A Selection from “Christology,” by St. Nektarios of Aegina
Translated by the Fathers of the Holy Monastery of St. Nektarios, Roscoe, NY, 2006
We will prove that Jehovah, [49] the God Who was revealed to Moses, is the Word of God (that is, the second person of the Holy Trinity), and that He is the God Who is revealed throughout the entire Old Testament. We will do this by introducing the relevant texts from the Holy Scripture, and thus confirm the truth of the matter.
The supporting texts from Holy Scripturecan be divided into two categories:
1) Texts evincing all the divine appearances that took place during the old dispensation and recorded in the Old Testament refer to a single Divine Person.
2) Texts evincing that this Divine Person is the Word of God, Who undertook and completed the work of the dispensation, and that He is the ruler of the Old and New Testament.
1) In Genesis, it is related that while Abraham was sitting by the door of his tent, God was revealed as a man among two other men and foretold to Abraham: “Shall I hide from Abraham my servant what things I intend to do?But Abraham shall become a great and populous nation, and in him shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 18:17-18). Again, God manifested Himself to Jacob, who was fleeing from the face of his brother Esau, and said to him: “I am the God of thy father Abraham, and the God of Isaac; fear not, the land on which thou liest will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the sand of the earth…and in thee, and in thy seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 28:13-14).
When comparing these two texts, it is apparent that the God Who appeared to Abraham in the form of a man at the tree of Mambri, and Who announced to him that the nations would be blessed through hi seed, is the same One Who appeared to Jacob in a vision as the God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac, and Who repeated the same promise.
Later, God reappears to Jacob as he is returning to the land of his birth. This time He appears as a man in the place that Jacob named “the face of God”: “for I have seen God face to face, and my life was preserved.” Similarly, in Exodus, God Jehovah says the following to Moses, when sending him to the sons of Israel: “This shalt thou say to the children of Israel, ‘the Lord God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, and God of Isaac and God of Jacob has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever and My memorial to generations of generations” (Ex. 3:15).
It is also apparent from these verses that the God Who was revealed to Moses, the One Who is, namely Jehovah, is the same One Who was revealed to Abraham and Jacob.
It is further recorded in Exodus that the revealed God led the Jewish nation in the desert as a pillar of cloud to guide them during the day, and as a pillar of fire to provide themwith light at night (cf. Ex. 13:21-22). From this account, it is understood that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the One Who is, Jehovah, led the Judaic nation as a pillar of fire.
While giving the law to Moses, god Jehovah says: “I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Ex 20:1-2). Later, when God converses with Moses concerning the construction of the ark, He says: “And I will make myself known to thee from thence, and I will speak to thee above the propitiatory between the two cherubs which are upon the ark of testimony, even in all things which I shall charge thee concerning the children of Israel” (Ex. 25:22).
In Deuteronomy, Moses promises to the sons of Israelon behalf of God: “He will not forsake thee, nor destroy thee; He will not forget the covenant of thy fathers, which the Lord swore to them…He brought thee out of Egypt…His voice was made audible from heaven to instruct thee…He destroyed nations to bring thee in, to give thee their land to inherit” (Dt. 4:31-38).
Later Nehemiah says the following about Jehovah: “Thou art the Lord God, thou dist choose Abram and broughtest him out of the land of the Chaldeans and gavest him the name Abraham…and didst make a covenant with him to give to him his seed the land of the Canaanitesand the Chettites and Amorites and Pherezites and Jebusites and Gergesites…” (Neh. 9:7-8).
This one person who appeared as a man and as God, Whose name is Jehovah, likewise appeared as an Angel of God, or “Messenger.”
In Genesis, the God Who previously conversed with Jacob now appears to him in his sleep as an angel of God: “And the angel of God said to me in a dream, ‘Jacob, Jacob;’ and I said, ‘look up with thine eyes and behold…for I have seen all things that Laban does to thee. I am God that appeared to thee in the place of God, where thou anointedst a pillar to Me, and vowedst to me there a vow’” (Gen.31:11-13).
In the above passage, Jehovah appears simultaneously as an Angel of God and as God. Moreover, Jacob calls God (Jehovah) an Angel. When Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh with his hands crossed, he said: “The God in Whose sight my fathers were well-pleasing, even Abraham and Isaac, the God Who continues to feed me from my youth until this day; the angel who delivers me from all evils; bless these boys, and my name shall be called upon them; and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac” (Gen. 48:15-16). Here, the word angel is equated with God.
