These are some brief notes for my sessions exposing Hamza Yusuf’s lies about Muhammad being predicted in the Holy Bible.

ABRAHAM’S BLESSING

God promised to bless all the nations through Abraham and his seed:

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.’” Genesis 12:1-3

God’s promise to bless those who bless Abraham is extended to Isaac, Jacob, and their seed the nation of Israel. The promise then culminates in the Messianic King, namely Jesus Christ, who is said be that one particular Seed of Abraham that blesses all the nations that would place their trust in him:

“After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori′ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’… When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’… And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven,and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son,I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies,and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.’” Genesis 22:1-2, 9-12, 15-18

“Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abim′elech king of the Philistines.And the Lord appeared to him, and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give to your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves: because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.’” Genesis 26:1-5

“Jacob left Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.And he came to a certain place, and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants;and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you.’Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it.’And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’” Genesis 28:10-17

“When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and saw Israel encamping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,and he took up his discourse, and said, ‘The oracle of Balaam the son of Be′or, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes uncovered: How fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!Like valleys that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brings him out of Egypt; he has as it were the horns of the wild ox, he shall eat up the nations his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed be every one who blesses you, and cursed be every one who curses you.’” Numbers 24:1-9

“Give the king thy justice, O God, and thy righteousness to the royal son! May he judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with justice!… May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!… May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! May his foes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!… Long may he live, may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day!… May his name endure for ever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May men bless themselves by him, all nations call him blessed!…The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.” Psalm 72:1, 5, 8-11, 15, 17, 20

The Aramaic Targums show that even the Jews took this to be a messianic Psalm:

Psalm 72

1. Composed by Solomon, uttered in prophecy. O God, give your just rulings to the King Messiah, and your righteousness to the son of King David…

11.  And all kings will do homage to him; all the Gentiles will submit to him…

17. May his name be invoked for ever; and before the sun came to be^[153] his name was determined; so all the peoples will be blessed by his merit, and they shall speak well of him. (Targum Psalms: An English Translation, by Edward M. Cook, Book 2 – Psalms 42-72)

Turning to the NT we see that Jesus is identified as Abraham’s offspring who has been sent to bless all the families of the earth:

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came afterwards, also proclaimed these days.You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God gave to your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness.” Acts 3:19-26

“They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 9:4-5 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Thus Abraham ‘believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith… To give a human example, brethren: no one annuls even a man’s will, or adds to it, once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many; but, referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ which is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance is by the law, it is no longer by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise… for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:6-9, 15-18, 26-29

GENESIS 49:10: SHILOH HAS COME

Both Jewish and Christian sources are agreed that Shiloh is a reference to King Messiah. Note what the following Jewish references state. All emphasis will be mine:

The scepter shall not depart from Judah: from David and thereafter. These (who bear the scepter after the termination of the kingdom) are the exilarchs (princes) in Babylon, who ruled over the people with a scepter, [and] who were appointed by royal mandate. — [From Sanh. 5a]

nor the student of the law from between his feet: Students. These are the princes of the land of Israel. — [From Sanh. 5a]

until Shiloh comes: [This refers to] THE KING MESSIAH, to whom the kingdom belongs (שֶׁלוֹ), and so did Onkelos render it: [until THE MESSIAH COMES, to whom the kingdom belongs]. According to the Midrash Aggadah, [“Shiloh” is a combination of] שַׁי לוֹ, a gift to him, as it is said: “they will bring a gift to him who is to be feared” (Ps. 76:12). – [From Gen. Rabbah ed. Theodore-Albeck p. 1210]

and to him will be a gathering of peoples: Heb. יִקְּהַת עַמִּים denoting a gathering of peoples, for the “yud” of (יִקְּהַת) is part of the root [and not a prefix], like “with your brightness (יִפְעָתֶךָ‏ֶ)” (Ezek. 28: 17), and sometimes [the “yud” is] omitted. Many letters are subject to this rule, and they are called defective roots, like the “nun” of נוֹגֵף (smite), נוֹשֵׁךְ (bite), and the “aleph” of “and my speech (אַחְוָתִי) in your ears” (Job 13:17); and [the “aleph”] of “the scream of (אִבְחַת) the sword” (Ezek. 21:20); and [the “aleph”] of “a jug (אָסוּ‏) of oil” (II Kings 4:2). This too, is [a noun meaning] a gathering of peoples, [meaning: a number of nations who unite to serve God and join under the banner OF THE KING MESSIAH] as it is said: “to him shall the nations inquire” (Isa. 11:10). Similar to this is “The eye that mocks the father and despises the mother’s wrinkles (לְיִקְּהַת אֵם)” (Prov. 30:17), [i.e., meaning] the gathering of wrinkles in her face, due to her old age. And in the Talmud [we find]: “were sitting and gathering assemblies וּמַקְהוֹ אַקְהָתָא in the streets of Nehardea” [Pumbeditha] in Tractate Yebamtoh (110b). He (Jacob) could also have said: קְהִיּת עַמִּים [Since the “yud” of יִקְהַת is not a prefix denoting the third person masculine singular, but is a defective root, the form קְהִיּת עַמִּים would be just as appropriate.]- [From Gen. Rabbah 98:9] (The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8244/showrashi/true#v10)

[8. JEHUDA, thee shall all thy brethren praise, and from thy name shall all be called Jehudaee; thy hand shall avenge thee of thy adversaries; all the sons of thy father shall come before thee with salutation. I will liken thee, my son Jehuda, to a whelp the son of a lion: from the slaying of Joseph thou wast free, from the judgment of Tamar thou, my son, wast acquitted. He remaineth tranquil in the midst of war, as the lion and as the lioness; nor is there people or kingdom that can stand against thee. Kings shall not cease from the house of Jehuda, nor sapherim teaching the law from his children’s children, until the time that the King Meshiha shall come, whose is the kingdom, and to whom all the kingdoms of the earth shall be obedient. How beauteous is the King Meshiha, who is to arise from the house of Jehuda!

[Binding his loins, and going forth to war against them that hate him, he will slay kings with princes, and make the rivers red with the blood of their slain, and his hills white with the fat of their mighty ones; his garments will be dipped in blood, and he himself be like the juice of the winepress. More beautiful are the eyes of the king Meshiha to behold than pure wine; they will not look upon that which is unclean, or the shedding of the blood of the innocent. His teeth are employed according to the precept rather than in eating the things of violence and rapine; his mountains shall be red with vines, and his presses with his wine, and his hills be white with much corn and with flocks of sheep. (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, in The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee, by J. W. Etheridge, M.A., First Published 1862, 47-50)

Jehuda, thou art praise and not shame; thy brethren shall praise thee;^[11] thy hand shall prevail against thine adversaries, thine enemies shall be dispersed; they will be turned backward before thee, and the sons of thy father will come before thee with salutations. The dominion shall be (thine) in the beginning, and in the end the kingdom shall be increased from the house of Jehuda, because from the judgment of death, my son, hast thou withdrawn.^[12] He shall repose, and abide in strength as a lion, and as a lioness, there shall be no king that may cut him off. He who exerciseth dominion shall not pass away from the house of Jehuda, nor the saphra from his children’s children for ever, until the Meshiha come, whose is the kingdom, and unto whom shall be the obedience of the nations (or, whom the peoples shall obey). Israel shall pass roundabout in his cities; the people shall build his temple, they will be righteous round about him, and be doers of the law through his doctrine. Of goodly purple will be his raiment, and his vesture of crimson wool with colours.^[13] His mountains shall be red with his vineyards, and his hills be dropping with wine; his valleys shall be white with corn, and with flocks of sheep. (Targum Onkelos, 47-50)

8. Judah, your will your brothers⁸⁸ praise, and by your name shall all the Jews17 be called Jews.^hh Your hands will avenge you of your enemies; all the sons of your father shall advance to salute you. 9. I shall compare you, Judah,”to a lion’s whelp; you saved my son Joseph from his murderers.¹⁸ From the judgment^jj of Tamar,¹⁹ my son, you are innocent;^kk you will rest and dwell in the midst of battle,²⁰ like the lion and like the lioness, and there is no nation nor kingdom²¹ that shall stand against you. 10. Kings^mm shall not cease from among those of the house of Judah²² and neither (shall) scribes’ⁿⁿ teaching the Law from his son’ sons²³ until the time King Messiah shall come,²⁴ to whom the kingship belongs; to him shall all the kingdoms⁰⁰ be subject. 11. How beautiful^pp is King Messiah²⁵ who is to arise from among those of the house of Judah. He girds his loins and goes forth to battle against^qq those that hate him; and he kills kings with rulers,²⁶ and makes the mountains red²¹ from the blood of their slain and makes the valleys white from the fat of their warriors.^rr His garments are rolled^ss in blood; he is like a presser of grapes. 12. How beautiful^tt are the eyes of King Messiah; more than pure wine, lest he see with them the revealing of nakedness or the shedding of innocent blood.²⁸ His teeth are purer than milk, lest he eat with them things that are stolen or robbed.^uu The mountains will become red from his vines and the vats from wine; and the hills will become white from the abundance of grain and flocks of sheep. (Targum Neofiti 1 Genesis, in The Aramaic Bible (Targums): Translated, with Apparatus and Notes, by Martin McNamara [The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 1992], Volume 1a, pp. 219-221)

ⁿⁿ VN: “scholars”; P: “until the time that King Messiah (lit.: “the king of the Messiah; or: who is the Messiah”) comes who is destined to arise from those of the house of Judah.” (Ibid., p. 219)

^tt: “how beautiful to behold”; otherwise V in v. 12 = Nf; Nfmg: “(How) beautiful is King Messiah who is to arise from those of the house of Judah. His eyes are more tender (read: purer) than pure wine lest the revealing of nakedness be seen by them, and lest they see the shedding of (innocent) blood by them.”…

