Welcome to Deeper Waters, the blog where we make it our goal to dive into the ocean of truth. Lately, we’ve been going through a booklet by the Watchtower called “Should You Believe In The Trinity?” We are discussing the points under the heading of if it’s a Bible teaching and the part tonight we’ll be looking at is concerning the Hebrew Bible.
To begin with, there is a reference to the Encyclopedia of Religion? Which one? The Watchtower doesn’t say. What page? Not said either. What volume? You won’t find it in the booklet. Who wrote it? Don’t expect that either. Hence, my position has been as one who reads books by the new atheists who have terrible research for what they do, that the Watchtower makes the new atheists look like first-rate scholars.
Anyway, the Watchtower says that the Encyclopedia admits that “Theologians today are in agreement that the Hebrew Bible does not contain a doctrine of the Trinity.” To begin with, the language of admitting is loaded language already as if this was some shameful secret that will destroy the doctrine of the Trinity.
On the contrary, it does nothing of the sort. I also would agree there is no full expression of the Trinity in the Old Testament but is part of the later revelation of the New Testament. There are hints of the Trinity in there, but the doctrine is part of progressive revelation. Again, what’s the problem? The only way this would seem convincing is to someone who has not been properly taught on the Trinity and believes that it has to be chapter and verse. This should be a condemnation on us in the Christian church in that we’re not teaching our congregations enough.
The same situation comes up with a Catholic Encyclopedia. The quote is that the doctrine of the Trinity is not taught in the Old Testament. Okay. Neither is baptism, which the Witnesses practice. Do you have the command to have the Lord’s Supper in the Old Testament? Do you have the promise of the New Testament coming?
Once again, the Watchtower does picking and choosing.
Next, the Watchtower has the following, directly quoted from their web site.
Similarly, in his book The Triune God, Jesuit Edmund Fortman admits: “The Old Testament . . . tells us nothing explicitly or by necessary implication of a Triune God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. . . . There is no evidence that any sacred writer even suspected the existence of a [Trinity] within the Godhead. . . . Even to see in [the “Old Testament”] suggestions or foreshadowings or ‘veiled signs’ of the trinity of persons, is to go beyond the words and intent of the sacred writers.”—Italics ours.
The Watchtower leaves much out and in fact, there are numerous portions left out. A little bit of digging can bring up what was left out.
To the Old Testament writers God is a God of life, love, wisdom, and holiness, a God of righteousness. a God both immanent and transcendent, a God of power, glory, and majesty, the one and only God. the creator and lord of the universe. Sometimes they call Him Father, especially of Israel. They give the title ‘son of God’ not only to Israel collectively but also to the king. to the judges, to the upright Jew, and perhaps to the Messiah. There is no evidence that any sacred writer even suspected the existence of a divine paternity and filiation within the Godhead. They write of the word of God and regard it as revelatory and creative, as instructive and illuminative. If at times they seem to show a slight tendency to hypostatize the word of God, nowhere do they present the word of God as a personal divine being distinct from Yahweh. They write much of the wisdom of God that was ‘created before all things’ and is the ‘worker of all things.’ But to the people of the Old Testament the wisdom of God was never a person to be addressed but only a personification of an attribute or activity of Yahweh. The spirit of Yahweh is a creative force, a saving power, a spirit of judgment, a charismatic spirit, a spirit of life and of inward renewal, a prophetic spirit. Although this spirit is often described in personal terms, it seems quite clear that the sacred writers never conceived or presented this spirit as a distinct person. Many of the sacred writers spoke of a Messiah who was to be Yahweh’s agent in establishing the kingdom of Yahweh in the messianic age. However, they regarded the Messiah not as a divine person but as a creature, a charismatic leader, a Davidic king. Thus the Old Testament writings about God neither express nor imply any idea of or belief in a plurality or trinity of persons within the one Godhead. Even to see in them suggestions or foreshadowings or ‘veiled signs’ of the trinity of persons, is to go beyond the words and intent of the sacred writers. Perhaps it can be said that some of these writings about word and wisdom and spirit did provide a climate in which plurality within the Godhead was conceivable to Jews. However, these writers definitely do give us the words that the New Testament uses to express the trinity of persons, Father, Son, Word, Wisdom, Spirit. And their way of understanding these words helps us to see how the revelation of God in the New Testament goes beyond the revelation of God in the Old Testament. (The Triune God, Edmund Fortman, p8-9)
Some of you might be thinking that that doesn’t contain all the quotes. You’re right. That’s how bad the quoting is and the ellipses really do leave out much. I’m just hopeful the one example I’ve cited will be enough to open up the eyes of some Witnesses reading this.
Please also note that there has been no interaction with such ideas as the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament or the passages with two persons called YHWH or how the Messiah is spoken of in terms of deity. There has been an appeal to authority only and while authority is fine, that authority is not even used right. Unfortunately, a Jehovah’s Witness reading this or an innocent Christian being duped will not know about this.
Tomorrow, we shall see what they say of the Greek Scriptures.
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