His Holiness Pope Shenouda addresses the meanings of the word “God” in the Holy Bible and presents its different uses in Old and New Testament texts, clarifying the distinction between the sense of God as Creator and its use as a word or title in other contexts.
God in the sense of the Creator: He begins by affirming that “God” means the Creator God, citing verses from Isaiah (such as “I am the LORD and there is no other”) and the Ten Commandments (Exodus) where it says “I am the LORD your God.”
God meaning the gods of the nations: He explains that Scripture calls the pagan gods “gods” according to people’s understanding or their fame, while asserting that the gods of the nations are in truth demons, and this is mentioned in the Psalms.
God as a title for humans or as lord: He dwells on the usage of the word “god” as a title applied to some humans in the sense of “lord” or authority, citing Psalm 82 where God speaks to the “gods” who are called sons of the Most High but die like other humans.
Practical examples from Exodus: He explains how the Lord said to Moses “I have made you a god to Pharaoh” meaning you are an agent or means to reveal Him before Pharaoh, and this does not mean divinity in the full sense; in another text Aaron “shall be your prophet” meaning Moses inspires him and he speaks.
Warning against misuse of texts: He warns that some who deny the deity of Christ exploit such verses (where the word “god” is applied to humans) as an argument, but the full meaning of the term must be understood in the context of other texts.
A defense from verses that prove the deity of the Word: He cites John’s text (“In the beginning was the Word… and all things were made through him”) and verses like those in Romans which exalt Christ “above all blessed forever” to show that there are texts proving that applying “God” to Christ indicates deity and is not merely a passing title.
Conclusion: The summary is that the word “God” in the Holy Bible has multiple senses: it may refer to God the Creator, or to alleged gods of the nations, or be used as a title or rank for humans in a limited context; therefore one must not derive a single ruling from it without considering the full context of the passages.
For better translation support, please contact the center.
Terms in the Bible – God
His Holiness Pope Shenouda addresses the meanings of the word “God” in the Holy Bible and presents its different uses in Old and New Testament texts, clarifying the distinction between the sense of God as Creator and its use as a word or title in other contexts.
God in the sense of the Creator:
He begins by affirming that “God” means the Creator God, citing verses from Isaiah (such as “I am the LORD and there is no other”) and the Ten Commandments (Exodus) where it says “I am the LORD your God.”
God meaning the gods of the nations:
He explains that Scripture calls the pagan gods “gods” according to people’s understanding or their fame, while asserting that the gods of the nations are in truth demons, and this is mentioned in the Psalms.
God as a title for humans or as lord:
He dwells on the usage of the word “god” as a title applied to some humans in the sense of “lord” or authority, citing Psalm 82 where God speaks to the “gods” who are called sons of the Most High but die like other humans.
Practical examples from Exodus:
He explains how the Lord said to Moses “I have made you a god to Pharaoh” meaning you are an agent or means to reveal Him before Pharaoh, and this does not mean divinity in the full sense; in another text Aaron “shall be your prophet” meaning Moses inspires him and he speaks.
Warning against misuse of texts:
He warns that some who deny the deity of Christ exploit such verses (where the word “god” is applied to humans) as an argument, but the full meaning of the term must be understood in the context of other texts.
A defense from verses that prove the deity of the Word:
He cites John’s text (“In the beginning was the Word… and all things were made through him”) and verses like those in Romans which exalt Christ “above all blessed forever” to show that there are texts proving that applying “God” to Christ indicates deity and is not merely a passing title.
Conclusion:
The summary is that the word “God” in the Holy Bible has multiple senses: it may refer to God the Creator, or to alleged gods of the nations, or be used as a title or rank for humans in a limited context; therefore one must not derive a single ruling from it without considering the full context of the passages.
For better translation support, please contact the center.