The Shema : Nagtuturo Ba Ng Strict Monotheism
By Bro. Nathan
שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה׀ אֶחָֽד
"HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE." (Dt. 6:4) JPS Tanakh
Strict Monotheism?
Ang Shema (Shema Israel, Yahweh Eloheinu, Yahweh Echad) ay ang prayer ng Ancient Israel na which is similarly Isang confession of Faith ng Judaism na naging integral part ng services ng mga Israelites both morning to evening (cf. Num. 15:37-41; Mt. 22:38; Mk. 12:29; 12:30). Ang passage na Ito ay commonly na sinisitas as a 'proof text' ng strict monotheism (and Trinitarianism, Modalism and Unitarianism) which is falsely understood as referring to the number of God daw.
However, ang Hebrew ng Shema (יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוְּ יְהוָה אֶחָדֲ) can be translated in many ways, like the following :
1. Yahweh, our God, is one Yahweh
2. Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one
3. Yahweh is our God, Yahweh only
Ang Shema doesn't tell us about sa "number" ni Yahweh pero sinasabi nito na tanging si Yahweh lamang Ang Dios na kung saan ay nakipagtipan Ang Israel—As agreed by modern bible scholars. Yahweh is a jealous God (Ex. 20:1-5; 34:14; Dt. 4:24; Josh. 24:19; Nahum 1:2) and doesn't want any other gods before Him. cross referencing to the Shema, sinasabi ng Exodus 20:3 :
"“You shall have no other gods before Me." (Ex. 20:3) NKJV
This is where ininclude Ang commandment na Ito sa ibinigay na 10 commandments sa Mount Sinai. In this verse (Ex. 20:3; cf. Dt. 5:8-9), is a commandment wherein ay pinagbawal ni Lord ang mga Israelites from making and worshipping Idols. For Yahweh is a jealous God at ayaw Niya na may ibang god (lalo na at false god) silang sinasamba—dahil Siya ang God na nagligtas sa kanila at nagmahal sa kanila.
Ang covenant ng Israel kay Yahweh is compared sa faithfulness ng isang wife sa kanyang husband. Si Yahweh ay isang selosong husband (Ex. 34:14) at every time na kapag sinusuway ng Israel ang commandment na Ito ay palaging prinoprovoke ng mga Prophets ang methapor ng marital at political Fidelity (Ezek. 16:23-24; 23:2-12; Jer. 2:23-25; 3:1-10). Ang verse talks about sa faithfulness ng Israel kay Yahweh and talks about His greatness as ang God ng Israel who is over other gods in the divine council (cf. Dt. 10:17; Josh. 22:22; Ps. 136:2; Dan. 2:47; 11:36) in which here, God is placed above all other inferior gods". Yahweh is given supremacy over other gods and no god is greater than Him (Isa. 41:29; 42:8; 43:10-24; 44:8-19; 45:9-22). This passage instead gives evidence for the ontological existence of other gods (the divine council) instead of strict monotheism. The Jewish Study Bible, scholarly comments :
" Many modern readers regard the Shema as an assertion of monotheism, a view that is anachronistic. In the context of ancient Israelite religion, it served as a public proclamation of exclusive loyalty to YHWH as the sole Lord of Israel . . . the v. makes not a quantitative argument (about the number of deities) but a qualitative one, about the nature of the relationship between God and Israel. Almost certainly, the original force of the v., as the medieval Jewish exegetes [noted], was to demand that Israel show exclusive loyalty to our God, YHWH--but not thereby to deny the existence of other gods. In this way, it assumes the same perspective as the first commandment of the Decalogue, which, by prohibiting the worship of other gods, presupposes their existence." (The Jewish Study Bible [2d ed.; New York: Oxford University Press, 2014], 361)
The Trinity?
Trinitarians cite this para isupport yung doctrine of the Trinity , Yung concept of one being of God shared by three persons, namely the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. But however ay may problems tayo sa linguistics.