In Exodus, the God Who called Himself Jehovah (the One Who is) when He appeared to Moses is called an Angel: “And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flaming fire out of the bush, and he sees that the bush burns with fire, but the bush was not consumed…saying ‘Moses, Moses,’ and he said, ‘What is it?’ And He said, ‘Draw not nigh hither: loose thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’ And He said, ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:2-6). Here also the angel calls Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Similarly, “the angel of God that went before the camp of the children of Israel removed and went behind, and the pillar of the cloud also removed from before them and stood behind them. And it went between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel” (Ex. 14:19-20).
The same person Who in the above verses is called the Angel of God is called God and Lord in verse 24. Behold the words of Scripture: “And it came to pass in the morning watch that the Lord looked on the camp of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and troubled the camp of the Egyptians, and bound the axle-trees of their chariots, and caused them to go with difficulty…and the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch forth thine hand over the sea, let the water be turned back to its place and let it cover the Egyptians…So the Lord delivered Israel…and the people feared the Lord they and believed God “ (Ex. 14:24-31).
Similarly, the Angel of God is called the Lord and God of Israel in chapter 20. This same interchangeability of names is also observed in the New Testament.
When Stephen gave an apology before the assembly of Jews, he said that the Angel Who spoke to Moses in the desert and in the bush is He who gave the law on Mount Sinai. Behold what we read in the Acts of the Apostles: “This Moses whom they denied…this One God sent forth as a ruler and a redeemer by the hand of the Angel Who appeared to him in the bush. This one led them out, having done signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness forty years. This is the one who was in the Church in the wilderness with the Angel Who was speaking to him on mount Sinai…” (Acts 7:35-38). While the Scripture says that God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, Stephen calls Him an Angel.
In Genesis, the Angel of the Lord speaks to Abraham as God: “And an angel of the Lord called him out of heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham.’ And he said, ‘Behold, I am here.’ And he said, ‘Lay not thine hand upon the child, neither do anything to him for now I know that thou fearest God, and for My sake, thou hast not spared thy beloved son’…And Abraham called the name of that place, The Lord hath seen; that they might say today, in the mount the Lord was seen” (Gen.22:11-14).
In the sixteenth chapter of Genesis, the Angel of the Lord not only speaks as God, but He is called God by Hagar: “And an angel of the Lord found her by the fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Sur. And the angel of the Lord said to her…I will surely multiply thy seed, and it shall not be numbered for the multitude…and she called the name of the Lord God Who spoke to her, Thou art God Who seest me” (Gen. 16:7-13).
Isaiah testifies that the aforementioned Angel of the Lord God is not one of the angels from the heavenly ranks who are sent to minister: “not an ambassador, nor a messenger (angel), but He Himself saved them [the sons of Israel from the hand of Pharaoh], because He loved them and spared them; He Himself redeemed them and took them up, and lifted them up for all the days of eternity” (Isa. 63:8-9). From this it is apparent that Isaiah distinguishes between the angels and the Angel of God who appeared on Mount Sinai. Thus, the Angel of God who appeared in the desert, in the bush, in the cloud, and who spoke to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Hagar is the God Who revealed Himself and Who called Himself Jehovah. [50]
The above passages sufficiently prove that all divine revelations that took place during the Old Covenant refer to the same person, Who revealed Himself as He wished. Now, let us examine the passages that this person is the Word of God; for, He assumed and completed the work of the dispensation, and He is the leader of the Old and New Testament.
Jehovah, Who is called both “Angel” and “the Messenger of God” in the Old Testament, was proclaimed by the prophets as the God Who would be a Redeemer for the Jews, and the leader of the New Covenant, coming to save them who would believe. We know and believe that He is the Word of God Who saved us, and that He is the leader of the New Covenant.
2) the following attests that the God revealed to the Jews is the Word of God:
Zechariah describes that Jehovah would come to the world; however, simultaneously it appears that Jehovah would be sent. Behold what we read: “Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Zion: for, behold, I come and will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord” (Zc. 2:10). After this he adds: “And many nations shall flee for refuge to the Lord in that day, and they shall be for a people to him, ad they shall dwell in the midst of thee: and thou shalt know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to thee” (Zc. 2:11). Additionally, the future leader and ruler of Israel is characterized as Jehovah: “and his goings forth were from the beginning, even form eternity” (Mc. 5:2).
