Who is God?

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University of Arkansas *

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1003

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Religion

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Apr 3, 2024

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1 "Who is God?" Introduction and Chapter 1 Summary Introduction : ● The main question being asked is whether or not human beings know how to claim an understanding of God, who God is, and if so is there more than one. ● Is there a “right” way to make sense of God through many different and competing interpretations of God, especially through Christianity in the West? ● Part of the complexity of understanding God is rooted in the way human beings learn to comprehend, while the reality of God pervades every human experience. ● “Ways of Knowing” - Non-rational which involves sensations, perceptions, feelings institutions, etc. Rational makes hypotheses, deduces the implications, and rather works to analyze, investigate, and find whether what is imposed is true. ● Most daily experiences are filled with non-rational dimensions such as coming up to red traffic lights. Life constantly requires human beings to use both dimensions. ● “Thinking of God” - This explains what theology is (thinking, seeking, understanding) and it generally means thinking about God. Someone can try to understand God through poems, films, stories, etc. However, to do “theology” in an academic sense one would be required to think rationally of God. ● “Thinking of God” ( cont… ) - It discusses how once a group of people or an individual develops a hypothesis about the existence of God based on rational data, the theologian will analyze; understand its development; deduce consequences; identify data; and then consider, judge, and strategize to complete.

2 ● “Sources for Understanding God” - The Christian scriptures (OT/NT) seek to tell the story of how the Hebrew people were established by God and the “special relationship” with God that was challenged by sinfulness and lack of faithfulness. The scriptures generally form the foundation of all Christian theological reflection upon God based on Jesus’s experience. Over time the church developed ideas, practices, theories, rituals, and lifestyles by interpretation of Jesus' life. Chapter 1: ● Begins speaking about the Western World, in particular Christianity and Catholicism having an extensive relationship with two “distinct but interconnected” realities: the ancient Near-Eastern world of the Hebrew people and the classical, Greco-Roman. This chapter explores the core Hebrew tradition and how Jesus and his followers adopted it. Furthermore, the chapter invites readers to contemplate the nature of God by comparing the film Les Misérables to the Catholic tradition's understanding of God. (Page. 15) ● “The Hebrew Scriptures” - It discusses how the Hebrew scriptures or Tanakh are essentially the same works that comprise the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The Tanakh is composed of three sections, the Torah or Law), the Nevi’im (or prophets), and the Ketuvim (or writings). Which contains the religious, ethical, and moral standards given to the Hebrew people, as well as the story of how God gave these laws to the Hebrew people and established his “covenant” with them.

3 ● Ancient religions relied on a quid pro quo agreement with their gods, similar to modern contracts. The example used was, that if Amazon doesn't deliver an item the customer isn't obligated to pay, and vice versa. (Page. 19/21) ○ Under the insert it explains that Covenants are agreements that regulate how two parties interact to or treat each other, similar to treaties. The covenant, unlike a contract, continues to exist even if one of the parties violates its terms, and so there are consequences as well. (Page. 20) ● In the book of Genesis, God approaches a man named Abram (later known as Abraham) and offers to make a covenant with him (Gen. 12:1–7, 17:1–22). It goes on to mention, that the God that makes this offer to Abraham is the same God who in earlier chapters had created the universe and established all the creatures and people in the world. In this story, the ordinary pattern and understanding of religion in the ancient Near East is profoundly altered in a way that makes the Hebrew faith and the Hebrew God unique. This understanding of God is developed in two more books of the Torah: Exodus and Deuteronomy (Page. 22) ● “The Divine Name” - In this section, a new aspect of the Hebrew understanding of God is formed. God reveals the divine name to Moses when God calls Moses to return to Egypt and rescue the Hebrew people. Yahweh is how the Hebrew people identify their God and is so sacred that it cannot be spoken in either praying or teaching and instead replaced with the term “Lord”. (Page. 22) ● “The Mosaic Covenant” - The Mosaic covenant, established by God after the Exodus, formalizes God's relationship with the Hebrew people and reveals how God intended for human life. It brings the book of Genesis to a conclusion by beginning a new relationship between God and humans. The Old Testament refers to the covenant, calling Israel to live accordingly and warning of consequences. It also mentions throughout Hebrew scripture God remains faithful even when his people break or ignore the covenant, he is a true and just God. (Page. 23) ● “The Breath of God” - As stated in the second chapter of Genesis, the first human being created by God was formed out of fertile soil ( adamah ) and was blown into its nostrils the breath of ( ruach ) of life and became a living being. ● The ruach (wind), is a source of life and religious enlightenment, inspiring prophets like Moses, Joshua, Saul, and David. The ruach is associated with creativity and human wisdom, as the Hebrew understanding of God develops, the ruach continues to serve as God's care for humans as in Israel. (Page. 24) ● “The Gospels” - The four Gospels. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) The Gospels are rooted in the memory of the community and each Gospel narrates different perspectives but all try to convey the message of Jesus- the way he understood God and how it illuminated Hebrew scripture. The Gospels also

