I was brought up as a catholic as a child, then left the church to find my own religion independantly. out of curiousity, ive begun to read the bible. ive noticed that in gensis 1 god supposidly says: "let us make man in our own image." why is this plural?
2007-11-29 13:54:18 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That is because it is widely thought of god being a trinity, and man wrote it that way, in the plural that is.
2007-11-29 23:28:14 · answer #1 · answered by timbers 5 · 9⤊ 0⤋
In the Hebrew language of Old Testament times, plural signifies magnanimity. It doesn't necessarily mean more than one person, though this is how it is sometimes interpreted by Christians.
"Nine out of ten of what we call new ideas are simply old mistakes. The Catholic Church has for one of her chief duties that of preventing people from making those old mistakes; from making them over and over again forever. It does prevent men from losing their lives upon paths that have been found futile or disastrous again and again in the past. Now all these false issues have a way of looking quite fresh, especially to a fresh generation." - G K Chesterton, Catholic Convert
By the way the Bible that you read comes from the Catholic Church. So to accept the Bible and reject the authority that gave us the Bible is contradictory.
"We must concede to the Papists (i.e. Roman Catholics) that Holy Scripture has come to us from the Holy Church, and has survived from antiquity because of the Holy Church" - Martin Luther
2007-11-29 16:01:39 · answer #2 · answered by Victor 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Catholic New Jerusalem Bible (1985) says at Gen.1:26 in a marginal reading that the plural means either "a discussion between God and his heavenly court -" (angels), or that "the plural expresses the majesty and fullness of God's being-". page 19
The Catholic Church does not consider this verse a Trinity support verse.
Their explanation regarding this verse is also that of Jehovah's Witnesses.
2007-11-29 14:24:56 · answer #3 · answered by Wayne L 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
From what I understand, it's because God is a trinitarian god: in other words, He is one God in three divine Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This would explain the plurality of what you read in Gensis.
2007-11-30 14:49:44 · answer #4 · answered by Danny H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Shema in the Bible says "The Lord our God is one." The word "one" in the Shema is "echad" which is a compound unity (see how it is used elsewhere as in a cluster of grapes or man and woman becoming one flesh). God is one, this is correct. But He is a compound unity of three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is also why God is written as Elohim (plural) rather than El (singular).
That is why, when it comes to creation, we know that God created the heavens and the earth, but we also read in John 1:3 3 "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."
http://www.schneblin.com/studies/pdfs/is_god_one_or_three.pdf
Good studying on your part. Not many people catch that. Keep at it, and feel free to write me if you wish.
Victor - That's a copout and you are merely repeating what the apologists are saying. Are you saying there is no plurals in Hebrew? Oh no, there are no angels in heaven, just one BIG one, right? God did not create beasts of the earth, just one very powerful one. The Jewish Publication Society printed a Hebrew translation of the Bible based on the Mazoretic Text with the consultation of Jewish authorities. They render the text, "Let us make man in our image..." It's plural. Not "Let me the mighty one, make man in my mighty image." I am not using a Catholic Bible here, which indeed is full of mistakes. I am using a Hebrew Bible, so your argument is moot.
2007-11-29 14:03:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Christians would say that this is a hint of the Holy Trinity.
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity states there is one true God who is made up of three separate but equal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Bible does not contain the word Trinity. However, the Holy Trinity is hinted at repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. For many biblical references, see: http://www.cwo.com/~pentrack/catholic/Trinity.txt
Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the early Christians prayed and struggled over these hints for a couple of centuries. The concept of the Holy Trinity (three equal persons in one God) was mainstream Christianity in 325 C.E. at the Council of Nicaea and our belief is expressed in the Nicene Creed.
How this works is not fully known and is one the Christian mysteries.
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is shared by most Christian denominations including Roman and Orthodox Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Episcopalians, and the Salvation Army.
For more information, see Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 232 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt1art1p2.htm#232
With love in Christ.
2007-11-29 16:46:41 · answer #6 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It's an implication of the Holy Trinity.
People often think things began the moment they found out about them. It's just the way the mind works.
People don't often think about OT times in relation to the Holy Trinity - because the Reality of the Holy Trinity was not revealed until NT times.
The Holy Trinity has always existed, even before it was revealed to us, even before the entire OT was penned, but that doesn't mean the OT does not elude to the Holy Trinity from time to time.
God referring to Himself in the plural, as in Genesis 1:26, is one such foreshadowing of this future Revelation of the Trinity.
2007-11-30 03:20:56 · answer #7 · answered by Daver 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know this as a fact but I can make a guess. There are a large variety of words in Hebrew for "God." Some are male, one is female, and at least one of the most common ones is plural. I'm guessing the passage you quote uses one of the plural names for God. Just because the word has a gender or is plural does not mean that God has a gender or is plural, however. Each of those names has a meaning, for one thing. Hebrew really, really doesn't translate well.
2007-11-29 14:01:22 · answer #8 · answered by Nightwind 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
God is a Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. If you were raised Catholic you should remember that!
2007-11-29 14:00:59 · answer #9 · answered by keydoto 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
John 1 has your answer
John 1
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
2007-11-29 14:02:25 · answer #10 · answered by tebone0315 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