Elohism is belief in God the creator of the Universe. Its focus on God is on the deity 'Elohim'. The main difference between Elohism and Deism is that Elohists believe in a Young earth. They tend to believe that the earth was created around 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. Because of this, they reject the theory of evolution as man-made. Elohists deny that any of the major monotheistic religions are completely from God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are viewed as man-made religions in most ways, perhaps intermixed with divine thought, but not completely the work of God alone. Elohists may believe that God gave mankind some core moral laws at the beginning of the creation, but this is not necessarily a fundamental of Elohistic belief. However, the focus within the Torah on the Elohist passages is usually the primary focus, based on the documentary hypothesis, of the original Elohist faith, believed to be the faith of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. We do not approach God from 'Yahwistic' perspectives. The name of Yahweh is traditionally viewed by us as originating with 'Judah' – the southern Kingdom. In any world to come were a greater revelation or understanding is given on this issue, we would correct ourselves. Yet, the focus would still be upon the Elohist portions of scripture. Further, we apply Canaanite traditions of Elohim into our religion, noting the word originated with the Canaanite community. We do not believe in the deities of Canaanite faith, apart from Elohim as the revelation of God, but allow decent practices of Canaanite faith and religious legends and traditions to become part of the Assembly of the Dawn Elohist community. In this sense we are more focused and founded out of a Canaanite revelation and understanding of Elohim, rather than an Abrahamic one. For us the Patriarch Methuselah is the spiritual head of our Movement who is given the most honour and Melchizedek, high priest of Salem, is the High Priest of the Movement. We study Canaanite literature and follow Canaanite observance towards Elohim God.

Assembly of the Dawn practice Divine Faith. Divine Faith is a movement taught in the Noahide Videos Bible. Now, AOD are part of Divine Faith but Divine Faith is not limited to AOD. There can be other Divine Faith movements, people and ideas. Divine Faith goes beyond AOD, but AOD is completely part of Divine Faith. A House can contain many people, but its one address. Divine Faith is the house, and AOD is one of the people, but there can be more people in the house. Divine Faith is elohism, and the primary focus is Almighty God of the Deciarchal Fathers, Methuselah in particular. Royal things somewhat and ancient things and things of quality are part of the principles of divine faith and, especially, divine things – things which pertain to Elohim God. Holy things.

'In this universe we live, in this universe we pray, to elohim up above, to teach us every day.

To learn from past mistakes, of history gone by, and pledge our hearts to this universe, in which we live and die.''

Lord God. Guide me please. Teach me the way of the fool. Teach me Foolishness in detail.

And then Lord God help me to understand in detail the consequences of foolishness

So that knowing these truths I may choose wisdom, enlightened by the knowledge of the destiny of the brigand,

Yet Elohim knows in his heart that all is not lost, for such gods were ne'er true

of wickedness, and a rejection of the Most High, a pantheon of false pilgrimage.

Elohim is the true God, in God alone do I make my boast, the true saviour of Canaan,

The thought is that longevity brings wisdom. Some say there is wisdom in gray hairs, and others say the aged aren't always as wise as they claim to be, and that in the vigour and honesty of youth lies the answer. Methuselah is our most aged man on record. 969 years. One might assume that he had his honest wisdom of youth which was decent enough to guide him to 969 years of life. Wise enough one would imagine. Age should be something respected. Aged people should be something respected, and cared for. We have aged care homes dedicated to that. And that is a good idea. The aged are the people who have gone before us and built this world we call home. Their labours and efforts made a home of comfort for us, so we should appreciate that and comfort them in their old age. Over life it is important, if you are wise, to know that each year of life has its own challenges, but there are truths over the lifespan which remain the same. The truths of nourishment to feed the body, clothing and shelter to keep us warm and decent, obedience to our faith and turning away from sin with repentance to keep us righteous, and loyalty: to family, friends and colleagues, so that it goes well with us in our affairs and comings and goings. Methuselah must have had some of these ideas worked out. And he most likely trusted in Elohim – in God – to ensure his steps were watched over in some way, shape or form. The lesson is to trust in God and walk with him and, day by day, continue to ensure we do the things we know to do to enable life to continue as well as it can for our enjoyment, contentment and happiness. Live a full and age long life.

