This lecture explains the meaning of the phrase “Word of God” in the Holy Bible, showing how it refers at times to the Holy Trinity, at other times to the Father alone, or the Son alone, depending on the scriptural context.
🔹 Theological and Spiritual Meaning:
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the name “God” in the Old Testament appears in various forms such as Elohim, Adonai, and Yahweh, all expressing the eternal and self-existent Being. He clarifies that sometimes “the Word of God” refers to the Holy Trinity as a whole, as in “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Here, all three Persons participated: the Father as Creator, the Son through whom all things were made, and the Holy Spirit who moved upon the waters. In other cases, “God” means the Father alone, especially when accompanied by the phrase “His Son,” as in “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” The divine appearances in the Old Testament were manifestations of the Son, since the Father has never been seen; the Son revealed the Father and appeared in various forms before the Incarnation. The title “Redeemer” belongs to the Son, who accomplished salvation through the Cross. In some passages, both the Father and the Son appear together, such as “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”—showing both the distinction of Persons and the unity of the divine essence.
🔹 Spiritual Dimension:
His Holiness invites believers to reflect deeply on the divine meaning of God’s Word, avoiding superficial interpretations, as every word of Scripture reveals the mystery of the Trinity and God’s saving work. True knowledge of God, he emphasizes, means knowing the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—working together for humanity’s salvation.
Terms in the Bible – God
This lecture explains the meaning of the phrase “Word of God” in the Holy Bible, showing how it refers at times to the Holy Trinity, at other times to the Father alone, or the Son alone, depending on the scriptural context.
🔹 Theological and Spiritual Meaning:
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that the name “God” in the Old Testament appears in various forms such as Elohim, Adonai, and Yahweh, all expressing the eternal and self-existent Being.
He clarifies that sometimes “the Word of God” refers to the Holy Trinity as a whole, as in “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Here, all three Persons participated: the Father as Creator, the Son through whom all things were made, and the Holy Spirit who moved upon the waters.
In other cases, “God” means the Father alone, especially when accompanied by the phrase “His Son,” as in “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”
The divine appearances in the Old Testament were manifestations of the Son, since the Father has never been seen; the Son revealed the Father and appeared in various forms before the Incarnation.
The title “Redeemer” belongs to the Son, who accomplished salvation through the Cross.
In some passages, both the Father and the Son appear together, such as “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”—showing both the distinction of Persons and the unity of the divine essence.
🔹 Spiritual Dimension:
His Holiness invites believers to reflect deeply on the divine meaning of God’s Word, avoiding superficial interpretations, as every word of Scripture reveals the mystery of the Trinity and God’s saving work.
True knowledge of God, he emphasizes, means knowing the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—working together for humanity’s salvation.