God in Abrahamic religions

The concept of God in Abrahamic religions is centred on the dedicated worship of a singular supreme deity. The three major monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, alongside the Baháʼí Faith,^[1] Druze, Samaritanism, Yazidism, and Rastafarianism,^[1] are all regarded as Abrahamic religions due to their shared worship of the God (referred to as Yahweh in Hebrew and as Allah in Arabic) that these traditions say revealed himself to Abraham.^[1] Abrahamic religions share the same distinguishing features:^[2]

• all of them originated from ancient Semitic religions in the geographical region of the Middle East;^[2]
• all of their theological traditions are to some extent influenced by the depiction of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible;^[2]
• all of them trace their roots to Abraham as a common patriarch.^[1][2][3][4]

The Abrahamic God in this sense is the conception of God that remains a common feature of all Abrahamic religions.^[4] God is conceived of as one, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and the creator of the universe.^[4] God is always referred to with masculine grammatical articles only,^[4] and further held to have the properties of holiness, justice, omnibenevolence and omnipresence. Proponents of Abrahamic faiths believe that God is also transcendent, meaning that he is outside of both space and time and therefore not subject to anything within his creation, but at the same time a personal God, involved, listening to prayer, and reacting to the actions of his creatures.

Opinions differ among scholars of religion on whether Mormonism belongs within the traditions of Christianity or whether it amounts to a distinct Abrahamic religion.^[5][6] The heterogenous Rastafari movement with roots in Jamaica is classified by some scholars as an international socio-religious movement, and by others as a separate Abrahamic religion or new religious movement.^[7]

Judaism[]

[God], the Cause of all, is one. This does not mean one as in one of series, nor one like a species (which encompasses many individuals), nor one as in an object that is made up of many elements, nor as a single simple object that is infinitely divisible. Rather, God is a unity unlike any other possible unity.

— Maimonides, 13 principles of faith, Second Principle

Judaism, the oldest Abrahamic religion, is based on a strict, exclusive monotheism, finding its origins in the sole veneration of Yahweh,^[8][9][10] the predecessor to the Abrahamic conception of God.^{[Note 1]} This is referred to in the Torah: "Hear O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4).^[16]

The idea of God as a duality or trinity is heretical in Judaism - it's considered akin to polytheism. God in Judaism is conceived as anthropomorphic,^[15] unique, benevolent, eternal, the creator of the universe, and the ultimate source of morality.^[17][18] Thus, the term God corresponds to an actual ontological reality, and is not merely a projection of the human psyche. Maimonides describes God in this fashion:

The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know that there is a Primary Being who brought into being all existence. All the beings of the heavens, the earth, and what is between them came into existence only from the truth of His being.^[19]

Traditional interpretations of Judaism generally emphasize that God is personal and able to intervene in the world, while some interpretations of Judaism emphasize that God is an impersonal force or ideal rather than a being who intervenes in the world.^[20]

Christianity[]

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Christianity originated in 1st-century Judea from a sect of apocalyptic Jewish Christians within the realm of Second Temple Judaism,^{[21][22][23][24][25]} and thus shares most of its beliefs about God, including his omnipotence, omniscience, his role as creator of all things, his personality, immanence, transcendence and ultimate unity, with the innovation that Jesus of Nazareth is considered to be, in one way or another, the fulfillment of the ancient biblical prophecies about the Jewish Messiah, the completion of the Law of the prophets of Israel, the Son of God and/or the incarnation of God himself as a human being.^[21][22][26]

Most Christian denominations believe Jesus to be the incarnated Son of God, which is the main theological divergence with respect to the exclusive monotheism of the other Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith.^[26] Although personal salvation is implicitly stated in Judaism, personal salvation by grace and a recurring emphasis in orthodox theological beliefs is particularly emphasized in Christianity, often contrasting this with a perceived over-emphasis in law observance as stated in Jewish law, where it is contended that a belief in an intermediary between man and God is against the Noahide laws, and thus not monotheistic.

For mainstream Christians, beliefs about God are enshrined in the doctrine of monotheistic Trinitarianism, which holds that the three persons of the trinity are distinct but all of the same indivisible essence, meaning that the Father is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and the Son is God, yet there is one God as there is one indivisible essence. These mainstream Christian doctrines were largely formulated at the Council of Nicaea and are enshrined in the Nicene Creed. The Trinitarian view emphasizes that God has a will, and that God the Son has two natures, divine and human, though these are never in conflict but joined in the hypostatic union.

