THE expression "the Lord thy God" reminds us of the Saviour's words to Satan in the wilderness of temptation: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matt. 4:7).
As indicated near the close of the last article, the Greek text for the expression "the Lord thy God" in the just-quoted words of Christ to Satan reads, kurion ton theon sou ("[the] Lord the God of thee"). As for the words kurion and theon in this Greek expression, they are forms of the Greek words kurios ("Lord") and theos ("God").
Christ's above-quoted statement to Satan is clearly a quotation from the Old Testament scriptures. When the God of heaven warned His ancient people against going into heathen idolatry, the divine counsel was: "Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God" (Deut. 6:16). In the Hebrew text of this scripture the two words rendered, respectively, "Lord" and "God" are, respectively, Yahweh and 'Elohim. Hence, we have, in the juxtaposition of these two passages, the Greek names Kurios and Theos in the New Testament equated with the Hebrew names Yahweh and 'Elohim in the Old Testament.
The names Lord and God are frowned upon by the proponents of the Yahweh- Yeshua concept, and they do not appear in the special Bible printed by them.1 The contention of some of these proponents is that these terms stem from ancient idolatry, and that they are stamped with that background. At this writing we shall not go into the ancestry of the names Lord and God. What we will discuss in this article is the testimony of the Scriptures relative to these names,, particularly with regard to their application to Jesus Christ.
1. Jesus the Messiah as "Lord."
a. The angelic proclamation.
When Christ was born in Bethlehem the first pronouncement recorded in the New Testament (which has come down to us in Greek) concerning His being "the Lord" was not made by man, but by the angel Gabriel. To shepherds caring for their flocks in the open countryside near the city of David on the night of Christ's birth, Gabriel, "the angel of the Lord" (com pare Luke 2:9 and 1:19, 26), made the announcement: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11, R.S.V.).
"Christ" and, "Lord"---Christos and Kurios in the Greek text of the just-quoted proclamation are not the only names announced by Gabriel for the Son of God. Sent by God to Mary to tell her that she would give birth to God's Son, Gabriel said: "Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest" (Luke 1:31, 32). Appearing in a dream to Joseph, the husband of Mary, he said: "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:20, 21).
Still another name of God's Son comes to us through Matthew's story of His birth. Just after recording Gabriel's announcement to Joseph, Matthew adds the following: "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (verses 22, 23). The name indicated here is the very same one as foretold long before by the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 7:14), except for a slightly different spelling: "Emmanuel," as given by Matthew; "Immanuel," as written in Hebrew by Isaiah.
Inasmuch as the deity of Christ is amply taught in the Bible, it is logical that He should be referred to at times as "Lord," which is a title of the Deity.
Christ's name "Lord," proclaimed by "the angel of the Lord" at His birth, was recognized by Him and used by Him of Himself when, near the close of His ministry, He said in a conversation with His disciples: "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am" (John 13:13).2 Here Christ calls Himself "Lord"--Kurios, as given in the Greek text.
After Christ's resurrection His name "Lord" was used by the disciple Thomas, who, when convinced that the very same Jesus who had been crucified stood before him, exclaimed: "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
b. Christ's use of the appellation "Lord" in connection with His Father.
In the New Testament Scriptures the great Creator is referred to as "Father" some 260 times, more than 150 of which are found in the four Gospels. Our Redeemer used the word frequently, and some times He coupled with this paternal appellation other names of Deity, one of which is "Lord."
In His earnest prayer of joyful gratitude to His Father in heaven when His "other seventy [disciples]" (Luke 10:1) returned with joy from the gospel mission on which He had sent them, Jesus used together the words "Father" (Pater) and "Lord" (Kurios) as follows: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth" (Luke 10:21; Matt. 11:25). Here in the Greek text the Saviour equates Pater ("Father") with Kurios ("Lord").
Conversing one day with the Pharisees, Jesus asked them, "What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?" (Matt. 22:42). When they replied, "The son of David," He asked them a question they were unable to answer: "How then doth David in spirit call him Lord [Kurios], saying, the Lord [Kurios] said unto my Lord [Kurios], Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord [Kurios], how is he his son?" (verses 43-45). Comparing Christ's quotation of David's statement, "The Lord [Kurios] said unto my Lord [Kurios]," with the same statement found in the first verse of Psalm 110, we find that in the Hebrew the first "LORD" is Yahweh, and that the second is 'Adon. So, in quoting David's words, Christ recognized His Father as being Yahweh, the Lord of heaven and earth, and Himself as 'Adon, the Messiah looked for by the Jews, who regarded Psalm 110:1-4 as applying to the Messiah.3
c. The testimony of the apostles that Christ is "Lord."
