The Jewish concept of God is huge, precise and can be complicated to grasp. It is outlined and explained, in Rambam's thirteen principles of faith.
Rambam's Thirteen Principles of Faith
- Rambam's first principle tells us that God exists and is the creator of all things. In Judaism, no back story is needed prior to the Torah’s first line “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The existence of the world, is enough proof that God exists.
- The second of these thirteen principles states that the Jewish God is the one God and has no unity with other Gods, making Judaism a monotheistic religion and separating it from the Catholic and Christian ideas about the Holy Trinity.
- Principle number 3 refers to the non-physical make-up of the Jewish God. He is incorporeal, meaning he has no body. Any mention in scripture of God’s body, is considered purely metaphorical. Because of this, any physical representation of God, such as the many statues seen in a Catholic church, are regarded as idols. The incorporeal nature of the Jewish God yields an additional aspect that sets their concept of God apart from that of many other religions. Because God has no physical form, he is also without gender. In old Jewish texts, God is referred to using feminine pronouns as well as male pronouns, though admittedly not as often.
- Principle number 4 tells us that God is the first and the last. This ties in with principle 1 and reminds us that God existed before anything or anyone, made us all, and will continue to exist, infinitely.
- Principle 5, in light of the previous four principles and in line with the 10 Commandments, says that the Jewish God is the only God that is worthy of worship or prayer.
- All the words of the Prophets are true.
- All the words of Moses are true.
- All the words of the Torah are true.
- The Torah we have now, is unchanged from the Torah that Moses was given and there will never be a "new" or second Torah to replace that Torah which was given to Moses.
- Principle 10, reminds us of God’s omniscience; he is all-knowing. Like Christians, Jews believe that God is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Simplified, these attributes mean that God has always existed, will always exist, exists everywhere, transcends time, inhabits all of the universe and beyond, knows everything (principle 10), and can do anything. There is nothing this God cannot accomplish. It is central to Jewish belief not to think of God in human terms or to limit him in any way. This “limitlessness” is another reason that God is referred to with both male and female pronouns.
- Principle 11, translates to “God will reward good and punish bad.” In Judaism, people are able to atone for their sins, through prayer and giving (tzedakah), thus appeasing God and receiving rewards once again.
- The Messiah will return to his people. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the “second coming” that is predicted in the Old Testament and Jewish Bible, but Jews still await this return of the Messiah.
- When the Messiah returns, the dead shall be raised.
To summarize, the Jewish God is all-powerful and all-knowing, he is everywhere and outside of time, he is eternal and he is in complete control. Though humans are granted free-will and though the Jews are his chosen, God expects obedience from them and retains the power to punish them for disobedience and to save them only upon repentance. Humans make choices, but God can change any outcome.
* Rambam is also known as Maimonides.
Copyright Heidi Griffin. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Heidi Griffin - Heidi has written for numerous local newspapers and magazines, as well as several internet sites. She specializes in film theory and ...
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