Godhead (Judaism)
Encyclopedia
Godhead is used to refer to "God as He is in Himself
." This is the aspect or substratum of God that lies behind His actions or properties, i.e., the essence
of God, and its nature has been the subject of long debate in every major religion.
(essential nature of a god) or divinity
. Max Kadushin
notes that "The plural 'Elohot, gods, must not be confused with 'Elohut, Godhead. The latter is used with reference to God".
. In his Fons Vitae, Gabirol's position is that everything that exists may be reduced to three categories: the first substance (God), matter and form (the world), with the will as intermediary. Gabirol derives matter and form from absolute being. In the Godhead he seems to differentiate essentia (being) from proprietas (attribute), designating by proprietas the will, wisdom, creative word ("voluntas, sapientia, verbum agens"). He thinks of the Godhead as being and as will or wisdom, regarding the will as identical with the divine nature. This position is implicit in the doctrine of Gabirol, who teaches that God's existence is knowable, but not His being or constitution, no attribute being predicable of God save that of existence.
Kaufmann holds that Gabirol was an opponent of the doctrine of divine attributes. While there are passages in the Fons Vitae, in the Ethics, and even in the Keter Malkut (from which Sachs deduces Gabirol's acceptance of the theory of the doctrine of divine attributes) which seem to support this assumption, a minute examination of the questions bearing on this, such as has been made by Kaufmann (in Gesch. der Attributenlehre), proves very clearly that will and wisdom are spoken of not as attributes of the divine, but with reference to an aspect of the divine, the creative aspect; so that the will is not to be looked upon as intermediary between God and substance and form. Matter or substance proceeds from the being of God, and form from God as will, matter corresponding to the first substance and form to the will; but there is no thought in the mind of Gabirol of substance and will as separate entities, or of will as an attribute of substance. Will is neither attribute nor substance, Gabirol being so pure a monotheist that he can not brook the thought of any attribute of God lest it mar the purity of monotheism. In this Gabirol follows strictly in the line of Hebrew tradition.
and other Jewish-rationalistic philosophers, there is little which can be predicated about the God other than his "existence
," and even this can only be asserted equivocally.
), the term "Godhead" usually refers to the concept of Ein Sof
(אין סוף), the aspect of God that lies beyond the emanations (sefirot). The "knowability" of the Godhead in Kabbalistic thought is no better that what is conceived by rationalist thinkers. As Jacobs (1973) puts it, "Of God as He is in Himself—Ein Sof—nothing can be said at all, and no thought can reach there."
There is a divergence of opinion among the kabbalists concerning the relation of the Sefirot to the En Sof. Azriel
(commentary on the Sefer Yeẓirah, p. 27b) and, after him, Menahem Recanati
(Ṭa'ame ha-Miẓwot, passim) considered the Sefirot to be totally different from the Divine Being; the "Ma'areket" group took the Sefirot to be identical in their totality with the En Sof, each Sefirah representing merely a certain view of the Infinite ("Ma'areket," p. 8b); the Zohar
clearly implies that they are the names of the Deity, and gives for each of them a corresponding name of God and of the hosts of angels mentioned in the Bible; while Luria
and Cordovero
, without regarding them as instruments, do not identify them with the essence of the Deity. The "Absolute One," they argue, is immanent in all the Sefirot and reveals Himself through them, but does not dwell in them; the Sefirot can never include the Infinite. Each Sefirah has a well-known name; but the Holy One has no definite name (Pardes Rimmonim, pp. 21–23).
Ousia
Ousia is the Ancient Greek noun formed on the feminine present participle of ; it is analogous to the English participle being, and the modern philosophy adjectival ontic...
." This is the aspect or substratum of God that lies behind His actions or properties, i.e., the essence
Essence
In philosophy, essence is the attribute or set of attributes that make an object or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property that the object or substance has contingently, without...
of God, and its nature has been the subject of long debate in every major religion.
Terminology
The closest corresponding term in the classical and modern languages of Jewish scholarship is אלוהות (elohút), meaning deityDeity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
(essential nature of a god) or divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
. Max Kadushin
Max Kadushin
Max Kadushin was a Conservative rabbi best known for his organic philosophy of rabbinics.-Biography:After graduating from New York University, Kadushin studied for the rabbinate at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America during the 1920s. There he encountered Mordecai Kaplan and soon became a...
notes that "The plural 'Elohot, gods, must not be confused with 'Elohut, Godhead. The latter is used with reference to God".
