God The Father

The "creation of man" after restoration

Christian theology has developed the concept of a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In many faiths, it is given to God as the supreme and the attribute of . In many forms of polytheism , God in the highest rank is represented as the father of gods and men in the Olympus or the Pantheon ^Trinity

In most streams of Christianity (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant) confess one God in three hypostasis: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal and participating in the same species ( consubstantiality or homoousia).

The statement of the dogma of the Trinity appears as the consequence of what is said of the mystery of God in the Scriptures : In the Old Testament , God revealed his existence and uniqueness, in the New Testament were affirmed the divinity of Jesus Christ and the personal character of the Holy Spirit.

The name "God the Father" is not regarded by Christians as the existence of a God different, but being one of God's people. The Gospel also called God the Father only through Father's theology in order to simplify says "God the Father."

Judaism

Attribution in pre-Christian Judaism

Background of the fatherhood of God in the religions of Judaism close

The religious environment in which was born and raised is that of Judaism polytheistic religions, mainly in Mesopotamia, Egypt. These religions were polytheistic gods designs presented as fathers. Given these views on Judaism found in certain passages of the Bible in a derogatory manner some conceptions of the gods presented as Father

Attribution of Yahweh in the Bible

Michelangelo, God created the earth and the sun

The presence of God the Father is imprecise in Judaism, rabbinical and biblical interpretations differ, even if the paternity of God is present in several passages of the Bible.

The presence of attributes authorship of Yahweh in the Bible can be developed in three main aspects: firstly the presence of God as creator and source of life , as in the book of Genesis . The second main attribute is that this father is an educator God : it is the "legislature" of the world, the "manager" of all things . Finally the last attribute this father in the Bible is the descent of Yahweh with his people Israel , as in the Book of Exodus 4, 22 , Yahweh acts with Israel as a Father: "Then thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, my firstborn son is Israel. I told you, "Let my son go, he may serve me. And if you refuse to return it, now I will kill your son, your firstborn ... ""

Attribution of Yahweh through the biblical characters

Another mark of the presence of the fatherhood of Yahweh is found in names of persons present in the Bible. So many people bearing the name of God the Father: Abiyyah (Yahweh is my father) is mentioned in the patriarchal family of Benjamin at the Exodus (-1300 BC) . Similarly Eliab (God is my Father) is the name given to a chief of the tribe of Zebulun ( Book of Numbers 1.9, 2.7, 7, 24 and 29, 10 -16) . Abiel ( God is my Father) is the name of the grandfather of Saul and Abner (circa - 1100 BC) . Joab (Yahweh is the Father) is the name of the nephew of David (-1030 BC Christ). The presence of the fatherhood of Yahweh is important in the biblical story between the Exodus and the beginning of the house of David , even if the names referring to God the Father are less present after the period of the monarchy of David .

Attribution in the writings of Qumran

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls can be the most ancient manuscripts of Judaic texts discovered to date ^(third century BC. - ^I century AD). All manuscripts are not part of the canon of scriptures recognized, however, they show the idea of Yahweh in Judaism at the time of Jesus. References to God as a Father presented are rare . However the text in the Hymns IX, 29-36, which incorporates many texts of the Bible, shows a very important development of the Fatherhood of Yahweh. The fatherhood of God is restrictive as it affects "all (his) son faithful" and not a God Father of all men or even a God Father of all Jews :

Fragments exposed rolls in the Archaeological Museum in Amman

One of the caves where the scrolls were found

In other texts of Jewish literature presents at Qumran, the fatherhood of God is less developed, but only made up of allusions: the Book of Jubilees I, 24-25 and 28 the fatherhood of God refers to the "son of Jacob "" All shall know that I am the God of Israel, the Father of all the son of Jacob and the King of Mount Zion for all eternity " . Also in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs God is presented as the father of the descendants of Levi and Judah: "The heavens open up on him (the descendant of Judah) to make the spirit, the Holy Father's blessing, and he It will make the spirit of kindness upon you "(Testament of Judas 24.2) . Finally, the Apocalypse of Moses (35, 2-3) awarded to the name of God "Father": "Forgive him (Adam), Father of all, because it's your image ... Will it ever be handed over to the invisible Father, our God? " .

Attribution in the post-Christian Judaism

Attribution in the post-Christian Jewish literature

In the prayers of the Jewish Mishnah and Talmud Yahweh is presented as a Father as the people of Israel that each individual in particular . The same prayer of Amida has twice invocations of Yahweh as Father (5 ^and 6th blessing) . Also a prayer composed by Rabbi Akiva (d. 135 AD) .

Attribution present in rabbinic theology

The theme of the fatherhood of Yahweh in rabbinic theology has nevertheless developed under the influence of the expansion of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which has stimulated a theological reflection.

Christianity

Revelation of the fatherhood of God through the Gospels

representation of Jesus' baptism

representation of the passion in 1678

At the time of Jesus Judaism gives attributes authorship to Yahweh, but those attributes are not essential. For Jesus the primordial attributes his love of the Lord is and Fatherhood .

Different synoptic evangelists do not seem to give equal importance to the fatherhood of God: His fatherhood is mentioned only five times in the Gospel of Mark , the Gospel of Luke mentions the paternity of God for Childhood and Passion of Christ , even if paternity is described through the parable of the Prodigal Son ^, . In the Gospel according to Matthew and the letters of St. Paul, fatherhood is present . These are the writings of John the Evangelist (Letters of John and Gospel of John ) who are at the heart of the spiritual Fatherhood of God: The authorship is mentioned in more than 16 times in the two letters. In the Gospel according to John Fatherhood is highly developed and described as a true adoption, which involves Christians, through Jesus who opens a new birth to the paternity of God the Father .

