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On footnote 23, Philo of Alexandria and Tertullian both see Gen 2:21-2:24 as Adam prophesying, see Laura Nasrallah’s 1st chapter. https://www.academia.edu/1881708/An_Ecstasy_of_Folly_Prophecy_and_Authority_in_Early_Christianity
Gary Stroumsa lists Ebionites, Elchaisites, and Manichaens as some sects that considered Adam as the first prophet in “The Making of the Abrahamic Religions in Late Antiquity”
@DavidJHoward: I’d be hard-pressed to disagree with your friend. We are polytheistic. Heavenly Father (the Father of Christ), Heavenly Mother (the Exalted Couple), Jehovah/Jesus Christ (the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth), the Holy Ghost (member of the Godhead). That’s 4 Gods right there, let alone the Heavenly Parent’s Sibling Gods who also achieved exaltation and created their own universes where their spirit children could gain physical bodies and experience. Those Sibling Gods might not be our particular Heavenly Parents and Brother/Savior, but they are Gods we could logically believe exist.
What I picked up from the paper is that the world picks Abraham as the Father of Monotheism Biblically speaking because Adam get’s negative press. Latter-day Saints do consider Adam as the first Patriarch of the First Temple Period. I cannot agree that either one of them were actually monotheists since we know through Abraham’s own book that there was a counsel of Gods.
That being said, I’m no “scholar” – I just read a lot, so take my opinion for what it’s worth, but your friend’s got a point.
Bro. Halverson,
Thank you for the excellent analysis. I really enjoyed this. I do have a question and wondering how to address it. Many outside of our faith consider us to be polytheistic rather than monotheistic. I have a very good friend who is an avowed Calvinist (married to a member of the Church) and views members of the Church in such a manner, mainly due to two reasons: 1) our belief in the Godhead, and 2) our belief in being able to be exalted. We have had many discussions on monotheism and I’m having a hard time explaining this. I would love to share this paper with him as I think he will find it fascinating but I think another discussion of his view of our faith being polytheistic will result. Any thoughts or resources I could use?
Hi David,
Such a theological conversation can be tricky.
Christians claim to be monotheists, thinking that monotheism = monolatry (the belief that only one god exists, who should be worshiped).
However, a sober look at Christianity reveals that it isn’t monotheistic (if we define monotheism as monolatry, as a belief in a single God with no other gods in existence).
Christianity believes in three gods, all as one.
Christian theological history has struggled to conclusively answer this question, which is part of the reason you are having an ongoing conversation with your friend.
Someone say the Jews split up into 71 sector 1 of them is right, the Christian split up into 72 sectors 1 of them is right and the is 73 sector for Islam 1 of them is right, so you have to understand the prophet, Jesus said worship your Lord, Mohammed show the prostration of Abraham.
The key to this is worship your Lord only, the Quran say Mohammed went back to the Kaaba, which is meant to be the house of God, which Abraham built, they say the Muslims will compete in building mosque towards the end times, but I do believe that the Christian have split up, some Bible says Jesus is the son of God and son say he the son of man, the Quran say he the son of man too.
So that why some Christians have followed the wrong path.
Great find, David. Thanks for sharing. Sorry about the delayed response. I’ve been out of town and getting caught up on everything. 🙂