Response To A Catholic Apologist (Humphsky Rey) On The Shema And Gen. 1:26

 

By : Bro. Nathan

Facebook catholic apologist Humphsky Rey said :

" Sa Biblia, kapag sinabing Diyos, ang nasa Shema(Deuteronomio 6:4) na salitang ginamit na salitang Hebreo para sa sa ISA ay ang (אֶחָד) "Echad" na tumutukoy sa compound unity, isa pero maramihan at hindi ang salitang (יָחִיד) "Yachid" na absolute numerical one o solidong isa sa bilang. God is one but not solitary(CCC 254, Genesis 1:26)."

This is wrong in many ways. first, the Hebrew word יָחִיד (Yachid) is not an absolute numerical one but is a word to describe ang pagka-unique ng isang particular person or something. Ang word na ito ay very similar sa Greek word na μονογενής (monogenes - Jn. 1:18; 3:16; etc.). The BDB defines this as follows :

יָחִיד adjective and substantive only, only one, solitary (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic יָחִיד, יְחִידַי, , , id.; Arabic solitary) —

1. only one, especially of an only son, Gen 22:2; Gen 22:12; Gen 22:16 את בנך את יְחִידְךָ thy son, thine only one, אֵבֶל יָחִיד Amos 8:10; Jer 6:26 mourning for an only son, כמספד על היחיד Zech 12:10; Prov 4:3 רַךְ וְיָחִיד לפני אמי; so feminine יְחִידָה Judg 11:34.

2. feminine יְחִידָה as substantive Ps 22:21; Ps 35:17 יְחִידָתִי my only one, poetic for my life, as the one unique and priceless possession which can never be replaced (in each || נַפְשִׁי).

3. solitary, Ps 25:16 כי יחיד ועני אני; Ps 68:7 מוֺשִׁיב יְחִידִים בַּיְתָה causing solitary, isolated ones (i.e. friendless wanderers or exiles; || אֲסִירִים) to dwell at home (Lag Ch and others מֵשִׁיב bringing back home).

Ang אֶחָד (Echad) naman however is an absolute numeral at naiintepret just like in any other language as simply as one and not a compound one. In any lexicon ay hindi inaalow ang Trinitarian definition ng אֶחָד. Take for example, yung Hebrew And Aramaic Lexicon Of The Old Testament (HALOT), 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.

One great example ng usage ng Hebrew word na ito can be found in Joshua 12:8-24 which reads :

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

How About Gen. 1:26?

The Hebrew word נַעֲשֶׂה na nagpapakita sa context ay hindi isang "royal we". Ang interpretation na ganito sa נַעֲשֶׂה cannot be found in biblical Hebrew according sa mga Trinitarian commentators mismo. 

" The we of majesty does not exist in Hebrew." (Paul Joüon, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew [Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 2006], p. 347 n. 7)

The NET Translator Notes comments :

The plural form of the verb has been the subject of much discussion through the years, and not surprisingly several suggestions have been put forward. Many Christian theologians interpret it as an early hint of plurality within the Godhead, but this view imposes later trinitarian concepts on the ancient text. Some have suggested the plural verb indicates majesty, but the plural of majesty is not used with verbs. C. Westermann (Genesis, 1:145) argues for a plural of "deliberation" here, but his proposed examples of this use (2Sa 24:14; Isa 6:8) do not actually support his theory. In 2Sa 24:14 David uses the plural as representative of all Israel, and in Isa 6:8 the LORD speaks on behalf of his heavenly court. In its ancient Israelite context the plural is most naturally understood as referring to God and his heavenly court (see 1Ki 22:19-22; Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-6; Isa 6:1-8). (The most well-known members of this court are God's messengers, or angels. In Gen 3:5 the serpent may refer to this group as "gods/divine beings." See the note on the word "evil" in Gen 3:5.) If this is the case, God invites the heavenly court to participate in the creation of humankind (perhaps in the role of offering praise, see Job 38:7), but he himself is the one who does the actual creative work (v. Gen 1:27). Of course, this view does assume that the members of the heavenly court possess the divine "image" in some way. Since the image is closely associated with rulership, perhaps they share the divine image in that they, together with God and under his royal authority, are the executive authority over the world.

And now, this concludes na hindi sinusuportahan ng Shema (Dt. 6:4) at ng Gen. 1:26 ang Consubstantial Trinity. Ang interpretations ni Humphsky Rey ay eisegetical at hindi exegetical.