10. Jesus_Crosses_the_Monotheism_Line.m4a
This scholarly topic examines Second Temple Jewish monotheism, asserting that the core belief was the absolute uniqueness of YHWH as the only God who commands exclusive worship. The author argues that this understanding of God's unique identity is defined by two key characteristics: God is the sole Creator of all things and the only supreme Ruler of the cosmos. Consequently, the heavenly throne of God functions as the primary symbol of this sole sovereignty, leading to the general rule that only God sits, while all creatures, including the most exalted angels, stand in service. The topic then explores intermediary figures, noting that only those intrinsic to God's being, like Wisdom or the Word, can share the unique divine identity, which is occasionally symbolized by them sharing the throne. However, when the figure of the Son of Man in the Parables of Enoch is depicted as seated on the divine throne and receiving worship, it represents a profound, though eschatological, inclusion in the unique divine sovereignty. The final section demonstrates how early Christians, particularly through their novel exegesis of Psalm 110:1, applied the unique markers of divine identity—especially sharing the heavenly throne and receiving worship—to Jesus, thereby including him in the unique identity of the one God of Israel.
When we think of monotheism, we usually think of a simple number: one. One God. But for many ancient Jews in the Second Temple period, monotheism was a high-stakes theological drama, not simple arithmetic. It was about forging and defending a fundamental, non-negotiable boundary between the divine and the created. This wasn't an abstract debate; it was a spiritual firewall that determined the very object of worship, symbolized by a single, powerful image.
This post explores five surprising insights from this rich theological world that reveal a more complex and fascinating picture of God's power, the nature of worship, and the ultimate symbol of His authority: the heavenly throne.
For Second Temple Jews, monotheism was built on two core, inseparable ideas that defined the very identity of God (YHWH): He is the only Creator of all things, and He is the only sovereign Ruler of all things. This created a radical, non-negotiable binary in the ancient mindset: there is only the Creator and the created, with absolutely no middle ground. He alone is uncreated; everything else is created by Him. He alone is the supreme sovereign; all else is subject to His will.
This definition had a profound consequence: it radically relativized all other relationships of power. In this worldview, the qualitative gap between God and the highest archangel is infinitely greater than the gap between that archangel and a human. As the philosopher Philo argued, this makes all created beings—from seraphim to servants—our "brothers," because we all share one Father, the Maker of the universe.
This unique identity demanded a unique response: exclusive worship. Worship wasn't merely a set of rituals; it was the practical, religious acknowledgment of this absolute distinction. To worship anyone or anything else was to fundamentally misunderstand the cosmos.
"In these many Jewish texts, worship is understood precisely as the acknowledgement of God’s qualitative uniqueness, God’s unique identity as only Creator and only Sovereign."