²⁴“until the time king Messiah comes… the Kingship”; HT: ‘dkyyb’sylh; which could be understood at its face value in later Judaism in different ways, e.g., “until Shiloh comes,” or: “until he comes to Shilo,” or: “until he comes to whom it belongs” (shelo). The original reading and meaning of the text are quite uncertain. In the paraphrase Shilo is first interpreted as a person, i.e., King Messiah, and then through later Hebrew shelo, “whose it is,” i.e., “the Messiah to whom kingship belongs.” The direct messianic interpretation is found in all the Tgs. (Onq., Pal. Tgs., Ps.-J.), and already in 4Qpatr: “until the Messiah of justice, the sprout of David, comes; for to him and to his seed has been given the covenant of kingship.” See further Syrén, 56-58; Grossfeld, Neofiti, note 27 to Gen 49; also the works referred to in previous note. The messianic interpretation of Shiloh has also BEEN CONSTANT in rabbinic Judaism, e.g., Gen. R. 98,8: “Shilo. This alludes to the Royal Messiah.” Further texts in Syrén, 131; Grossfeld, Neofiti, note 47; etc…

²⁷“He makes the mountains red… presser of grapes”; HT (RSV): “He washes his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.” The Pal. Tg. paraphrase is but loosely connected with the biblical text. It presents a picture of a warring Messiah, in a paraphrase linking Gen 49:11b and Isa 63 and found also in the NT Apoc 19:11-16. See further McNamara, 1966A, 23-33; Syrén, 105. There are no known texts in rabbinic literature reflecting the Pal. Tg. paraphrase of v. 11. This particular paraphrase is believed to be very old and probably pre-Christian; see Syrén, 107. (Ibid., p. 220)

THE STONE WHOM THE BUILDERS REJECTED

The immediate context of Matthew 21:42-46 makes it explicitly clear that the Stone which the Jews rejected is Jesus Christ, God’s uniquely beloved Son and Heir whom the Jews had killed. This treacherous act resulted in God taking the kingdom away from the Jews and destroying their city and temple:

“‘Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit;and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.” And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: “The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes”? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.’ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.” Matthew 21:33-46

In the parable, the servants represent the prophets:

“From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day;” Jeremiah 7:25 – 26:5; 29:19; 44:4

“The nations raged, but thy wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear thy name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Revelation 11:18

This shows that Jesus thought of himself as greater than the prophets since he is God’s Son who owns them. Being the Heir, the Father’ servants are also the Son’s servants, which means that the prophets are Jesus’ servants, a fact that Christ later confirms when he refers to David worshiping him as his Lord who sits enthroned alongside of God:

“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,saying, ‘What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,  “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet”? If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?^’ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions.” Matthew 22:41-46

What makes this all the more remarkable is that reference to the rejected Stone is taken from Psalm 118:22, the Psalm which was also alluded to earlier in the chapter:

“And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, ‘Hosanna TO the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’… And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna TO the Son of David!’ they were indignant;and they said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise”?’” Matthew 21:9-11, 14-16

The reason why this is so astonishing is that the children apply the expression Hosanna to Jesus, which is the very term employed in Psalm 118 to YHWH God!

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us (ho’oshiah na), we beseech thee, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech thee, give us success! Blessed be he who enters in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.” Psalm 118:22-26

Jesus then quotes the following Psalm, which speaks of YHWH causing nursling infants to praise him in order to shame his enemies,

“O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth! You reveal your majesty in the heavens above. From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.” Psalm 8:1-2 New English Translation (NET)

To justify the children worshiping him as YHWH their God in the same context of silencing his enemies for objecting to his receiving such praise, and for basically failing to realize who he truly is!

JESUS AND THE PARACLETE

According to the NT, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are both called Paraclete:  

“And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (allon Parakleton), to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you… But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit (ho Parakletos, to Pneuma to Hagion), whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:16-17, 26

“My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father (Parakleton echomen pros ton Patera), Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2  

The Son and the Spirit are also said to be Intercessors who intercede before the Father:   

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

“What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies; who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?” Romans 8:31-34

THE SINLESS JESUS VERSUS THE SINFUL MUHAMMAD

The hadiths testify that Jesus is pure and sinless whereas Muhammad was a sinner, and therefore disqualified from interceding for people on the day of judgment:

“They will go to Musa and say, ‘O Musa, you are the Messenger of Allah. Allah preferred you with His message and His Word above all other people. Intercede with your Lord for us. Do you not see what we are suffering?’ He will say, ‘My Lord is angry today with such anger as has never existed before nor will again. I killed a soul which I was not commanded to kill. Go to someone else. Go to ‘Isa.’

“They will go to ‘Isa and say, ‘O ‘Isa! You are the Messenger of Allah and His Word which He cast to Maryam and a spirit from Him. You spoke to people while in the cradle. Intercede with your Lord on our behalf. Do you not see what we are suffering?’ ‘Isa will say, ‘My Lord is angry today with such anger as has never existed before nor will again,’ AND HE DID NOT MENTION A SIN. ‘O my soul! My soul! My soul! Go to someone else. Go to Muhammad.’

“They will come to me and say, ‘O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah has forgiven you your past and future wrong actions. Intercede with your Lord on our behalf. Do you not see what we are suffering?’…” (Aisha Bewley, The Sahih Collection of al-Bukhari, Chapter 68. Book of Tafsir https://bewley.virtualave.net/bukhari31.html; bold and capital emphasis mine)

And:

“… Moses would say to them: Verily my Lord is angry as He had never been angry before and would never be angry afterwards. I, in fact, killed a person whom I had not been ordered to kill. I am concerned with myself, I am concerned with myself. You better go to Jesus. They would come to Jesus and would say: O Jesus, thou art the messenger of Allah and thou conversed with people in the cradle, (thou art) His Word which He sent down upon Mary, and (thou art) the Spirit from Him; so intercede for us with thy Lord. Don’t you see (the trouble) in which we are? Don’t you see (the misfortune) that has overtaken us? Jesus would say: Verily, my Lord is angry today as He had never been angry before or would ever be angry afterwards. HE MENTIONED NO SIN OF HIS. (He simply said:) I am concerned with myself, I am concerned with myself; you go to someone else: better go to Muhammad. They would come to me and say: O Mahammad, thou art the messenger of Allah and the last of the apostles. Allah has pardoned thee all thy previous and later sins…” (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0378 http://searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=001&translator=2&start=0&number=0378; bold, capital and underline emphasis mine)

Finally:

Jami` at-Tirmidhi

Chapters on the description of the Day of Judgement, Ar-Riqaq, and Al-Wara’

Abu Huraira narrated… “They will go to ‘Eisa and say: ‘O ‘Eisa ! You are the Messenger of Allah and His Word which He placed INTO Mariam, and a Spirit from Him, and you spoke to the people in the cradle. Intercede for us with your Lord. Don’t you see what has happened to us?’ Then ‘Eisa will say: ‘Today my Lord has become angry as He has never before been angry and will never be thereafter.” He will not mention a sin, but will say: ‘Myself! Myself! Myself!’ Go to someone else! Go to Muhammad.” He said: ‘They will go to Muhammad and they say: “O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allah and the last of the Prophets, and your past and future sins have been pardoned. Will you not intercede for us with your Lord, don’t you see what has happened to us?”…’”

Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)

English reference: Vol. 4, Book 11, Hadith 2433

Arabic reference: Book 37, Hadith 2621 (Sunna.com http://sunnah.com/urn/677390; capital, italic and underline emphasis mine)

In light of the above, how can a sinner who himself needed his deity to pardon him be more qualified than the sinless Messiah who needs no forgiveness?  

Unless indicated otherwise, biblical citations were taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

FURTHER READING

MUHAMMADAN FRAUD ALI ATAIE EXPOSED: ISAIAH 42

In this post I will be citing from the Aramaic paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible composed by Jews, called the Targums (Targumim). Targum is an Aramaic term meaning explanation/interpretation.

These Jewish writings are vitally important since they give us an idea of how a certain segment of Judaism before, during and after the time of Christ understood the Hebrew Bible and what they thought about the nature of God.

I will be quoting verses where YHWH is specifically mentioned, but which the Jews interpreted as references to the Word (Aram. Memra) of YHWH appearing as or acting on behalf of God. These cases will help the readers see that even Jews were aware of the fact that God’s Word is a living, conscious Being that is both personally distinct from, and yet identical with, the God of Israel.

Some of these texts make reference to the Holy Spirit as well, who is depicted as a personally distinct figure from both God and the Memra, while also being truly divine in nature.

I will keep my comments really brief since the citations are basically self-explanatory. All emphasis will be mine.  

GENESIS 1-6

[JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord created man in His likeness, in the likeness of the presence of the Lord He created him, the male and his yoke-fellow He created them.]…

And a garden from the Eden of the just was planted by the Word of the Lord God before the creation of the world, and He made there to dwell the man when He had created him. And the Lord God made to grow from the ground every tree that was desirable to behold and good to eat, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, whose height was a journey of five hundred years, and the tree of whose fruit they who ate would distinguish between good and evil…

And the woman beheld Sammael, the angel of death, and was afraid; yet she knew that the tree was good to eat, and that it was medicine for the enlightenment of the eyes, and desirable tree by means of which to understand. And she took of its fruit, and did eat; and she gave to her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of both were enlightened, and they knew that they were naked, divested of the purple robe in which they had been created. And they saw the sight of their shame, and sewed to themselves the leaves of figs, and made to them cinctures. [JERSULAEM. And they made to them vestments.] And they heard the voice of the word of the Lord God walking in the garden in the repose of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from before the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, Is not all the world which I have made manifest before Me; the darkness as the light? and how hast thou thought in thine heart to hide from before Me? The place where thou art concealed, do I not see? Where are the commandments that I commanded thee?

[JERUSALEM. Walking in the garden in the strength of the day……And the Word of the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, Behold, the world which I have created is manifest before Me; and how thinkest thou that the place in the midst whereof thou art, is not revealed before Me? Where is the commandment which I taught thee?]

