Hello everyone. We’re back to continue our study on the doctrine of the Trinity in the Scriptures. Last night, we started going through the book of 1 Corinthians. We’re going to continue that tonight looking at verse 8 mainly. We’re going to start at verse 6 to make sure we get all of the surrounding context:
6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
The Lord of Glory. It has been said to be the most exalted term that Paul ever uses to describe Christ. This is in the context of God using that which the world despises to shame it. He who the world despised as shameful was actually the Lord of Glory.
This term shows up a few times in the Book of Enoch. Let’s see what it says. (The Book of Enoch is an apocryphal book not included in the canon.)
22:14
14 Then I blessed the Lord of glory and said: ‘Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of righteousness, who ruleth for ever.’
25:1-5
1 And he said unto me: ‘Enoch, why dost thou ask me regarding the fragrance of the tree,
2 and why dost thou wish to learn the truth?’ Then I answered him saying: ‘I wish to
3 know about everything, but especially about this tree.’ And he answered saying: ‘This high mountain which thou hast seen, whose summit is like the throne of God, is His throne, where the Holy Great One, the Lord of Glory, the Eternal King, will sit, when He shall come down to visit
4 the earth with goodness. And as for this fragrant tree no mortal is permitted to touch it till the great judgement, when He shall take vengeance on all and bring (everything) to its consummation
5 for ever. It shall then be given to the righteous and holy. Its fruit shall be for food to the elect: it shall be transplanted to the holy place, to the temple of the Lord, the Eternal King.
Chapter 27:
1 Then said I: ‘For what object is this blessed land, which is entirely filled with trees, and this
2 accursed valley between?’ Then Uriel, one of the holy angels who was with me, answered and said: ‘This accursed valley is for those who are accursed for ever: Here shall all the accursed be gathered together who utter with their lips against the Lord unseemly words and of His glory speak hard things. Here shall they be gathered together, and here
3 shall be their place of judgement. In the last days there shall be upon them the spectacle of righteous judgement in the presence of the righteous for ever: here shall the merciful bless the Lord of glory, the Eternal King.
4 In the days of judgement over the former, they shall bless Him for the mercy in accordance with
5 which He has assigned them (their lot).’ Then I blessed the Lord of Glory and set forth His glory and lauded Him gloriously.
Chapter 36:
1 And from thence I went to the south to the ends of the earth, and saw there three open portals
2 of the heaven: and thence there come dew, rain, and wind. And from thence I went to the east to the ends of the heaven, and saw here the three eastern portals of heaven open and small portals
3 above them. Through each of these small portals pass the stars of heaven and run their course to the west on the path which is shown to them. And as often as I saw I blessed always the Lord of Glory, and I continued to bless the Lord of Glory who has wrought great and glorious wonders, to show the greatness of His work to the angels and to spirits and to men, that they might praise His work and all His creation: that they might see the work of His might and praise the great work of His hands and bless Him for ever.
Paul, a good rabbinical Jew trained in the finest education of his religion would have known about these passages. However, he did not hesitate to use the terminology used in them for YHWH and apply that terminology to Jesus.
What does that tell us about Paul’s view of Jesus? It tells us he wanted Jesus to have the highest place of all. How can this be without having a truly Trinitarian concept of Jesus being fully God and fully man?
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