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4 focus on the central event of Jesus' life and ministry: his betrayal, trial, torture, and death at the hands of both the Jewish and Roman authorities. (Page. 25) ● “The Epistles” - The second main division of the New Testament is composed of letters from apostles and early disciples of the risen Christ to various individuals and Christian communities. They focus on the practical application and implementation of Jesus' life/message for Christians and communities. (Page. 25) ● “The Reign of God” - Jesus’ mission was to deliver humanity's “good news” by declaring God’s dominion, reflecting the OT prophets’ call for justice, mercy, and repentance. His message is a continuance of God’s relationship with the Hebrews and displays through God’s reign, the power of his presence/salvation. (Page. 26) ● “Jesus’ View of God” - This paragraph explains how the first section of the Beatitudes reflects the qualities of the reign of God being inaugurated with Jesus. The second is the OT laws which outline Jesus’ teachings. The third section religious practices discusses Jewish and Gentile. And the fourth is concerned with social ethics- focusing on transcending religious behavior. (Page. 27) ● “God as Present in the Other” - The Beatitudes offer a perspective on societal values, and the importance of the poor, mourning, and outcasts. Jesus emphasizes that God's presence is most fully realized in the lives of these groups, highlighting God's love is often experienced when living among these groups. (Page. 28) ● “The Compassionate God” - Jesus represents God as "suffering with" (the meaning of the word compassion) human beings. It states that God’s compassion is visible to those who live according to the virtues of God and can be found present in the world through Jesus, allowing him to experience human suffering and death, exemplified in the “Passion” as Christians refer to it. (Page. 28) ● “Reinterpreting the Old Testament Laws” - Jesus expands the Beatitudes values into a “dynamic relationship” with the Law of the OT. Jesus claims to be the Son of God implying that God is close to human beings and that God loves people personally and intimately, as expressed in the Lord's Prayer. (Page. 29) ● “The Just God” - God's justice is shown in this passage of the Gospel to be greater than justice as it was understood in Jesus' day or today. In his appeal for God's justice, or "right relationship”. His treatment of people and elevating them above “mere rules” or religious doctrines became the new standard for correct understanding of God and God's will for human beings and creation. (Page. 29) ● “Religious Practices in the Reign of God” - The paragraph mentions how God not only loves human beings, but he also knows each individual and works to make everyone's life as full as possible and give purpose. Jesus asserts that human life is a project with the choice to trust all power in God. (Page. 30) ● “The Reign of God and Society” - God's presence extends beyond individual people and to the world, stating that his ethical principles have universal implications and cannot be limited. It explains how God is accessible to the daily lives and relationships of every being whether or not religious. (Page. 31) ● “The Holy Spirit” - The Gospels describe Jesus' special relationship with God, referring to him as "Abba." Jesus gives his disciples ruach/pneuma, demonstrating his ability to divine presence. This understanding was expressed in Matthew's "Great Commission”. Jesus gathered his disciples after his resurrection and sent