While Zechariah says that the Lord will emerge in the midst of His people, Malachi further specifies that the Lord, “the Angel of the Covenant,” will enter His own temple: “Behold, I send forth my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come into His temple, even the angel of the covenant, whom ye take pleasure in: behold, he is coming, saith the Lord Almighty” (Mal. 3:1-2). So then, Jehovah, Who is also “the Angle of the Covenant,” would come to His own temple. St. Mark the Evangelist applies this verse to Jesus Christ (vid. Mk. 1:2). He regards Christ as the One Who had been announced by the prophets, and before Whom (according to Isaiah) God would send His messenger to prepare His way. That is, Jehovah would appear after sending His own messenger to prepare His way. The word “messenger,” however, does not have this meaning only. The above passage is significant beause St. Mark the Evangelist informs us that Malachi’s prophesy, which heralds the Lord’s arrival, was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Jehovah, therefore came to His own Temple.
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the lord, make straight the paths of our God. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and all the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God: for the Lord has spoken it” (Isa. 40:3-5).
When David speaks of the Lord’s arrival, he incites the entire earth to cry out: “Shout with jubilation unto the Lord, all the earth; sing and rejoice and chant psalms. Chant ye unto the Lord with a harp, with the harp and with the voice of a psalm, with trumpets of metal, and with a voice of a trumpet of horn. Shout with jubiloation before the Lord our King…the mountains shall rejoice at the presence of the Lord, for He cometh; yea, He is come to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with uprightess” (Ps. 97:6-10). Here, David also prophesies the arrival of the revealed God, Jehovah.
The following citations further demonstrate that the revealed God is the Word of God. No one has ever seen God the Father, as St. John the Evangelist says: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (Jn. 1:18). Hence, only through the Son was the Father made known to people. In chapter 6, the Evangelist mentions that Jesus declared: “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save He that is of God; He hath seen the Father.” Therefore, the God revealed in the Old Testament was neither God the Father nor a sent angel – it was the Son of God Himself. Jesus Himself attests to this: “for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me that the Father hath sent Me” (Jn. 5:36). The works of salvation began with the fall of Adam, and He Who began the works now completes them. No one says he will finish a job that he never started. Christ also says: “And the Father Himself, who hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape” (Jn. 5:37). From this it is further evident that no one ever heard the voice of the Father: the revelations were made through the Son. If Moses, if Adam, if the righteous, if the patriarchs, if the prophets, if any person whom God spoke to had heard the voice of God the Father, the Savior would not have said: “Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form” (Jn. 5:37)
St. John the Evangelist connects the blindness, unbelief, and hard heartedness of the Jewish people to the prophecy of Isaiah. This prophet predicts both God’s epiphany and the faithlessness of Israel: “Ye shall hear indeed, but ye shall not understand; and ye shall see indeed, but ye shall not perceive. For the heart of this people has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them” (Isa. 6:9-10).
The Apostle Paul commands them not to tempt God: “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of the also tempted – and were destroyed by serpents. Neither should ye murmur, as some of them also murmured – and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them by way of example, and were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come” (1 Cor. 10:9-11).
Hving mentioned, in his epistle to the Hebrews, all the ancient holy men, and having described their faith, the Apostle Paul ultimately concludes that the author and finisher of our common faith is Christ (cf. Hb. 12:2). In his epistle to the Corinthians, he similarly teaches that Christ was the foundation of the Mosaic Law, the prophets, and of the faithful living under the Old Covenant: “And all ate the same spiritual meat, and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:3-4).
