Jesus Believed in Elohim

    Elohim is the Hebrew word for God, and is used frequently in the Old Testament.[*] Jesus was a Jew, and when Jesus speaks of God in the New Testament, it is clear that he means Elohim, the God of the Jews. He is usually speaking to Jews, and when he refers to God, there is no confusion about who he is talking about. He refers to Elohim in this example:

"And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead but of the living." (Mt 22:31-32, from Ex 3:6)

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are known as the Jewish patriarchs, whose stories are told in Genesis. I will use the term Elohim to indicate God as Jews understand God.

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[*] Elohim is actually the plural form of Eloah, which means that Elohim literally means gods rather than God. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it is necessary to use context to determine whether God or gods is meant. In addition, the plural Elohim can be understood to prefigure the New Testament understanding of the Trinity.

This page was last changed on 2011/08/28