And he said, The voice of Thy Word heard I in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked; and the commandment which Thou didst teach me, I have transgressed; therefore I hid myself from shame… 

And the Lord God said to the angels who ministered before Him, Behold, Adam is sole on the earth, as I am sole in the heavens above; and it will be that they will arise from him who will know to discern between good and evil. Had he kept the commandments which I appointed to him, he would have lived and subsisted as the tree of life for ever. But now, because he hath not kept that which I prescribed, it is decreed against him that we keep him from the garden of Eden, before he reach forth his hand and take of the tree of life: for, behold, if he eat thereof, living he will live and subsist for ever. And the Lord God removed him from the garden of Eden; and he went and dwelt on Mount Moriah, to cultivate the ground from which he had been created. And He drave out the man from thence where He had made to dwell the glory of His Shekina at the first between the two Kerubaia. Before He had created the world, He created the law; He prepared the garden of Eden for the righteous, that they might eat and delight themselves with the fruit of the tree; because they would have practised in their lives the doctrine of the law in this world, and have maintained the commandments: (but) he prepared Gehinnam for the wicked, which is like the sharp, consuming sword of two edges; in the midst of it He hath prepared flakes of fire and burning coals for the judgment of the wicked who rebelled in their life against the doctrine of the law. To serve the law is better than (to eat of) the fruit of the tree of life, (the law) which the Word of the Lord prepared, that man in keeping it might continue, and walk in the paths of the way of life in the world to come.

[JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord God said, Behold, Adam whom I have created is sole in my world, as I am sole in the heavens above. It is to be that a great people are to arise from him; from him will arise a people who will know how to discern between good and evil. And now it is good that we keep him from the garden of Eden before he stretch forth his hand and take also of the fruit of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever……And He cast out Adam, and made the glory of His Shekina to dwell at the front of the east of the garden of Eden, above the two Kerubaia. Two thousand years before He had created the world, He created the law, and prepared Gehinnam and the garden of Eden. He prepared the garden of Eden for the righteous, that they should eat, and delight themselves with the fruit of the tree, because they had kept the commandments of the law in this world. For the wicked He prepared Gehinnam, which is like the sharp, consuming sword with two edges. He prepared in the depth of it flakes of fire and burning coals for the wicked, for their punishment for ever in the world to come, who have not kept the commandment of the law in this world. For the law is the tree of life; whoever keepeth it in this life liveth and subsisteth as the tree of life. The law is good to keep in this world, as the fruit of the tree of life in the world that cometh.]…

And Hanok served in the truth before the Lord; and, behold, he was not with the sojourners of the earth; for he was withdrawn, and he ascended to the firmament by the Word before the Lord, and his name was called Metatron the Great Saphra.

[JERUSALEM. And Hanok served in the truth before the Lord; and, behold, he was not; for he was withdrawn by the Word from before the Lord.]…

And the Lord said by His Word, All the generations of the wicked which are to arise shall not be purged after the order of the judgments of the generation of the deluge, which shall be destroyed and exterminated from the midst of the world. Have I not imparted My Holy Spirit to them, (or, placed My Holy Spirit in them,) that they may work good works? And, behold, their works are wicked. Behold, I will give them a prolongment of a hundred and twenty years, that they may work repentance, and not perish.

[JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord said, The generations which are to arise shall not be judged after (the manner of) the generation of the deluge, (which is) to be destroyed, and exterminated, and finally blotted out. Have I not imparted My Spirit to the sons of men, because they are flesh, that they may work good works? But they do works of evil. Behold, I have given them a prolongment of a hundred and twenty years, that they may work repentance; but they have not done it.]

Schamchazai and Uzziel, who fell from heaven, were on the earth in those days; and also, after the sons of the Great had gone in with the daughters of men, they bare to them: and these are they who are called men who are of the world, men of names.

And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and all the imagery of the thought of his heart was only evil every day. And it repented the Lord in His Word that He had made man upon the earth; and He passed judgment upon them by His Word.

[JERUSALEM. And there was repentance before the Lord in His Word that He had made man upon the earth…And He said, and judged in His heart.]

And the Lord said, I will abolish by My Word man, whom I have created upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle, to the reptile, and to the fowl of the heavens; because I have repented in My Word that I have made them. But Noah, who was righteous, found favour before the Lord. (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, in The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel
On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee, by J. W. Etheridge, M.A., First Published 1862, 1-6)

And they heard the voice of the Word of the Lord God walking in the garden in the evening of the day;^[21] and Adam and his wife hid themselves from before the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where art thou? And he said, The voice of Thy Word heard I in the garden, and I was afraid, because I (was) naked, and I would hide…

And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man had multiplied in the earth, and that every formation (or image) of the thought of his heart was only evil every day. And it repented the Lord in His Word that He had made men upon the earth. And He said, (in His Word,)^[34] that He would break their strength according to His pleasure. And the Lord said, Man whom I have made will I blot out^[35] I from the face of the earth;‑from man to the beast, to the reptile, and to the fowls of heaven; because it repenteth Me in My Word that I have made them. But Noach found mercy before the Lord. (Etheridge, Targum Onkelos, 1-6)

GENESIS 7-9

And they entered to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh in which was the breath of life. And they coming entered, male and female, of all flesh unto him, as the Lord had instructed him; and the Word of the Lord covered over the door of the ark upon the face thereof. [JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord was merciful upon him.]…

VIII. And the Lord in His Word remembered Noah, and all the animals and the cattle which were with him in the ark; and the Lord caused the wind of mercies to pass over the earth, and the waters were dried…

And the Lord said, This is the sign of the covenant which I establish between My Word and between you and every living soul that is with you, unto the generations of the world. I have set My Bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of the covenant between My Word and the earth. And it shall be that when I spread forth My glorious cloud over the earth, the bow shall be seen in the day (time), while the sun is not sunk (or hidden) in a cloud. And I will remember My covenant which is between My Word and between you and every living soul of all flesh, that there shall not be the waters of a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between the Word of the Lord and every living soul of all flesh that is upon the earth. And the Lord said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant that I have covenanted between My Word and between the word for all flesh that is upon the earth. (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 6-11) 

And the Lord said, This is the sign of the covenant which I appoint (give) between My Word, and between you, and between every living soul that is with you unto perpetual generations. I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between My Word and between the earth. And it shall be that when clouding I becloud the earth, the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember the covenant which is between My Word, and between You, and between every living soul of all flesh; and there shall not be again the waters of a deluge to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between the Word of the Lord and between every living soul of all flesh that is upon the earth. And the Lord said, This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between My Word and between all flesh which is upon the earth. (Etheridge, Onkelos, 6-11)

GENESIS 11-12

[JERUSALEM. And all the inhabiters of the earth were (of) one language, and of one speech, and one counsel: for they spake the holy language by which the world was created at the beginning: while their hearts erred afterwards from the Word of Him who spake, and the world was, at the beginning; and they found a plain in the land of Pontos and dwelt there.]…

And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and the language of all of them one: and this they have thought to do: and now they will not be restrained from doing whatever they imagine. And the Lord said to the seventy angels which stand before Him, Come, we will descend and will there commingle their language, that a man shall not understand the speech of his neighbour. And the Word of the Lord was revealed against the city, and with Him seventy angels, having reference to seventy nations, each having its own language, and thence the writing of its own hand: and He dispersed them from thence upon the face of all the earth into seventy languages. And one knew not what his neighbour would say: but one slew the other; and they ceased from building the city. Therefore He called the name of it Bavel, because there did the Lord commingle the speech of all the inhabitants of the earth, and from thence did the Lord disperse them upon the faces of all the earth. (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 6-11) 

And Pharoh did good to Abram for her sake; and he had sheep, and oxen, and asses, and servants, and handmaids, and she-asses, and camels. And the Word of the Lord sent great plagues against Pharoh and the men of his house, on account of Sara, Abram’s wife. And Pharoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done to me? Why saidst thou, She is my sister? When I would take her to me to wife, plagues were at once sent against me, and I went not unto her. And now behold thy wife, take (her) and go. And Pharoh commanded men concerning him, and they led him forth, and his wife, and all that he had. (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 12-17)

GENESIS 15-17

Thereupon was the word (pithgama) of the Lord with Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not; for if these men should gather together in legions and come against thee, My Word (Memra) will be thy shield: and also if these fall before thee in this world, the reward of thy good works shall be kept, and be prepared before Me in the world to come, great exceedingly… And, behold, a word from before the Lord was to him, saying, He shall not be thine heir; but a son whom thou wilt beget shall be thy heir. And He brought him forth without, and said, Look up now to the heavens, and number the stars, if thou art able to number them: and he said, So will be thy sons. And he believed in the Lord, and had faith in the (Memra) Word of the Lord, and He reckoned it to him for righteousness (lizeku), because he parleyed not before him with words…

[JERUSALEM… Then was the word of prophecy from the Lord unto Abram the Righteous, saying, Fear not, Abram, though they should gather together and come against thee with many legions, My Word shall be thy reward and thy shield in this world, and a protector over thee all the days of the world to come. And though I deliver up thy adversaries before thee in this world, the reward of thy good works is prepared for thee also before Me in the world to come…

And she gave thanks before the Lord whose Word spake to her, and thus said, Thou art He who livest and art eternal; who seest, but art not seen! for she said, For, behold, here is revealed the glory of the Shekina of the Lord after a vision. (JERUSALEM. And Hagar gave thanks, and prayed in the Name of the Word of the Lord, who had been manifested to her, saying, Blessed be Thou, Eloha, the Living One of all Ages, who hast looked upon my affliction. For she said, Behold, Thou art manifested also unto me, even as Thou wast manifested to Sara my mistress.]…

XVII. And Abram was the son of ninety and nine years, and the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am El Shadai; serve before Me and be perfect (shelim) in thy flesh. And I will set My covenant between My Word and thee, and will multiply thee very greatly… And I have established My covenant between My Word and thee, and thy sons after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to thee and to thy sons after thee… This is My covenant, that you shall observe between My Word and you, and your sons after you:–Every male of you being circumcised, though he have not a father to circumcise him. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, as a sign of the covenant between My Word and you. (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 12-17)

