctrine and dogma. In soaps and scifi series, this is called retcon,
or retroactive continuity. A notable
example of this is the duology of the fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise to finally explain the differences in the
physiology of Klingon foreheads in Star
Trek: The Original Series vis-à-vis that after the franchise was rebooted
in 1987.
The reason given in the ST:ENT episodes was a genetic
alteration to stop a bioweapon targeting Klingon DNA, one which would reverse
itself in later generations. The real
reason was that Gene Roddenberry didn’t have the funding for ST:TOS to create
Klingons as he envisioned them.
Regarding the first of these proof verses, the majority of
scholars believe the entire Great Commission is a redaction, but even if it is
not, passages in the writings of Eusebius of Casesarea in the fourth century CE
prove that the Trinitarian citation is clearly more recent (perhaps a redaction
of an interpolation?), for where that is in later examples, Eusebius cites the
disciples being told to baptize people “in the name of Jesus”.
As for the second, more modern and more accurate
translations consulting the earliest manuscripts leave out the entire clause
and reorder the verses of the chapter.
For instance, its foreign nature is so apparent that the RSV (NT first
published in 1942) leaves it out entirely, which the NRSV does also but offers
it in a footnote.
Some authorities claim that the final verse of 2
Corinthians, 13:14, is an interpolation, but this is probably not the
case. However, the verse, which reads
(RSV), “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all,” does contain an interpolation
since all early manuscripts do not contain the modifier “Holy”. Which, it must be said, would contrast every
other reference to “the Spirit” in Paul’s legitimate writings.
Some claim this verse is an affirmation of the Trinity,
others point out, correctly, that the “Lord Jesus Christ” is separate and
contrasted to “God”, and comes at the beginning rather than the middle of the
list.
So, you may be asking, or at least thinking, “Whence the
Trinity?”. My reply, “Wholly and
completely from Gentile religious motifs”.
Throughout the ancient world the Great Queen or Great Mother
was often depicted as a Triple Goddess in the forms of Maiden, Mother, and
Crone. The Greek goddess Hecate figure
in three of these: Hebe-Hera-Hera-Hecate, Kore-Demeter-Hecate, and
Artemis-Selene-Hecate. The Egyptians had
Hathor-Nephthys-Isis. The Canaanite
version was Qadesh (Asherah)-Astarte-Anath.
Mesopotamians had Inanna-Ishtar-Astarte.
The original Mystery Cult involved the Trinity of Osiris,
Isis, and Horus. Its Hellenistic
counterpart involved the Trinity of Serapis, Isis, and Harpocrates. Other Egyptian triads included Amun-Mut-Khonsu, Ptah-Sekmet-Nefertem, and Khnum-Satet-Anuket.
The Greeks had several trinities, including
Zeus-Poseidon-Hades, Helios-Apollo-Dionysus, and
Persephone-Demeter-Triptolemus.
At the top of the pyramid in ancient Rome was the Capitoline
triad of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, whose temples graced the top of what is
now Al-Aqsa Mount from around 135 CE to the fourth century, when their temples
(now Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque) became churches, along with the
former temples of Venus (Holy Sepulchre) and Mercury (Upper Room).
Hinduism’s supreme god above all others, Brahman, is usually
described as a Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The female counterpart is the trinity of
Parvati, Durga, and Kali.
The ancient Irish had multiple trinities. One most often cited is the trinity of the
war goddesses Morrigan (from Mor Righean, or “Great Queen”), Badb, and
Macha. Other accounts name Anann (the
Mor Righean with her personal name) as the chief warrior goddess who is first
among equals, the others being Badb, Macha, Nemain, and Fea. The other most often mentioned triune deity
is Brigit.
Other Irish trinities were Brian-Iuchar-Iucharba ,
Glon-Gaim-Coscar, Creidne-Luchtaine-Giobhniu, Ethur Mac Cuill-Tether Mac Cecht-Cether
Mac Greinne, and the sovereignty goddesses Eriu-Banba-Fodhla.
So, this whole “mystery” that the Church has been pushing
since Athanasius in the fourth century CE and the Ecumenical Councils that
began that same century, the “mystery” of the Holy Trinity which no one can
really explain these days was not that much of a mystery to Gentiles in the
early Common Era. Because their pagan
religions were its source.
Athanasius promoted his doctrine of the Trinity so strongly because
his theory of atonement, that it came about with the incarnation, required that
Christ (referring to the mythical figure now) be fully divine and fully human
at the same time.
Interestingly, although standard Israelite religion in
ancient times centered on the unity of God, which led them early on into a
rather sophisticated religious philosophical doctrine called “dialectical
monism”, Qabbalah mysticism did eventually create a doctrine of Four Persons taking up
positions on four of its eleven sefirot on the Tree of Life. Hokhmah represents the Father, Binah
represents the Mother, Tif’eret
represents the Son, and Malkhut represents the Daughter.
I guess that would be called a Holy Quadrinity? The argument could easily be made that
traditional Christianity both East and West has its own Holy Quadrinity, adding
to the more orthodox and approved trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the
Theotokos or Mother of God, the Virgin Mary.
Back to my original point: this is not the God whom the
Galilean prophet Isho the Nasorean worshipped when he was actually around. Christians morphed that God into something
unrecognizable, recreating the God of Isho, the God of Jesus, in their own
image.
Footnote: The Gloria
Patri, also known as the Lesser Doxology, which begins “Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit” once began “Glory be to the Father,
through the Son, in the Holy Spirit”, and that did not change until after the
Ecumenical Councils (Nicaea, 325, and Constantinopolis, 381) in the fourth
century. The original is not invalid, but the newer is preferred as it is
more supportive of the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, another example of Christian retcon.
2 comments:
The real pronunciation was not Yahweh but Yahu, this God was also worshipped by the Phoenicians who the Greeks indentified as Poseidon or Kronos.
Do you know the Sybilline Oracles and the Acts of the Pagan Alexandrian Martyrs? What do you think of them? Sybilline Oracles, especially the Book 3 was jewish propaganda in a "Pagan" mouthpiece and the Alexandrian Martyrs were Pagans that acused the Roman Emperors of being under jewish influence and being killed because of that.
Actually, that is incorrect about the pronunciation. Yahu is the older form of the name, which in the Tanakh, or Old Testament, is represented by Hebrew letters that transliterate into the English alphabet as YHWH. Before the Masoretes of Babylon, who, incidentally were not Rabbanite but Karaite Jews, edited the Tanakh into the form used today, the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) had no vowels. None of the Tanakh did, in fact; one of the additions the Masoretes made was to add vowels. When they got to the Name, rather than add the actual vowels, the Masoretes used those from the word Adonai, the word meaning "Lord" which Jews substituted when reading the Tanakh aloud. That's how we ended up with "Jehovah" a name badly mispronounced by evangelicals because they don't realize that in the 17th century, J was pronounced like Y and V was pronounced like W. the pronunciation you suggest is but half the Name.
Post a Comment