5 them to proclaim God's reign and make disciples, who continue to reach out to humanity through the Son and the Spirit. (Page. 31) ● “The Epistles View of God” - The Epistles include early writings of letters from Paul that speak about the active faith in Christian communities. Christianity teaches that believers are given the Spirit (pneuma) of God and so the Epistles suggested that early Christians used a pattern of internally speaking with God. They endorse and expand on the attributes of God conveyed through Jesus. The First Epistle of John focused on love as the essence of God and concluded by saying those who love God will portray the love in daily actions. (Page. 33/34) ● “Hellenism” - Hellenism, a Gentile phenomenon, impacted the early Christian communities, influenced by the Greek Empire's cultural heritage. Early Christians believed Gentiles should adopt Jewish religious practices before joining the Christian community. Over time, the church reflected the Roman Empire's cultural and social life, reflecting Hellenism's influence on Judaism. Hellenism's roots can be traced back to Plato's dualism leading to Neoplatonism. (Page. 35) ● “Heresy and Orthodoxy” - This section discusses the attempt to make specific teachings more “logical” and consistent with Hellenism's patterns of thinking. It compromised the nature of Christian teaching where heresies threatened the integrity of such teaching, in response theologians attempted to develop Christian doctrines with more clarity/precision. (Page. 36) ○ Marcion - It explains Marcion a wealthy Christian son who believed in dualism between the God in Hebrew scriptures compared to Christians. He rejected the entirety of the OT as the work of the creator God. Therefore, he only accepted the edited version of Luke’s Gospel and ten of the letters attributed to Paul. Christians rejected Marcion’s interpretation and deemed heresy which prompted the Church to come to a solidified census regarding orthodoxy by defining what is believed about God. (Page. 37) ● “Heresies Involving the Triune God” - ○ Modalism - Modes or expressions of God acting in distinctive ways in human history. Is only a human attempt to make sense of the divine God. ○ Subordinationism - Early Christian heresies: Adoptionism and Gnosticism believed Jesus was not divine like the Father and rather influenced by Platonism’s “demiurge”, Gnosticism believed that Jesus was a pure spirit appearing to be a human being after embracing “Docetism”. ○ Arianism - Beginning from “Arius” a priest who argued God is supreme and that the Son and Spirit were divine but not as the Father. He defended his construct by stating the Father must differ from the Son. (Page. 39) ● “The Ecumenical Councils and the Creed” - Initially, the bishops of Nicea altered common and ancient baptismal phrases in a way that excluded Arian or other interpretations of the connection between the Father and the Son. Over time, the church leaders who attended these councils devised a phrase that was updated and approved as the "Nicene Creed." Essentially, the credo states that neither the Son nor the Spirit are "created." In truth, they live in one entity w/God. (Page. 40)

6 ● “The Christian Understanding of God after Nicea” - The question being proposed was not asking if God was three in one but rather how to explain the doctrine. First, theologians approach God’s unity and explain how there can be three, or second, begin with God’s “threeness” and explain how he can be one. (Page. 42) ● “The Cappadocian Fathers” - This paragraph explains that the Cappadocian Fathers were three highly renowned theologians who developed the source for all Trinitarian reflection by insisting language and analogies can only approximate “the different and mysterious divine nature”. Then it goes to say the Cappadocians insisted the existence of three persons in God does not imply there are three separate Gods but rather share a single unity of life and purpose. (Page. 43) ● “Augustine” - In the Western theological tradition, Augustine emphasized the unity of God and the distinctions in the Trinity. He argued that the human mind as a single substance with distinct powers could be attributed to the entire Trinity without division or confusion. However, Augustine believed that defining God's nature would be impossible due to the transcendent mystery of God. His psychological analogy helped explain the central paradox of the Trinity, but it blurred any real distinctions among divine persons. Augustine's psychological approach to the Trinity had consequences, with each of the persons of the “Godhead” identified with specific aspects of the human mind. (Page. 44/45) ● “Two Approaches, One Ultimate Mystery” - To conclude the chapter ends with talking about the Cappadocians and Augustine representing what eventually would begin “distinct” Eastern and Western traditions relating to Christianity, a distinction that would define both Christian traditions in different approaches to the Trinity. Which is the kataphatic, an attempt to describe God’s reality and make sense of God through human rational methods. The alternative approach is apophatic which pulls all the positive affirmations from the kataphatic tradition and theologically denies it as “inadequate representations” and rather speaks of God in stories, analogies, and feelings instead in terms of rationality. (Page. 46) Works Cited Markey, John Jay, O.P. “Who is God?” . Anselm Academic, 2016.

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