(part 1 of 4):
“Because we were born a child … Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”
There are several key verses that Christians usually use to prove the biblical origin of the Trinity. A closer look at these verses clearly shows that they do not prove the Trinity, but rather the monotheistic message of God. One of the most frequently quoted passages from the Bible is Isaiah 9: 6-7, from which Christians conclude that the Messiah must be the Incarnate God. The passage states:
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, and the government rests on his shoulder; and he is called Miracle Advice, God Hero, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace; so that his reign would grow great and there would be no end to peace on the throne of David and in his kingdom, that he would strengthen and support it from now on through eternity. The zeal of the Lord will do that. ”
The fact that Isaiah 9: 6 has been misinterpreted can be seen from the fact that nowhere else in the Bible is Jesus called “Eternal Father”. Since the Trinity doctrine teaches that Christians „should not confuse people nor divide beings“ (Athanasian faith), how can they accept that Jesus should be the „Eternal Father“? Let us consider additional facts impartially:
First, all Hebrew verb forms in Isaiah 9: 6 are all in the past. For example, the word that the Christian Bibles translate with “and he is called” are the two words ‚vayikra shemo,‘ which translates exactly: “and his name should be”. The word “vayikra” is the first word in Leviticus 1: 1, and there it is translated correctly – in the past tense. The King James Version translates the same verbs everywhere else in Genesis 4:26 and Isaiah 5:25 in the past. Only in Isaiah 9: 6-7 will these verbs be translated in the future!
Note that it says: „A child was born to us“. This is an event that has just taken place, not a future event. Isaiah does not make a prophecy here, but tells a story. A future event would say a child will be born to us, but that is precisely what the verse does NOT say. Christian translations take advantage of the word ’son‘ by assuming that it is a prophecy for the Messiah and the names of a divine son.
Second, the small word „is“ is usually not mentioned in Hebrew. Rather, „is“ understood. For example, the words “hakelev (the dog) and“ gadol ”(large) when put together in a sentence mean“ the dog is large ”, although no Hebrew word in that sentence represents the word“ is ”. A more precise translation of the name of that child would be: „A wonderful advisor is the Almighty God, the Eternal Father …“. This name describes God and not the person who bears the name. The name Isaiah itself means “God is redemption”, but nobody believes that the prophet himself is God in a human body!
Third, according to some Bible scholars, the term „mighty God“ is a poor translation. In English, there is a clear distinction between “God” and “god”, the Hebrew language cannot do this because it only consists of capital letters. The Hebrew word „God“ had a much wider range than the English. Some suggest that a better translation for the English reader would be: „mighty hero“ or „divine hero“. Both Martin Luther [from whom our German translation comes] and James Moffatt translated the sentence in their Bibles as “God-hero”.
Fourth, according to the New Testament, Jesus was never named by any of these names during his lifetime.
Fifth, if Isaiah 9: 6 is used to refer to Jesus, then Jesus is the Father! And this contradicts the Trinity doctrine.
Sixth, the fact that the New Testament does not cite this passage shows that even the New Testament writers did not associate these verses with Jesus.
Seventh: the passage tells of the miracles that the Lord performed for Hezekiah, the king of Judas. Preceding verses from Isaiah 9 are about Israel’s great military triumph over its enemies. At the time it was said that Isaiah had written the passage, God had just freed King Hezekiah and Jerusalem from a siege by the Assyrians under General Sennacherib. The liberation is said to have been accomplished in a spectacular way: an angel went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers in their sleep. When Sennacherib woke up, he found his army very decimated. He and the remaining soldiers fled, where he was killed by his own sons. (Isaiah 37: 36-38). Chapters 36 and 37 tell of Isaiah how steadfast Hezekiah has remained in the face of Sennacherib’s mighty army and his blasphemous speech against God. When everything seemed lost, Hezekiah continued to trust the Lord, and for that he was rewarded with a magical victory. It is interesting that the statement “the zeal of Mr. Zebaoth will do so” that we find at the end of Isaiah 9: 7 occurs only in two other places in the Bible: Isaiah 37:32 and 2 Kings 19:31 . These two passages are about the wonderful salvation of Hezekiah from God. Therefore, in view of the above, Isaiah tells of God’s defense of Jerusalem during the Assyrian occupation. Soncino’s comment also says the chapter is about the fall of Assriens and the announcement of the birth of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz. When everything seemed lost, Hezekiah continued to trust the Lord, and for that he was rewarded with a magical victory. It is interesting that the statement “The zeal of Mr. Zebaoth will do this”, which we find at the end of Isaiah 9: 7, only occurs in two other places