Mormonism[]

In his 1838 personal history, Joseph Smith wrote that he had seen two personages in the spring of 1820. In 1843, Smith stated that these personages, God the Father and Jesus Christ, had separate, tangible bodies.^[27]

In the belief system held by the Christian churches that adhere to the Latter Day Saint movement and most Mormon denominations, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the term God refers to Elohim (God the Father),^[27][28] whereas Godhead means a council of three distinct gods: Elohim (the Eternal Father), Jehovah (God the Son, Jesus Christ), and the Holy Ghost, in a Non-trinitarian conception of the Godhead.^[27][28] The Father and Son have perfected, material bodies, while the Holy Ghost is a spirit and does not have a body.^[27][28] This differs significantly from mainstream Christian Trinitarianism; in Mormonism, the three persons are considered to be physically separate beings, or personages, but united in will and purpose.^[27][28][29] As such, the term Godhead differs from how it is used in mainstream Christianity.^[28][27] This description of God represents the orthodoxy of the LDS Church, established early in the 19th century.^[28]

Unitarianism[]

A small minority of Christians, largely coming under the heading of Unitarianism, hold Non-trinitarian conceptions of God.

Islam[]

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In Islam, God (Allah) (Arabic: ٱلل‍َّٰه‎, romanized: Allāh, IPA: [ɑɫˈɫɑː(h)] (listen), lit. "the God")^[30] is the supreme being, all-powerful and all-knowing creator, sustainer, ordainer, and judge of the universe.^[30][31][32] Islam puts a heavy emphasis on the conceptualization of God as strictly singular (tawhid).^[30][33] He is unique (wahid) and inherently one (ahad), all-merciful and omnipotent.^[30][34] According to the Qur'an there are 99 Names of God (al-asma al-husna lit. meaning: "The best names") each of which evoke a distinct characteristic of God.^[35][36] All these names refer to Allah, considered to be the supreme and all-comprehensive divine Arabic name.^[30][37] Among the 99 names of God, the most famous and most frequent of these names are "the Entirely Merciful" (al-Rahman) and "the Especially Merciful" (al-Rahim).^[35][36]

Creation and ordering of the universe is seen as an act of prime mercy for which all creatures sing his glories and bear witness to his unity and lordship. According to the Qur'an, "No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things" (Quran 6:103).^[32]

Islam rejects the doctrine of the Incarnation and the notion of a personal God as anthropomorphic, because it is seen as demeaning to the transcendence of God. The Qur'an prescribes the fundamental transcendental criterion in the following verses: "There is nothing whatever like Him" [Qur'an 42:11]. "And there is none comparable (equal or similar) to Him" [Qur'an 112:4], and "Do you know any similar (or anyone else having the same Name or attributes/qualities, which belong) to Him?" [Qur'an 19:65]. Therefore, Islam strictly rejects all forms of anthropomorphism and anthropopathism of the concept of God, and thus categorically rejects the Christian concept of the Trinity or division of persons in the Godhead.^[38][39]

Muslims believe that Allah is the same God worshipped by the members of the Abrahamic religions that preceded Islam, i.e. Judaism and Christianity (29:46).^[40] However in Islam, Muslims do not believe in the divinity of Jesus as God or son of God, but instead consider him as a prophet of God and the Messiah. Islam views that God does not have any offspring or descendants, he created all things including prophets such as Jesus Christ. Most Muslims today believe that the religion of Abraham (which split into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are of one source, which is the Almighty God.

Baháʼí Faith[]

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The writings of the Baháʼí Faith describe a monotheistic, personal, inaccessible, omniscient, omnipresent, imperishable, and almighty God who is the creator of all things in the universe.^[41][42]:106 The existence of God and the universe is thought to be eternal, without a beginning or end.^[43]

Though transcendent and inaccessible directly,^{[44]:438–446} God is nevertheless seen as conscious of the creation,^{[44]:438–446} with a will and purpose that is expressed through messengers recognized in the Baháʼí Faith as the Manifestations of God^[42]:106 (all the Jewish prophets, Zoroaster, Krishna, Gautama Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb, and ultimately Baháʼu'lláh).^{[44]:438–446} The purpose of the creation is for the created to have the capacity to know and love its creator,^[42]:111 through such methods as prayer, reflection, and being of service to humankind.^[45] God communicates his will and purpose to humanity through his intermediaries, the prophets and messengers who have founded World's religions from the beginning of humankind up to the present day,^{[42]:107–108[44]:438–446} and will continue to do so in the future.^{[44]:438–446}

