The Church of Jesus Christ

4 Comments for this entry

• Mitchell Powell
  February 10th, 2010 on 5:11 pm

  Based on a single reading of the post, it looks like some of the issues are being discussed in Messianic language that are quite similar to the theology I’m comfortable with. But the use of many terms like “Ein Sof” which I’m only vaguely familiar with makes it difficult at points to know whether I’m in agreement or whether I’m completely opposed to what’s being said.

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  • Polycarp
    February 10th, 2010 on 8:01 pm

    That’s interesting, Mitchell. I would be interested in hearing what else you have to say, and why you use those terms.

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• Mitchell Powell
  February 10th, 2010 on 9:56 pm

  I suppose one of the issues is determining whether there really is uniquely Messianic thought, or whether what we’re really dealing with is a recasting of all the issues of Christian thought in more Jewish terminology.

  For example Christian is replaced with Messianic, Jesus with Yeshua, “one God in three persons” with “differentiated but singular but singular deity.”

  In particular I was interested in the statement “There is evidence in the Hebrew Bible that something like what the mystics describe really is going on.” I would love to see that further explored.

  But where I start to get unsettled is paragraphs like: Paul Saal demonstrated how in popular discussion people can be unaware of the differentiation of Father and Son and can cry heresy when someone is simply restating what the Nicene Creed affirms. He once explained to someone that Yeshua is not God in the sense of being the Ein Sof. Rather, Yeshua is like the sum of all the sefirot. The person claimed that Saal did not then actually believe in the deity of Yeshua! Yet Saal’s description mirrors not only the Nicene Creed, but also Hebrews 1:3.

  On the one hand, I told want us to marginalize those who want to restate gospel truths in Jewish terms (after all, a great deal of God’s revelation was given in Jewish terms). On the other hand, it does look like forcing Christ to be the sum of sefirot makes his deity less than what it really is.

  On top of this, there’s all manner of different Messianic groups, ranging in how foreign their theology seems. I’d probably have to talk with someone personally to know exactly where they stand.

  And yourself, what do you think about Yeshua? Is he God in every sense, or is he merely the highest emanation of God?

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  • Polycarp
    February 11th, 2010 on 3:19 pm

    I believe that Christ is God, over all and that the Son is the visible Image of the Invisible Father. Further, He is the emanation of the reality of the Father’s glory.

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