XV. After these things the word (pithgama) of the Lord came to Abram in prophecy,^[11] saying, Fear not, Abram: My Word (Memra) shall be thy strength, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, and I go without a child: and this son of business (bar phargama) who is in My house is the Damasekah Elieser? And Abram said, Behold, Thou hast not given me a child, and, behold, the son of my house is my heir. And, lo, the word (pithgama) of the Lord was with him, saying, This shall not be thy heir, but a son whom thou shalt beget will be thine heir. And He led him without, and said, Behold now the heavens, and number the stars, if thou art able to number them; and He said to him, So will be thy sons.^[12] And he believed in the Word of the Lord, (Memra da Yeya,)and He reckoned it to him unto justification. (Etheridge, Onkelos, 12-17)

GENESIS 19

And the Word of the Lord had caused showers of favour to descend upon Sedom and Amorah, to the intent that they might work repentance, but they did it not: so that they said, Wickedness is not manifest before the Lord. Behold, then, there are now sent down upon them sulphur and fire from before the Word of the Lord from Heaven. [JERUSALEM. 24. And the Word of the Lord Himself had made to descend upon the people of Sedom and Amorah showers of favour, that they might work repentance from their wicked works. But when they saw the showers of favour, they said, So, our wicked works are not manifest before Him. He turned (then), and caused to descend upon them bitumen and fire from before the Lord from the heavens.] And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the herbage of the earth. (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 18-22)

GENESIS 24

XXIV. And Abraham was old with days, and the Word of the Lord had blessed Abraham with every kind of blessing. And Abraham said to Eliezer his servant, the senior of his house, who had rule over all his property, Put now thy hand upon the section of my circumcision… And swear to me in the name of the Word of the Lord God, whose habitation is in heaven on high, the God whose dominion is over the earth, that thou wilt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kenaanites among whom I dwell; (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 23-25)

GENESIS 28

[XXVIII.] Five miracles were wrought for our father Jakob at the time that he went forth from Beersheba. The first sign: the hours of the day were shortened, and the sun went down before his time, forasmuch as the Word had desired to speak with him…  [JERUSALEM. Five signs were wrought for our father Jakob at the time he went forth from Beersheba to go unto Haran. The first sign: the hours of the day were shortened for him, and the sun was hidden from him before its time, because His Word had desired to speak with him…

[12. And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder was fixed in the earth, and the summit of it reached to the height of heaven. And, behold, the angels who had accompanied him from the house of his father, ascended to make known to the angels on high, saying, Come, see Jakob the pious, whose likeness is in the throne of glory, and whom you have been desirous to see! And, behold, the holy angels from before the Lord ascended and descended, and looked upon him.]

And, behold, the Glory of the Lord stood above him, and He said to him, I am the Lord the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Izhak, The land on which thou art lying I will give to thee and to thy sons. And thy sons shall be many as the dust of the earth, and shall become strong on the west and on the east, on the north and on the south: and all the kindreds of the earth shall through thy rightneousness and the righteousness of thy sons be blessed. And, behold, My Word is for thy help, and will keep thee in every place where thou shalt go, and will bring thee (again) to this land; for I will not leave thee until the time when I have performed all that I have told thee.

And Jakob awoke from his sleep, and said, Verily the Glory of the Lord’s Shekinah dwelleth in this place, and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful and glorious is this place! This place is not common, but the sanctuary of the Name of the Lord, the proper spot for prayer, set forth before the gate of heaven and founded beneath the throne of glory… And Jakob vowed a vow, saying, If the Word of the Lord will be my Helper, and will keep me from shedding innocent blood, and from strange worship, and from impure converse, in this way that I am going; and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to wear, and will bring me back in peace to my father’s house; the Lord shall be my God: ‘and this stone which I have set (for) a pillar shall be ordained for the house of the sanctuary of the Lord, and upon it shall generations worship the Name of the Lord; and of all that Thou mayest give me, the tenth will I separate before Thee. (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 28-32)

XXIV.And Abraham was old, (and) advanced in days, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who had authority over all which was his, Putnow thy hand under my thigh, and I will adjure thee by the Word of the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou wilt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kenaanaee among whom I dwell. (Etheridge, Onkelos, 23-25)

EXODUS 3-4

And Mosheh said before the Lord, Who am I, that I should go to Pharoh, and bring forth the sons of Israel out of Mizraim? But He said, Therefore My Word shall be for thy help; and this shall be the sign to thee that I have sent thee: when thou hast, brought the people forth from Mizraim, ye shall worship before the Lord, because ye shall have received the Law upon this mountain.

And Mosheh said before the Lord, Behold, I will go to the sons of Israel, and say to them, The Lord God of your fathers hath sent me to you: and they will say to me, What is His Name? What shall I say to them? And the Lord said unto Mosheh, He who spake, and the world was; who spake, and all things were. And He said, This thou shalt say to the sons of Israel, I AM HE WHO IS, AND WHO WILL BE, hath sent me unto you. [JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord said to Mosheh, He who spake to the world, Be, and it was; and who will speak to it, Be, and it will be. And he said, Thus shalt thou speak to the sons of Israel, EHEYEH hath sent me unto you.] And the Lord said again unto Mosheh, Thus shalt thou speak to the sons of Israel, The God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Jakob, hath sent me unto you.  This is His Name for ever, and this is His Memorial to every generation and generation…

And Mosheh said before the Lord, O Lord, I pray: I am not a man of words, nor ever have been before that Thou didst speak with Thy servant; for I am of a staggering  mouth and staggering speech. [JERUSALEM. For of a staggering mouth and difficult speech am I.] And the Lord said, Who is he who first put the language of the mouth into the mouth of man? or who hath appointed the dumb or the deaf, the open-seeing or the blind, but I the Lord? And now go, and I by My Word will be with the speaking of thy mouth, and will teach thee what thou shalt say.

And he said, I pray for mercy before the Lord. Send now Thy sending by the hand of Phinehas, by whom it is to be sent at the end of the days. [JERUSALEM. Send now by the hand of him by whom it is opportune to send.] And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Mosheh, and He said, Is it not manifest before Me that Aharon thy brother speaking can speak ? And, behold, also, he cometh forth to meet thee, and will see thee and rejoice in his heart. And thou shalt speak with him, and put the matter in his mouth, and My Word shall be with the word of thy mouth, and with the word of his mouth, and I will instruct you what you are to do… (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 1-6)

And Mosheh said before the Lord, In entreating, I am not a man who is (well) spoken, neither yesterday nor the day before, and from the time that thou spakest with Thy servant: for I am heavy of speech and of a deep^[8] tongue. But the Lord said to him, Who hath appointed the mouth of man, and who hath appointed the mute, or the deaf, or the open-sighted, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? And now go, and My Word shall be with thy mouth, and I will teach thee what to say. And he said, I beseech the Lord to send by the hand of one who is fit to be sent. And the displeasure of the Lord was kindled against Mosheh; and He said, Is not Aharon the Levite, thy brother, known before Me as one who speaking can speak? and also, behold, he cometh forth to anticipate thee, and will see thee, and rejoice in his heart. And thou shalt speak with him, and put the words in his mouth; and My Word will be with thy mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what to do. And he shall speak for thee with the people, and shall be thy interpreter, and thou shalt be to him a rab; and this staff thou shalt take in thy hand wherewith to work the signs. (Etheridge, Onkelos, 1-5)

NUMBERS 7

And when Mosheh entered into the tabernacle of ordinance to speak with Him, he heard the voice of the Spirit who spake with him descending from the heaven of heavens upon the Mercy Seat which was upon the Ark of the Testimony between the two Cherubim, and from thence was the Oracle speaking with him. (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 4-7)

NUMBERS 14

How long will they disbelieve in My Word, for all the signs I have wrought among them? I will strike them with deadly plague and destroy them, and will appoint thee for a people greater and stronger than they. But Mosheh said, The children of the Mizraee, whom Thou didst drown in the sea, will hear that Thou didst bring up this people from among them by Thy power, and will say with exultation to the people of this land, who have heard that Thou art the Lord, whose Shekinah dwelleth among this people, in whose eyes, O Lord, the Glory of Thy Shekinah appeared on the mountain of Sinai, and who there received Thy law; Thy Cloud hath shadowed, that neither heat nor rain might hurt them; and whom in the pillar of the Cloud Thou hast led on by day, that the moun­tains and hills might be brought low, and the valleys lifted up, and hast guided in the pillar of Fire by night: and after all of these miracles wilt Thou kill this people as one man?…

[JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord said, Behold, I have absolved and pardoned, according to thy word.]… Because all the men who have beheld My glory, and My signs, which I have wrought in Mizraim and in the Desert, have tempted Me now ten times, and have not obeyed My Word… But Mosheh said, Why will you act against the decree of the Word of the Lord? But it will not prosper with you. Go not up, for the Lord’s Shekinah dwelleth not among you; and the ark, the tabernacle, and the Cloud of Glory proceed not; and be not crushed before your enemies. For the Amalekites and Kenaanites are there prepared for you, and you will fall slaughtered by the sword. For, because you have turned away from the service of the Lord, the Word of the Lord will not be your Helper… (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 13-15)

DEUTERONOMY 2-5

… For the Word of the Lord your God is a consuming fire; the jealous God is a fire, and He avengeth Himself in jealousy. [JERUSALEM. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire; the jealous God is a fire, and He avengeth Himself in jealousy.]…