After Christ's ascension His apostles went forth proclaiming to men the great fact that salvation has come through the crucified but now resurrected and ascended Lord. Observe how they refer to Him as such:
Peter declares: "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord [Kurios} and Christ" (Acts 2:36).
Paul declares: "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord [Kurios]' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3, R.S.V.).
James declares: "Our Lord [Kurios] Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory" (James 2:1).
2. Jesus the Messiah as "God."
a. Christ's own testimony.
The very first reference we have in the New Testament on the deity of Christ is in the book of Matthew, in the chapter telling about Christ's encounter with the devil in the wilderness of temptation. Tempted by Satan to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple "if He was the Son of God, Jesus replied, without any hesitation: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord [Kurios] thy God [Theos]" (Matt. 4:7)."
b. The testimony of the apostles.
Seeing his risen Master standing before him, Thomas exclaimed: "My Lord [Kurios] and my God [Theos]" (John 20:28).
Writing to the Romans, Paul declared, with full assurance: "Christ came, who is over all, God [Theos] blessed for ever" (Rom. 9:5).
From John, we have the following ringing testimony: "We know that the Son of God [Theos] is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God [Theos], and eternal life" (1 John 5:20).
3. Jesus the Messiah—His multiple names.
What a galaxy of expressions are found in the books of the New Testament that proclaim Jesus of Nazareth "Christ" and "Lord" and "God"! Let us notice first the couplets, and then the multiples, remembering, however, that the first couplet was given by Gabriel, "the angel of the Lord":
a. The couplets:
"Christ [Kristos] the Lord [Kurios]" (used by "the angel of the Lord" in Luke 2:11).
"Jesus the Christ" (used by Jesus in Matt. 16:20).
"Lord Jesus" (Luke 24:3).
"Master and Lord" (used by Jesus in John 13:13, 14).
"Lord and . . . God" (used by Thomas in John 20:28).
"Lord and Christ" (used by Peter in Acts 2:36).
"Christ Jesus" (used by Paul in Acts 19:4).
"Lord of lords" (used by Paul in 1 Tim. 6:15).
"Jesus our Lord" (used by Peter in 2 Peter 1:2).
b. The multiples:
"Lord Jesus Christ" (used by Peter in Acts 11:17).
"Jesus Christ our Lord" (used by Paul in Rom. 6:11).
"Christ Jesus our Lord" (used by Paul in Eph. 3:11).
"Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (used by Peter in 2 Peter 1:11).
"The great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (used by Paul in Titus 2:13).
"Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour" (used by Paul in Titus 1:4).
4. Jesus the Messiah as 'Adonai ("Lord")
Distasteful as it may be to some to attribute to Jesus the Messiah the name 'Adonai ("Literally 'my Lord,' the plural form of 'Adon, that is, 'Lord' or 'Lordship' "),5 which they say is the name of a heathen god, we must bear in mind that although the word 'Adonai is used more than 300 times in the Hebrew Bible, it is not in one instance applied to false gods, but always to the God of heaven.6 Furthermore, we must also bear in mind that our Lord Him self attributed this very name to Himself when, in Matthew 22:42-45, He identified Himself with the second "Lord" referred to by David in his phrase "The Lord [Yahweh] said unto my Lord ['Adon]," in Psalm 110:1. Moreover, in the King James Version, 'Adonai is usually printed "Lord," and in different instances it is even equated with Yahweh (see PS. 38:15; 68:20; 97:5; 109:21; 130:2, 3; etc.).
On the translation of the Hebrew word 'Adonai as "Lord," we wish to state here that sometime after the Babylonian captivity the Jews ceased to mention the sacred name Yahweh, and used the name 'Adonai in its stead.' A reason for this is indicated in a well-known Jewish reference work:
The avoidance of the original name of God both in speech and, to a certain extent, in the Bible was due, according to Geiger' ("Urschrift," p. 262), to a reverence which shrank from the utterance of the Sublime Name; and it may well be that such a reluctance first arose in a foreign and hence in an "unclean" land, very possibly, therefore in Babylonia. According to Dalman (I.e. pp. 66 et seq.), the Rabbis forbade the utterance of the Tetragrammaton, to guard against desecration of the Sacred Name; but such an ordinance could not have been effectual unless it had met with popular approval.8
When the Tetragram became too holy for utterance Adonai was substituted for it, so that, as a rule, the name written YHWH receives the points of Adonai and is read Adonai, except in cases where Adonai precedes or succeeds it in the text, when it is read Elohim.9
Today, when reading the Holy Scriptures the Jews generally use the name '"Adonai" when they come to the word YHWH, which is rendered "Lord" in the King James Version.
