Post by iris89 on Nov 13, 2007 22:36:52 GMT -5
Sequel #2 to The Trinity, So Called The Central Doctrine of Christianity Is NOT As Billed
INTRODUCTION:
Many consider the doctrine of the Trinity as the so called central doctrine of Christianity, but is this so or is it the greatest hoax ever worked against humanity by an unseen enemy, Satan the Devil, let's look at the facts.
The writer Emil Brunner, well known German historian wrote in his book:
<<<" There is no evidence the Apostles of Jesus ever heard of a Trinity.
The Bible does not teach the doctrine of the Trinity. Neither the word Trinity itself, nor such language as one in three, three in one, one essence or substance or three persons, is biblical language. The language of the doctrine is the language of the ancient Church, taken not from the Bible but from classical Greek philosophy.
Long before the founding of Christianity the idea of a triune god or a god-in-three persons was a common belief in ancient religions. Although many of these religions had many minor deities, they distinctly acknowledged that there was one supreme God who consisted of three persons or essences. The Babylonians used an equilateral triangle to represent this three-in-one god, now the symbol of the modern three-in-one believers. The Greek triad was composed of Zeus, Athena and Apollo. These three were said by the pagans to 'agree in one.' One of the largest pagan temples built by the Romans was constructed at Ballbek (situated in present day Lebanon) to their Trinity of Jupiter, Mercury and Venus. In Babylon the planet Venus was revered as special and was worshipped as a Trinity consisting of Venus, the moon and the sun. This triad became the Babylonian holy Trinity in the fourteenth century before Christ. Although other religions for thousands of years before Christ was born worshipped a triune god, the Trinity was not a part of Christian dogma and formal documents of the first three centuries after Christ. That there was no formal, established doctrine of the Trinity until the fourth century is a fully documented historical fact. Clearly, historians of church dogma and systematic theologians agree that the idea of a Christian Trinity was not a part of the first century church. The twelve apostles never subscribed to it or received revelation about it. So how then did a trinitarian doctrine come about? It gradually evolved and gained momentum in late first, second and third centuries as pagans, who had converted to Christianity, brought to Christianity some of their pagan beliefs and practices.
[source - The Christian Doctrine of God By Emil Brunner]>>>.
Even more telling against this false doctrine is what Jesus (Yeshua) Christ said at John 14:28, "Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you. If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I." (American Standard Version; ASV). And what Jesus (Yeshua) Christ said in his prayer to his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) shortly before he was executed at John 17:3, "And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ." (ASV).
Of course, it was to be expected that most of the so called followers of Christ, so called Christians, would be mislead and make teachers for themselves as foretold at 2Timothy 4:3, "For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts;" (ASV); and 2Peter 2:1, "But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction." (ASV).
Jesus (Yeshua) knew this as shown by what he said at Luke 13:24 and Matthew 7:13-14, it is in both of these that the road followed by true believers would be narrow and cramped, Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." (Authorized King James Bible: AV); And Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, abroad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (AV); thereby, clearly showing few would be entering the narrow gate "which leadeth unto life." In reality, it will be difficult for even true Christians to enter as testified to at 1 Peter 4:18, "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear." (AV). In order to enter, we must have the right sort of guide, Luke 1:79, "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (AV). Now, if one picks the wrong group, just because it is popular or the so called 'one to belong to in a community' and not because of Bible Truths, there is an important warning given at Matthew 15:14, "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." (AV). In fact, being with the wrong group can mean you are NOT having fellowship with the Son of God, Jesus (Yeshua) as testified to at 1 John 1:6, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not [have] the truth." (AV). This danger is made abundantly clear at Luke 12:32 when Jesus (Yeshua) spoke of his true followers as a little flock and not a large one, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (AV). Simply stated, his true followers will be relatively few in number which should cause all sincere individuals to question whether mainstream religion with its vast membership is heading for the narrow gate!
SCRIPTURAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Now should it come as a surprise that what many call the central doctrine of Christianity is actually nothing but a great hoax? Yet many consider this pagan doctrine of Satan the Devil to be essential for one's salvation even though the early Christians knew nothing of it and the word Trinity nowhere appears in the Bible. So where does it come from? It comes from paganism which genuine followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ are told to avoid as it is a thing of the world per James 4:4, "Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God." (ASV).
