In both the old and new testament, "God" was not actually an entity but rather a group or a corporation .... making up the heavenly system.
The Hebrews decided to serve ONE god out of ALL the gods and his identity was "Jahveh." Whether he was actually adopted as early on as the Bible indicates, seems questionable. Much of the Old Testament was probably written into being fairly close to the time of the Gospels' Jesus Christ and so Jahveh may have been written in retroactively to make him SEEM to have been giving orders all along. Otherwise though, God was "elohim" or the god-group.
In the New Testament, Jesus and the Jesus Christ people believed in a kind of over-arching, all powerful "one" whom they called "the Father" or "pater". They might even have attributed this one to be resident in the Sun .... since the sun gives life to everything on earth. However, Christians discouraged the denigration of ANY god-corporation beings, referring to them as "Theos" (or "God" in English translation). The Theos contained all of the god corporation -good and bad alike- and Christians were advised to be in subjection to these "higher powers."
[ Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God (theos): the powers that be are ordained of God (theos).
Ephesians 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God (theos).
Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
John 4:24 God (theos) is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.]
The word "him" doesn't seem to mean quite the same in Greek as it does to us in English. It was more of an "itself, himself, herself." The word was "autos" derived from "aer" which meant something like a "breathing one".
There was opposition from this theos as well ....
[ Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Rev. 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ]
Thus, we see Satan right up there as part of the theos but ....... he's going to be kicked out and have to come to earth.
Still, 2 Peter 2 and the book of Jude looked dimly on anyone making fun of ANY of the theos.
[ Jude 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. ]
So while I agree with you that the Bible God Jahveh doesn't come across as any kind of entity worthy of worship .... "he" wasn't totally all there was in the God division.
I think you have hit on something important. There was a hymn we used to sing in church, it began with the address to God, "Breath of Heaven"... I think that is apt. It was God's breath that created the Universe... and the life we all share is that breath as well. Every living thing is dependant upon that breath for it's existance.
The "Bible says" -(or John 4:24, more specifically)- God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The Greek word for 'spirit' here is "pneumana" -(from which we get our English word "pneumatic", meaning, the use of air)- rather than the other English Bible word "spirit" translated from "phantasma" (which meant a physical apparition).
So what John 4:24 says is that "God" is something 'in the air'. I would associate that with what we often describe as "there's something in the air" .............. "the air was charged with an expectancy" ................ like a 'something' that occurs at rallies or sports events or in religious meetings.
This "something" is a connection between living things. It's similar to an animal sitting in a house and suddenly perking up and going to the door when his owner is still miles away, getting into his car to come home. It's a kind of 6th sense phenomena.
Whether this sense is good or bad though, isn't or can't be specifically pinned down. It seems that it is sometimes used for evil purposes as well.
In Colossians 1:19, regarding the Christ, Paul used the word "pleroma" when he said...
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him...
Which has led some to speculate that Paul was, himself, a Gnostic.
Mondo's speculative comment regarding the possibility that the Judeo-Christian "God" might, in fact, be... "Satan"...
Was fully developed within framework of Gnostic theology.
For the Gnostics, the "creator-god" was the "illegitimate" child of Sophia.
But, ashamed of what she had done, she set him on a throne and hid him in a "cloud".
Where he "grew up" believing that he was the only entity in existence and so, being "bored"...
-- He set about creating our Physical Universe and Everything in it.
Sophia's son, the "Demiurge", is called, "Yaldabaoth".
As the bastard son of Sophia, Yaldabaoth was perceived as an "abomination"...
And...
-- Everything that he created was a "corruption".
The Demiurge -- Yaldabaoth -- has been connected to and recognized...
-- As both... Yahweh and Satan.
Different names for the same entity.
Apparently...
It was pretty much a matter of perspective.
It really confirms with what I've been finding, suspecting and sensing in my Bible studies of the last few weeks.
First I had this "feeling" about Jesus' last words on the cross: he was appealing to "Eli" and not Yahveh. "Eli" were the mighty, great and valorous ones.
Then I stumbled on "theos" (for "God"). Since theos was used for MANY different descriptions (some not so nice) I came to the inescapable conclusion that "God" was not some single guy but rather, a corporate entity.
What you've presented here just ties it all together really well.
It's always a bit of a "rush"...
When History and Archeology are found to support...
-- What had previously been just...
-- A "gut feeling", "suspicion" or... an "educated guess".
-PRev1-
Congratulations
President Barrack Hussein Obama
-- God's Will Has Been Done --