in the Bible: Isaiah 37:32 and 2 Kings 19:31 . These two passages are about the wonderful salvation of Hezekiah from God. Therefore, in view of the above, Isaiah tells of God’s defense of Jerusalem during the Assyrian occupation. Soncino’s comment also says the chapter is about the fall of Assriens and the announcement of the birth of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz. When everything seemed lost, Hezekiah continued to trust the Lord, and for that he was rewarded with a magical victory. It is interesting that the statement “The zeal of Mr. Zebaoth will do this”, which we find at the end of Isaiah 9: 7, only occurs in two other places in the Bible: Isaiah 37:32 and 2 Kings 19:31 . These two passages are about the wonderful salvation of Hezekiah from God. Therefore, in view of the above, Isaiah tells of God’s defense of Jerusalem during the Assyrian occupation. Soncino’s comment also says the chapter is about the fall of Assriens and the announcement of the birth of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz. that the statement “Zebaoth’s zeal will do so” that we find at the end of Isaiah 9: 7 only occurs in two other places in the Bible: Isaiah 37:32 and 2 Kings 19:31. These two passages are about the wonderful salvation of Hezekiah from God. Therefore, in view of the above, Isaiah tells of God’s defense of Jerusalem during the Assyrian occupation. Soncino’s comment also says the chapter is about the fall of Assriens and the announcement of the birth of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz. that the statement “Zebaoth’s zeal will do so” that we find at the end of Isaiah 9: 7 only occurs in two other places in the Bible: Isaiah 37:32 and 2 Kings 19:31. These two passages are about the wonderful salvation of Hezekiah from God. Therefore, in view of the above, Isaiah tells of God’s defense of Jerusalem during the Assyrian occupation. Soncino’s comment also says the chapter is about the fall of Assriens and the announcement of the birth of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz. Isaiah tells of God’s defense of Jerusalem during the Assyrian occupation. Soncino’s comment also says the chapter is about the fall of Assriens and the announcement of the birth of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz. Isaiah tells of God’s defense of Jerusalem during the Assyrian occupation. Soncino’s comment also says the chapter is about the fall of Assriens and the announcement of the birth of Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz.
(part 2 of 4): “His name should be Immanuel”
The Hebrew name “Immanuel” can be translated as “God with us” or “God is with us”. Some people, based on Isaiah 7:14, believe that because Jesus was called Immanuel, Jesus should be God. Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 are often read around Christmas. They say:
Isaiah 7:14 “That is why the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin is pregnant and will give birth to a son, whom she will call Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23 „Behold, a virgin will be pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will be called his name Immanuel,“ which means that God means with us. “
First, the prophecy states that his name will be Immanuel. ”
It does not mean „he will be Immanuel“.
Second, Maria never called her child “Immanuel” as required by the prophecy. According to the Bible, she called him Jesus as instructed by the angel of God.
Matthew 1:25 “and he did not touch her until she bore a son: and his name was Jesus.”
Luke 1: 30-31 „And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found grace in God.“
Third, when we read the context, the birth and naming of the child Immanuel were a sign of King Ahaz that God was with his people who were attacked by two rival kingdoms. (Isa 7: 10-16). The promise was fulfilled by God (2 Kings 16: 9). The name „God is with us“ means God will support us. [1] The name fits perfectly if the child’s name should show King Ahaz that God is by his side.
Isaiah 7: 10-16 “And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Demand a sign from the Lord your God, be it down below in the height! But Ahaz said: I don’t want to demand it so that I don’t try the Lord. Then Isaiah said: Well then, you hear from the house of David: Is it not enough for you that you make people tired? Do you have to make my god tired too? Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: See, a virgin is pregnant and will give birth to a son, whom she will call Immanuel. He will eat butter and honey until he knows how to reject evil and choose good. Because before the boy learns to reject evil and choose good, the land will be desolate, before whose two kings you dread. ”
2 Kings 16: 9 And the king of Assyria listened to him and went up to Damascus and conquered it and led the inhabitants away to Kir and killed Rezin.
Fourth, Isaiah 7:14 in current Hebrew does not say that a virgin would give birth, but that a young woman is conceived. The Hebrew word almah used in Isaiah 7:14 means young woman or girl, not virgin. The Hebrew word for virgin is b’tulah. The RSV (Revised Standard Version) Bible is one of the few Christian Bibles that use the translation „young woman“ instead of replacing it with the word „virgin“.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, a young woman is pregnant and will give birth to a son, whom she will call Imman’u-el.