When the carcass has rotted - and the spirit has departed - and the soul is dead - the spirit wanders a lonely pathway through the nebulous spiritual realities prepared for it in prayer till it finds the occasional anchors to try and regain some of the sense it foolishly let go of. The prayers are the prayers of mankind in judgement upon the souls of men. So many pray, and so many have prayed for the salvation of even the wicked. And in this anchors of prayers, sometimes also indeed in judgement, will the spirits of the wicked slowly find sense and truths which will gradually permeate their mind. It takes a long time for the wicked to genuinely repent – repentance of genuine consideration and not just fear of God – and the journey of the spirit to find the pathway back to the living will indeed be long and arduous. God is not of a mind to forgive so easily – he expects his justice done. And in the spiritual world the wicked travel till they find consolation in finally making wise judgements they will be tormented long and hard by the foolish things they had said and done, and this righteously so. But El Shaddai – God Almighty – is capable of redeeming a soul, and the truths of Elohism pray ultimately for redemption, for this to be the ultimate will of God, at the rightful satiation of his justice.

We walk along the river. We choose them – river's in our geographical locations near where we live. We choose them, when we are out in nature, and we walk alongside them, often with family members, to see the terrain and where they wind along too. You look at nature, and notice the wild things growing alongside the river, and the effects of the water and the sound of the water as it flows along. People you sometimes encounter as well, especially at the major swimming holes, but further along, in the less visited places, you delve into nature and the wild and find quiet and peace. It is God's creation, and river life is part of a normal fundamental for the natural man. Regardless of whether we live in Paradise city of technological delight where our every need is catered for or not, we still must draw near to nature and following the river of life to find those natural things in our human nature which understands water and the place we draw it from. Never let go of the natural person within you – always find a stream, a brook, a flowing river to unwind and relax in and find where it goes on occasions, at one with the natural world and the river of life.

The word is the plural form of the word eloah[1][2][4][7][8][9] and related to el. It is cognate to the word 'l-h-m which is found in Ugaritic, where it is used as the pantheon for Canaanite gods, the children of El, and conventionally vocalized as "Elohim". Most uses of the term Elohim in the later Hebrew text imply a view that is at least monolatrist at the time of writing, and such usage (in the singular), as a proper title for the supreme deity, is generally not considered to be synonymous with the term elohim, "gods" (plural, simple noun). Rabbinic scholar Maimonides wrote that the various other usages are commonly understood to be homonyms.[10]

The notion of divinity underwent radical changes in the early period of Israelite identity and development of Ancient Hebrew religion. The ambiguity of the term elohim is the result of such changes, cast in terms of "vertical translatability", i.e. the re-interpretation of the gods of the earliest recalled period as the national god of monolatrism as it emerged in the 7th to 6th century BCE in the Kingdom of Judah and during the Babylonian captivity, and further in terms of monotheism by the emergence of Rabbinical Judaism in the 2nd century CE.[11]

Grammar and etymology[edit]

In Hebrew, the ending -im normally indicates a masculine plural. However, when referring to the Jewish God, Elohim is usually understood to be grammatically singular (i.e. it governs a singular verb or adjective).[13][14] In Modern Hebrew, it is often referred to in the singular despite the -im ending that denotes plural masculine nouns in Hebrew.[15][16]

It is generally thought that Elohim is derived from eloah,[1][2][4][7][8][9] the latter being an expanded form of the Northwest Semitic noun 'il.[17][18] The related nouns eloah (אלוה) and el (אֵל) are used as proper names or as generics, in which case they are interchangeable with elohim.[18] The term contains an added heh as third radical to the biconsonantal root. Discussions of the etymology of elohim essentially concern this expansion. An exact cognate outside of Hebrew is found in Ugaritic ʾlhm,[17] the family of El, the creator god and chief deity of the Canaanite pantheon, in Biblical Aramaic ʼĔlāhā and later Syriac Alaha ("God"), and in Arabic ʾilāh ("god, deity") (or Allah as "The [single] God").[19] "El" (the basis for the extended root ʾlh) is usually derived from a root meaning "to be strong" and/or "to be in front".[18]

