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Last edited by BD2412 (talk | contribs) 43 days ago. (Update) |
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Godhead is a Middle English variant of the word godhood, and denotes the divinity or substance (ousia) of God. The term refers to the aspect or substratum of God that lies behind God's actions or properties (i.e., it is the essence of God), and its nature has been the subject of long debate in every major religion.
Variations edit
Godhead in Judaism refers to the unknowable aspect of God, which lies beyond his actions or emanations. Max Kadushin notes that "The plural 'Elohot, gods, must not be confused with 'Elohut, Godhead. The latter is used with reference to God".[1]
Godhead in Christianity refers to the substantial essence or nature of God in Christianity, the substantial impersonal being of God, as opposed to the individual persons or hypostases of the Trinity; in other words, the Godhead refers to the "what" of God, and God refers to the "who" of God. The concept is especially important in Christian negative theology, e.g., the theology of the Godhead according to Pseudo-Dionysius. Within some traditions, such as the Church of Latter-day Saints, the term is used as a nontrinitarian substitute for the term Trinity, denoting the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit not as a Trinity, but as a unified council of separate beings in full harmony.
John Wycliffe introduced the term godhede into English Bible versions in two places, and, though somewhat archaic, the term survives in modern English because of its use in three places of the Tyndale New Testament (1525), the Geneva Bible (1560/1599), and King James Version (1611). In that translation, the word was used to translate three different Koine Greek words:
| Verse | Greek | Romanization | Type | Translation | Vulgate 405 | Wycliffe 1395 | Tyndale 1525 | ESV 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acts 17:29 | θεῖον | theion[2] | adjective | "divine, godly" | divinum | that godli thing | godhed | the divine being |
| Romans 1:20 | θειότης | theiotēs[3] | noun | "divinity, divine nature" | divinitas | godhed | godhed | divine nature |
| Colossians 2:9 | θεότης | theotēs[4] | noun | "deity" | divinitas | the Godhed | the godheed | deity |
God in Mormonism, as represented by most Mormon communities (including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), means Elohim (the Father), whereas Godhead means a council of three distinct gods; Elohim, Jehovah (the Son, or Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. The Father and Son have perfected, material bodies, while the Holy Spirit is a spirit and does not have a body. This conception differs from the traditional Christian Trinity; in Mormonism, the three persons are considered to be physically separate beings or personages, but united in will and purpose.[5] As such, the term differs from how it is used in traditional Christianity. This description of God represents the orthodoxy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), established early in the 19th century.
In Sikhism, the equivalent property is Ik Onkar, literally, "one Om",[6][7][8][9] hence interpreted as "There is only one God[10] or one Creator"[11]), which denotes the one supreme reality.[12] It is a central tenet of Sikh religious philosophy.[13] According to Indologist Wendy Doniger, the phrase is a compound of ik ("one" in Punjabi) and onkar, canonically understood in Sikhism to refer to "absolute monotheistic unity of God".[14]
See also edit
- Deity
- Divinity, the quality of being God
- Conceptions of God
- God in Hinduism
- Brahman, the divine source of being, through which all emanates
- Paramatman, the "oversoul" or supreme spirit
- Three godheads (Ayyavazhi) or Trimurti, Brahmā, Vishnu and Śhiva
- Svayam Bhagavan or Supreme Personality of Godhead, the divine person from whom all emanates
References edit
- ^ Kadushin, M. The rabbinic mind (2001) p. 199.
- ^ "Strong's G2304 - theios". Blue Letter Bible.
- ^ "Strong's G2305 - theiotēs". Blue Letter Bible.
- ^ "Strong's G2320 - theotēs". Blue Letter Bible.
- ^ The term with its distinctive Mormon usage first appeared in Lectures on Faith (published 1834), Lecture 5 ("We shall in this lecture speak of the Godhead; we mean the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."). The term "Godhead" also appears several times in Lecture 2 in its sense as used in the Authorized King James Version as meaning divinity.
- ^ Girardot, Norman (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. p. 500. ISBN 9780877790440.
Oankar corresponds to the Sanskrit term Om.....Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh tradition, wrote a long composition entitled "Oankar", in which he attributed the origin and sense of speech to the Divinity, who is thus the "Om Maker"
- ^ Historical Dictionary of Sikhism (2nd ed.). p. 97.
'Oankar' is actually a cognate of "Om" and can carry the same mystical meaning
- ^ Oxtoby, Willard G. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. Oxford University Press. p. 191.
On the other hand, Nanak refers to God as Onkar, 'the expression of Om', that is, of the sacred syllable of the Hindus, a conception that actively continues as Ik Onkar, 'the one om expression'.
- ^ Hawley, John Stratton (2004). Songs of the Saints of India. Oxford University Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-19-569420-8.
It is the diagram that emerges when the first two words of the Adi Granth-words attributed to Nanak-are written together in Punjabi script. The words are ek omkar- "1 Omkar" or simply "1 OM"- and they are almost always interpreted as meaning that God, who is signified by the mysterious syllable OM, is one.
- ^ Singh, Jagraj (2009). A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. p. 204. ISBN 9788171427543.
- ^ Nayar, Dr Kamala Elizabeth (16 April 2020). The Sikh View on Happiness Guru Arjan's Sukhmani. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781350139893.
- ^ "Basic Articles". SGPC. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- ^ Rose, David (2012). Sikhism photopack. Fu Ltd. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-85276-769-3.
- ^ Doniger, Wendy (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. p. 500. ISBN 978-0-87779-044-0. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
External links edit
- This open draft remains in progress as of July 5, 2023.