For ask now the generations which have been from the days of the beginning, which have been before thee from the day when the Lord created man upon the earth, from one end of the heavens to the other, whether so great a thing as this hath been, or any like to it hath been heard? Hath it ever been that a people should hear the voice of the Word of the Lord, the Living God, speaking from the midst of fire, as you heard, and remained alive? Or, as the wonder which the Lord hath wrought, revealing Himself to separate a people to Himself from among another people, by signs, by miracles, by portents, by the victories of ordered battles, by an uplifted arm, and by great visions, like all that the Lord our God hath done for us in Mizraim, and your eyes beholding? [JERUSALEM. Or what is the people or kingdom that hath heard?. . . . . Or the signs which the Word of the Lord hath wrought, coming to announce (that He would separate) to Himself a people from among a people ?] Unto thee have these wonders been shown, that thou mayest know that the Lord is God, and there is none beside Him. He made you hear the voice of His Word from the heavens on high, to give you discipline by His doctrine, and showed thee upon earth His great fire, and made thee hear His words from the midst of the flame. And because He loved thy fathers Abraham and Izhak, therefore hath He plea­sure in the children of Jakob after him, and hath brought you in His lovingkindness and power from Mizraim, to drive out nations greater and stronger than you from before you, and give you their land to inherit as at this day. Know therefore to‑day, and set your heart upon it, that the Lord is God, whose Shekinah dwelleth in the heavens above, and reigneth on the earth beneath, neither is there any other beside Him…  

V. And Mosheh called all Israel, and said to them: Hear, Israel, the statutes and judgments that I speak before you this day, to learn them, and observe to perform them. The Lord our God confirmed a covenant with us in Horeb: not with our fathers did the Lord confirm this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here this day alive and abiding. Word to word did the Lord speak with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the Word of the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the Word of the Lord, because you were afraid before the voice of the Word of the Lord, which you heard from the midst of the fire… Sons of Israel, My people, no one of you shall swear by the Name of the Word of the Lord your God in vain: for the Lord, (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 3-7)

Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He hath concluded with you, and you make an image for you, the likeness of anything about which the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. For the Word of the Lord thy God is a consuming fire: He is a jealous God… For ask now of the ancient days that have been before thee, from the day that the Lord created man upon the earth, and (ask) from one end of the heavens to the other, if there hath been so great a thing as this, or any heard like it, whether a people have heard the voice of the Word of the Lord speaking from the midst of the fire as thou didst hear, and have lived. Or (if any have seen) like miracles which the Lord hath wrought, in being revealed to redeem to Himself a people from among a people, by miracles, signs, and wonders, and with war, and by a mighty hand and uplifted arm, and by grand visions, according to all that the Lord your God hath done for you in Mizraim before your eyes. Unto thee hath it been shown, that thou mayest know that the Lord He is God, there is none beside Him. From the heavens thou didst hear the voice of His Word, that He might teach thee, and upon earth He showed thee His great fire, and thou heardest His words from the midst of the fire. And because He loved thy fathers, and had pleasure in their children after them, He brought thee out by His Word, by His mighty power, from Mizraim, to drive out nations greater and stronger than thou from before thee, to bring thee in, to give thee their land to inherit, as at this day…

V. And Mosheh called all Israel, and said to them: Listen, Israel, to the statutes and judgments which I speak before you this day, and learn them, and keep them to do them. The Lord our God confirmed a covenant with us at Horeb. The Lord confirmed not this covenant with our fathers, but with us who are here all of us living this day: word with word hath the Lord spoken with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire, (I stood between the Word of the Lord and you, to announce to you at that time the word of the Lord; for you were afraid in presence of the fire, and went not up to the mountain,) saying: I am the Lord thy God, who hath brought thee out of the land of Mizraim, from the house of bondage… Behold, the Lord our God hath showed to us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard the voice of His Word out of the midst of the fire; this day have we seen that the Lord speaketh with a man,^[3] and he liveth. But now why should we die? For this great fire will consume us: if we go on to hear the voice of the Word of the Lord our God, we shall die. For who is there of all flesh who can hear the voice of the Word of the Living God speaking from the midst of fire (in the manner) that we have, and can live?… (Etheridge, Onkelos, Complete)

DEUTERONOMY 8-9

VIII. Every commandment which I command you this day, observe ye to do, that you may live, and multiply, and go in and inherit the land which the Lord sware to your fathers. And remember all the way by which the Lord your God hath led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble and try you, to know whether you will keep His commandments or not. And He humbled thee and let thee hunger, and fed thee with the manna which thou knewest not, nor thy fathers had known, that He might make thee to know that man liveth not by bread only, but by all that is created by the Word of the Lord doth man live…

IX. Hear, Israel: you are this day (about) to pass Jordana to enter in and possess (the country of) nations greater and stronger than you, and cities many, and fortified to the height of heaven. A people (are they) strong and tall as the giants whom you know, and of whom you have heard (say), Who can stand before the sons of the giants? Know, therefore, tojday that the Lord your God, whose glorious Shekinah goeth before you, whose Word is a consuming fire, will destroy them and drive them out before you; (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 7-11)

DEUTERONOMY 18

I will raise up unto them a Prophet from, among their brethren in whom shall be the Holy Spirit, as in thee; and I will put My Word of prophecy in his mouth, and he shall speak with them whatsoever I command him; and the man who will not hearken to the words of My prophecy which shall be spoken in My Name, My Word shall take vengeance upon him. But the false prophet who doeth wickedly in speaking a thing in My Name, when I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of the gods of the Gentiles., that prophet shall be slain with the sword. And if thou shalt say in your thoughts, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a [p. 615] false prophet speaketh in the Name of the Lord, and the thing doth not come to pass, or be not confirmed, it is a word which the Lord hath not spoken; the false prophet spake it in presumption; fear him not. (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 16-21)

… A PROPHET from among thee, of thy brethren, like me, will the Lord thy God raise up unto thee, to him shall ye hearken. According to all that thou didst ask before the Lord thy God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying: Let me not again hear the voice of the Word of the Lord my God, and let me not see the great fire any more, lest I die. And the Lord said to me, That which they have spoken is right: I will raise up to them a Prophet from among them like unto thee, and I will put My words of prophecy upon his lips, and he will speak to them all that I shall command him. And the man who will not hearken to My words which he will speak in My Name, My Word will require it of him. (Etheridge, Onkelos)

DEUTERONOMY 32

For the Word of the Lord adjudgeth in His mercy the jundgement of His people Israel, and for the evil He hath appointed upon His servants there shall be repentance before Him; for He knoweth that in the time when they have sinned the stroke of their enemies will be heavy upon them, and help have passed away from their hands, and the faithful will have failed with their good works and be scattered and forsaken. And the enemy will say, Where is the fear of Israel, their Strength in whom they confided, who ate the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their libations? Let Him now rise up and help you, let Him shield you by His Word… 

When the Word of the Lord shall reveal Himself to redeem His people, He will say to all the nations: Behold now, that I am He who Am, and Was, and Will Be, and there is no other God beside Me: I, in My Word, kill and make alive; I smite the people of the Beth Israel, and I will heal them at the end of the days; and there will be none who can deliver them from My hand, Gog and his armies whom I have permitted to make war against them. [JER. See now that I in My Word am He, and there is no other God beside Me. I kill the living in this world, and make alive the dead in the world that cometh; I am He who smiteth, and I am He who healeth; and there is none who can deliver from My hand.]…

[JER. For I have uplifted My hand with an oath to heaven, and said, I live, and My Word subsisteth for ever…]

Rejoice, ye nations, (and) ye people of Beth Israel; for the blood of His servants which was shed, He hath avenged. He hath kept (in mind) and returned just vengeance upon His adversaries, and by His Word will He make Atonement for His land, and for His people…

And the Lord spake with Mosheh on the seventh of the month Adar, on the same day,

saying, It was when the Word of the Lord had said to him, Go up to this mount Ibraee,

the mountain of Nebo, and he thought in his heart, and said, Perhaps this up‑going will

be like that to Mount Sinai; and he said, I will go and sanctify the people; but the Word of

the Lord said to him, Not so at all, but, Go thou up and view the land of Kenaan, which I

have given to the children of Israel for an inheritance… Mosheh at once opened his mouth in prayer, and said… So have I laboured for this people; I have led them by Thy Word out of Mizraim, and builded for this people; I have taught them Thy law builded for them the tabernacle to Thy Name; but now that the time hath come to pass the Jordan, I am punished with death! Let it please Thee to withhold fromme this sentence until I have passed the Jordan, to see the good of Israel before I die. The Lord of the world answered him, and said: Because thou didst prevaricate with My Word In the midst of the children of Israel, at the Waters of Contention at Rekem in the desert of Zin, and didst not sanctify Me among them; therefore thou mayest look over against it, but shalt not enter into the land that I give unto the children of Israel. [Jer. Because you were rebellios towards the Name of My Word, among the Beni Israel, at the Waters of Contention in Rekem in the desert of Zin; forasmuch as you did not sanctify Me in the midst of them, therefore thou mayest look over against it, but shalt not enter into the land which I give to the children of Israel.] (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 32)

ISAIAH 6

In the year in which King Uzziah was smitten with the leprosy the prophet said, I saw THE GLORY of the Lord sitting upon His throne, high, and lifted up unto the highest heavens, and the temple was filled with the brightness of His glory… And one cried unto another and they were saying, Holy in the highest and exalted heavens is the house of His Shekinah, holy upon the earth is the work of His might, holy for ever, world without end, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of the brightness of His glory… Then said I, Woe is me, for I have sinned, for I am a guilty man to reprove, and I dwell in the midst of a people polluted with sin: for mine eyes have seen THE GLORY of the Shekinah of the King of the worlds, the Lord of hosts… And I heard the voice OF THE WORD of the Lord, which said, Whom shall I send to prophesy? and who will go to teach? Then said I, Here am I, send me. (The Chaldee Paraphrase on the Prophet Isaiah by Jonathan b. Uzziel, translated by Rev. C. W. H. Pauli [London Society House, 1871], pp. 20-21 https://books.google.com/books?id=_boCAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false)

Astonishingly, not only does the Targum confirm that the prophet saw the very glory of Jehovah but it also connects Isaiah’s commissioning with the Word of the Lord. I.e., it is the Word of the Lord who personally appointed Isaiah to speak on behalf of the Godhead.