Canaanite religion[edit]

The word el (singular) is a standard term for "god" in Aramaic, paleo-Hebrew, and other related Semitic languages including Ugaritic. The Canaanite pantheon of gods was known as 'ilhm,[20] the Ugaritic equivalent to elohim.[5] For instance, the Ugaritic Baal Cycle mentions "seventy sons of Asherah". Each "son of god" was held to be the originating deity for a particular people (KTU 2 1.4.VI.46).[21]

Usage[edit]

Elohim occurs frequently throughout the Torah. In some cases (e.g. Exodus 3:4, "Elohim called unto him out of the midst of the bush ..."), it behaves like a singular noun in Hebrew grammar, and is then generally understood to denote the single God of Israel. In other cases, Elohim acts as an ordinary plural of the word Eloah, and refers to the polytheistic notion of multiple gods (for example, Exodus 20:3, "You shall have no other gods before me").

The word Elohim occurs more than 2500 times in the Hebrew Bible, with meanings ranging from "gods" in a general sense (as in Exodus 12:12, where it describes "the gods of Egypt"), to specific gods (e.g., 1 Kings 11:33, where it describes Chemosh "the god of Moab", or the frequent references to Yahweh as the "elohim" of Israel), to demons, seraphim, and other supernatural beings, to the spirits of the dead brought up at the behest of King Saul in 1 Samuel 28:13, and even to kings and prophets (e.g., Exodus 4:16).[18] The phrase bene elohim, translated "sons of the Gods", has an exact parallel in Ugaritic and Phoenician texts, referring to the council of the gods.[18]

Elohim occupy the seventh rank of ten in the famous medieval rabbinic scholar Maimonides' Jewish angelic hierarchy. Maimonides said: "I must premise that every Hebrew [now] knows that the term Elohim is a homonym, and denotes God, angels, judges, and the rulers of countries, ..."[10]

With plural verb[edit]

In 1 Samuel 28:13, elohim is used with a plural verb. The witch of Endor told Saul that she saw elohim ascending (olim עֹלִים, plural verb) out of the earth.[22]

In Genesis 20:13, Abraham, before the polytheistic Philistine king Abimelech, says that "Elohim (translated as God) caused (התעו, plural verb) me to wander".[23][24][25] Whereas the Greek Septuagint (LXX) has a singular verb form (ἐξήγαγε(ν), aorist II), most English versions usually translate this as "God caused" (which does not distinguish between a singular and plural verb).[26]

With singular verb[edit]

Elohim, when meaning the God of Israel, is mostly grammatically singular, and is commonly translated as "God", and capitalised. For example, in Genesis 1:26, it is written: "Then Elohim (translated as God) said (singular verb), 'Let us (plural) make (plural verb) man in our (plural) image, after our (plural) likeness'". Wilhelm Gesenius and other Hebrew grammarians traditionally described this as the pluralis excellentiae (plural of excellence), which is similar to the pluralis majestatis (plural of majesty, or "Royal we").[27][a] Gesenius comments that the singular Hebrew term Elohim is to be distinguished from elohim used to refer to plural gods, and remarks that:

There are a number of notable exceptions to the rule that Elohim is treated as singular when referring to the God of Israel, including Genesis 20:13, Genesis 35:7, 2 Samuel 7:23 and Psalms 58:11, and notably the epithet of the "Living God" (Deuteronomy 5:26 etc.), which is constructed with the plural adjective, Elohim ḥayyim (אלהים חיים) but still takes singular verbs. The treatment of Elohim as both singular and plural is, according to Mark Sameth, consistent with a theory put forth by Guillaume Postel (16th century) and Michelangelo Lanci (19th century) that the God of Israel was understood by the ancient priests to be a singular, dual-gendered deity.[29][30][31][32]

