@Didymos Thomas,
Didymos Thomas wrote:The text is fairly clear, God is accompanied by two angels, and they share a meal with Abraham. Yes, the Burning Bush is a symbol, but this does not change the nature of Moses' conversation with God.
umm... God doesn't eat or take on any human form or likeness.. the text is quite clear.. it's 3 angels and not God.
Didymos Thomas wrote:Are you sure the numbers are correct here?
Sorry, looks like it was 33:11 (that's what you get for not looking it up)
11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face
Didymos Thomas wrote:I am being careful. What you need to notice is that I am not speaking in mythological terms - I'm coming with historical information. God is perfect, but the way people discuss God, the way God is perceived, changes over time and varies from place to place. Even the Jewish conception of God has changed over time. This is historical fact.
I will agree to that if you will agree that intrinsically
God does not change
Our perception only changes based on our understanding.
"I am HaShem (God) I do not change"
Malachi 3:6
Didymos Thomas wrote:Again, I have not argued that Lucifer is part of mainstream Judaism. Lucifer is not part of mainstream Judaism and was only a part of Judaism thousands of years ago in a fringe Jewish group. None the less, the concept did arise in Judaism prior to Christ ever teaching, much less the publication of Dante.
Still, the Lucifer is not mentioned in Sefer Enoch (the book of Enoch) And I have never seen any evidence that the Dead Sea sect or any non-roman group used the word Lucifer (which is a latin word)
Didymos Thomas wrote:As for the Trinity, many perspectives exist. In the Greek Orthodox Church (this isn't universal, but as a general rule), where God is one, the Trinity is taught as a sort of meditative practice. God is such a large concept, so you meditate on His various natures in order to better understand the whole that is God.
The entire idea of the trinity has Kabalistic origin but must be understood. The World of the Kabbalistic divisions does not describe God, but God's will alone.
These are what are known as the 10 sephirot and are organized in 3 groups. Look at the Avatar next to my name. One of the sephirot is called "Av" which means father, and another one is called "Em" which means mother. The group of six after it are called "Zeir Anpin" which means the short face.
And the final one is called 'Nukbah'
Also the word Holy spirit is called 'Ruach HaKodesh' which is a type of prophecy. It is a level that many sages are said to achieve, and it is the only form of prophecy that is left in our days.