In another place, particularly Deuteronomy 4:7, the Targum interprets Isaiah 6:1 in reference to the prophet actually seeing the Word of the Lord seated on God’s heavenly throne!

“But the custom of (other) nations is to carry their gods upon their shoulders, that they may seem to be nigh them; but they cannot hear with their ears, (be they nigh or) be they afar off; but the Word of the Lord sitteth upon His throne high and lifted up, and HEARETH our prayer what time we pray BEFORE HIM and make our petitions.” (Etheridge, Jonathan & Jerusalem, 3-7)

And the following Targum on the Psalms basically states the same thing:

But as for the word of the Lord, HIS seat is in the highest heaven forever; he has established his throne for judgment. Psalm 9:8 (The Psalms Targum: An English Translation, Edward M. Cook, 2001, Book 1 – Psalms 1-41)

ISAIAH 8

5 And the WORD of the Lord spake again to me, saying, (Pauli, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, p. 26)

ISAIAH 17

7 At the time a man shall stay himself upon the service of his Maker, and his eyes shall hopefully look for the WORD, the Holy One of Israel…

10 Because thou hast fosaken the God of thy salvation, and thou has not remembered the fear of the Mighty One, whose WORD was thy support; therefore thou has planted a choice plant, and hast multiplied despicable works. (Pauli, p. 56)

ISAIAH 42

1 Behold, my servant, the Messiah, whom I bring, my chosen in whom one delights: as for my Word, I will put my Holy Spirit upon him; He shall reveal my judgment unto the nations. (Pauli, p. 142)

Remarkably, the Messiah is here associated with God’s Word and has God’s Holy Spirit resting on him!

ISAIAH 44

24 Thus saith the Lord, who hath redeemed thee, and who hath prepared thee from the womb, I have suspended the heavens by my WORD, I have laid the foundations of the earth by my strength; (Pauli, p. 154)

ISAIAH 45

17 Israel shall be saved by the Word of the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed no confounded for ever, yea, for ages to ages…

22 Turn unto my WORD, and be ye saved, all that are at the ends of the earth: for I am the Lord, and there is none else…

24 Surely, He has promised to bring me righteousness and strength by the WORD of the Lord. In His WORD they shall offer praise, and all the nations that are increased against His people shall be ashamed.

25 In the WORD of the Lord all the seed of Israel shall be justified and glorified. (Pauli, pp. 158-159)

ISAIAH 48

11 For my name’s sake, for the sake of my WORD, that it may not be profaned, I will do it, and my glory in which I have revealed myself unto you, I will not give to another people…

13 Yea, by my WORD I have laid the foundation of the earth, and by my might I have suspended of the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together…

16… The prophet saith: And now the Lord God, and His WORD, hath sent me. (Pauli, pp. 166-167)

ISAIAH 63

8 And He said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not lie: and His WORD became their salvation…

10 But they rebelled against the word of His holy prophets, and blasphemed, and His Word became their enemy, He waged war against them. (Pauli, p. 213)

FURTHER READING

THE TRINITY IN TARGUM NEOFITI

GOD’S SON IN TARGUM NEOFITI REVISITED

JEWISH SOURCES ON THE WORD AS A DIVINE PERSON

JUDAISMS’ VIEWS ON THE MESSIAH’S PREHUMAN EXISTENCE

This short post will be a brief summation of some of the overwhelming evidence identifying Jesus as YHWH God Almighty that became Man.

YHWH GOD

The Hebrew Bible is emphatic that YHWH is the sole Creator and Sustainer who alone sits enthroned in heaven as the sovereign Ruler over creation and whom the entire heavenly host worship. YHWH is further described as the only Lord in heaven whom believers are to be looking to and depending on for protection and salvation:

“And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, ‘Rise up, bless Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting! O may Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise! You alone are Yahweh. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down to You.’” Nehemiah 9:5-6

“How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the sons of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They are satisfied from the richness of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9

“Who is like Yahweh our God, The One who sits on high, The One who brings Himself low to see The things in heaven and on the earth?” Psalm 113:5-6

“The heavens are the heavens of Yahweh, But the earth He has given to the sons of men.” Psalm 115:16

“To You I lift up my eyes, The One enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a servant‑girl to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to Yahweh our God, Until He is gracious to us.” Psalm 123:1-2

“Yahweh has established His throne in the heavens, And His kingdom rules over all. Bless Yahweh, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless Yahweh, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will. Bless Yahweh, all you works of His, In all places of His rule; Bless Yahweh, O my soul!” Psalm 103:19-22

“Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!” Psalm 148:1-2

“‘To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His vigor and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from Yahweh, And the justice due me passes by my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weary, And to him who lacks vigor He increases might.” Isaiah 40:25-29

“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.’… The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the wasteland, To give drink to My chosen people. The people whom I formed for Myself Will recount My praise.” Isaiah 43:6-7, 20-21

“Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, ‘I, Yahweh, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,’” Isaiah 44:24

“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘They are done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.’” Revelation 21:5-7

JESUS CHRIST

Astonishingly, the [N]ew [T]estament attributes all these unique characteristics and functions to Jesus Christ!

For example, Christ is identified as the God who created and gives life to the entire creation, being the Source of life who grants spiritual illumination to all mankind. Christ is also said to reign alongside the Father in heaven as Lord over all creation, being the joint Owner/Possessor of the heavenly kingdom:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men… There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him… 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. John 1:1-4, 9-1, 14

“As for the word which He sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ⁠—He is Lord of all⁠—… And He commanded us to preach to the people, and solemnly to bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:36

“For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” Romans 14:9

“and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of the might of His strength, which He worked in Christ, by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, FAR ABOVE ALL rule and authority and power and dominion, and EVERY NAME that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put ALL THINGS in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head OVER ALL THINGS to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23

“For this you know with certainty, that no one sexually immoral or impure or greedy, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Ephesians 5:5

“Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For IN HIM all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities⁠—all things have been created THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM. And HE IS before all things, And IN HIM all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross⁠—through Him⁠—whether things on earth or things in heaven.” Colossians 1:13-20

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily, and in Him you have been filled, who is the head over all rule and authority;” Colossians 2:8-10

“and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood⁠—and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father⁠—to Him be the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Yes, amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Revelation 1:5-8

“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and elect and faithful.” Revelation 17:14 – Cf. 19:11-16

This next one is truly remarkable:

“God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘And let all the angels of God worship Him.’… But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.’ And, ‘You, Lord [the Son], in the beginning founded the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will wear out like a garment, And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.’” Hebrews 1:1-3, 6, 8-12

The inspired writer has the Father glorifying Christ by quoting the following OT references, where the whole angelic host are commanded to worship YHWH their God,

“Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.” Deuteronomy 32:43 LXX 

“Let all that worship graven images be ashamed, who boast of their idols; worship him, all ye his angels.” Psalm 96:7 LXX

And in which YHWH is magnified for being the unchangeable Creator and Sustainer of all creation,

“A prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to thee!… But thou, O LORD, art enthroned for ever; thy name endures to all generations… Of old thou didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They will perish, but thou dost endure; they will all wear out like a garment. Thou changest them like raiment, and they pass away; but thou art the same, and thy years have no end.” Psalm 102:1, 12, 25-27

And attributing these texts to his beloved Son, thereby identifying Christ as that very YHWH God whom all the angels worship, and who personally created and sustains the entire creation!  

Christ is even said to be that very Lord in heaven whom all must look to and whose allegorical wings of protection one must come under to find shelter, since he is the Shepherd that leads believers to drink from the rivers of living waters:

“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:27-30

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you did not want it! Behold, your house is left to you desolate, and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Luke 13:34-35

“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ She said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?’ Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst⁠—ever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’” John 4:10-14

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. Now this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.’ Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Stop grumbling among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day… He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.’” John 6:35-44, 54

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen, the blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the strength, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘These, clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come?’ And I said to him, ‘My lord, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His sanctuary; and He who sits on the throne will dwell over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of the water of life. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:9-17

To sum up the NT proclamation:

Like YHWH, Jesus created and gives life to all creation since he is the Source/Fountain of life.

Like YHWH, Jesus created all things for himself, for his own possession.

Like YHWH, Jesus rules from heaven over all creation as Lord.

Like YHWH, Jesus gives spiritual illumination since he is the true Light.

Like YHWH, Jesus grants believers shelter under his metaphorical wings and gives them the right to drink from the rivers of living waters.

Like YHWH, Jesus is worshiped by the entire heavenly host.

The reason why Jesus is exactly like YHWH in his exclusive roles, functions, and attributes is because he is YHWH God Almighty who became flesh, since he is God’s uniquely begotten Son who is essentially one with the Father and the Holy Spirit in nature.

Scriptural citations taken from the Legacy Standard Bible  (LSB).

FURTHER READING

Jesus Is Yahweh: Examining the New Testament Use of Old Testament Passages to Demonstrate the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus as Yahweh: Examining Paul’s use of Lord in reference to Christ

The Deity of the Messiah in Isaiah and in light of New Testament Exegesis

If Yahweh alone is the Creator, and Jesus a servant sent by him, how can Jesus be God?

Does being called “Kyrios” really imply Deity?

 

In this post I will be sharing some of the beliefs of the Samaritans to show this was another group that sprung forth from Israel which held/holds to a belief in two divine Powers. The specific Samaritan work I will be citing from shall be John MacDonald’s English translation of the Memar Marqah.  

DATE OF COMPOSITION AND THE EXTANT MS COPIES

Here’s what MacDonald states in respect to the provenance and earliest surviving manuscripts (MSS) of the Marqah. All emphasis will be mine:

As far as dating the Memar is concerned therefore, we have several factors that indicate the 2^nd–4^th centuries A.D. — The use of Greek words, the Aramaized Roman names of Marqah’s family, the ideological outlook, the midrashic material, the philosophical and scientific passages, the language and style, and, as we shall see below, the long textual tradition. All this is in addition to the inescapable fact that Marqah does not betray any definite signs of the Islamic influences so prominent in later Samaritanism. The Samaritan chronicles themselves,¹⁷ especially from the 11^th century, place Marqah and Nanah at about that time. In addition there is the fact that of all the hundreds of Samaritan family names known to us, only Marqah, Nanah and Tota are Roman.