In the Septuagint and New Testament translations, Elohim has the singular ὁ θεός even in these cases, and modern translations follow suit in giving "God" in the singular. The Samaritan Torah has edited out some of these exceptions.[33]

Angels and judges[edit]

In a few cases in the Greek Septuagint (LXX), Hebrew elohim with a plural verb, or with implied plural context, was rendered either angeloi ("angels") or to kriterion tou Theou ("the judgement of God").[34] These passages then entered first the Latin Vulgate, then the English King James Version (KJV) as "angels" and "judges", respectively. From this came the result that James Strong, for example, listed "angels" and "judges" as possible meanings for elohim with a plural verb in his Strong's Concordance,[1][2] and the same is true of many other 17th-20th century reference works.[citation needed] Both Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon[citation needed] and the Brown–Driver–Briggs Lexicon[2] list both "angels" and "judges" as possible alternative meanings of elohim with plural verbs and adjectives.

Gesenius and Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg have questioned the reliability of the Septuagint translation in this matter. Gesenius lists the meaning without agreeing with it.[35] Hengstenberg stated that the Hebrew Bible text never uses elohim to refer to "angels", but that the Septuagint translators refused the references to "gods" in the verses they amended to "angels".[36]

The Greek New Testament (NT) quotes Psalms 8:4–6 in Hebrews 2:6b-8a, where the Greek NT has "ἀγγέλους" (angelous) in vs. 7,[37] quoting Psalms 8:5 (8:6 in the LXX), which also has "ἀγγέλους" in a version of the Greek Septuagint.[38] In the KJV, elohim (Strong's number H430) is translated as "angels" only in Psalm 8:5.[39]

Angels and Fallen angels cited in the Hebrew Bible and external literature contain the related noun el (אֵל) such as Michael, Gabriel and Samael.[41]

Other plural-singulars in biblical Hebrew[edit]

The Hebrew language has several nouns with -im (masculine plural) and -oth (feminine plural) endings which nevertheless take singular verbs, adjectives and pronouns. For example, Baalim,[42] Adonim,[43] Behemoth.[44] This form is known as the "honorific plural", in which the pluralization is a sign of power or honor.[45] A very common singular Hebrew word with plural ending is the word achoth, meaning sister, with the irregular plural form achioth.[46]

Alternatively, there are several other frequently used words in the Hebrew language that contain a masculine plural ending but also maintain this form in singular concept. The major examples are: Sky/Heavens (שמים - shamayim), Face (פנים - panim), Life (חיים - chayyim), Water (מים - mayim). Of these four nouns, three appear in the first sentence of Genesis[47] (along with elohim). Three of them also appear in the first sentence of the Eden creation story[48] (also along with elohim). Instead of "honorific plural" these other plural nouns terms represent something which is constantly changing. Water, sky, face, life are "things which are never bound to one form."[49]

Jacob's ladder "gods were revealed" (plural)[edit]

In the following verses Elohim was translated as God singular in the King James Version even though it was accompanied by plural verbs and other plural grammatical terms.

Here the Hebrew verb "revealed" is plural, hence: "the gods were revealed". A NET Bible note claims that the KJV wrongly translates: "God appeared unto him".[50] This is one of several instances where the Bible uses plural verbs with the name elohim.[51][52]

The Divine Council[edit]

Marti Steussy, in Chalice Introduction to the Old Testament, discusses: "The first verse of Psalm 82: 'Elohim has taken his place in the divine council.' Here elohim has a singular verb and clearly refers to God. But in verse 6 of the Psalm, God says to the other members of the council, 'You [plural] are elohim.' Here elohim has to mean gods."[53]

Mark Smith, referring to this same Psalm, states in God in Translation: "This psalm presents a scene of the gods meeting together in divine council ... Elohim stands in the council of El. Among the elohim he pronounces judgment: ..."[54]

