We, the Mashiachim, uphold the belief that God the Father is the ONLY God, as explicitly stated in 1 Corinthians 8:6: “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” However, we also affirm that God indwelled the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach’s physical body. Yeshua and His body are not God, but God was in Him, as Yeshua Himself declared in John 14:10: "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." This belief is also echoed in Colossians 2:9: “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” This belief, consistently taught by the apostles and prophets all throughout Scripture, is called Incarnationism.
However, certain corruptions of the New Testament have distorted this truth, particularly in 2 Peter 1:1, where later Greek texts introduce a theological shift that erroneously conflates Yeshua with God Himself. Thanks to God’s providence, the Peshitta, an ancient Aramaic translation of the New Testament, preserves the true and uncorrupted version of this verse, reflecting the original teachings of the apostles before later distortions were introduced.
2 Peter 1:1 in the Peshitta:
Here is the English translation of 2 Peter 1:1 from the Peshitta:
"Shemun Petros, a servant of Jeshu Meshiha, to those who by faith the same in preciousness with us have been made equal, through the righteousness of our Lord and our Redeemer Yeshu Meshiha."
In the Peshitta, Peter addresses Yeshua with two distinct titles: "Lord" and "Redeemer." Both of these titles apply to Yeshua, emphasizing His role as the Mashiach and the one Lord appointed by God to redeem humanity. Importantly, this text does not mention any "God" at all in this verse, making it clear that Peter was referring specifically to Yeshua, not equating Him with God but recognizing His unique role as the Lord and Redeemer.
2 Peter 1:1 in the Modern Greek Texts:
In contrast, the later Greek texts of 2 Peter 1:1, as reflected in many modern translations, read:
"Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." (NKJV)
The key phrase in the Greek text, "our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ), introduces the idea that Yeshua is being identified as God. This translation, most likely a forgery of the emerging Catholic church of the late 3rd century, attempts to merge the titles of God and Savior into one, thereby suggesting that Yeshua is not only the Messiah but also God Himself. This represents a significant departure from the original teaching of the apostles, who never claimed that Yeshua was God, but rather that God was in Him.
The Aramaic Peshitta vs. the Greek Text:
The original Aramaic Peshitta preserves the critical distinction between Yeshua’s titles as "Lord" and "Redeemer" without mentioning God in this verse. The Aramaic text (as reconstructed from the Peshitta) reads:
ܫܡܥܘܢ ܦܛܪܘܣ ܥܒܕܗ ܕܝܫܘܥ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܠܐܝܢܘܢ ܕܒܗ ܥܝܡܢܐ ܫܘܠܛܢܐ ܐܢܘܢ ܬܟܘܣܬܐ ܐܝܟ ܕܥܡܢܐ ܕܝܠܢ ܠܐܪܥܝܢܐ ܕܝܩܢܐܘܬܐ ܕܡܪܢ ܘܦܕܝܢܢ ܕܝܢܢܢܐ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܫܝܚܐ
(Transliteration):
"Shimon Petros 'abda d'Yeshua Meshikha la'inon d'baimna shulton anun takustah ikh d'amna dilan la'ar'ina diq'nawta d'Maran u'pad'yana d'Yeshua Meshikha."
(Translation):
"Simon Peter, a servant of Yeshua the Messiah, to those who have obtained an equally honorable faith with us, through the righteousness of our Lord and our Redeemer, Yeshua the Messiah."
This text emphasizes Yeshua’s roles as our Lord and our Redeemer without conflating Him with God. The later Greek texts, however, altered this passage to align with the emerging Catholic church’s Trinitarian doctrine, which sought to portray Yeshua as God Himself.
Analysis of the Corruption:
The change in the Greek text from the Peshitta’s clear distinction between "our Lord and our Redeemer" to the later Greek text’s "our God and Savior Jesus Christ" reflects a theological shift intended to support the false doctrine of the Trinity. The emerging Catholic church of the 3rd and 4th centuries, which gained prominence under Constantine and formalized its Trinitarian beliefs at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, likely forged these alterations to solidify their theological stance. This conflation of Yeshua with God obscures the original apostolic teaching that, while God indwelled Yeshua, Yeshua Himself was not God but the Messiah appointed by God.
This is why John the apostle, attempting to be absolutely clear, made the most absolute statement can be made on this subject: "No one has seen God at any time" (John 1:18 and 1 John 4:12).
This deliberate distortion of Scripture aligns with the Catholic church’s long history of manipulating biblical texts to support their doctrines. By introducing the word "God" into passages where it does not belong, they have created a false narrative that elevates Yeshua to the status of God Himself—something that both Yeshua and His apostles never claimed.
As it is written, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man HaMashiach Yeshua." -1 Timothy 2:5
Read more on Incarnationism here.
Comparison with the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE):
In the NRSV-CE, 2 Peter 1:1 reads:
"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ."
This translation, favored by the Catholic church, continues to propagate a corrupted Greek text that merges the titles of God and Savior as if they refer to Yeshua. This is a clear example of how the Catholic church has relied on these corrupted texts to support their Trinitarian doctrine, despite the fact that this reading is not supported by the original apostolic teachings or the earlier Aramaic Peshitta.
Conclusion:
The Peshitta preserves a more faithful rendering of 2 Peter 1:1, which accurately reflects the original apostolic teaching that Yeshua is both Lord and Redeemer, but not God. The later Greek texts, influenced by the emerging Catholic Church’s Trinitarian agenda, altered this passage to falsely elevate Yeshua to the status of God. We, the Mashiachim, stand firmly by the Peshitta’s reading of this verse, as it upholds the true teachings of Yeshua and His apostles, free from the distortions introduced by later theological developments.