Perhaps in the future it will be possible to trace the history of Christianity in Samaria more exactly, so that we may discover why Marqah shows some knowledge of St. John’s Gospel, while later writers use it in such a way as to prove actual dependence, at times verbatim, on it.

THE TEXT

We now turn to the history of the text in general terms before examining the available MSS in chapter 3 of this Introduction. The oldest text announced belongs to the late 14th century, the next oldest to over a century later, followed by two of nearly two centuries later still, and a few modern MSS.

When one compares Memar MSS with, e.g., those of any one Festival Liturgy, it is transparent that the Memar has not been copied so often and that it has a longer history. Liturgical MSS abound in variants of every kind, but the basic text is not changed very much in the course of time. Such changes as there are by way of additions and omissions are only those to be expected during the development of a liturgical text. As a result of the years of research into liturgical MSS in the University of Leeds under the leadership of Professor J. B o w m a n (now of the University of Melbourne), it is possible to see how the Liturgy developed and how the available MSS interrelate.

While investigating some nine MSS (from the 14^th century on) for Yom ha-Kippur as part of the work for a doctoral dissertation,¹⁸ the present writer discovered that manuscriptural variants are to be related to scribal families. Thus scribes of the Levitical family will agree on choice of words, forms, orthography and synonyms as against those of the Danafi or Marhibi families. This proved to be the case beyond all doubt.

The same discovery applies in the investigation of the MSS used for the text of Memar Marqah. It is abundantly clear from the content and the variants that there are two main types of fixed text, and these belong respectively to the Danafi and Levitical families. This will be illustrated in detail below.

There is, however, the special problem of the oldest (14^th century) MS, called herein K. This MS differs considerably in content and exact wording from the Danafi and Levitical text-types. As will be shown, this is a text possibly dictated from someone’s memory and not copied from an earlier text. That such a process should have been necessary in that century illustrates the truth that it was in the 14^th century that the greatest revival in MS reproduction took place.¹⁹ It appears to be true that in the 14^th century the Samaritan literary resources were in desperate straits. This may have been due to the devastating inroads of the savage conqueror Timur Lane (1336–1405) and other unhappy events such as perhaps the Bubonic Plagues of 1348 and 1360 which were rife in Syria. But the process of devastation may have been at its worst during the Roman period; certainly under Justinian the Samaritans (particularly in 529) suffered greatly.²⁰

It seems that it was only after the migration of some Damascene Samaritans to Palestine in the 14^th century that MSS copying as well as literary production revived. We do not know yet if the Syrian and Palestinian Samaritans experienced a period of internal conflict in literary, liturgical and theological matters, but it is possible that sectarian controversy was active at that time. What we can be sure about is that from that time (a) MSS have a ‘family’ flavour: (b) MSS were copied in great quantity: (c) Syrian liturgical orders are contained in some copies:²¹ (d) Eastern Aramaic forms find a place in MSS copied in Nablus.

Thus the problems arising from the MSS consulted for the present work must be related to the question of to which family a particular scribe belonged. In addition, it must be noted that the MSS consulted have been allowed to speak for themselves, and that it has nowhere been taken for granted that all MSS by, e.g., a Levitical scribe must agree in orthography, synonyms or content. (Memar Marqah: The Teaching of the Marqah, edited and translated by John MacDonald [Verlag Alfred Topelmann, Berlin 1963], Volume 1: The Text, pp. XX-XXII)

To sum up the points of MacDonald, Marqah is a work composed anywhere between the 2^nd–4^th centuries AD, with the oldest extant copy being from the 14^th century. As such, it is not a pre-Christian work but a document composed after the completion of the [N]ew [T]estament writings. This explains why MacDonald notes that there are allusions to John’s Gospel in the Marqah, showing that post-NT Samaritan religion was influenced by Christian theological beliefs, not the other way around.

Keep these facts in perspective since they will be important later on when I quote from the late liberal atheist NT scholar Michael Goulder.  

THE THEOLOGY

I now quote the relevant portions of the Marqah, which highlight the Samaritan belief in two heavenly Powers:

A question now. Give ear and apply your mind. Listen to it. When God wrote the Ten Words (Ex. xx) He first of all wrote twenty-two letters which are the basic elements of the words of the law. When the Glory proclaimed the Ten Words before him, which He magnified, He proclaimed them in the beginning and you will find that they are not defective, except for the letter Tit²⁷ alone.

The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation (Ex. xxxiv. 6-7).²⁸

When the True One proclaimed the first Ten before him, the Glory repeated them before him. He responded and also proclaimed ten. When the True One proclaimed, he was not permitted to proclaim, but when the Glory proclaimed he was permitted to do so. The first of the Ten which the Glory proclaimed was LORD (YHWH) and the last of them the word FAITHFULNESS (’EMET). The first of the Ten which Moses proclaimed was THE LORD, SLOW TO ANGER and the last of them the expression FOURTH GENERATION.²⁹

Where is there the like of Moses and who can compare with Moses, a prophet to whom there is no like among all mankind? When God appeared to him in the Bush, he found twenty-two letters written before him with devouring fire; by means of these Moses expounded the law. They are the elements of the words of Hebrew speech.

Let us picture him as he wrote the law and divided up its sections as God had commanded him.

From the first version³⁰ he left out TIT and from the second version he left out six letters; they are NUN,’ SIMCAT, PHI, SADI, QOPH, TAV.

Moses only expounded the holy Scripture when God commanded it. The Glory and the assembly of all the heavenly angels and the Pristine God were gathered together when He wrote with His own hand, while these stood by and magnified the commandments and commanded what must be done.

The Divine One appeared and established the covenant.

The Glory appeared and magnified what was good.

The angels came to magnify what was glorious and they were all assembled for Adam.

The Divine One formed him and the breath of life was breathed into him.

The Glory made him complete with a great spirit; the TWO OF THEM were clad in two crowns of great light.

The Divine One put in him a perfect mind and the Glory gave him powerful illumination.

The Divine One also glorified him with speech and the Glory glorified him with perfect knowledge.

The angels were witnesses to him of what he would do and they are all gathered in every place where God is mentioned in truth.

We turn from this to matters that involve ourselves. Let us enquire of the origins of wisdom, why the sections of the law were not written with all of the twenty-two letters, but were in fact written with the absence of seven. I have already revealed them to you, that you may understand. A s for there being seven, no more, nor less, it is good for us to enquire into this mystery. (Ibid., pp. 220-221)

THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

The aforementioned quotes show that the Samaritans believed that there are two divine Beings or Persons, the first they named the True/Divine One as well as the Pristine God, with the second being called the Glory. These two heavenly Powers are said to have worked together in creating the first human being.

Such a view implies that the Samaritans viewed the Pristine God and the Glory as Co-Creators, and therefore fully and equally divine. After all, the explicit Scriptural teaching is that God alone created all things:

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.” Genesis 5:1-2

“These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground—then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:4-7

“Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:” Isaiah 42:5

“I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made… The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.” Isaiah 43:6-7, 20-21

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the Lord, who made all things, who stretched out the heavens ALONE, who spread out the earth—Who was with me?—’” Isaiah 44:24

 At the same time these sacred writings describe God as a plural Creator/Maker:

“Then God said, ‘Let US make man in our image, after OUR likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created man in HIS own image, in the image of God HE created him; male and female HE created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

“But no one says, ‘Where is God my MAKERS (‘osay), who gives songs in the night,” Job 35:10

‘Osay is the plural masculine participle of ‘asa.

“Let Israel rejoice in their MAKERS (be’osaw); Let Zion’s children rejoice in their King.” Psalm 149:2

‘Osa is the plural masculine participle form of ‘asa.  

“Remember also thy Creators (boreka) in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, `I have no pleasure in them.’” Ecclesiastes 12:1 Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

Bore is the plural masculine participle form of bara.

“For your MAKERS (‘osayik) is your HUSBANDS (bo’alayik); YHWH of hosts is his name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of the whole earth.” Isaiah 54:5

Bo’alay and ‘osay is the plural masculine forms of baal and ‘asa respectively.

 NT CHRISTOLOGY

This is where the inspired Christian Scriptures come in.

According to the sacred writings of the ancient Church, Jesus is identified as that second divine Power who was with God the Father from the beginning, from before creation, being the One by and through whom the entire creation was brought into existence:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God;all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.In him was life, and the life was the light of men.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.(John bore witness to him, and cried, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.”’) And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” John 1:1-5, 9-10, 14-18

“Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘an idol has no real existence,’ and that ‘there is no God but one.’ For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

“He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:13-20

“In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’… But of the Son he says, ‘Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the righteous scepter is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy comrades.’ And, ‘Thou, Lord [the Son], didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they will perish, but thou remainest; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years will never end.” Hebrews 1:1-3, 6, 8-12 – Cf. 13:8

What makes the passage from Hebrews so remarkable is that the writer has the Father attributing the following OT texts, where the whole angelic host are commanded to worship YHWH their God,

“Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.” Deuteronomy 32:43 LXX 

“Let all that worship graven images be ashamed, who boast of their idols; worship him, all ye his angels.” Psalm 96:7 LXX

And in which YHWH is glorified for being the unchangeable Creator and Sustainer of all creation,

“A prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to thee!… But thou, O LORD, art enthroned for ever; thy name endures to all generations… Of old thou didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They will perish, but thou dost endure; they will all wear out like a garment. Thou changest them like raiment, and they pass away; but thou art the same, and thy years have no end.” Psalm 102:1, 12, 25-27

To his beloved Son, thereby identifying Christ as that very YHWH God whom all the angelic beings worship and who personally created and sustains the entire creation!  