Fifth, if something is “named” by a certain name, it does not mean that it is literally what it is called. The Hebrews consistently used symbolic names in the Bible. Many names would cause big problems if they were taken literally. Jerusalem is called “the Lord of our righteousness” and Jerusalem is obviously not God (Jer 33:16). In Genesis 32:30 we are told that Jacob called a country “face of God”. Abraham called the mountain on which he wanted to sacrifice Ishmael “the Lord will provide”, but no one would believe that the mountain was God. Accordingly, no one would believe that an altar was God, even if Moses called it that: “And Moses built an altar and called it: ‚the Lord my field sign’” (Ex. 17:15). Do Christians believe that Elias was “God Jehovah” or Bithiah, a daughter of Pharaoh, the sister of Jesus, because her name means „daughter of Jehovah“? Do Christians believe the Dibri and not Jesus, which was „Jehovah’s promise“ or that Eliab was the real Messiah because his name means „My God is my Father“? Or would you say that Jesus Barabbas, who according to the Christian statement had come around the crucifixion and was released, (Matthew 27: 15-26) was the son of God because his name means “Jesus, son of his father”? Of course not! who, according to Christian statements, had come around the crucifixion and was released (Matthew 27: 15-26) was the son of God because his name means “Jesus, son of his father”? Of course not! who, according to Christian statements, had come around the crucifixion and was released (Matthew 27: 15-26) was the son of God because his name means “Jesus, son of his father”? Of course not!
We can conclude that this prophecy in Isaiah is only related to Jesus because Matthew quoted it and not because people called Jesus Immanuel during his lifetime. Even if his name had been Immanuel, this name does not necessarily reflect the meaning, as it does for the names of other people who are related to God (in the Hebrew form of El or Yah). To make the claim that Immanuel means that Jesus is God in the flesh and blood of his people is merely an example of how the Trinity doctrine imposed manhood with the help of „crooked“ prophecies of the message of Jesus.
Footnotes:
[1] “The name Immanuel can mean ‚God be with us‘ in the sense ‚God help us‘ Interpreter’s dictionary of the Bible, vol. 2, p. 686.
(part 3 of 4): Alpha and Omega
Some people say that because the same titles – alpha and omega – are used for both God and Jesus, this proves that they are one and the same. It is also said that these expressions mean the eternity of father and son. On closer analysis, however, we see that this view poses various problems.
Isaiah 44: 6 “Thus saith the LORD the king of Israel, and his Redeemer the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last, and apart from me there is no God.”
Revelation 1: 8 “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says God, the Lord who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:11 “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.”
Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
First, the Book of Revelation is an unbelievable book. Early Christians and elders of the church – Marcion, Caius of Rome, Dionysius of Alexandria, Amphilocius of Iconium, Gregory of Nazianzus, Cyril of Jerusalem, Synod of Laodicea 360 AD – argued about it. [1] The author of Revelation announces himself as some unknown John, but it is probably not the disciple of John because the style of the book is completely different from the Gospel of John. [2] Except for his name, very little is known about him. Martin Luther criticized this book, which he wrote in the preface to Revelation.
“I leave it up to everyone to form their own opinion about this book of Revelation. I don’t want anyone to be bound by my opinion or judgment. I’m just saying what I feel. I miss more than one thing in this book, and it makes me think that it is neither apostolic nor prophetic … Many of the fathers also rejected this book a long time ago … For me, the reason is enough, not too high to think of it: Christ is neither taught nor known in it. ”[3]
To this day, the Lutheran scholars value this revelation of John in a separate category of the controversial books.
Second, Alpha and Omega (A and O) are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. Bible scholars are not entirely sure what the phrase „alpha and omega“ means. It cannot be meant literally, because neither God nor Jesus are Greek words. It’s like saying that God is A and Z. Lenski says: “It is fruitless to look in Jewish or pagan literature for the source of something that resembles the names Alpha and Omega. Nowhere is there a person not to speak of a deity called ‚Alpha and Omega‘ or in Hebrew ‚Aleph and Tau‘. ”[4] Although there is no evidence from historical sources that anyone“ Alpha and Omega ”Bullinger says,“ It’s from the Hebrews, a common custom among ancient Jewish commentators to denote the whole from something from beginning to end; e.g. ´Adam transgressed the whole law from Aleph to Tau.´ ”[5] The best minds of the scholars have concluded that the sentence has something to do with the beginning and ending of one thing or with the totality of something.
Third, the Alpha and Omega doctrine is a sad and unfortunate example of how humanity plays with God’s words. It shows how people set up doctrines to justify their false beliefs. The phrase “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last” (Revelation 1:11) that we find in the King James Version was not in the original Greek texts. The Alpha Omega sentence is really not to be found in any of the old texts, nor is it mentioned in any of the modern translations, not even as a footnote.