In Hulsean Lectures for..., H. M. Stephenson discussed Jesus' argument in John 10:34–36 concerning Psalm 82. (In answer to the charge of blasphemy Jesus replied:) "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods. If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?" – "Now what is the force of this quotation 'I said ye are gods.' It is from the Asaph Psalm which begins 'Elohim hath taken His place in the mighty assembly. In the midst of the Elohim He is judging.'"[55]

Sons of God[edit]

The Hebrew word for "son" is ben; plural is bānim (with the construct state form being "benei"). The Hebrew term benei elohim ("sons of God" or "sons of the gods") in Genesis 6:2 [56] compares to the use of "sons of gods" (Ugaritic: b'n il) sons of El in Ugaritic mythology.[57] Karel van der Toorn states that gods can be referred to collectively as bene elim, bene elyon, or bene elohim.[18]

Elohist[edit]

The Hebrew Bible uses various names for the God of Israel. According to the documentary hypothesis, these variations are the products of different source texts and narratives that constitute the composition of the Torah: Elohim is the name of God used in the Elohist (E) and Priestly (P) sources, while Yahweh is the name of God used in the Jahwist (J) source.[58][59][60][61] Form criticism postulates the differences of names may be the result of geographical origins; the P and E sources coming from the North and J from the South.[60] There may be a theological point, that God did not reveal his name, Yahweh, before the time of Moses, though Hans Heinrich Schmid showed that the Jahwist was aware of the prophetic books from the 7th and 8th centuries BCE.[62]

The Jahwist source presents Yahweh anthropomorphically: for example, walking through the Garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve. The Elohist source often presents Elohim as more distant and frequently involves angels, as in the Elohist version of the tale of Jacob's Ladder, in which there is a ladder to the clouds, with angels climbing up and down, with Elohim at the top. In the Jahwist version of the tale, Yahweh is simply stationed in the sky, above the clouds without the ladder or angels. Likewise, the Elohist source describes Jacob wrestling with an angel.

The classical documentary hypothesis, first developed in the late 19th century among biblical scholars and textual critics, holds that the Jahwist portions of the Torah were composed in the 9th century BCE and the Elohist portions in the 8th century BCE,[60] i.e. during the early period of the Kingdom of Judah. This, however, is not universally accepted as later literary scholarship seems to show evidence of a later "Elohist redaction" (post-exilic) during the 5th century BCE which sometimes makes it difficult to determine whether a given passage is "Elohist" in origin, or the result of a later editor.[citation needed]

Latter Day Saint movement[edit]

In the belief system held by the Christian churches that adhere to the Latter Day Saint movement and most Mormon denominations, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the term God refers to Elohim (the Eternal Father),[63][64] whereas Godhead means a council of three distinct gods: Elohim (God the Father), Jehovah (the Son of God, Jesus Christ),[63][64] and the Holy Ghost, in a non-trinitarian conception of the Godhead.[63][64] This differs significantly from Christian trinitarianism; in Mormonism, the three persons are considered to be physically separate beings, or personages, but united in will and purpose.[63][64][66] As such, the term Godhead differs from how it is used in mainstream Christianity.[63][64] This description of God represents the orthodoxy of the LDS Church, established early in the 19th century.[63]

The Book of Abraham, a sacred text accepted by some branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, contains a paraphrase of the first chapter of Genesis which explicitly translates Elohim as "the Gods" multiple times; this is suggested by apostle James E. Talmage to indicate a "plurality of excellence or intensity, rather than distinctively of number".[67]

Contents

Grammar and etymology[edit]

Canaanite religion[edit]

Usage[edit]

With plural verb[edit]

With singular verb[edit]

Angels and judges[edit]

Other plural-singulars in biblical Hebrew[edit]

Jacob's ladder "gods were revealed" (plural)[edit]

The Divine Council[edit]

Sons of God[edit]

Elohist[edit]

Latter Day Saint movement[edit]

Raëlism[edit]