First, ang Hebrew numeral sa passage na אֶחָד (echad) simply means one at hindi plural na "one". Ang Hebrew word na אֶחָד doesn't allow compound unity, and hindi nito inaallow ang 3 in 1 interpretation of the being of God. isang Scholary lexicon, Yung HALOT (Hebrew Aramaic Lexicon Of The Old Testament) ni Koehler at ni Baumgartner, defines this numerical term nang hindi sinasama yung definition ng Trinitarians for "one" :
312 אֶחָד
) אֶחָד960 x(, Sam.M18 ÁaÒd: < *ÀahÌhÌaÒd < *ÀahÌad )Arb., BL 219g, Beer-M. §59:1(, ï יָחִיד; MHb., Ug. ahÌd, f. ahÌt, Ph. אחד, f. אחת, Arm. ) חַדï BArm. MdD 116a(, Eth. ÀahÌaduÒ, Akk. )w(eÒdu: abs. אֶחָד, and אַחַד Gn 4822 + 5 x )BL 622b(, cs. אַחַד, חַד Ezk 3330 )Aramaism or text error ? Nöldeke Syr. Gr. §242(, pl. אֲחָדִים; fem. ) אַחַת< *ÀahÌadt( abs. and cs., אֶחָֽת Gn 111, 2S 238 Q:
—1. numeral one a( מָקוֹם אֶ׳ one )single( place Gn 19, בְּשָׁנָה אֶחָת Ex 2329, בְּרָכָה אַ׳ Gn 2738, נֶפֶשׁ אַ׳ one soul = one single person Lv 427, אֶ׳ :: שְׁנֵי two :: one Lv 1410; מִשְׁפָּט אֶ׳ the same law Nu 1516, דָּתוֹ אַ׳ the same law is in force Est 411 מִדָּה אַ׳ the same measure Ex 262; אֶחָד י׳ Dt 64 Y is one )Sept., Pesh., Stade Theologie 1:84(; alt.: the one Y, Y alone, Y only; אֶ׳ one and only Zech 149 , the same )?( Jb 3115 alt. one; ï TWNT 3:1079f; vRad Theologie 2:226; Eichrodt Theologie 1:145, Labuschagne 137f; b( part. )VG 2:273aאַחַד הָעָם ( one of the people 1S 2615, הַנְּבָלִים אַ׳ 2S 1313, אַחַת הַנְּבָלוֹת Jb 210 אֲחִיכֶם אֶ׳ one of you brothers Gn 4219, מִכֶּם אִישׁ אֶ׳ a single one of you Jos 2310, מִמֶּנּוּ ) אַ׳GK §130a( one of us Gn 322; c( negative form: אֶ׳ … לֹא Ex 827 and לֹא אַחַד) עַד־אַ׳ abs., BL 622b( 2S 1722 not one, גַּם אֶ׳ ˆyae not even one Ps 143 עַד אֶ׳ … לֹא not even one Ex 1428; d( קוֹל אֶ׳ with one voice Ex 243, לֵב אֶ׳ 1C 1239 cj. Ps 836 )rd. וְ (אֶחָד unanimous, שְׁכֶם אֶ׳ shoulder to shoulder Zeph 39; לְיוֹם אֶ׳ for a single day, daily 1K 52, cj. Neh 515 for אַחַר; אֶ׳ יוֹם never-ending day Zech 147; ) אַחַתsc. (פַּעַם אַ׳ once: בַּשָּׁנָה אַ׳ Ex 3010 Lv 1634; אַ׳ :: שְׁתַּיִם once … twice 2K 610 Ps 6212 )?, ï שְׁתַּיִם( Jb 405; בְּאַחַת Jr 108 and כְּאֶחָד Qoh 116 in one and the same time; )ï BArm. כַּחֲדָה, Aramaism Arm.lw. Wagner 124; Akk. kiÒma isëteÒn(, אַחַת Ps 8936 and בְּאַחַת Jb 3314 once and for all; הוּא אֶ׳ only one Gn 4125, אֶחָד … וַיְהִי became one, a unit Ex 3613; וְהָיָה הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶחָד a single whole Ex 266; in statistical records repeated after each name Jos 129-24 cj. 1K 48-18 )Sept.(, Montgomery-G. 124; e( pl. אֲחָדִים: יָמִים אֲ׳ a few days Gn 2744 2920 Da 1120 אֲ׳ µyrIb;D“ the same )kind of( words Gn 111 Ezk 2917 ):: Gordon UTGl. 126: like Ug. ahÌdm du. “a pair”( וְהָיוּ לַאֲ׳ to become one Ezk 3717;
