How would I juxtapose between the unity of God (Shema) in Deuteronomy 6.4 and the concept of Trinity in the Old Testament
Upvote:3
Assuming Unitarianism
Only when assuming Unitarianism, the Shema and the Trinity would be in conflict. The LORD is one, one what? one person? one being? You can indeed see fuzzy pictures of the Trinity in the Old Testament throughout various passages, but of course, the triune nature of God is revealed to us in the New Testament, let's let how Paul explained the Shema for us.
Paul's explanation of the Shema
1 Corinthians 8:6 (NASB95)
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
- One God (1 Corinthians 8:6) = our God (Deuteronomy 6:4)
- One Lord (1 Corinthians 8:6) = The LORD (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Paul explained the Shema for us, he used the same keywords, One, God, Lord, but he actually expanded it for us so we can understand what and who God is.
Why should we compare Deuteronomy 6:4 with 1 Corinthians 8:6 when the first one was written in Hebrew and the other was written in Greek? and how do we deal with the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) being translated into Greek?
When the apostles quoted from the Old Testament in their gospels and epistles, they quoted from the Greek Septuagint also known as the LXX (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), because the people they were talking to (such as the Corinthians in this case) didn't speak Hebrew and used the Greek Septuagint as their Old Testament bible, that's how you can use Deuteronomy 6:4 in the LXX as a reference to 1 Corinthians 8:6. In regard to the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), in the LXX, it's simply rendered as Κύριος (Kyrios), simply as "Lord" in English, which is the same title that is used for our Lord Jesus Christ throughout the whole New Testament and in 1 Corinthians 8:6.
Upvote:4
The Jews of Old Testament times, and even to this day, had no concept of a Trinity--as the Shema indicates. It is well established that Jews have always been monotheists, including during the time of Christ.
Jesus, in addressing the woman at the well, who was a Samaritan, spoke, as a Jew, of this Jewish belief in God.
John 4:21-24
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Jesus' message is clear; he taught worship of "the Father," not of a Trinity.
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