In fact, Athanasius [of the 4th century] never knew of the "Athanasian Creed," as it was not formulated until the 8th century C.E.; for details see the Encyclopedia Britannica, 9th Edition, Vol. 6, page 497. The doctrine of the Trinity, however, was firmly established by Constantine and others at the Council of Nicea in 325 C.E. It was at this council also, that the Roman Emperor advised the assembled bishops not to "follow the blindness of the Jews" by observing the seventh day Sabbath.
According to the Apostle John as stated at John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." (ASV). Now what does the word beget mean? According to the dictionary,
Beget = 1. To father; sire. 2. To cause to exist or occur; produce: Violence begets more violence. Inflected forms: be·got (-gt), be·got·ten (-gtn) or be·got, be·get·ting, be·gets [source - The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.]
Note, it says to father; sire an offspring and Revelation 3:14 says, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:" (ASV). So as can be seen, Jesus (Yeshua) was the first creation and the only direct creation of Almighty God (YHWH) so Jesus (Yeshua) can be said to be the only begotten Son of Almighty God (YHWH) in a special sense.
Let's look into this fact in more detail, <<<" How He Is The Only-Begotten Son:
Why is Jesus (Yeshua) called the only begotten Son of God (YHWH) when in reality there are many sons of God (YHWH)? John 1:14 states, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (ASV); And at John 3:16-18, " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God." (ASV); And at 1 John 4:9, "Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him." (ASV); now this does not mean that the other created spirit beings were not also God's (YHWH's) sons, as they are also called sons as affirmed at Genesis 6:2, "that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose." (ASV); And at job 1:6, "Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them" (ASV); And at Job 38:4-7, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (ASV); And at Job 2:1, "Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah." (ASV). So what makes Jesus (Yeshua) unique?
He is unique by virtue of his being the only direct creation by Almighty God (YHWH), thus making him different from all others of God's (YHWH's) sons, allof whom were created or begotten by god (YHWH) through that firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). Therefore, Jesus was God's (YHWH) 'only-begotten Son' in a very special sense just as Isaac was Abraham's 'only-begotten son' in a special sense even though he already had a son, Ishamel, but not by his wife Sarah as testified to at Hebrews 11:17, "By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten [son];" (ASV); And at Genesis 16:15, "And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael." (ASV).
Of course some will say begotten does not mean create, but they never quantify what it means. They have to consider the facts which are (1) the Bible says at Revelation 3:14, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:" (ASV); (2) the meaning of the word create which is "To cause to come into existence; originate" [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]; (3) That humans create by means of copulation as did Abraham in the creation or begetting of his son, Isaac, as shown in Hebrews 11:17 and Genesis 16:15, quoted previously; whereas, the Bible makes no mention of a Mrs. God (YHWH). Therefore, God (YHWH) creates differently, obviously, from man. He always existed as shown at Psalms 90:2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. " (ASV); And at Psalms 93:2, "Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from everlasting." (ASV); and at Job 36:26, "Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable." (ASV); And at 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (ASV). Of course another way of looking at the verb beget is to look at its synonyms and its definition which are (1) To procreate; be the father of. (2) To cause to be; occasion [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]. Now that makes it clear one of its meanings is to cause to be same as for create. If that is not clear enough for some, let's consider the definition of its synonym as given above, procreate which means by definition (1) To engender or beget (offspring), (2) To originate; produce; and at its ethnology from Latin, [- before + creare to create> ] which leaves no doubt that it means to create as does the other synonym, engender which by definition means (1) To cause to exist; give rise to; produce. (2) beget, (3) To come into being; and its ethnology from Latin [- in + genus, generis race] [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries].
