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Conceptions of God
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The Conception of God in Judaism is monotheistic. See also God Conceptions of God can vary widely despite the use of the same term for them all Bahá'ís believe in a single, imperishable God, the creator of all things including all the creatures and forces in the universe Since the time of the Buddha the refutation of the existence of a creator has been seen as a key point in distinguishing Buddhist from non-Buddhist views SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных In Islam, God is believed to be the only real supreme being all-powerful and all knowing Creator Sustainer Ordainer and Judge of the universe Islam puts a heavy emphasis In Hinduism the concept of God is complex and depends on a particular tradition In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Godhead are the objects of worship and devotion within the faith The fundamental belief of Sikhism is that God exists not merely as an idea or concept but as a Real Entity indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who is prepared to dedicate See also God Conceptions of God can vary widely despite the use of the same term for them all Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]] The God of Israel was known by two principal names in the Bible. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. One is YHWH, known as the Tetragrammaton. See also Yahweh Tetragrammaton (from the Greek, meaning ' of four letters' (tetra "four" + gramma (gen This name is sometimes vocalized theoretically by scholars as Yahweh, and for tabuistic reasons is replaced with Adonai "Lord" in liturgy. For information about Yahweh see God in Abrahamic religions, which provides useful links A taboo is a strong Social prohibition (or ban) against words objects actions or discussions that are considered undesirable or offensive by a group culture In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title The other commonly used name in the Bible, Elohim, may be related to the Northwest Semitic generic term for "god", El, though plural forms of El, such as elim and the diminutive elilim, are found in the Bible. Elohim ( אֱלוֹהִים, אלהים) is a Hebrew word which expresses concepts of Divinity. The Northwest Semitic languages form a medium-level division of the Semitic language family. Eli (Hebrew אל is the Northwest Semitic word and name either translated into English as "god" or "God" or left untranslated as Eli, depending

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Godhead

Main article: Godhead (Judaism)

Godhead is the English-language term which in Judaism is sometimes used to refer to "God-as-He-is-in-Himself. Godhead is the English-language term which in contemporary Jewish scholarship (and theology in general is used to refer to " God -as-He-is-in-Himself "

Rationalistic conception

In the philosophy of Maimonides and other Jewish-rationalistic philosophers, there is little which can be predicated about the "Godhead" other than its "existence," and even this can only be asserted equivocally. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and

“ How then can a relation be represented between Him and what is other than He when there is no notion comprising in any respect both of the two, inasmuch as existence is, in our opinion, affirmed of Him, may He be exalted, and of what is other than He merely by way of absolute equivocation. There is, in truth, no relation in any respect between Him and any of His creatures. ”

—Maimonides, Moreh Nevuchim (Pines 1963)

Mystical conception

In Jewish mystical thought (Kabbalah), the term "Godhead" usually refers to the concept of Ein Sof (אין סוף), which is the aspect of God that lies beyond the emanations (sefirot). Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Ein Soph or Ayn Sof ( Hebrew אין סוף, literally "without end" denoting "boundlessness" and/or " Nothingness " Sephirot "enumerations" '''Sephiroth''' '''Sefiroth''' (סְפִירוֹת singular Sephirah also Sefirah (סְפִירָה "enumeration" in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] The "knowability" of the Godhead in Kabbalistic thought is no better that what is conceived by rationalist thinkers. As Jacobs (1973) puts it, "Of God as He is in Himself—Ein Sof—nothing can be said at all, and no thought can reach there. "

“ Ein Sof is a place to which forgetting and oblivion pertain. Why? Because concerning all the sefirot, one can search out their reality from the depth of supernal wisdom. From there it is possible to understand one thing from another. However, concerning Ein Sof, there is no aspect anywhere to search or probe; nothing can be known of it, for it is hidden and concealed in the mystery of absolute nothingness. ”

—David ben Judah Hehasid, Matt (1990)

Monotheism

Judaism is based on a strict monotheism. For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]] This doctrine expresses the belief in one indivisible God. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. The worship of multiple gods (polytheism) and the concept of a Singular God taking multiple forms (as in the doctrine of Trinity) are equally heretical in Judaism. Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple Gods (usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated Mythology and Rituals God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных The prayer par excellence in terms of defining God is the Shema Yisrael, originally appearing in the Hebrew Bible: "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One", also translated as "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is unique/alone. Shema Yisrael (or Sh'ma Yisroel or just Shema) ( Hebrew: שמע ישראל "Hear Israel" are the first two words of a section of The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic "

