the trinity

the trinity

In attempting to witness to a Jew, one of the toughest obstacles to overcome is the concept the Jews have of the Trinity. They basically believe that Christians worship three Gods. This goes totally against the grain of the Jew because of their belief that there is only one God, and they're right. The idea of One-in-Three of the Godhead is foreign to them.

We also must be honest, the finite mind of man cannot fathom the deepness and secrecy of the mind of God. No amount of "examples' or "types" will even come close to explaining the Trinity. So we do our best.

The fact that the second century Church of Jesus Christ was dominated by gentiles didn't help matters. Especially when one considers that the Messiah was a Jew; the Apostles were all Jews; The first church at Jerusalem was made up mostly of Jews; the writers of the New Testament were Jews; the first Christian missionaries were Jews; and Paul, the front-runner for spreading the Gospel and starting churches was a Jew, a former Rabbi.

The Jews were required by the Catholic Church to completely renounce their Jewish heritage, and were forced to embrace "the true Catholic Church and the Holy Trinity. They were forced to renounce all of their customs, rites, feasts, sacrifices, etc. to keep from being persecuted and even put to death. Many Jews chose death, and even suicide rather than succumb to the teaching of the Papacy. It's no wonder that even today, they have such a hard time understanding and accepting the words of a Christian.

What is the Trinity?

Over the centuries, scholars and theologians alike have tried to explain the Trinity using models of one type or another. One model is water: Water is present in three different forms, or modes, A liquid, vapor (Steam), and Solid (Ice). But this is not a perfect representation, it has its problems.

Another model has been the triunity of man. Man is made up of three "parts", Body, Soul and Spirit. The body of course is that "shell" which houses the soul and spirit. The soul is the mind, will and emotions, the spirit is that part which creates in us a "God Consciousness", the "knowledge" that there is a creator greater than ourselves. But this model has its problems.

Another model which comes close but still has flaws is that of light. White light is made up of three primary colors, Red, Blue, and Green. A prism breaks down white light in these three colors. But....still not perfect. You see, trying to explain infinity with a finite mind just isn't as easy as we may think.

Being a musician, another model of the Trinity that I have used is a Chord played on a piano, guitar, or even sung. A chord is made up of 3 (or more) single notes, yet when played or sung, it is a single sound, made up of the three individual tones.

Let's face it, it isn't as easy as it looks.

The Shema

The most widely recognized and spoken confession of faith used by the Jews is a prayer called the Shema. The opening sentence is Shema Yisrael Yahweh Elohenu Yahweh Ehchad. (The Orthodox Jew will not pronounce the sacred name "Yahweh", so he will substitute "Adonai" - "Lord" - for "Yahweh).

The English translation is: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD". Orthodox Jews will recite this prayer three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening. It is the basis of their beliefs, that God is one, and there are no other "Gods" than He. This is why when the Jews are witnessed to, it is better not to mention the word "Trinity", but to substitute the word "Triunity". It won't help much, because the rabbis have taken this verse to mean that God cannot be three, because He is one.

Yachid or Echad

In the English language, we only have one word for "one". It can be used in many different forms and can mean a single "one" or a "one" made up of a plurality.

We talk of being "one" nation, but we are made up of millions of people. In Hebrew, there are two words for "one". The first word, "Yachid" always represents an absolute "one". It appears twelve times in the Tanakh. For example, when God told Abraham to "Take now thy son, thine ONLY (Yachid) son Isaac...." (Gen. 22:2)

The strange thing about this passage is that Abraham had another son, Ishmael who had been born several years earlier, but in God's eyes, Isaac was Abraham's "only" son in regard to His promise to Abraham.

Again in Zech. 12:10, we find Yachid used:....and they shall look upon me whom they have
pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his ONLY son....). There are many other examples. Psalm 25:16; Jeremiah 6:26; etc. So the meaning of yachid is clearly a singular "one".

However, the word Moses used in the Shema was not yachid, but echad which indicates a
complexity of oneness, a unity, or "togetherness".

In Genesis 1:5, we read "....And there was evening and there was morning, ONE (echad) day" . The "day" was actually broken up into two parts, morning and evening, yet constituted "one" day.

Again in Genesis 2:24, echad us used to describe the "one flesh" (Hebrew: bashar echad) aspect of the marriage between Adam and Eve. Later, when Moses sent the twelve spies into Canaan, they returned bearing a large cluster of grapes (Hebrew: eschol echad). Again, "one" cluster containing "many" grapes. (See Numbers 13:23)

In Ezra 2:64, echad is used again: "the whole congregation TOGETHER (echad) numbered
42,360" One congregation, many members.

