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From: bds@homxa.UUCP (B.STERMAN)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Elohim
Message-ID: <514@homxa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 10:26:00 EST
Article-I.D.: homxa.514
Posted: Mon Dec  3 10:26:00 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 19:28:06 EST
References: <331@stcvax.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 95


>Recently I have heard some things about "Elohim" and I would like
>to find out some more.  Supposedly it was Elohim that created man.
>
>	- Who or what is Elohim?
>
>	- What is the difference between "Elohim" and "GOD"?
>
>	- Elohim is suppose to be a 7 aspect(?) man/woman entity.
>	  What does this mean?
>
>	- There is suppose to be a relation between Elohim and the
>	  kabalistic tree of life. What is this relation?
>
>	- Do people pray/worship/praise Elohim specifically?
>	  Why?  How is these different from those to GOD?
>
>	- Are there any good books that I can read to find some
>	  detailed information about Elohim? 
>-- 
>Jeffrey P. Snover  -  STC StorageTek (Disk Division)
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>DDD:	(303) 673-6750


The word `Elohim' comes from  the  root  word  `el'  which  means
strength.   The  phrase  `el yadi' found in the bible meaning the
might of my hand is an example. In jewish theology  the  one  God
has  many  manifestations.   Let me reiterate, there is never any
doubt that this is one God, He is seen or experienced differently
by  different  people in different situations. Elohim is the name
of God that cannotes `the sum total of all the  powers'.  God  as
the  cause  of  all  nature.  (Quite similar in fact to Spinoza's
natura naturata). This name  of  God  is  used  when  it  is  the
appropriate  way of understanding His actions. Thus, for example,
Elohim is generally used in  the  creation  story,  which  is  of
universal  interest. When God deals with non-Jews in the bible it
is used, as opposed  to  the  name  Adonay,  which  cannotes  the
personal   relationship   between   Jews  and  God  (in  biblical
theology).

It is also used when God is acting in  a  way  inconsistent  with
that  personal  relationship  and when His power is seen - namely
when He is punishing the Jewish people. Hence kabbalistically the
name  Elohim  is  synonymous  with  God's  `middat  ha'din',  His
attribute of justice.

Again, Elohim is certainly not a different god or  godhead.  Some
scholars  claim  that  the  fact  that  the word elohim is in the
plural form shows  that  it  is  a  sort  of  pantheon.  This  is
incredulous  since  the  bible  will  say,  for example, `vayivra
Elohim', and Elohim created, where the verb  created  is  in  the
singular.  Rather the definition is, as I have stated, the sum of
the powers.

For more on the biblical choice of the names of God to  suit  the
context,  see  the  extremely important essays on the documentary
hypothesis by Umberto Cassuto. Also I would suggest your  reading
Yehezkel  Kaufmann's  `The  Religion of Israel', which deals with
both the particular problems of the biblical sources as  well  as
the  general  background  of ancient Jewish monotheism within the
genre of the ancient world's mythologies.

Please feel free to continue this discussion personally.

Baruch Sterman 
!ihnp4!homxa!bds 
(201)949-3821