The Nature and Attributes of the Godhead in Elohim
The term "Godhead" refers to the essential being or nature of God [1]. In the Hebrew Scriptures, two primary names are used for the divine Being: Elohim and Jehovah [2]. Elohim is a plural form of Eloah, and its etymology, while uncertain, is generally agreed to convey the idea of strength and power [2, 3]. This term is frequently translated as "God" in English versions of the Bible [2].
The use of the plural form Elohim has been a point of theological discussion. John Calvin, in his commentary on Genesis, suggests that the plural number expresses the various powers God exercised in creation [7]. He cautions against interpreting Elohim as directly denoting three persons in the Godhead in the creation account, arguing that such an interpretation would lead to inconsistencies regarding the generation of the Son and the Spirit [7]. However, other interpretations connect Elohim to the concept of a multi-personal God. For instance, the Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary on Hebrews 2:7 notes that Elohim can refer to the abstract qualities of God, such as heavenly, spiritual, and incorporeal natures [9].
The nature of the Godhead is understood as encompassing divine attributes and mysteries. Athanasius of Alexandria emphasized that God's divinity is characterized by a singular act of will that simultaneously moves and orders all things according to their nature [6]. Thomas Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica, states that the "secret of the Godhead" is among the things proposed to faith, the sight of which brings happiness in eternal life [10]. He also explains that in God, all things are one, except for the distinction of Persons, which are distinguished by relations [8].
Rabbinic tradition, as seen in Midrash Rabbah, notes that in the creation narrative, the name Elohim is primarily used, but when man is created, the divine name shifts to Hashem Elohim, indicating an appending of the attribute of mercy to God [5]. This highlights a nuanced understanding of God's attributes as expressed through different divine names. The concept of the Godhead is central to understanding the divine essence and the operations of God in creation and salvation [1, 4].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Godhead — (Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9), the essential being or the nature of God.”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: God — (good). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures two chief names are used for the one true divine Being--ELOHIM, commonly translated God in our version, and [566]Jehovah, translated Lord . Elohim is the plural of Eloah (in Arabic Allah); it is often used in the short form EL (a word signifying strength, as in EL-SHADDAI, God Almighty, the name by which God was specially known to the patriarchs. (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; Exodus 6:3) The etymology is uncertain, but it is generally agreed that the primary idea is that of strength, power of effect, and that it properly describes”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: God — (A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew 'El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah_, plural _'Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by "LORD," printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argume”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 29: by any limits raises him above the rank of creatures, while his transfusing vigour into all things, breathing into them being, life, and motion, is plainly divine. Again, if regeneration to incorruptible life is higher, and much more excellent than any present quickening, what must be thought of him by whose energy it is produced? Now, many passages of Scripture show that he is the author of regeneration, not by a borrowed, but 123 by an intrinsic energy; and not only so, but that he is also the author of future immortality. In sho”
- Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Bereishit Rabbah 8:4: Rabbi Berekhya said: When the Holy One blessed be He came to create Adam the first man, He foresaw righteous and wicked people descending from him. He said: If I create him, wicked people will descend from him. But if I do not create him, how will righteous people ever descend from him? What did the Holy One blessed be He do? He distanced the way of the wicked from His attention, appended the attribute of mercy to Himself, 17 In most of the story of creation, only the name Elohim (God) is used, but at the point man is created He is described as Hashem Eloh”
- CCEL (Patristic) “Athanasius of Alexandria, Select Works and Letters, section 89: to His own Father. 4. For what is surprising in His godhead is this, that by one and the same act of will He moves all things simultaneously, and not at intervals, but all collectively, both straight and curved, things above and beneath and intermediate, wet, cold, warm, seen and invisible, and orders them according to their several nature. For simultaneously at His single nod what is straight moves as straight, what is curved also, and what is intermediate, follows its own movement; what is warm receives warmth, what is dry dryne”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 5.7: himself; because he is one of the Persons of the Elohim by whom the Son is begotten. — Ed . because Moses afterwards subjoins that the Elohim had spoken, and that the Spirit of the Elohim rested upon the waters. If we suppose three persons to be here denoted, there will be no distinction between them. For it will follow, both that the Son is begotten by himself, and that the Spirit is not of the Father, but of himself. For me it is sufficient that the plural number expresses those powers which God exercised in creating the world. M”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Mode of Union on the Part of the Person Assuming, Art. 3: Article: Whether the Nature abstracted from the Personality can assume? I answer that, The intellect stands in two ways towards God. First, to know God as He is, and in this manner it is impossible for the intellect to circumscribe something in God and leave the rest, for all that is in God is one, except the distinction of Persons; and as regards these, if one is removed the other is taken away, since they are distinguished by relations only which must be together at the same”
- Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 2:7: a little--not as BENGEL, "a little time." than the angels--Hebrew, "than God," "Elohim," that is, the abstract qualities of God, such as angels possess in an inferior form; namely, heavenly, spiritual, incorporeal natures. Man, in his original creation, was set next beneath them. So the man Jesus, though Lord of angels, when He emptied Himself of the externals of His Divinity (see on Phi 2:6-7), was in His human nature "a little lower than the angels"; though this is not the primary reference here, but man in general. crownedst him with glory and h”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Faith, Art. 8: Article: Whether the articles of faith are suitably formulated? I answer that, As stated above (Articles [4],6), to faith those things in themselves belong, the sight of which we shall enjoy in eternal life, and by which we are brought to eternal life. Now two things are proposed to us to be seen in eternal life: viz. the secret of the Godhead, to see which is to possess happiness; and the mystery of Christ's Incarnation, "by Whom we have access" to the glory of the sons of God, according to Rm. 5:2”