Maimonides

Moses Maimonides (my-MON-e-dees - 1135 - 1204 ) was a knowledgeable Jewish philosopher, and physician who served as chief rabbi of Cairo, and was the personal physician to Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and Syria. He came to become known as "the Rambam", a title derived from his full name, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon. He was also given the title of "second Moses" due to his contributions to the development of rabbinic Judaism. He wrote Mishneh Torah, a commentary of fourteen books pertaining to the Torah, the First Five books of the Law, IE Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These were written between 1170 and 1180. He also formulated the Thirteen Articles of Faith which are still the funda- mental creeds of Orthodox Judaism.

Based on the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4. He taught the Jews to recite every day: "I believe with a perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, is ONE". Also, the second of the thirteen Articles of Faith states: "I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed by His name, is a Unity, and that there is no unity in any manner like unto his, and that he alone is our God, who was, is and will be."

The only problem, he substituted the word "echad", which was used in the original Hebrew Text written by Moses, with "yachid", showing that the Rambam clearly understood the
ramifications of using "echad" or "one in plurality", thus bypassing the obvious indications of the "Trinity".

One may ask upon what authority did Maimonides replace Moses' words, when in Article seven of the Thirteen Articles, Maimonides himself asserts: "I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be unto him, was true, and that he was the chief of the prophets, both of those that preceded and of those that followed him."

The first place in the Old Testament that we get a glimpse of at least one other aspect of the
Trinity is in Genesis 1:2. The first verse of Genesis One states: "In the beginning God Created the heavens and the Earth. In verse two we read: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit (Hebrew: ruach) of God moved upon the face of the waters." Here in these first two verses we find "God", and "Spirit", two out of three ain't bad. Let's move on!

Elohim

In Hebrew, plural nouns are formed by adding the suffix "im". We have all heard of a cherub; "cherubim" is the plural form; seraph - seraphim; Talmud, several "Talmudim", and so on. It is obvious that the "im" ending on the noun "Elohim" indicates a plurality of persons.

While it is true that is some cases, this "im" ending can mean a "majestic plural" when used
with a singular verb, such as in the case of Genesis 42:30, when Joseph was called "the lord (elohim) of Egypt. While it is obvious that Joseph was only one person, the "majestic plural" was used in the Hebrew to show his position in Egypt. However, this isn't an adequate explanation for the other plural pronouns and adjectives that are used in connection with "elohim".

Genesis 1:26: "And (Elohim) said, Let US make man in OUR image...." And again in 3:22 "And the Lord (Elohim) said, Behold, the man is become as ONE of US". Other examples: Deuteronomy 4:7 "elohim krovim, "a God so nigh"; and in Joshua 24:19: " Elohim k'doshim, a holy God."

And one more in Genesis 11:6 -7, where we encounter the building of the Tower of Babel; "And the LORD (yahweh) said...Go to, let US go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." Who is the "us", "we" and "our" mentioned in these passages? Some rabbinic scholars and commentators have suggested these pronouns refer to the angels. The problem with that theory is that the angels did not take part in the creation of the Earth, and man was not made "in the image" of the angels, but of God.

Surprisingly, not all Jews look upon the doctrine of the Trinity as "heresy". The Reform and
Liberal Jews have been more tolerant of this doctrine than the Orthodox Jews. Claude Goldsmid Montefiore said: "I am aware that in the purest and most philosophical presentation of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, no infraction of divine Unity is intended. It is needful for the Jewish Theologian to consider anew the interpretation of the Trinity."

Rabbi Tzvi Nassi (Hirsch Prinz), a Lecturer of Hebrew at Oxford University, wrote a
comprehensive study entitled, "The Great Mystery: How Can Three Be One?" In this work he shows how the Hebrew Scriptures portray the God of Israel in a "threefold" way:

1-As Father and King;

2-as Eternal Son, or the "Angel of Yahweh" (in rabbinic writings, He is often referred to as
"Metatron" and in the "Targumin"* as "Memra (the Word).

3-as "Ruach HaKodesh", the Holy Spirit.

His sources include the "Targumim", the Babylonian and Palestinian "Talmudim", and the books of the Jewish "Kabbalah, particularly the "Zohar"

*(Targum - Plural: Targumim) Early translations of the Bible into Aramaic, the native language of Palestine and Babylon in the first century A.D.)

Read what the "Zohar" states regarding the Tetra- grammaton - YHWH: "come and see the
mystery of the word YHWH: there are tree steps, each existing by itself: nevertheless, they are One, and so united that one cannot be separated from the other. The Ancient Holy One is revealed with three heads, which are united into one, and the head is three exalted. The
Ancient One is described as being three: because the other lights emanating from Him are
included in the three. But how can three names be one? Are they really one because we call
them one? How three can be one can only be known through the revelation of the Holy Spirit."