The NT also teaches that Jesus voluntarily set aside his glorious status and heavenly riches by descending from heaven to be born from a woman in order to assume the status of a slave for the express purpose of dying on the cross for sinners:

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,” Romans 8:3

“Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual which is first but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 – Cf. Ephesians 3:8

“But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,” Galatians 4:4

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8  

Christ is even described as that very God whose glory the OT prophets beheld:

“Though HE had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in HIM; it was that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ Therefore they could not believe. For Isaiah again said, ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.’ Isaiah said this because he saw HIS glory and spoke of HIM.” John 12:37-41  

The Evangelist states that Jesus’ rejection by his contemporaries was already foretold by the prophet Isaiah since he had been allowed to see Christ’s glory for the express purpose of speaking about him to Israel.

The following translation helps to bring out the point that the glory that Isaiah beheld was that of the Son in his prehuman existence:

“Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.” John 12:41 New International Version (NIV)

What makes this a remarkable claim is that John cites Isaiah 6:10, which happens to be the time when Isaiah saw YHWH Almighty visibly seated upon his throne:

“In the year that King Uzzi′ah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’… And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for US?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people: “Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not perceive.” Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’” Isaiah 6:1-5, 8-10

The point of the inspired Apostle is crystal clear.

The prophet was actually looking at Jesus in his prehuman existence when the Son manifested himself in a visible bodily shape.   

As the following study note puts it:

“Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ’s glory, and spoke about him.”

tn Grk “his”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent supplied here is “Christ” rather than “Jesus” because it involves what Isaiah saw. It is clear that the author presents Isaiah as having seen the preincarnate glory of Christ, which was the very revelation of the Father (see John 1:18; John 14:9).

sn Because he saw Christ’s glory. The glory which Isaiah saw in Isa 6:3 was the glory of Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT). Here John speaks of the prophet seeing the glory of Christ since in the next clause and spoke about him, “him” can hardly refer to Yahweh, but must refer to Christ. On the basis of statements like 1:14 in the prologue, the author probably put no great distinction between the two. Since the author presents Jesus as fully God (cf. John 1:1), it presents no problem to him to take words originally spoken by Isaiah of Yahweh himself and apply them to Jesus. New English Translation (NET https://netbible.org/bible/John+12; bold emphasis mine)

That John believed it was Jesus whom the prophet saw, and by extension whom all the OT saints beheld when they encountered God, is confirmed by what the inspired Evangelist wrote in his prologue,

“No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].” John 1:18 Amplified Bible (AMP)

“No man has EVER seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].” Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

And what the Lord himself stated:

“Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” John 5:45-47

“‘Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.” John 8:56-59  

“‘If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.’Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, “Show us the Father”?Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.’” John 14:7-11

John wasn’t the only inspired writer to speak of Christ’s prehuman appearances to the people of Israel:

“I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-10

“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the first-born might not touch them.” Hebrews 11:24-28 NIV

Astonishingly, both Paul and Hebrews claim that it was Christ himself that visibly appeared to Moses and who personally led Israel out of Egypt in the cloudy pillar where he supernaturally provided for them in the wilderness!  

Christ is further described as dwelling in the same glory alongside the Father from before the creation of the world,  

“and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made… Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:5, 24

Being that very Lord of glory or glorious Lord whom the rulers of this age crucified,  

“None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:8  

“My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” James 2:1

Who has been exalted far above every creature,

“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great mightwhich he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,FAR ABOVE ALL rule and authority and power and dominion, and ABOVE EVERY NAME that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;and he has put ALL THINGS under his feet and has made him the head OVER ALL THINGS for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23

And at whose name every created being must bow down and acknowledge as Lord:

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above EVERY NAME, that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and EVERY TONGUE confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

And since the OT describes YHWH as the glorious Lord whose name alone is exalted and whom every creature must confess,

“Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah” Psalm 24:7-10

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name ALONE is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.” Psalm 148:13

“By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.’” Isaiah 45:23

It becomes, therefore, clear that the Christian Scriptures equate Jesus with, and identify him as, YHWH God Almighty.

At the same, the inspired writings personally distinguish Christ from the God that he reigns with, and whose beloved Son he happens to be:

“And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.’” Mark 1:10-11  

“And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is my beloved Son; listen to him.’” Mark 9:7

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him.’” John 17:1-2

Hence, the preceding NT data shows that the Son is being presented as the second heavenly Power that became a flesh and blood human being.

WHO INFLUENCED WHOM?

The evidence from both the NT documents and the Samaritan writing simply confirms what has been commonly known among scholars, namely, the notion that Jews were a monolithic group that held to a strictly unitarian view of God is simply erroneous.

The documentation actually shows that a large segment of Jewry before, during and after the time of Christ believed in at least two distinct divine Powers (or what later Christians would call Hypostases/Persons). And they derived this from their reading of the Hebrew Bible!

What the preceding data shows is that Christianity did not invent the idea of two coexistent divine Persons or pervert the OT proclamation of the nature and existence of God. Rather, the followers of Christ and their disciples were being faithful to the evidence that even other Jewish sects found within the sacred writings of Israel.   

As a result, liberal, atheistic scholars have longed sought after a naturalistic explanation for this Christian belief having been influenced by some sect that existed during the time of Jesus and his followers. This is because these authorities do not believe in divine revelation and therefore do not accept that Jesus was truly God in the flesh or that the writers of the NT were guided by the Holy Spirit.

Some of these so-called experts posit the idea that the Christian authors of the NT actually derived this notion of the two Powers from groups such as the Samaritans whom the followers of Jesus came into contact with early on!

One such scholar was the late Michael Goulder, who wrote:

Jesus’ human ancestry does not feature in Col. 1 and Phil. 2: where does the developing incarnation come from? It begins, again, in I Corinthians. In I Cor. 8:6: ‘There is … one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.’ Jesus was divine, and participated in creation. I Cor. 10:4: ‘The Rock (in the wilderness) was Christ’–Jesus was divine, and was God’s agent in the desert. I Cor. 15:47: ‘the first man was of the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.’ Adam was made from clay and came from this world; Jesus was divine and came to the world from heaven. II Cor. 8:9: ‘you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.’ Romans and Galatians were probably written between the two Corinthian letters, and both testify to a landing, Son-incarnate christology, as well as to a take-off resurrected Messiah christology. Rom. 8:2[sic]: ‘God, sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh …’: Gal.4:4: ‘Whom the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman.’ If Jesus was sent it looks as though he was there to be sent (though cf. Mark 12:2)… Even in Philippians, Paul’s last letter, there seems to be a wavering in the logic. Christ Jesus was in the form of God and emptied himself, being born; and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross; therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. But if he was in the form of God, did he not have the name which is above every name from the beginning? It looks as if a landing Christology has been prefixed to, and not quite assimilated to, a take-off christology. But there is no reference to Jesus’ human paternity in the captivity epistles; the more obvious dissonances have been put away.

All the evidence [sic] would seem to be explained by Samaritan hypothesis: Paul appropriated the idea of Jesus’ incarnation in the course of dialectic with the Samaritan missionaries in Corinth and Ephesus between 50 and 55…

John, by about the year 100, with his Samaritan church-membership, goes the whole way. He puts together the two central Samaritan texts, Gen. I and Ex. 34: ‘In the beginning was the Word … we beheld his glory.’ There is no word of Jewish Wisdom. We have the full doctrine of the Samaritan binity, the Pristine God and the Glory. In Exodus the Glory proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the Lord … abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (rabh-hesedh we’emeth)’: Moses did not see God (33:20f.), and what came of the vision was the Law and the Tabernacle. The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and truth; we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known, proclaimed him. The same duality is expressed by God and the Word from the Gen. I context in a manner too obvious to need explanation. It is John I which has fixed Christian orthodoxy, and has given the incarnation in its substance form the status of revealed truth these two millennia. (Goulder, “The Two Roots of the Christian Myth”, in The Myth of God Incarnate, edited by John Hick [SCM Press Ltd, 1977], pp. 78-81; bold emphasis mine)     

It is good to see Goulder acknowledging that this portrayal of the Father and the Son as the two heavenly Powers is found in the writings of Paul, particularly in 1 & 2 Corinthians, Romans, and Galatians, which leads him to place this belief around the early to mid 50s AD.

This affirms that this doctrine wasn’t a development which sprung up long after the original followers of Jesus had left the scene. Goulder’s position actually confirms that this teaching was already in place within the first generation of Jesus’ disciples, during a time when many of the eyewitnesses of Christ such as Peter and John were still alive and ministering.    

However, contrary to Goulder’s claim, the evidence shows that if anyone influenced anyone it was Christ’s followers that did so, not the Samaritans. This is due primarily to the fact that the Marqah, from which Goulder based his hypothesis, is a post-NT document written anywhere between the 2^nd-4^th centuries, long after the writings of the NT, which even Goulder recognized were composed during the middle to late 1^st century AD. And as I showed previously, MacDonald who translated the Marqah noted that the document shows affinities and familiarity with John’s Gospel.

Now unless there is evidence of a Samaritan writing that is contemporary with the NT documents, or even earlier, then it is clear as to what grouped influenced whom.

But even that isn’t a necessary position to hold since one can argue that both the early Christians and Samaritans derived their belief in two heavenly Powers from the clear, explicit witness of the Hebrew Bible, even though later Samaritans became aware of and were even influenced by the language and theology of the Christian writings.

Moreover, the coming of Christ in the flesh, and his subsequent resurrection from the dead, confirmed the OT witness to the existence of two divine Powers reigning in heaven to be of divine origin, a revelation which the true God had given to his covenant people through his holy prophets.  

Unless indicated otherwise, scriptural citations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

FURTHER READING

ISRAEL’S MULTIPERSONAL GOD

THE TRINITY IN TARGUM NEOFITI

GOD’S SON IN TARGUM NEOFITI REVISITED

TWO POWERS IN HEAVEN: REVEALING ISRAEL’S SECOND GOD

METATRON: ISRAEL’S SECOND GOD REVISITED

THE ANGEL METATRON: JUDAISMS’ SECOND YHWH