"My Lord and My God"
by Shmuel Playfair
[edited for easier reading]
One of the most popular proof texts used by Christians to support their deification of a human creature is found near the end of the gospel of John where we read, "And Thomas answered and said unto him, 'My Lord and my God!'". [John 20:28] What they do not understand is that Thomas addresses the resurrected Jesus, the son of Joseph, with titles of respect commonly used in the ancient Near East to refer to human kings and judges. He was *not* addressing Jesus as being the only immortal, invisible Creator, the Greater Than All, Aveenu, Malkaynu (our Father, our King). Rather, he was acknowledging Yeshua as his appointed Lord (Master) and as his representative Sovereign (i.e. Powerful Ruler = authorized Judge or anointed King).
In the Jewish milieu in which Thomas spoke, we often find that the title "Lord" was often used to address a human king. For example, we read, "YHVH ("adonai", the Creator) says to my lord ("adonee"), 'Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' " [Ps.110:1] Since King David could be addressed as "Master" or "Lord", certainly one can address David's greater son, Jesus, as his "Master" (Adon). As Peter proclaimed later, "Therefore, let all the House of Israel know assuredly that the God (HaShem) made this Jesus whom you crucified both 'Lord' and 'Messiah'." [Acts 2:36] These words confirms that the only Almighty Creator made this crucified and resurrected human creature, Jesus, both "Lord" (Master) and "Messiah" (the Anointed King).
Also, in Jewish context the title "God" is sometimes used to address a human king. For example, in the Psalms we read, "Your throne, O 'god' (Eloheem), will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore, 'god', your God has anointed you with the oil of joy above your companions." [45:6-7] IOW, the God of this human "god" anointed this human creature to rule over his human companions. If the human judges and kings could be referred to as "gods" or "powerful rulers" ("eloheem"), it is no surprise that one who is considered to be the supreme human king or judge is given the same title.
It is possible that Thomas was using a grammatical construction called "hendiadys" where a single concept is expressed by two synonyms linked by the conjunction "and" [v']. For example, one might say "to look with eyes and envy" and mean "to look with envious eyes". Here are a couple of examples of "hendiadys" found in the Hebrew scriptures...in Genesis 1.2, "tohoo vavohoo" (תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ) might best be translated as "a formless void" and in Job 40:10, "v'hod v'hadar" (וְה֖וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר) could be translated as "glorious splendor". So here in John 20:28, "my Lord (Master) and my God (i.e. Sovereign or Potentate)" are apparently two synonyms used to express a single concept which could be translated as "my sovereign Lord" or as "my lordly Potentate".
Since one might address human kings or judges as "Lord" and "God", it is not surprising to find one of Jesus' disciples addressing the resurrected son of David as his "powerful Master" or as his "lordly Potentate". OTOH, those who deify this human creature and claim that he was a second one of three different "co-equal" and "co-eternal" god-persons are forcing a different idolatrous meaning on this text which was not intended. Thomas' confession is an acknowledgement of Jesus as a human creature whom the Almighty Creator has given authority. It was not a recognition of a second god-person in a god-head (i.e. pantheon) of three co-equal, co-eternal members.
by Shmuel Playfair
[edited for easier reading]
One of the most popular proof texts used by Christians to support their deification of a human creature is found near the end of the gospel of John where we read, "And Thomas answered and said unto him, 'My Lord and my God!'". [John 20:28] What they do not understand is that Thomas addresses the resurrected Jesus, the son of Joseph, with titles of respect commonly used in the ancient Near East to refer to human kings and judges. He was *not* addressing Jesus as being the only immortal, invisible Creator, the Greater Than All, Aveenu, Malkaynu (our Father, our King). Rather, he was acknowledging Yeshua as his appointed Lord (Master) and as his representative Sovereign (i.e. Powerful Ruler = authorized Judge or anointed King).
In the Jewish milieu in which Thomas spoke, we often find that the title "Lord" was often used to address a human king. For example, we read, "YHVH ("adonai", the Creator) says to my lord ("adonee"), 'Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' " [Ps.110:1] Since King David could be addressed as "Master" or "Lord", certainly one can address David's greater son, Jesus, as his "Master" (Adon). As Peter proclaimed later, "Therefore, let all the House of Israel know assuredly that the God (HaShem) made this Jesus whom you crucified both 'Lord' and 'Messiah'." [Acts 2:36] These words confirms that the only Almighty Creator made this crucified and resurrected human creature, Jesus, both "Lord" (Master) and "Messiah" (the Anointed King).
Also, in Jewish context the title "God" is sometimes used to address a human king. For example, in the Psalms we read, "Your throne, O 'god' (Eloheem), will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore, 'god', your God has anointed you with the oil of joy above your companions." [45:6-7] IOW, the God of this human "god" anointed this human creature to rule over his human companions. If the human judges and kings could be referred to as "gods" or "powerful rulers" ("eloheem"), it is no surprise that one who is considered to be the supreme human king or judge is given the same title.
It is possible that Thomas was using a grammatical construction called "hendiadys" where a single concept is expressed by two synonyms linked by the conjunction "and" [v']. For example, one might say "to look with eyes and envy" and mean "to look with envious eyes". Here are a couple of examples of "hendiadys" found in the Hebrew scriptures...in Genesis 1.2, "tohoo vavohoo" (תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ) might best be translated as "a formless void" and in Job 40:10, "v'hod v'hadar" (וְה֖וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר) could be translated as "glorious splendor". So here in John 20:28, "my Lord (Master) and my God (i.e. Sovereign or Potentate)" are apparently two synonyms used to express a single concept which could be translated as "my sovereign Lord" or as "my lordly Potentate".
Since one might address human kings or judges as "Lord" and "God", it is not surprising to find one of Jesus' disciples addressing the resurrected son of David as his "powerful Master" or as his "lordly Potentate". OTOH, those who deify this human creature and claim that he was a second one of three different "co-equal" and "co-eternal" god-persons are forcing a different idolatrous meaning on this text which was not intended. Thomas' confession is an acknowledgement of Jesus as a human creature whom the Almighty Creator has given authority. It was not a recognition of a second god-person in a god-head (i.e. pantheon) of three co-equal, co-eternal members.