In its comments on the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4, the Zohar asks, "Why is there need of
mentioning the name of God three times in this verse?" Then it gives the answer: The first
Jehovah is the Father Above. The second is the stem of Jesse, the Messiah who is to come from the family of Jesse through David. And the third one is the way which is below (meaning the Holy Spirit who shows us the way) and these three are one."

So as you can see, even the early writings of the Rabbis in their own books affirm the existence of the "Three in One". While not completely understanding this concept, they at least admitted its presence.

The Tanakh

While it is true that no distinct reference to the Trinity is made in the Tanakh, (Hebrew Bible),
the concept is revealed and implied more than once.

In the Torah (First Five Books of the Tanakh IE, the Pentateuch)

Genesis 16:7 7 "And the angel of the LORD found her (Hagar) by a fountain of water in the
wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur."

Here we are introduced to the "Angel of the Lord" found many times in the writings of Moses and others. These appearances took place many times, and are, in fact, appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ, which are called "Christophanies". He appears a few verses later in Genesis 22:12, where He commands Abraham "...Lay not thine hand upon the lad,..." (Isaac, when Abraham was about to sacrifice to God).

An ordinary angel would not have the authority to countermand God's order...only God Himself can do this. And in verse 12, the "angel" states: "...now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from ME". It is obvious that this angel is calling Himself "God".

In Genesis 32: 24-32, we read the story of Jacob's wrestling match: "And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day (v.24)" Who was this "man" with whom Jacob wrestled? Verse 30 gives us the answer: "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Again, we see the "angel" allowing Himself to be called God.

We encounter this "angel of the LORD" again in Exodus 3:2-7:

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him (Moses) in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and
have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

So here again, we have the "angel of the Lord" identifying Himself as God.

Once again, in Joshua 5: 13-15, we meet up with the "angel of the Lord" just before the battle of Jericho:

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked,
and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and
Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his
servant?

15 And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Notice that this "angel" did not forbid Joshua to worship Him as is done in other passages by actual angels. He called Himself the "Captain" of the Lord's hosts. This is not some lower-ranked officer. In Hebrew terminology, the Captain is the "top man". Also, it obvious that Joshua would have remembered the words God gave to Moses regarding the "place where he standest being Holy Ground.

TheNevi'im (The Prophets)

We find many references to the "Three-in-One" in the writings of the Prophets. Isaiah 63, verses 7 through 14 clearly show the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit:

7 "I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD*, and the praises of the LORD*, according to all that the LORD* hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses".

*LORD = God the Father

8 "For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

9 In all their affliction he (the Son0 was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his** love and in his** pity he** redeemed them; and he** bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit***: therefore he was turned to be their enemy,
and he fought against them.

11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that
brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his Holy
Spirit*** within him?

12 That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before
them, to make himself an everlasting name?

13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not
stumble?

14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD*** caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name".

Again in Isaiah 48: 12-16. We find the Triunity of God clearly defined. "The LORD God (Verse 16); the First and the last (Verse 12, identified as the "me" in verse 16); and his Spirit (verse 16) Three Persons...One God.

Messiah = God

A real sore point with the Jews is the fact that they cannot conceive of Messiah being "God", for God cannot die. But we find in Isaiah 9:6-7, that Messiah is very much identified as "God":

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: (Who Is "giving"?...God the Father!) and the govern- ment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

It's clear that the prophesied child would stem from David, giving Him authority and a Kingdom.
Obviously, this has not taken place yet, David's Throne wasn't in existence at the time of
Christ, so this prophecy is future. Isaiah calls Messiah "The Mighty God", an un-mistakable title of Deity.

The rabbis have attempted to explain away this message of Deity of Messiah by assuming the name "Mighty God" refers to a "godlike person" or hero, not true Deity. However, this doesn't hold water, for in the next chapter, Isaiah uses the same terminology when he refers to "the LORD, the Holy One of Israel": "The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto THE MIGHTY GOD (El Gibbor). Isaiah 10:21.

In every instance in Scripture where the Hebrew name El Gibbor shows up, it is referring to
God. (See Deut. 10:17; Neh. 9:32)

Again, in Jeremiah 32:18, the Hebrew reads: "Gibbor El Yahweh Tsaba Shem" - literally, "The Mighty God, the LORD of hosts is His name." To state that this name does not refer to deity in Isaiah 9:6 is contradicting its use and meaning in all of the other Scriptures.

The Ketuvim (The Writings)

In the second Psalm, we see Jehovah (the LORD) identifying the Messiah as His Son, (The
"Anointed")

2 "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the
LORD, and against his anointed, saying....."

