One God

Another distinctive feature, common to all three faiths, is their insistence that there can only be one true God, who is the creator and ultimate authority over everything that exists.

“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:2-6)

One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together. Knowing that he had answered them well, (Lui) gli chiese, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?” Gesù rispose, “The greatest is, 'Ascoltare, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. (Segno 12:28-30 & Matteo 22:34-38)

Surah 2:107. Do you not know that Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and that besides Allah you have no guardian or helper?

Surah 2:163. And your Allah is one Allah! There is no god but He; He is the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Muslims and Jews may be surprised on reading Jesus’ own words about this. They are likely to ask, “Just a minute! Don’t Christians say that there are three gods – and that Jesus is one of them?” Absolutely not! Jesus always taught that there was only one Dio; whom he often referred to as ‘the Father;’ and that without Him Jesus could do nothing (see John 5:19 & 30; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10).

Jesus therefore answered them, “Sicuramente, Ti dico, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise. (John 5:19 – see also John 5:30; 8:28; 12:49 & 14:10)

Ma, in later centuries, Christians were sometimes guilty of over-emphasising the importance of Jesus’ mother, Mary; to the extent that it was reported amongst the Arabs that Christians believed in three gods: Allah, Jesus and Mary.

Surah 5:116. And when Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah? he saith: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. If I used to say it, then Thou knewest it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy Mind. Lo! Thou, only Thou art the Knower of Things Hidden?

But Jews and Muslims are also offended by the description of Jesus as, ‘Son of God.’ They consider it blasphemous because they see it as implying some kind of ‘marriage’ relationship between God and Jesus’ mother, Mary. Any such idea is equally offensive to Christians and is never once suggested in any of the teachings of Jesus or his disciples. But Jesus taught that, as well as acknowledging God as our Lord and Master, we should also recognize that He is a deeply caring Father; and he encouraged us to do the same.

Ha detto loro, “When you pray, Dire, “Padre nostro che sei nei cieli”., may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven. … ‘” (Luca 11:2 & Matteo 6:9-10)

Beyond All Comprehension

God is not merely beyond all human comprehension: but beyond the comprehension of any other. He is infinite, eternal, self-existing, all-knowing and so much more besides. Nothing has any existence apart from Him.

“Perché i miei pensieri non sono i tuoi pensieri, né le tue vie sono le mie vie,” dice Yahweh. “Perché come i cieli sono più alti della terra, così le mie vie sono più elevate delle tue vie, e i miei pensieri che i tuoi pensieri.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romani 11:33-34)

Surah 2:255 Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great.

This means that, whenever human theologians, whether Jews, Christians or Moslems, attempt to fully describe the nature and attributes of God we will inevitably find ourselves confronted with mysteries that are beyond our power to properly comprehend, let alone explain. Per esempio:

• Are what we call God’s attributes inseparable aspects of God’s eternal essence or things that God has subsequently defined as attributes to be desired and sought after?

• Why did God create evil?

• What is the relationship between God and His Word?

Some of these questions will be discussed in more detail later. Ma, for now, we need to start by recognizing the possibility that sometimes, when Jews, Christians and Moslems disagree amongst themselves, it is because we are simply not able to fully understand such things ourselves – let alone make sense of other people’s explanations.

The Royal ‘We’

Why is it that, in both the Jewish Bible and the Quran, God refers to Himself as ‘We’ and ‘Us’, rather than ‘I’?

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

Surah 23:12. Verily We created man from a product of wet earth;

13. Then placed him as a drop (of seed) in a safe lodging;

14. Then fashioned We the drop a clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, and then produced it as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators!

This manner of speech has, Ovviamente, been copied by human rulers. But God predates both human custom and his own creations; so why did God describe Himself in this manner when He is the Sole Originator of all other beings? Neither the Jewish Bible nor the Quran offer any explanation: but the Christian Scriptures do, as we shall discuss later.