As to whether Jesus used the name Yahweh in speaking, we have no way of telling. But if the Jewish leaders and people had discontinued the practice of pronouncing the sacred name and had generally substituted 'Adonai for it, it is unlikely that He would have gone contrary to their custom in this matter. We do know that when He cried to His Father on Calvary's cross, He addressed Him as "Eli, Eli" (Matt. 27:46), or as "Eloi, Eloi" (Mark 15:34).10
5. Things of shame exalted to themes of highest glory.
The Greek words Kurios ("Lord") and Theos ("God") meant a great deal to the apostle Paul, who knew their background. On some aspects of this, Dr. Adolf Deissmann has an interesting comment:
It may be said with certainty that at the time when Christianity originated "Lord" was a divine predicate intelligible to the whole Eastern world. St. Paul's confession of "Our Lord Jesus Christ" was his cosmopolitan expansion of a local Aramaic cult-title, Marana [=Our Lord, 1 Cor. XVI.22], applied to Jesus the Messiah by the apostolic Primitive Christians at Jerusalem and occasionally even by Paul himself in the outer world. Like the complemental thought, that the worshippers are the "slaves" of the Lord it was understood in its full meaning by everybody in the Hellenistic East, and it facilitated the spread of the Christian terms of worship and of the cult of Christ itself.11
The New Testament writers knew also that besides being applied to rich men, rulers, and kings,12 the Greek words Kurios ("Lord") and Theos ("God") and their Latin equivalents, Cominus ("Lord") and Deus ("God") were applied to false gods.13 This is made clear by Liddell and Scott in their Greek and English Lexicon.
From such a background Paul took the very words men were using in Greek for "lord" and "god," lifted them out of the lower levels, and raised them to the highest possible elevation, giving them the meaning that in the understanding of the early Christian believers entirely transcended their customary meaning. Thus, whereas in the concept of many these words savored of domination and slavery, and even abject bondage, these same terms as applied by Paul to Jesus of Nazareth connoted divine authority exercised in the framework of a master-servant relationship that is one of the highest forms of freedom. Notice how Paul expresses this in the following statement: "He that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant" (1 Cor. 7:22).
To Paul and to the members of the early Christian church the crucified Jesus was "the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8), "the Lord from heaven" (chap. 15:47), the "Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16), "the same Lord over all" (Rom. 10:12), "the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:24), "the prince of the kings of the earth" (Rev. 1:5), "over all, God blessed for ever" (Rom. 9:5).
Indeed, "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11), for Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:6-11).
(To be continued)
FOOTNOTES
1. The Holy Name Bible, revised bv A. B. Traine, The Scripture Research Association, 1125 Stuyvesant Ave., Irvirgton, N.J., 1963.
2. The Greek word translated here as "Master" is rendered as "Teacher" in the Revised Standard Version.
3. See Midrash on Psalms, vol. 2, book 5. sect. 4. on Ps. 110:1 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), p. 206.
4. On this text, see the beginning of this article.
5. The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 1, col, 2. article "Adonai" (Funk and Wagnalls Co., New York and London, 1901). p. 201.
6. See Robert Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible (24th ed., Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York. 1923).
7. In The Babylonian Talmud we read: "The Tetragrammaton is yod he waw -he; but it is read adoni = alef daleth nun yod."—"Seder Nashim" [London, Soncino Press, 1936], p. 361, Tractate Kiddushin, 71a, footnote.
8. The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 12. col. 1. article "Tetragrammaton''' (Funk and Wagnalls Co.. New York and London, 1901), p. 119.
9. Same reference as for No. 5.
10 Mark 15:34 is quoted by Ellen G. White in The Desire of Ages, p. 754.
11 Adolf Deissmann, Light From the Ancient East The New Testament. Illustrated by Recently Discovered Texts of the Graeco-Roman World, trans. by Lionel R. M. Strachan, from the latest German edition: new and completely revised, with eighty-five illustrations (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1927), pp. 350, 351.
12. Matt. 18:25; 20:8; Mark 6:21; etc.
13 1 Cor. 8:5.