Then a few verses later Jehovah states:

6 "Yet have I (Jehovah, God) set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me (Jesus talking now, quoting the
Father), Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."

The way the Rabbi commentators and scholars get around this passage is to delegate its
prophetic overtones to King David and his son, Solomon. However, Jewish philosopher and scholar E. W. Hengstenberg offered this explanation: "It is an undoubted fact, and unanimously admitted even by the recent opposers of its reference to Him, that the Psalm (Psalm 2) was universally regarded by the ancient Jews as foretelling the Messiah.

Paul in fact, quoted this Psalm as a prophecy of the Resurrection of Messiah at Antioch. (Acts 13:33)

Another Psalm that gives the rabbis migraines is 110:1. Here we have a "heavenly' conversation between God the Father, (the LORD, or Yahweh), and God the Son, (the Messiah, or David's "Lord" - Adonai):

"The LORD said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool."

It should come as no surprise that the above passage was quoted more often in the New
Testament than any other Old Testament passage. (See Matt. 22:44; 26:64; Mark 12:36; 16:19; Luke 20:42-43; 22:6-9; Acts 2:34-35; 7:55; Romans 8:34; Eph. 1:20-22; col. 3:1; Hebrews 1:3 and 13; 8:1; 10:12-13; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22)

The Three "Persons"

In speaking of the Triune Godhead, the three divine "Persons" are so intertwined, it is virtually impossible to separate them one from another. The three primary Old Testament names of deity, Jehovah, Adonai, and Elohim, are applied directly to each of the three Person of the Trinity.

The Father is known in the Old Testament by all three names - Jehovah, Adonai, and Elohim. Other names used of God the Father is El Elyon, The Most High God, (Gen 14:18-22); El Olam, the Everlasting God (Gen. 21:33; Isaiah 40:28) and El Shaddai, God Almighty (Gen. 17:2) The Hebrew name for "father" is ab ("abba" in Aramaic)

The name "Yahweh" occurs 6,828 times in the Old Testament and is thought to stem from the Hebrew verb "to be", signifying God as the "Self-existent One", the one who was, and is, and is to come. When God told Moses His name, "Í Am", He was identifying Himself as the "Self-Existent One". (Exodus 3: 14-15)

The "Son" is referred to as "El" (God) in Isaiah 9:6, and as "Jehovah" in Psalm 68:18, Isaiah
6:1-3, and 45:21.

The Holy Spirit is called the "Spirit of the Lord" in Isaiah 11:2, literally "Ruach Yahweh"; and
the Spirit of God in Genesis 1:2, and Exodus 31:3, Literally "Ruach Elohim" . In Isaiah 61:1, He is the "spirit of the Lord God," Literally, "Ruach Adonai Yahweh". This was the Spirit that was upon Moses in Numbers 11:25 - 29.

For more Old Testament designations of the Spirit, see: Numbers 11:17; 25-26; Genesis 6:3;
Psalm 106:33; Neh. 9:20; Psalm 51:12; Isaiah 63:10-11; Ezek. 11:19; 18:31; 36:26; Isaiah 11:2; and Zech 12:10.

The Bottom Line

Rabbinic Judaism refuses to deviate from the traditional descriptions of Messiah as a mortal
man. They cannot conceive of God dying. He will be human, like Moses, and will someday
appear to (A) rebuild the temple in Jerusalem; (B) Deliver God's people (the Jews) from
oppression and persecution; and (C) estab- lish the messianic Kingdom Age. According to the rabbis, the doctrine of the Incarnation held by Christians is blasphemous, just as is the doctrine of the Trinity. Before any attempt is made to witness to a Jewish friend, do your homework. Study some of these verses, and be able to at least paraphrase them. Have an Old Testament handy, one belonging to the person you're witnessing to is fine, it is basically the same as the
Christian Old Testament, and show them in their own Bible some of these passages.

If it is laid upon your heart to take this on as a ministry, an excellent reference source is the
Christian Jew Foundation, PO Box 345, San Antonio Texas, 78292. Their Website address is
www.cjf.org.

Most of the above article was excerpted from an excellent book on this subject: "Do Christians Worship Three Gods?" By Gary Hedrick, president of CJF. They have many wonderful books and tapes regarding bringing the message of Salvation to the Jews.

We at Shalom Israel sincerely hope this and other articles regarding the Jews,
Jerusalem, and Israel will bring about a love and burden for the peace and salvation of these people. We welcome your comments, questions, and even criticisms. Our E-mail address is maranatha21@roadrunner.com

Shalom!

Back to Topics Page

Back to Home Page

Back to "Table Of Contents" Page