Neoplatonic
The leading Jewish Neoplatonic writer was Solomon ibn GabirolSolomon ibn Gabirol
Solomon ibn Gabirol, also Solomon ben Judah , was an Andalucian Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher with a Neoplatonic bent. He was born in Málaga about 1021; died about 1058 in Valencia.-Biography:...
. In his Fons Vitae, Gabirol's position is that everything that exists may be reduced to three categories: the first substance (God), matter and form (the world), with the will as intermediary. Gabirol derives matter and form from absolute being. In the Godhead he seems to differentiate essentia (being) from proprietas (attribute), designating by proprietas the will, wisdom, creative word ("voluntas, sapientia, verbum agens"). He thinks of the Godhead as being and as will or wisdom, regarding the will as identical with the divine nature. This position is implicit in the doctrine of Gabirol, who teaches that God's existence is knowable, but not His being or constitution, no attribute being predicable of God save that of existence.
Kaufmann holds that Gabirol was an opponent of the doctrine of divine attributes. While there are passages in the Fons Vitae, in the Ethics, and even in the Keter Malkut (from which Sachs deduces Gabirol's acceptance of the theory of the doctrine of divine attributes) which seem to support this assumption, a minute examination of the questions bearing on this, such as has been made by Kaufmann (in Gesch. der Attributenlehre), proves very clearly that will and wisdom are spoken of not as attributes of the divine, but with reference to an aspect of the divine, the creative aspect; so that the will is not to be looked upon as intermediary between God and substance and form. Matter or substance proceeds from the being of God, and form from God as will, matter corresponding to the first substance and form to the will; but there is no thought in the mind of Gabirol of substance and will as separate entities, or of will as an attribute of substance. Will is neither attribute nor substance, Gabirol being so pure a monotheist that he can not brook the thought of any attribute of God lest it mar the purity of monotheism. In this Gabirol follows strictly in the line of Hebrew tradition.
Rationalistic
In the philosophy of MaimonidesMaimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
and other Jewish-rationalistic philosophers, there is little which can be predicated about the God other than his "existence
Existence of God
Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others. In philosophical terms, arguments for and against the existence of God involve primarily the sub-disciplines of epistemology and ontology , but also of the theory of value, since...
," and even this can only be asserted equivocally.
Kabbalistic
In Jewish mystical thought (KabbalahKabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
), the term "Godhead" usually refers to the concept of Ein Sof
Ein Sof (Kabbalah)
Ein Sof , in Kabbalah, is understood as God prior to His self-manifestation in the production of any spiritual Realm, probably derived from Ibn Gabirol's term, "the Endless One"...
(אין סוף), the aspect of God that lies beyond the emanations (sefirot). The "knowability" of the Godhead in Kabbalistic thought is no better that what is conceived by rationalist thinkers. As Jacobs (1973) puts it, "Of God as He is in Himself—Ein Sof—nothing can be said at all, and no thought can reach there."
There is a divergence of opinion among the kabbalists concerning the relation of the Sefirot to the En Sof. Azriel
Azriel
Azrael is the traditional name of the angel of death in many religions.Azriel and Azrael may also refer to:*Azriel Azrael is the traditional name of the angel of death in many religions.Azriel and Azrael may also refer to:*Azriel (Jewish mystic) Azrael is the traditional name of the angel of death...
(commentary on the Sefer Yeẓirah, p. 27b) and, after him, Menahem Recanati
Menahem Recanati
Menahem ben Benjamin Recanati was an Italian rabbi who flourished at the close of the thirteenth century and in the early part of the fourteenth. He was the only Italian of his time who devoted the chief part of his writings to the Kabbala....
(Ṭa'ame ha-Miẓwot, passim) considered the Sefirot to be totally different from the Divine Being; the "Ma'areket" group took the Sefirot to be identical in their totality with the En Sof, each Sefirah representing merely a certain view of the Infinite ("Ma'areket," p. 8b); the Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
clearly implies that they are the names of the Deity, and gives for each of them a corresponding name of God and of the hosts of angels mentioned in the Bible; while Luria
Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
and Cordovero
Moses Cordovero
Moses Cordovero was a physician who lived at Leghorn , Tuscany in the seventeenth century. David Conforte praises him as a good physician, and also on account of his scholarship and philanthropy. He was always eager to secure the release of prisoners through his personal influence as well as by...
, without regarding them as instruments, do not identify them with the essence of the Deity. The "Absolute One," they argue, is immanent in all the Sefirot and reveals Himself through them, but does not dwell in them; the Sefirot can never include the Infinite. Each Sefirah has a well-known name; but the Holy One has no definite name (Pardes Rimmonim, pp. 21–23).