Of course some critics say that having been created makes Jesus (Yeshua) inferior, but the Bible shows the exact opposite at Philippians 2:1-11, "If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, 2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 [doing] nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; 4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (ASV). Obviously all thinking people should believe the Bible and not accept the opinions of man." [source - Documentary on Jesus (Yeshua) by Iris the Preacher 2003][note: it can be read at, religioustruths.proboards59.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=jesus&thread=1163804424&page=1 as of 11/13/2007]
John 1:3, "All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made." (ASV). Now if all things were made through him, this would indicate that he was a subordinate carrying out the orders of a superior or higher authority, and indeed this was the case. Let's look at this reality in more detail. <<<" The Jewish Law of Agencies which is basically as follows, "Jesus (Yeshua) was God's (YHWH's) appointed agent in accordance with the 'Biblical law of agency' described as, "Scripture mentions something being done by Person A, whilst another mentions it being done by Person B. This is best understood when we grasp the Schaliach Principle, or the Jewish Law of Agency, which is expressed in the dictum, "A person's agent is regarded as the person himself." Therefore any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principle." (The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion, R.J.Z. Werblowski and Geoffrey Wigoder). Now that we know what the Jewish Law of Agencies is, let's see how it applies to Jesus (Yeshua).
First it is necessary to understand that Jesus (Yeshua) is often referred to as the 'Word' as shown at John 1:114, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (ASV); And at 1 John 1:1, "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life " (ASV); And at Revelation 19:13, "And he [is] arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God." (ASV). That which is said about the Word in the New Testament fits remarkably the description of 'wisdom' in the Old Testament given at Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (ASV). There wisdon is personified, and represented as able to speak and act per Proverbs 8:1, "Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice?" (ASV). In fact it was understood by many Christian writers of the early centuries of the C.E. that this section referred symbolically to God's (YHWH) Son, Jesus (Yeshua) in his pre-human state. Thus, in view of the scriptures already considered, there is no denying that the Son, Jesus (Yeshua) was 'produced' by God (YHWH) 'as the "beginning of his way, Before his works of old" or the earliest of his achievements very long ago and was beside God (YHWH) as his agent or master worker during the creation of the earth as described in Proverbs just quoted. Hebrew, like modern day Spanish, assigns gender to its nouns, and the word for 'wisdom' is always in the feminine gender. Thus, this would remain the case even when is personified and therefore would not rule out wisdom's being used in a figurative way to represent God's firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). It is to be remembered that the title "gohe'leth"or "Kohelet" or congregator in English that Solomon applied to himself at Ecclesiastes 1:1, "The words of Kohelet, the son of David, king in Yerushalayim" (Hebrew Names Version of World English Bible ), and this word also is in the feminine gender.
See Part Two of Sequel #2
INTRODUCTION:
Many consider the doctrine of the Trinity as the so called central doctrine of Christianity, but is this so or is it the greatest hoax ever worked against humanity by an unseen enemy, Satan the Devil, let's look at the facts.
The writer Emil Brunner, well known German historian wrote in his book:
<<<" There is no evidence the Apostles of Jesus ever heard of a Trinity.
The Bible does not teach the doctrine of the Trinity. Neither the word Trinity itself, nor such language as one in three, three in one, one essence or substance or three persons, is biblical language. The language of the doctrine is the language of the ancient Church, taken not from the Bible but from classical Greek philosophy.
Long before the founding of Christianity the idea of a triune god or a god-in-three persons was a common belief in ancient religions. Although many of these religions had many minor deities, they distinctly acknowledged that there was one supreme God who consisted of three persons or essences. The Babylonians used an equilateral triangle to represent this three-in-one god, now the symbol of the modern three-in-one believers. The Greek triad was composed of Zeus, Athena and Apollo. These three were said by the pagans to 'agree in one.' One of the largest pagan temples built by the Romans was constructed at Ballbek (situated in present day Lebanon) to their Trinity of Jupiter, Mercury and Venus. In Babylon the planet Venus was revered as special and was worshipped as a Trinity consisting of Venus, the moon and the sun. This triad became the Babylonian holy Trinity in the fourteenth century before Christ. Although other religions for thousands of years before Christ was born worshipped a triune god, the Trinity was not a part of Christian dogma and formal documents of the first three centuries after Christ. That there was no formal, established doctrine of the Trinity until the fourth century is a fully documented historical fact. Clearly, historians of church dogma and systematic theologians agree that the idea of a Christian Trinity was not a part of the first century church. The twelve apostles never subscribed to it or received revelation about it. So how then did a trinitarian doctrine come about? It gradually evolved and gained momentum in late first, second and third centuries as pagans, who had converted to Christianity, brought to Christianity some of their pagan beliefs and practices.
[source - The Christian Doctrine of God By Emil Brunner]>>>.
