{"id":703,"date":"2026-02-02T15:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T06:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/?p=703"},"modified":"2026-02-02T17:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T08:36:45","slug":"abba-father%ef%bc%81","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/?p=703","title":{"rendered":"Abba, Father\uff01"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u21d2\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u30da\u30fc\u30b8\u306f\u3053\u3061\u3089\u3092\u30af\u30ea\u30c3\u30af\u3057\u3066\u306d\uff01<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbba, Father\u201d\u2014
a warm and loving way to speak to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the book Insight<\/em>,
Abba<\/em> is an Aramaic word.
It is like saying \u201cPapa,\u201d
a word filled with closeness, affection, and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Father<\/em>, on the other hand, is Greek,
and simply means \u201cfather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first time this expression appears
is in Jesus\u2019 prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
(Mark 14:36)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAbba, Father, all things are possible for you.
Take this cup away from me.
Yet not what I want, but what you want\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As Insight<\/em> explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThese are the passionate words of a son pleading with his beloved father,
followed immediately by a firm promise
to remain obedient no matter what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Among the four Gospels,
only Mark<\/strong> records this tender expression of love.
Thank you, Mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later\u2014probably after Pentecost\u2014
the disciples also began to use this word in prayer.
It appears only twice in the letters:
Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, we can use it too.
Abba\u2026 Abba\u2026 Abba!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try whispering it
while thinking of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah\u2014
I really love God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then, a question comes to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do we say it twice?
\u201cAbba, Father.\u201d
Or, \u201cDad, Father.\u201d
Or, \u201cPapa, Father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why call him two times in a row?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is my bold little idea\u2014
with no proof, at least for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could this be one of the places
where the divine name YHWH<\/strong>
was removed from the New Testament
sometime after the second century?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words,
was the Greek word translated as \u201cFather\u201d
originally \u201cJehovah\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that it was really saying:
\u201cFather\u2014Jehovah.\u201d
\u201cPapa\u2014Jehovah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is how we pray, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2010\u2010\u2010\u2010\u2010<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I read the Bible with an open and honest heart,
and quietly listen to what it tells me about the relationship
between Jesus Christ<\/strong> and the heavenly Father<\/strong>,
my heart begins to tremble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is because I can feel
the beautiful bond of love between a father and a son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find myself thinking,
\u201cHow wonderful\u2026\u201d
with a little envy,
and a great deal of admiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cannot find the philosophy of the Trinity<\/em> there.
And, to be honest,
I do not want such noise mixed in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seen from history, this teaching is an impurity\u2014
something that slipped into Christianity
through Greek philosophy and pagan thought
around the fourth century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do not trust people who treat this \u201cnoise,\u201d
this \u201cimpurity,\u201d
as if it were a lofty and precious Christian philosophy,
and speak of it with a satisfied look on their faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?
Because they have missed the very heart of the Bible\u2014
the expression of God\u2019s love<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cFor God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish
but may have eternal life.\u201d
(John 3:16)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The complicated argument that
the \u201cFather\u201d and the \u201cSon\u201d are different persons<\/em> (personae<\/em>),
yet equal,
and somehow different sides of \u201cone God,\u201d
is simply too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When nonsense is forced through,
truth quietly steps aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word persona<\/em> also means a mask<\/em> worn by an actor.
And so, an image appears in my mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One actor,
sometimes wearing the mask of the \u201cFather,\u201d
sometimes the mask of the \u201cSon,\u201d
and at other times, a third mask called the \u201cHoly Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now imagine the scene of Jesus\u2019 baptism,
where the \u201cSon\u201d is baptized in water,
and the \u201cFather\u201d speaks from heaven\u2014
as if one person were playing two roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWhen Jesus was baptized,
he immediately came up from the water,
and suddenly the heavens were opened to him.
He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice from heaven said,
\u2018This is my Son, the Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased.\u2019\u201d
(Matthew 3:16\u201317)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Is there any real emotion there,
if it is all just one person acting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doesn\u2019t it feel flat\u2014
almost embarrassing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we are told,
\u201cSee how much the Father loves the Son,\u201d
don\u2019t we immediately think,
\u201cBut isn\u2019t he just loving himself?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And even if someone says,
\u201cHe did it that way to teach humans,\u201d
doesn\u2019t it make you want to reply,
\u201cNo thank you. I don\u2019t need such a clumsy play\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn\u2019t that kind of \u201clove\u201d
cheap and artificial?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worse still,
doesn\u2019t God begin to look like a narcissist,
or someone with a split personality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah\u2014enough of this false teaching.
I want no part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us return
to a pure and fragrant Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us savor the words \u201cAbba, Father\u201d<\/strong>\u2014
words spoken by a child
who deeply loves, trusts, and respects his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And let us dare to pray ourselves,
like little children:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbba!!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we do,
we will surely begin to see him\u2014
the Father of lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And beside us,
Jesus Christ,
praying together with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please leave a comment\uff01\uff01<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u21d2\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u30da\u30fc\u30b8\u306f\u3053\u3061\u3089\u3092\u30af\u30ea\u30c3\u30af\u3057\u3066\u306d\uff01 \u201cAbba, Father\u201d\u2014a warm and loving way to speak to God. According to the book Insight,Abba […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-essays"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=703"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":706,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions\/706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primitivechristianitystudy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}