This is one of the most important and enduring conversations viz the apparent differences between what is labelled Judaism and what is historic Christianity.
The main Jewish View: One God
The central confession of Judaism is the Shema. ("Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.") (Deuteronomy 6:4). For Judaism, God's oneness is not merely numerical; it is a declaration that there is only one God and he is indivisible, unique and incomparable. No other being shares God's essence.
These ideas run throughout the Tanakh (Old Testament):
1) "I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22).
2) "Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after Me" (Isaiah 43:10).
3) "The LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other" (Deuteronomy 4:39).
Traditional Jewish theology therefore rejects any understanding that appears to divide God's being into multiple persons.
The Christian View: One God in Three Persons
Christians also affirm there is only one God. The doctrine of the Trinity does not teach three gods, but rather teaches
1) One divine essence
2) Three distinct persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
The classical formula emerged from the early church's attempt to explain some troublesome biblical passages where:
- The Father is called God.
- Jesus is called God.
- The Spirit acts as God.
- Yet Scripture insists there is only one God.
For Christians, the Trinity is not a denial of the Shema but an explanation of how the one God has revealed Himself. This is not modalism (Sebellianism) which says that like H2O, God is at times Father, then at other times, Son, and yet again Spirit. Christianity argues that He is ever Father, Son and Spirit.
Areas of Overlap
There is actually more overlap than many people realise. Both Judaism and Christianity affirm:
- One Creator.
- One Sovereign Lord.
- One source of salvation.
- One God worthy of worship.
- Rejection of polytheism.
Christians as well as Jews pray the Shema and believe it remains true. The disagreement is not over whether there is one God, but over the nature of that one God.
Why Jews Often Reject the Trinity
From an historical Jewish perspective, several concerns arise.
1. God's Unity
The Trinity can sound like three beings rather than one. Some Jewish thinkers often ask:
If the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God, how is that not three gods?
Christians answer by distinguishing between "being" and "person," but many Jewish thinkers find that distinction philosophically unconvincing.
2. Incarnation
Judaism generally teaches that God is utterly transcendent. The claim that God became a human being in Jesus raises major questions:
- Can the Infinite become finite?
- Can God be born?
- Can God die?
These are significant obstacles for traditional Jewish theology.
3. Worship of Jesus
Many Jews view the worship of Jesus as incompatible with biblical monotheism. From a Jewish perspective, worship belongs to God alone.
Why Christians See Hints of Complexity in the Older Testament
Christians often point to passages suggesting God's unity is more complex than simple singularity.
The "Let Us" Passages
"Let us make man in our image." (Genesis 1:26)
Jews have usually understood this as:
- God addressing and including angels,
- a plural of majesty,
- divine deliberation.
Christians sometimes see it as a hint of plurality within God.
The Angel of the LORD
In several passages the Angel of the LORD:
- speaks as God,
- receives honour due to God,
- yet is distinguished from God.
Examples in the Torah include:
- Genesis 16
- Genesis 22
- Exodus 3
Christians often see this as preparing the way for the Son. Jews generally understand the angel as God's authorised messenger. Who is he? That's a big question for some. Again, these are not conclusive; they are hints.
The Spirit of God
The Hebrew Bible frequently speaks of the Spirit of God. In fact, the first mention of God is that of Genesis 1.2 where "The Spirit of God hovered on the surface of the waters (of Creation)? Christians eventually understood the Spirit as a distinct divine person. Judaism typically views God's Spirit as God's presence, power, or activity rather than a separate person.
The Word (Memra)
In Aramaic Jewish writings called the Targums, God's "Word" (Memra) sometimes functions almost as an intermediary expression of God's activity.
Some Christian scholars see this as background to "In the beginning was the Word..." (John 1:1) Many Jewish scholars regard the Memra as a literary device rather than a distinct divine person.
The Jewish Believer in Jesus Perspective
It is worth noting that Messianic Jews typically argue that the Trinity is not a departure from Jewish monotheism but a fuller revelation of it. We often point to these Bible passages:
- Genesis 1:26.
- Genesis 18 (the three visitors to Abraham).
- Psalm 110.
- Daniel 7.
- Isaiah 48.
- The Angel of the LORD passages.
Our argument is usually that the New Testament does not invent a second God; it identifies Jesus and the Spirit as sharing the identity of the one God of Israel. Scholars such as Richard Bauckham have argued that the earliest Christians included Jesus within the unique divine identity of Israel's God rather than creating a second deity.
The Real Difference
The deepest disagreement is not actually over the number of gods. Both Judaism and Christianity insist there is only one God. The real question boils down to this, "Can the one God of Israel exist eternally as Father, Son, and Spirit?"
Many who represent Judaism answers, " No. God's unity excludes such distinctions." Historic Christianity answers, "Yes, God's unity includes these disntinctions without dividing the essence." So the two views overlap strongly in affirming monotheism, but they diverge sharply on how God's unity is understood and whether Jesus and the Holy Spirit share fully in God's divine identity.
That is why the discussion between Jews and Christians is often best framed not as "One God versus three gods" bur rather as "What does the oneness of God actually mean?"