God is conceived of as eternal, the creator of the universe, and the source of morality. God has the power to intervene in the world. The term God thus corresponds to an actual ontological reality, and is not merely a projection of the human psyche. Maimonides describes God in this fashion: "There is a Being, perfect in every possible way, who is the ultimate cause of all existence. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and All existence depends on God and is derived from God. "

The Hebrew Bible and classical rabbinic literature affirm theism and reject deism. See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense can mean the entire spectrum of Rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history Theism, in its most inclusive usage is the belief in at least one Deity. Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone without dependence on revelation However, in the writings of medieval Jewish philosophers, perhaps influenced by neo-Aristotelian philosophy, one finds what can be termed limited omniscience. Omniscience (ɒm'nɪsɪəns (or Omniscient Point-of-View in writing is the capacity to know everything infinitely or at least everything that can be known about a character [See Gersonides "Views on omniscience"]

God is creator of the universe

According to the first account of creation in Genesis, the world was created by God in six days. Levi ben Gershom ( לוי בן גרשום) better known as Gersonides or the Ralbag (1288-1344 was a famous Rabbi, philosopher Mathematician Creation according to Genesis refers to the Hebrew narrative of the creation of the heavens and the earth as told in chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis While many Haredi Jews take this literally, many Modern Orthodox, Conservative and Reform authorities regard the six days as "stages" in the creation of the universe and the earth, and that Judaism would not be in contradiction to the scientific model that states that the universe is about 15 billion years old, however by this point of view. Haredi or Chareidi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. Modern Orthodox Judaism (or Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize traditional observance Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel and Europe) is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently subjected to vandalism and the insertion of personal opinions

God is one

The idea of God as a duality or trinity is heretical - it is considered akin to polytheism. Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple Gods (usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated Mythology and Rituals "[God], the Cause of all, is one. This does not mean one as in one of a pair, nor one like a species (which encompasses many individuals), nor one as in an object that is made up of many elements, nor as a single simple object that is infinitely divisible. Rather, God is a unity unlike any other possible unity. " This is referred to in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4): "Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomion, Δευτερονόμιον "second law" is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament " (Maimonides, 13 principles of faith Second Principle). Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and

While Jews hold that such conceptions of God are incorrect, they generally are of the opinion that non-Jews that hold such beliefs are not held culpable. The term Gentile (from Latin, gentilis, meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe refers to non- Israelite tribes or nations in the Bible. The Seven Laws of Noah ( Hebrew: שבע מצוות בני נח Sheva mitzvot B'nei Noach) often referred to as the Noahide Laws, are a set of seven moral

See also Divine simplicity. In Theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts

God is all-powerful

The Jewish belief in God's omnipotence is rooted in the bible:[1]

Most rabbinic works also present God as having the properties of omnipotence, omniscience and omnibenevolence. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense can mean the entire spectrum of Rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history Omnipotence ( Omni Potens: "all Power " is unlimited power Omniscience (ɒm'nɪsɪəns (or Omniscient Point-of-View in writing is the capacity to know everything infinitely or at least everything that can be known about a character Omnibenevolence is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "unlimited or infinite Benevolence " This is still the primary way that most Orthodox and many non-Orthodox Jews view God.

The issue of theodicy was raised again, especially after the extreme horrors of the Holocaust and several theological responses surfaced. Theodicy (θiːˈɒdɪsi (adjectival form theodicean) is a specific branch of Theology and Philosophy that attempts to reconcile the existence of The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as These are discussed in a separate entry on Holocaust theology. Holocaust theology refers to a body of theological and philosophical debate soul-searching and analysis with the subsequent related Literature, that The central questions they address are whether and how God is all powerful and all good, given the existence of evil in the world, particularly the Holocaust.

God is personal

Most of classical Judaism views God as personal. We have a relationship with God, God has a relationship with us. Much of the midrash, and many prayers in the siddur portrays God as caring about humanity in much the same way that we care about God. Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic A siddur ( Hebrew: סידור plural siddurim) is a Jewish Prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers.