Even more telling against this false doctrine is what Jesus (Yeshua) Christ said at John 14:28, "Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you. If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I." (American Standard Version; ASV). And what Jesus (Yeshua) Christ said in his prayer to his Father, Almighty God (YHWH) shortly before he was executed at John 17:3, "And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ." (ASV).
Of course, it was to be expected that most of the so called followers of Christ, so called Christians, would be mislead and make teachers for themselves as foretold at 2Timothy 4:3, "For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts;" (ASV); and 2Peter 2:1, "But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction." (ASV).
Jesus (Yeshua) knew this as shown by what he said at Luke 13:24 and Matthew 7:13-14, it is in both of these that the road followed by true believers would be narrow and cramped, Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." (Authorized King James Bible: AV); And Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, abroad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (AV); thereby, clearly showing few would be entering the narrow gate "which leadeth unto life." In reality, it will be difficult for even true Christians to enter as testified to at 1 Peter 4:18, "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear." (AV). In order to enter, we must have the right sort of guide, Luke 1:79, "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (AV). Now, if one picks the wrong group, just because it is popular or the so called 'one to belong to in a community' and not because of Bible Truths, there is an important warning given at Matthew 15:14, "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." (AV). In fact, being with the wrong group can mean you are NOT having fellowship with the Son of God, Jesus (Yeshua) as testified to at 1 John 1:6, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not [have] the truth." (AV). This danger is made abundantly clear at Luke 12:32 when Jesus (Yeshua) spoke of his true followers as a little flock and not a large one, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (AV). Simply stated, his true followers will be relatively few in number which should cause all sincere individuals to question whether mainstream religion with its vast membership is heading for the narrow gate!
SCRIPTURAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Now should it come as a surprise that what many call the central doctrine of Christianity is actually nothing but a great hoax? Yet many consider this pagan doctrine of Satan the Devil to be essential for one's salvation even though the early Christians knew nothing of it and the word Trinity nowhere appears in the Bible. So where does it come from? It comes from paganism which genuine followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ are told to avoid as it is a thing of the world per James 4:4, "Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God." (ASV).
In fact, Athanasius [of the 4th century] never knew of the "Athanasian Creed," as it was not formulated until the 8th century C.E.; for details see the Encyclopedia Britannica, 9th Edition, Vol. 6, page 497. The doctrine of the Trinity, however, was firmly established by Constantine and others at the Council of Nicea in 325 C.E. It was at this council also, that the Roman Emperor advised the assembled bishops not to "follow the blindness of the Jews" by observing the seventh day Sabbath.
According to the Apostle John as stated at John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." (ASV). Now what does the word beget mean? According to the dictionary,
Beget = 1. To father; sire. 2. To cause to exist or occur; produce: Violence begets more violence. Inflected forms: be·got (-gt), be·got·ten (-gtn) or be·got, be·get·ting, be·gets [source - The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.]
Note, it says to father; sire an offspring and Revelation 3:14 says, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:" (ASV). So as can be seen, Jesus (Yeshua) was the first creation and the only direct creation of Almighty God (YHWH) so Jesus (Yeshua) can be said to be the only begotten Son of Almighty God (YHWH) in a special sense.
Let's look into this fact in more detail, <<<" How He Is The Only-Begotten Son:
Why is Jesus (Yeshua) called the only begotten Son of God (YHWH) when in reality there are many sons of God (YHWH)? John 1:14 states, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (ASV); And at John 3:16-18, " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God." (ASV); And at 1 John 4:9, "Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him." (ASV); now this does not mean that the other created spirit beings were not also God's (YHWH's) sons, as they are also called sons as affirmed at Genesis 6:2, "that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose." (ASV); And at job 1:6, "Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them" (ASV); And at Job 38:4-7, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (ASV); And at Job 2:1, "Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah." (ASV). So what makes Jesus (Yeshua) unique?
He is unique by virtue of his being the only direct creation by Almighty God (YHWH), thus making him different from all others of God's (YHWH's) sons, allof whom were created or begotten by god (YHWH) through that firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). Therefore, Jesus was God's (YHWH) 'only-begotten Son' in a very special sense just as Isaac was Abraham's 'only-begotten son' in a special sense even though he already had a son, Ishamel, but not by his wife Sarah as testified to at Hebrews 11:17, "By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten [son];" (ASV); And at Genesis 16:15, "And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael." (ASV).