Revelation 1: 10-11
KJV ”and heard a great voice behind me, like a trumpet that said,“ I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. ”
NIV ”and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet that said:“ Write what you see on a scroll and send it to the seven churches. ”
NASB ”and I heard a loud voice behind me like the sound of a trumpet that said,“ Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches. ”
ASV ”and I heard a huge voice behind me, like a trumpet saying,“ What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches. ”
RSV ”and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet that said,“ Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches. ”
NAB (Catholic) „and heard a voice behind me as loud as a trumpet that said,“ Write what you see on a scroll and send it to the seven churches. “
Footnotes:
[1] Bible Research, an internet resource by Michael D. Marlowe. (http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon5.html)
[2] A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on The Revelation of St. John by RH Charles. T. & T. Clark, 1920
[3] Luther’s Works, vol 35 (St. Louis: Concordia, 1963), pp. 395-399.
[4] RCH Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation (Augsburg Pub. House, Minneapolis, MN 1963), p. 51.
[5] EW Bullinger, Commentary on Revelation (Kregel Pub., Grand Rapids, MI, 1984) , Pp. 147 and 148.
(part 4 of 4): Alpha and Omega
Fourth, the Book of Revelation 1: 8 of the King James Version appears as if Jesus were saying that he was Alpha and Omega. Since God says in Isaiah 44: 6 that he is alpha and omega, he claims here that he is divine. However, King James‘ wording is inaccurate. Not only do all modern translations make it clear that it was God who said it, not Jesus, but the bearer of God’s words is one of God’s angels.
Revelation 1: 1-3
NRSV “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what should happen shortly; and he sent them through his angel and interpreted them to his servant John, who made known the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and who hears the words of the prophecy and keeps what is written in them; because the time is near. ”
These corrections make it clear that it was God’s statement and not Jesus‘, the Prophet of God.
Revelation 1: 8
KJV “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says God, the Lord who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
NIV “I am Alpha and Omega,” says God, the Lord who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
NASB „I am Alpha and Omega,“ says God, the Lord who is there and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.
ASV “I am Alpha and Omega,” says God, the Lord who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
RSV ‚“I am Alpha and Omega,“ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, Almighty.
New American Bible (Catholic) “I am Alpha and Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, Almighty.
Fifth, Revelation 22:13 is part of the vision of an unknown John (who was not the author of the gospel) in which he tells of an angel’s visit, as mentioned in Revelation 21: 9.
NRSV “And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the last seven plagues came to me and spoke to me and said: Come, I will show you the woman, the woman of the lamb.”
The angel speaks of Revelation 22: 10-13:
NRSV “And he speaks to me:“ Don’t seal the words of prophecy in this book; because the time is near! Whoever is evil is evil furthermore, and who is impure is also impure; but whoever is pious should also be pious, and whoever is holy should also be holy. Behold, I will come soon and my reward with me to give everyone what his works are. I am the alpha and omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. ‚
Jesus did not say this word and there is no indication that they refer to him. Then the passage continues in lines 14-15:… ..
NRSV “Blessed are they washing their clothes so that they can partake in the tree of life and enter the city at the gates. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the fornication and the manslayer and the idolaters and everyone who loves and does lies. ”
This does not seem to be Jesus Christ speaking, for the appearance of the pronoun in the first person singular at 22:16 signals a narrator. Hence, Alpha and Omega in the passage refer to God Himself speaking through an angel. This is evident in Revelation 21: 5-7, which says:
NRSV “And he who sat on the throne said: ‚See, I am doing everything new!‘ And he says: ‚Write, because these words are truthful and certain! And he said to me: It has happened. I am the be-all and end-all, the beginning and the end. I want to give the thirsty from the fountain of living water for free. He who overcomes will inherit everything and I will be his God and he will be my son. ”
Jesus is reported to have said the following:
NRSV, Revelation 22:16: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you for the churches. I am the root and the genus of David, the bright morning star. ”
For this reason and for the sake of the argument, if the statement “I am the be-all and end-all” should really be given to someone other than Jesus, personal salvation can be based on a vision that is claimed by a writer whose identity has not been fully established and whose credibility is questioned?
Sixth, what is meaningful is not so much the use of this name, but the fact that God is always superior to Jesus when the Bible describes the relationship between God and Jesus and as Jesus explained elsewhere.
From this analysis, we can see that these verses that Christians use to prove that Jesus should be the Son of God cannot be used to prove the Trinity. An examination of the history of the theological development of church philosophy will rather reveal that the concept of the Trinity was only developed later in Christianity on the basis of various social-political factors which later Christians tried to justify with different Bible passages.
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/verse-der-dreieinigkeit