Some Christians
believe Jesus is the only Son of God and this proves he is God
Incarnate.
Lets go
to the Tenach :
(The following
verse is God talking to David about Solomon):
" I will be His
Father and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from
him, as I took it away from your predecessor. (1 Chronicles 17:13)
Yet the
Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which can not be
measured or counted. In the place where it is said to them, 'You
are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.
(Hosea 1:10)
The kings of
Israel are referred to as Sons of God because they are to be His
representatives, ruling in his place on earth over His people.
"I said, You are
ELOHIM ; you are all sons of the Most High" (Psalm 82:6 )
Do we have too
many gods yet?
In ancient
rabbinical writing Midrash Rabbah Ruth I, 1, page 3 discusses this
verse and there is no understanding that this is to be taken
literally. Again the Jews are being consistent. Why does not
Christianity select this verse to be literal? Obviously from the
above verses there are many sons of God and it does not make them
God.
Many Christians
are unaware of the fact that it was not unusual for a Jew to call
God "Father" in Yihoshua's ( Joshua "Jesus") Era. This Term later
became distinct Christian usage.Talmudic literature is full of
examples to the designation of God as Father :
".....What shall
I do when my heavenly Father hath so commanded me ? (Sifra to Lev;
Qedoshim 20,26)
"....Since I
have done the will of Abba (Father) who is in the Heavens "(Lev R
para 32)
"......These
buffetings have made me Love my heavenly father" (Midr.Tehillim
12:5)"
"I will exalt
the lord saying 'thou art my father" (ibid 51:10)
"Beloved are
Israel for they are called Sons of the Highest" (Aboth 3:3)
If Yihoshua used
the term "Abba " as the Christian claim then it was in the same
sense in which it is used in the Talmudic literature.To claim that
he was executed for calling G-d Abba/ father is absurd.
To drive this
point further lets see what the Jews wrote in their Apocryphal
books :
"But thy
providence O Father Governeth it" (Wis. 14:3)
"O Lord, Father
and governor of all my life.."(Eccl 23:1)
"O Lord , Father
and God of my life.."(Eccl 23:4)
The
term "Our Father which art in Heaven" is one of the three major
forms of the address in Jewish liturgy.
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