Harold Kushner, a Conservative rabbi, writes that "God shows His love for us by reaching down to bridge the immense gap between Him and us. Harold S Kushner is a prominent American Rabbi aligned with the progressive wing of Conservative Judaism. Rabbi (pronunciation, although in English usually) in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’ or more literally ‘my great one’ when addressing any master God shows His love for us by inviting us to enter into a Covenant (brit) with Him, and by sharing with us His Torah". Hasidism seems to endorse this view to some degree. Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc from the Hebrew: he '''''חסידות''''', Chassidus, meaning "piety" from the Hebrew

On the other hand, Maimonides and many other medieval Jewish philosophers rejected the idea of a personal God as incorrect. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and This may, however, simply be an emphatic form of the common Jewish view that God is unchanging, not describable and not anthropomorphic: see next section, and negative theology. Negative theology - also known as the Via Negativa ( Latin for "Negative Way" and Apophatic theology - is a Theology that

The nature of God

God is non-physical, non-corporeal, and eternal. While in the popular mind eternity often simply means existing for a limitless amount of Time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside of A corollary belief is that God is utterly unlike man, and can in no way be considered anthropomorphic. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects All statements in the Hebrew Bible and in rabbinic literature which use anthropomorphism are held to be linguistic conceits or metaphors, as it would otherwise be impossible to talk about God at all. See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is See Divine simplicity; Negative theology; Tzimtzum. In Theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts Negative theology - also known as the Via Negativa ( Latin for "Negative Way" and Apophatic theology - is a Theology that In Jewish Mysticism, Tzimtzum (צמצום Hebrew: "contraction" or "constriction" refers to the notion in the Kabbalistic theory of

To God alone may one offer prayer

Any belief that an intermediary between man and God could be used, whether necessary or even optional, has traditionally been considered heretical. Maimonides writes that "God is the only one we may serve and praise. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and . . . We may not act in this way toward anything beneath God, whether it be an angel, a star, or one of the elements. . . . . There are no intermediaries between us and God. All our prayers should be directed towards God; nothing else should even be considered. Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit "

Some rabbinic authorities disagreed with this view. Notably, Nachmanides was of the opinion that it is permitted to ask the angels to beseech God on our behalf. Nahmanides (1194 &ndash c 1270 was a Catalan Rabbi, philosopher, Physician, Kabbalist and biblical commentator. This argument manifests notably in the Selichot prayer called "Machnisay Rachamim", a request to the angels to intercede with God. Selichot ( Hebrew: סליחות are Jewish penitential poems and prayers especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on Modern printed editions of the Selichot include this prayer.

Names

Main article: Names of God in Judaism

Among the ancient Hebrews, the seven names for the Deity over which the scribes had to exercise particular care were:[2]

  1. El
  2. Elohim
  3. Adonai
  4. Ehyeh asher ehyeh
  5. YHWH
  6. Shaddai
  7. Zebaot

In medieval times, God was sometimes called The Seven. In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always Eli (Hebrew אל is the Northwest Semitic word and name either translated into English as "god" or "God" or left untranslated as Eli, depending Elohim ( אֱלוֹהִים, אלהים) is a Hebrew word which expresses concepts of Divinity. In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title I am that I am ( Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה pronounced Ehyeh asher ehyeh) is a common English translation ( King James Bible and others of the See also Yahweh Tetragrammaton (from the Greek, meaning ' of four letters' (tetra "four" + gramma (gen Shaddai was a late Bronze age Amorite city on the banks of the Euphrates river in northern Syria, as well as the name or a signifying Epithet In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title [3]

References

  1. ^ "Jewish Beliefs about God" in C/JEEP Curriculum Guide American Jewish Committee
  2. ^ The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins (Robert Hendrickson, 1987) [1] ISBN 0816040885 ISBN 978-0816040889
  3. ^ The Reader's Encyclopedia, Second Edition 1965, publisher Thomas Y. Crowell Co. , New York, editions 1948, 1955. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 65-12510, page 918

See also

Shekhinah (- alternative transliterations Shekinah, Shechinah, Shekina, Shechina, Schechinah, שכינה) is the English Chokhmah, also sometimes transliterated chochma or hokhmah ( חכמה) is the Hebrew word for "
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