Of course some will say begotten does not mean create, but they never quantify what it means. They have to consider the facts which are (1) the Bible says at Revelation 3:14, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:" (ASV); (2) the meaning of the word create which is "To cause to come into existence; originate" [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]; (3) That humans create by means of copulation as did Abraham in the creation or begetting of his son, Isaac, as shown in Hebrews 11:17 and Genesis 16:15, quoted previously; whereas, the Bible makes no mention of a Mrs. God (YHWH). Therefore, God (YHWH) creates differently, obviously, from man. He always existed as shown at Psalms 90:2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. " (ASV); And at Psalms 93:2, "Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from everlasting." (ASV); and at Job 36:26, "Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable." (ASV); And at 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (ASV). Of course another way of looking at the verb beget is to look at its synonyms and its definition which are (1) To procreate; be the father of. (2) To cause to be; occasion [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]. Now that makes it clear one of its meanings is to cause to be same as for create. If that is not clear enough for some, let's consider the definition of its synonym as given above, procreate which means by definition (1) To engender or beget (offspring), (2) To originate; produce; and at its ethnology from Latin, [- before + creare to create> ] which leaves no doubt that it means to create as does the other synonym, engender which by definition means (1) To cause to exist; give rise to; produce. (2) beget, (3) To come into being; and its ethnology from Latin [- in + genus, generis race] [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries].
Of course some critics say that having been created makes Jesus (Yeshua) inferior, but the Bible shows the exact opposite at Philippians 2:1-11, "If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, 2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 [doing] nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; 4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (ASV). Obviously all thinking people should believe the Bible and not accept the opinions of man." [source - Documentary on Jesus (Yeshua) by Iris the Preacher 2003][note: it can be read at, religioustruths.proboards59.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=jesus&thread=1163804424&page=1 as of 11/13/2007]
John 1:3, "All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made." (ASV). Now if all things were made through him, this would indicate that he was a subordinate carrying out the orders of a superior or higher authority, and indeed this was the case. Let's look at this reality in more detail. <<<" The Jewish Law of Agencies which is basically as follows, "Jesus (Yeshua) was God's (YHWH's) appointed agent in accordance with the 'Biblical law of agency' described as, "Scripture mentions something being done by Person A, whilst another mentions it being done by Person B. This is best understood when we grasp the Schaliach Principle, or the Jewish Law of Agency, which is expressed in the dictum, "A person's agent is regarded as the person himself." Therefore any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principle." (The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion, R.J.Z. Werblowski and Geoffrey Wigoder). Now that we know what the Jewish Law of Agencies is, let's see how it applies to Jesus (Yeshua).
First it is necessary to understand that Jesus (Yeshua) is often referred to as the 'Word' as shown at John 1:114, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (ASV); And at 1 John 1:1, "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life " (ASV); And at Revelation 19:13, "And he [is] arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God." (ASV). That which is said about the Word in the New Testament fits remarkably the description of 'wisdom' in the Old Testament given at Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (ASV). There wisdon is personified, and represented as able to speak and act per Proverbs 8:1, "Doth not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice?" (ASV). In fact it was understood by many Christian writers of the early centuries of the C.E. that this section referred symbolically to God's (YHWH) Son, Jesus (Yeshua) in his pre-human state. Thus, in view of the scriptures already considered, there is no denying that the Son, Jesus (Yeshua) was 'produced' by God (YHWH) 'as the "beginning of his way, Before his works of old" or the earliest of his achievements very long ago and was beside God (YHWH) as his agent or master worker during the creation of the earth as described in Proverbs just quoted. Hebrew, like modern day Spanish, assigns gender to its nouns, and the word for 'wisdom' is always in the feminine gender. Thus, this would remain the case even when is personified and therefore would not rule out wisdom's being used in a figurative way to represent God's firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). It is to be remembered that the title "gohe'leth"or "Kohelet" or congregator in English that Solomon applied to himself at Ecclesiastes 1:1, "The words of Kohelet, the son of David, king in Yerushalayim" (Hebrew Names Version of World English Bible ), and this word also is in the feminine gender.
See Part Two of Sequel #2