—2. אֶ׳ one another )VG 2:328f(: וּמִזֶּה אֶ׳ מִזֶּה אֶ׳ one here and one there Ex 1712, בְּאֶ׳ אֶ׳ one to another Jb 418, cj. אֶחָד אֶת־אֶחָד vs. Ezk 3330 one to another, with gloss אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיו; וְאֶ׳ … וְאֶ׳ … אֶ׳ one … another … a third 1S 103 1317f, וְהָאֶ׳ … òa,h; one … and the other 1K 1229, הֵנָּה אַחַת הֵנָּה וְאַ׳ once here and once there = to and fro 2K 435 לְאַ׳ אַחַת one after the other Qoh 727, וְהַדּוּד אֶ׳ … dj;a, הַדּוּד Jr 242 the one basket … and the other )Brockelmann Heb. Syn. §60b, 1S 1317 (הָרֹאשׁ אֶ׳;
—3. אֶ׳ indefinite article )GK §125b( אִישׁ אֶ׳ 1S 11, נָבִיא אֶ׳ 1K 1311, אַיִל אֶ׳ Da 83, יוֹם אֶ׳ one day 1S 271, יִשְׂ׳ אַחַד שִׁבְטֵי anyone of the tribes 2S 152, ) מֵאַחַת מֵהֵנָּהGK §119w1( any one of them Lv 42; put in front קָדוֹשׁ אֶ׳ a holy one Da 813, אַחַת מְעַט הִיא for a little while Hg 26 מְעַט הִיא) > Sept.(;
—4. ordinal, first: אַחַת :: הַשֵּׁנִית 1S 12, יוֹם אֶ׳ the first day Gn 15 ):: יוֹם שֵׁנִי 18 etc.(; in dates לַחֹדֶשׁ בְּיוֹם אֶ׳ on the first day of the month Ezr 1016 > לַחֹדֶשׁ בְּאֶ׳ Gn 85, בִּשְׁנַת אַחַת לְ in the first year of Da 91, וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה בְּאַחַת in the 601st year Gn 813;
—5. distributive: לַשֶּׁבֶט אֶ׳ one in each tribe Dt 123, לְאִישׁ אֶ׳ from each man 2K 1520, לְאַחַד אֶחָד one after the other Is 2712, לְאֶחָֽת each single one Ezk 16, הָאַחַת each 1C 271;
—Gn 329 rd. הָָאֶחָד; 2S 225b dl.; 723 and Ezk 177 ):: Zimmerli 374( rd. אַחֵר, Ezk 1119 rd. אַחֵר or חָָדָשׁ; Jb 2313 rd. בָּחַר for ) בְּאֶחָד:: Dahood Fschr. Gruenthauer 67(, Pr 2818 rd. בְּשָֽׁחַת; Qoh 1211 cj. ) אָחוֹרGalling BASOR 119:18(; Da 89 rd. אַחֶרֶת.
Latter Day Saint scholar and Apologist, Robert Boylan gives a verse wherein in the usage ng numerical term na Ito doesn't allow a "3 in 1" interpretation :
The lands included the hill country, the western foothills, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the wilderness and the Negev. These were the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. These were the kings:
The king of Jericho one (אֶחָד) the king of Ai (near Bethel) one (אֶחָד)
The king of Jerusalem one (אֶחָד) of the king of Hebron one (אֶחָד)
The king of Jarmuth one (אֶחָד) the king of Lachish one (אֶחָד)
The king of Eglon one (אֶחָד) the king of Gezer one (אֶחָד)
The king of Hormah one (אֶחָד) the king of Arad one (אֶחָד)
The king of Libnah one (אֶחָד) the king of Adullam one (אֶחָד)
The king of Makkedah one (אֶחָד) the king of Bethel one (אֶחָד)
The king of Tappuah one (אֶחָד) the king of Hepher one (אֶחָד)
The king of Aphek one (אֶחָד) the king of Lasharon one (אֶחָד)
The king of Madone one (אֶחָד) the king of Hazor one (אֶחָד)
The king of Shimron Meron one (אֶחָד) the king of Akshaph one (אֶחָד)
The king of Taanach one (אֶחָד) the king of Megiddo one (אֶחָד)
The king of Kadesh one (אֶחָד) the king of Jokneam in Carmel one (אֶחָד)
The king of Dor (in Naphoth Dor) one (אֶחָד) the king of Goyim in Gilgal one (אֶחָד)
The king of Tirzah one (אֶחָד) thirty-one kings in all. (Josh 12:8-24) NIV
