God and gods
The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1985 clearly recognizes the truth about the lesser meaning of
theos and
elohim (
'a god'):
"In the language of the OT ... rulers and judges, as deputies of the heavenly King, could be given the honorific title ‘
god’ ... or be called ‘son of God’.” - footnote for Ps. 82:1.
And, in the footnote for Ps. 45:6, this trinitarian study Bible tells us: “In this psalm, which praises the [Israelite] king ..., it is not unthinkable that he was called ‘
god’ as a title of honor (cf. Isa. 9:6).”
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Zondervan, 1986, tells us:
“The reason why
judges are called ‘
gods’ in Ps. 82 is that they have the office of administering God’s judgment as ‘sons of the Most High’. In context of the Ps. the men in question have failed to do this.... On the other hand, Jesus fulfilled the role of a true judge as
a ‘
god’ and ‘son of the Most High’.” - Vol. 3, p. 187.
The highly respected (and highly trinitarian) W. E. Vine tells us:
“The word [
theos, ‘
god’ or ‘God’] is used of Divinely appointed
judges in Israel, as
representing God in His authority, John 10:34” - p. 491,
An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
B. W. Johnson's
People's New Testament says for John 10:34-36:
"Is it not written in your law. In Psa. 82. I said, Ye are
gods? It was there addressed to
judges. Christ's argument is: If your law calls judges
gods, why should I be held guilty of blasphemy for saying that I am the Son of God? Sanctified. Set apart." -
http://www.gospelcom.net/eword/comments/john/johnson/john10.htm
Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Bible, Eerdmans, 1978 Reprint, “Hints and Helps to Bible Interpretation”:
“65. GOD - is used of any one (professedly) MIGHTY, whether truly so or not, and is applied not only to the true God, but to false gods,
magistrates,
judges,
angels,
prophets,
etc., e.g. - Exod. 7:1; 15:11; 21:6; 22:8, 9;...Ps. 8:5; 45:6; 82:1, 6; 97:7, 9...
John 1:1; 10:33, 34, 35; 20:28....”
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon, 1974 printing,
“430. [
elohim]. el-o-heem’; plural of 433;
gods in the ordinary sense; but spec. used (in the plur. thus, esp. with the art.) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to
magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: -
angels, ... x (very) great,
judges, x mighty.” - p. 12, “Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.”
The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon, 1979, Hendrickson, p. 43:
Elohim: “a.
rulers,
judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power.... b. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and
angels.... c.
angels Ps. 97 7 ...”
Angels are clearly called
gods (
elohim) at Ps. 8:5, 6. We know this because this passage is quoted at Heb. 2:6, 7, and there the NT Greek word “angels” is used (in place of the Hebrew
elohim in the OT) in NT Greek.
The trinitarian
New American Bible, St. Joseph ed., 1970, says in a footnote for Ps. 8:6 -
“The
angels: in Hebrew,
elohim, which is the ordinary word for ‘God’ or ‘the gods’; hence the ancient versions generally understood the term as referring to heavenly spirits [angels].”
Some of these (mostly) trinitarian sources which admit that the Bible actually describes
men who represent God (judges, Israelite kings, etc.) and God’s
angels as
gods include:
1.
Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Bible, “Hints and Helps...,” Eerdmans, 1978 reprint;
2.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, #430, Hebrew and Chaldee Dict., Abingdon, 1974;
3.
New Bible Dictionary, p. 1133 (angels, judges), Tyndale House Publ., 1984;
4.
Today’s Dictionary of the Bible, p. 208 (angels, judges), Bethany House Publ., 1982;
5. Hastings’
A Dictionary of the Bible, p. 217, Vol. 2;
6.
The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon, p. 43, Hendrickson publ.,1979;
7.
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, #2316 (4.), Thayer, Baker Book House, 1984 printing;
8.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, p. 132, Vol. 1; and p. 1265, Vol. 2, Eerdmans, 1984;
9.
The NIV Study Bible, footnotes for Ps. 45:6; Ps. 82:1, 6; and Jn 10:34; Zondervan, 1985;
10.
New American Bible, St. Joseph ed., footnote for Ps. 45:7; 82:1; Jn 10:34; 1970 ed.;
11. A. T. Robertson,
Word Pictures, Vol. 5, pp. 188-189;
12. William G. T. Shedd,
Dogmatic Theology, Vol. 1, pp. 317, 324, Nelson Publ., 1980 printing;
13. Murray J. Harris,
Jesus As God, p. 202, (angels, judges, kings) Baker Book House, 1992;
14. William Barclay,
The Gospel of John, V. 2, Daily Study Bible Series, pp. 77, 78, Westminster Press, 1975;
15.
The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible (John 10:34 and Ps. 82:6);
16.
The Fourfold Gospel (Note for John 10:35);
17.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Jamieson, Fausset, Brown (John 10:34-36);
18.
Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible (Ps. 82:6-8 and John 10:35);
19.
John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible (Ps. 82:1).
20.
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament ('Little Kittel'), - p. 328, Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985.
21.
The Expositor’s Greek Testament, pp. 794-795, Vol. 1, Eerdmans Publishing Co.
22.
The Amplified Bible, Ps. 82:1, 6 and John 10:34, 35, Zondervan Publ., 1965.
23.
Barnes' Notes on the New Testament, John 10:34, 35.
24. B. W. Johnson's
People's New Testament, John 10:34-36.
25.
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Zondervan, 1986, Vol. 3, p. 187.
26.
Fairbairn’s Imperial Standard Bible Encyclopedia, p. 24, vol. III, Zondervan, 1957 reprint.
27.
Theological Dictionary, Rahner and Vorgrimler, p. 20, Herder and Herder, 1965.
28. Pastor Jon Courson,
The Gospel According to John.
29.
Vincent’s New Testament Word Studies, John 10:36.
30. C. J. Ellicott, John 10:34,
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers.
(Also John 10:34, 35 -
CEV; TEV; GodsWord; The Message; NLT; NIRV)
And, of course, the highly respected and highly popular Hellenic Jewish writer,
Philo, had the same understanding for “God”/“a god” about the same time the NT was written.
And the earliest Christians like the highly respected scholar Origen (see DEF note #1) and others - - including Tertullian; Justin Martyr; Hippolytus; Clement of Alexandria; Theophilus (p. 9, DEF study); the writer of “The Epistle to Diognetus”; and even super-trinitarians
St. Athanasius and
St. Augustine - - also had this understanding for “
a god.”