The Manifestations of God reflect divine attributes, which are creations of God made for the purpose of spiritual enlightenment, onto the physical plane of existence.^[46] In the Baháʼí view, all physical beings reflect at least one of these attributes, and the human soul can potentially reflect all of them.^[47] The Baháʼí conception of God rejects all pantheistic, anthropomorphic, and incarnationist beliefs about God.^[42]:106

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Betz, Arnold Gottfried (2000). "Monotheism". In Freedman, David Noel; Myer, Allen C. (eds.). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 916–917. ISBN 9053565035.
• Bremer, Thomas S. (2015). "Abrahamic religions". Formed From This Soil: An Introduction to the Diverse History of Religion in America. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-1-4051-8927-9. LCCN 2014030507. S2CID 127980793.
• Bulliet, Richard W. (2015). "Islamo-Christian Civilization". In Blidstein, Moshe; Silverstein, Adam J.; Stroumsa, Guy G. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the Abrahamic Religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 109–120. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199697762.013.6. ISBN 978-0-19-969776-2. LCCN 2014960132. S2CID 170430270.
• Byrne, Máire (2011). The Names of God in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: A Basis for Interfaith Dialogue. London: Continuum International. ISBN 978-1-44116-3-417. LCCN 2010050008.
• Christiano, Kevin J.; Kivisto, Peter; Swatos, Jr., William H., eds. (2015) [2002]. "Excursus on the History of Religions". Sociology of Religion: Contemporary Developments (3rd ed.). Walnut Creek, California: AltaMira Press. pp. 254–255. ISBN 978-1-4422-1691-4. LCCN 2001035412. S2CID 154932078.
• Cohen, Charles L. (2020). The Abrahamic Religions: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-065434-4. LCCN 2019950996.
• Day, John (2002). Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement Series. 265. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-567-53783-6. S2CID 161791734.
• Hughes, Aaron W. (2012). "What Are "Abrahamic Religions"?". Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 15–33. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199934645.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-993464-5. S2CID 157815976.
• Niehr, Herbert (1995). "The Rise of YHWH in Judahite and Israelite Religion: Methodological and Religio-Historical Aspects". In Edelman, Diana Vikander (ed.). The Triumph of Elohim: From Yahwisms to Judaisms. Leuven: Peeters Publishers. pp. 45–72. ISBN 978-9053565032. OCLC 33819403.
• Reynolds, Gabriel Said (2020). "God of the Bible and the Qur'an". Allah: God in the Qurʾān. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 203–253. ISBN 978-0-300-24658-2. JSTOR j.ctvxkn7q4. LCCN 2019947014. S2CID 226129509.
• Römer, Thomas (2015). The Invention of God. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. doi:10.4159/9780674915732. ISBN 978-0-674-50497-4. JSTOR j.ctvjsf3qb. S2CID 170740919.
• Smith, Mark S. (2003). "El, Yahweh, and the Original God of Israel and the Exodus". The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 133–148. doi:10.1093/019513480X.003.0008. ISBN 9780195134803.
• Smith, Mark S. (2017). "YHWH's Original Character: Questions about an Unknown God". In Van Oorschot, Jürgen; Witten, Markus (eds.). The Origins of Yahwism. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft. 484. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter. pp. 23–44. doi:10.1515/9783110448221-002. ISBN 978-3-11-042538-3. S2CID 187378834.
• Van der Toorn, Karel (1999). "God (I)". In Van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; Van der Horst, Pieter W. (eds.). Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (2nd ed.). Leiden: Brill Publishers. pp. 352–365. doi:10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_Godi. ISBN 90-04-11119-0.
• Van der Horst, Pieter W. (1999). "God (II)". In Van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; Van der Horst, Pieter W. (eds.). Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (2nd ed.). Leiden: Brill Publishers. pp. 365–370. doi:10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_Godii. ISBN 90-04-11119-0.

External links[]

• Abulafia, Anna Sapir (23 September 2019). "The Abrahamic religions". www.bl.uk. London: British Library. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
• Amzallag, Nissim (August 2018). "Metallurgy, the Forgotten Dimension of Ancient Yahwism". The Bible and Interpretation. University of Arizona. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
• Gaster, Theodor H. (26 November 2020). "Biblical Judaism (20th–4th century BCE)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Edinburgh: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 28 December 2020.