Brian
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
Genesis 3:5 in the King James Bible states:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened,
and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil. (Genesis 3:5)
Also, Genesis 3:22 states:
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the
man has become like one of us, knowing
good and evil; and now, lest he put forth
his hand and take also of the tree of life,
and eat, and live for ever" (Genesis 3:22)
- Why is God plural?
- Who is God referring to when he says us, other Gods?
- Is there more than one God?
Brian
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Why
is God plural in
Genesis, who is He referring to when He says 'us' . . . is there more than one? }
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Hi, Brian —
The Old Testament refers to men and
angels as like gods. Divine beings
were beings in the court of God,
according to the Hebrews, not other
gods. Judaism is based firmly on
one God.
For the devil to say in Genesis that you
shall be like gods means only
that the devil is telling Adam and
Eve that they (plural) will be like
God. God alone has the right to know right
from wrong. This is in contrast
to our human inability, apart from
the Church, to know right from wrong
through our decisions.
The other quote
from Genesis 3:22, is a veiled reference
to the Trinity from the standpoint
of the New Testament. These words
are considered by Scripture scholars
to be the Lord speaking to the heavenly
host, to His Court.
Mary Ann
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Paul
replied:
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Hi, Brian —
Good question.
Some Bible scholars
would say God is speaking in the
style of the royal we in
these verses, while others, of a cynical
bent, might say it is a sign of the
ancient belief of polytheism that
lingered.
Many others, myself
included, would see this as a sign
of the Trinitarian nature of God. Remember the Creed, where it states
that through Him (the Son) all things
were made (by the Father).
We also
see immediately, in Genesis 1:2,
the Holy Spirit symbolized in the
breath or wind of God hovering
over the waters, beginning to form
this creation that was made by the
Father through the Son.
The Blessed Trinity is integrally
involved in Creation, and the language
of Genesis seems to bear that out.
Peace,
Paul
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