Atriad, in areligious context, refers to a grouping of three gods, usually by importance or similar roles. A triad of gods were usually not considered to be one in the same being, or different aspects of a single deity as in aTrinity orTriple deity.
Triads of three closely associated deities were commonly found throughout the ancient world, and in particular in the religious traditions ofAncient Greece andEgypt.[1]
This part of a 12th-century Swedish tapestry has been interpreted to show, from left to right, the one-eyedOdin, the hammer-wieldingThor andFreyr holding up an ear of corn.[2]
The Fates,Moirai orFuries inGreek and Roman mythology:Clotho orNona the Spinner,Lachesis orDecima the Weaver, andAtropos orMorta the Cutter of the Threads of Life. One's Lifeline was Spun by Clotho, Woven into the tapestry of Life by Lachesis, and the thread Cut by Atropos.
Odin,Freyr, andThor in Norse mythology. Odin is the god of wisdom and knowledge, Freyr is the god of fertility and prosperity, and Thor is the god of thunder and strength.
Jewishorthodoxy emphatically believes in the oneness of an infinite God, This understanding is rooted in the core belief of "Shema" (Hear, O Israel): "The Lord our God, the Lord is one". Yet some have suggested, for various reasons, that this is not the case. They conclude that because the wordsAdonai andElohim are both plural, it must refer to a plurality or compound unity of the Jewish God.[12] However, this assumption is often made from those who have no formal background in Hebrew and ancient Jewish works.
For example, the cited encounter of Abraham in Gen 18 with the three men or angels is often anachronistically used to leverage the Christian dogma of the Trinity.[13][14] Also, the word "Adonai" in the chapter is used to bolster these claims of plurality. However, Jewish scholarship has repeatedly refuted these claims linguistically and doctrinally.[15]
Further, other critics of Judaism attempt to utilize kabbalistic works as proof of Jews hiding the true nature of Judaism. These detractors, often conspiratorial in nature, dissect passages and piece them back together without any connection to the original author’s intent or meaning.[16] WhileKabbalah explores different aspects of God's presence, it does not depict God as a Trinity or Triad. It is true, Kabbalists use the concept of theSefirot, which are ten emanations or aspects of God's presence. However, these are not distinct persons within God or godhead but rather different ways in which God reveals himself to the world (such as, wisdom or love). The claim that Jews are hiding a Trinitarian concept within Kabbalah is based on misunderstandings of both Kabbalah and the Christian Trinity. It is more accurate to say that Jewish and Christian understandings of God's nature are distinct and have different theological implications. This is not a new or recent debate but rather a long standing battle that has a complex history involving Jews, Christians, Muslims and Atheists, each with its own history and motivations. Within Judaism, the concept of God being a Triad or Trinity is not supported but many external opinions are still vigorously debated by others.