God the Father and Jesus

In the Gospels, Jesus appears to have a very special relationship with God, which he calls "Father." So God has repeatedly called Jesus his "beloved Son" . The mission of Jesus is given by the Father , and knowledge of God the Father is only possible through Jesus alone ^, . Finally Jesus and God the Father share the same divine essence .

The Incarnation of Jesus was due to reveal the fatherhood of God

Evangelical writings describe the mystery of the Incarnation as being due to reveal the fatherhood of God in the world, The Gospel according to John asserts that the Incarnation is designed to give men "the opportunity to become children of God" ^, . The teaching of Jesus is largely due to the paternity of : Good works are intended to glorify the Father , each forgive as the Father forgive him ^, , admission to Heaven is reserved for those who do the will of the Father , the fullness of the moral life is to be merciful as the Father is merciful and perfect as the Father is perfect .

The universal fatherhood of God the Father

The Gospel accounts mention several times the universal fatherhood of God toward all men. Just as the Jews give to Yahweh attributes of fatherhood through the creation, Jesus through his teachings repeatedly affirms a universal fatherhood of God: all men have God as father, even if they rebelled against him he is the father of "good" as "wicked" . Jesus says that God is good for all and behaves as a good father at all times . The fatherhood of God according to Jesus is so true that God alone deserves the name of the Father .

The Lord's Prayer

The fatherhood of God in the Gospel finds its fulfillment in one's prayer Our Father. The Our Father is the prayer taught by Jesus to his disciples who ask how to pray. Jesus then taught to pray, saying: "Our Father", showing the critical importance of the attribute of God for Christians and its essence.

In the theology

The elaboration of dogma

The Christian dogma

In Christianity, the Father-son relationship (/ Father-daughter) is much more accurate. This is no longer God Almighty, but the Heavenly Father. This revelation of God ente fatherhood and men is given by Jesus, Himself the Son of God ("When you pray, say:" Our Father ... "). This revelation does not contradict God the Creator.

Gender of God in theological reflection

Masculine characteristics are often described to speak of God the Father, both in the Scriptures that the various monotheistic traditions. Thus, when Scripture speaks of God the Father mentioned the masculine pronoun "He".

However feminine images of God is also found in the Bible. God likened to a mother. A woman in labor , a mother who can not forget the child she feeds , a mother who comforts her children , a mother who births and protects Israel a mother who gave birth to the children of Israel , a mother who calls, teaches, holds, heals and feeds her young .

God is also defined as a spirit, and not having sex. The Catechism of the Catholic Church at No. 239 states: "It is then necessary to recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. There is neither male nor female, he is God. It also transcends the human fatherhood and motherhood (cf. Ps 27, 10), while being the origin and extent (cf. Eph 3, 14, Is 49, 15): Nobody's father as the is God. " .

The names given to God the Father

God the Father in the culture

The prohibition of representations of God in Judaism and iconoclasm

Statues in the Cathedral of Saint Martin in Utrecht, attacked during the iconoclasm of the Reformation in the sixteenth ^century .

The basis of non-representation of God finds its justification in the Bible , during the Exodus :

"You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of things that are high in the heavens, which are in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters below the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, and you do not serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation those who hate me, and that is mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. "

- Exodus 20:4-6

This ban led to the non-representation of the figure of God among the Jews. In Christian representations of God in the form of an icon was the subject of a crisis within the Christian world. During the ^eighth and ^ninth centuries, the ban led to massive destruction of iconostasis and the persecution of their worshipers, or iconophiles iconodules.

The arrival of Protestantism and especially John Calvin has again contributed to refuse images of God based on this same passage from the Bible. The iconoclasm characterized as part of the Protestant Reformation.

Artistic representations

Visual representations of God the Father

Pietro Perugino , Annunciation , 1489	Fra Bartolomeo , Annunciation , 1509	Pieter Coecke van Aelst , Trinidad , XVI century	Coronation of the Virgin of Rubens , XVII century
Diego Velzquez , Coronation of the Virgin, 1645	Giulio Cesare Procaccini , Coronation of the Virgin , XVII century	God the Father painting the Virgin of Guadalupe anonymous eighteenth-century	Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles , Stained Glass , 1920

In music

Paternoster Gregorian

Praying the Our Father has given rise to many musical settings. The first of which we have kept track belongs to Gregorian chant. One of the best known in French is the Our Father called " Rimsky-Korsakoff. " One can also cite the version of Andre Caplet, prayers for voice, harp and string quartet. And the organ chorale Vater unser im Himmelreich of Georg Bhm in the early ^eighteenth century and then taken by JS Bach , which was a precursor Bhm North German.

[ a href = "% C3% Dieu_le_P A8re & action = edit & section = 27" alt = "Edit section: References"> edit] References

Main sources : Source used for this article

• Jean Carmignac , Research on the "Our Father", Editions Letouzey & Ane, Paris, February 1969, 608 p. ( ISBN 978-2-204-08866-4 )

• Biblical School of Jerusalem , Jerusalem Bible, Cerf, France, 2009, 1376 p. ( ISBN 978-2620406063 -9)

Other References

• Christianity portal

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