Moreover, the Church chants the following hymn on Great Thursday: “Thus says the Lord to the Jews: ‘O My people, what have I done unto thee? Or wherein have I wearied thee? I gave light to thy blind and cleansed thy lepers, I raised up the man who lay upon his bed. O My people, what have I done unto thee, and how hast thou repaid Me? Instead of manna thou hast given me gall, instead of water vinegar; instead of loving Me, thou hast nailed Me to the cross. I can endure no more. I shall call My Gentiles and they shall glorify Me with the Father and the Spirit; and I shal bestow on them eternal life.” [51]
On Holy and Great Friday, the following is chanted during the service of the Hours: “When the transgressors nailed Thee, O Lord of glory, to the cross, Thou didst cried aloud to them: ‘How have I grieved you? Or wherein have I angered you? Before Me, who delivered you from tribulation? And how do ye now repay me? Ye have given Me evil for good: in return for the pillar of fire, ye have nailed Me to the Cross; in return for the cloud, ye have dug a grave for Me. Instead of manna, ye have given Me gall; instead of water, ye have given Me vinegar to drink. Henceforth, I shall call the Gentile and they shall glorify Me with the Father and the Holy Spirit.’” [52]
From the things mentioned up until this point, we feel that it has been clearly demonstrated that the God revealed in the Old Testament with the name Jehovah, “the One Who is,” is the second person of the Holy Trinity: the Son and Word of God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who for us and for salvation became man. May we all be saved through His mercy. Amen. [53]
[49] Jehovah (or Yahweh) is the name that God used when He revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, as transliterated from the Hebrew consonants YHVH. This word was translated by the “Seventy” into Greek as “[o’ On]” (or in English, “the One Who is.”) That is, the One Who is always the same. With this name, the God Who revealed Himself showed not a personal name, but the divine characteristic of His eternal and unchanging existence.
[50] Throughout the entire Old Testament, the frequently called “Angel of God” is sometimes equated with God, other times distinguished from God. Nowhere in the Old Testament does a regular angel speak as God; conversely, this “Angel of God” often speaks as Jehovah Himself, and His appearance is deemed as the appearance of God the Most High. This divine being was the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Word of God, prior to His incarnation. In the New Testament, He is referred to as: Word (Logos), Son, brightness of God, express image of God, Power of God, Wisdom of God, Apostle. The Church communicates this in many hymns. For example, during the Vespers of the Presentation: “Receive, O Simeon, Him whom Moses once beheld in darkness granting the Law on Sinai, and who has now become a babe subject to the Law. This is He who spoke through the Law: this is He whose voice was heard in the prophets, who for our sakes has taken flesh and has saved man’ (Festal Menaion, p. 423). During the Vespers of the Transfiguration we chant: “He who once spoke through symbols to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, ‘I am He who is,’ was transfigured today upon Mount Tabor before the disciples” (Festal Menaion, p. 476).
[51] The Lenten Triodion, South Canaan: St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 2002, p. 583.
[52] Lenten Triodion, p. 609.
[53] St. Athanasios the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria says the following in his confession of the Faith: “He is the One to Whom the Father said let us make man according to our image and likeness, Who personally appeared to the Patriarchs, Who gave the law, Who spoke through the prophets, and in the end times, Who became man and revealed His own Father to all people, and Who reigns unto the endless ages. Christ did not receive any title recently, but we have believed that He was perfect from above and identical to the Father in all ways.” In another confession of the Synod in Sirmi he says: “Whoever says that the verse ‘let us make man’ does not refer to the Father speaking to the Son, but that God spoke to Himself, may he be anathema. Whoever says that the unbegotten God, or some part of Him and not the Son appeared to Abraham, may he be anathema. Whoever says that Jacob did not fight with the Son as a person, but with the unbegotten God or a part of Him, may he be anathema. Whoever says that the verse ‘God rained fire from God’ does not refer to the Father and the Son, but that God rained from Himself, may he be anathema. For the Son and Lord rained from the Lord Father. Whoever hears that the Father is Lord should understand that the Son is also Lord. For we do not unite the Son with the Father, but [we conceive Him to be] subordinate to the Father. For He neither descended upon Sodom without the will of the Father, nor did he rain on His own, but with the Lord, that is the Father. Nor does He sit at the right hand on His own, but He listens to the Father Who says: ‘sit at My right hand.’” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 2, p. 57). He speaks similarly in his second homily “Against Arians.” St. John Chrysostom repeats the same things in his third “Homily on the Second Epistle to Timothy” (vid. Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, 1st Series, Vol. 13, p. 485), as does Saint Basil Bishop of Caesarea in his fifth “Homily Against Eunomios,” who states that the oneness is not due to the same name, but it is recognized from the unity of the Divine nature.
