The Perception of the Unity of Godʼs Being in Early Jewish and Christian Hermeneutics

Abstract

The article raises the question of the relevance of philosophical hermeneutics in the perception of the oneness and unity of God as revealed in the Biblical texts, which are not philosophical treatises, but mainly literary presentations of the different ways of Godʼs revelation in creation and in the history of the people of Israel. Already at creation, God entered into dialogue with man through the Word, through visible signs and invisible plans. The main means of expressing Godʼs being in its essence and action are anthropomorphisms, which allow for concrete representations with open horizons and the warmth of interpersonal relationships. Philosophy, on the other hand, leans toward abstraction, presenting God as an immutable Idea which, in concrete historical and life situations, distances itself from man because it cannot redeem him. This nullifies the value of biblical attributes such as justice, faithfulness, compassion, mercy and love. From the point of view of the humanities and theology, then, the question is one of the validity of fundamental personal and social values. This problem was already faced by the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, then later by the greatest Jewish philosopher Maimonides, and among Christians by some of the Church Fathers and the medieval ≫scholastics≪. The article critically examines the origins of abstract philosophical hermeneutics, which are an obstacle rather than a relief in the search for a holistic method in professional exegesis and in missionary catechesis. In doing so, it suggests a possible explanation of the essence of the appeal for a return to the sources in personal, social, religious and interreligious dialogue.

Keywords

• unity and oneness of god
• attributes of god
• anthropomorphism
• god as a person in the bible
• god as an idea in philosophy