I Am Lord of lords

by Samuel Salameh

In the Bible, God is designated the title “Lord of lords.”1 What does it mean to be the Lord of lords? Could a true interpretation of this seemingly simple phrase uproot the very basis of Western Christian thought? This title is evidence of an ancient understanding lost with time. Presently, Christianity is often regarded as a monotheistic religion. However, that is not the case. Christianity is instead a monolatrous faith tradition.

In order to begin to understand monolatry, we must first disprove misconceptions of the phrase Lord of lords. Within the modern English language, the usage of the word lord has waned. For most, it's not a word commonly heard beyond Biblical context. Within old English, the term lord was often correlated to the terms prince or ruler. Presently, the title Lord of lords is incorrectly understood to mean that God reigns supreme over every other earthly authority, such as a prince. But what about the spiritual authorities of good and evil, Satan, demons, angels, saints, other gods, and even the “armies of heaven.”2 These are infrequently considered. There is a dilemma at hand. To which authority did God intend to reference? Earthly authorities or spiritual authorities? The latter would concede that there are other gods existing beyond merely the Christian God, and for some, that is an issue. Monolatry is the remedy.

The question of redundancy is another issue. In reference to Jesus Christ, the Bible states, “He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of kings And Lord of lords.”3 As seen, the title Lord of lords is found directly succeeding King of kings. Traditionally, the word lord can be equated to master, ruler, monarch, prince, or even king. So, if the term lord can mean king, and the term king can mean lord, then, if not out of redundant emphasis, what is the reason for including both the title King of kings and Lord of lords in the same line? These titles portray two distinct lenses and are not an instance of superfluous redundancy, as seen in other portions of scripture. King of kings caters to the humanity of Christ, whereas Lord of lords caters to the divinity of Christ.

Knowing that Jesus Christ is fully human, we can begin to understand how King of kings is employed to represent the humanity of Christ. The title king of kings is only ever contextually applied to reference worldly kings who use the phrase to express their absolute sovereignty over surrounding nations. The Book of Daniel depicts King Nebuchadnezzar as “a king of kings.”4 Keenly note the capitalization and article. Instead of being the King of kings, King Nebuchadnezzar is merely a king of kings. This emphasizes the human-like implication of the title king of kings, seen many times throughout the Old Testament. While others are ascribed the title a king of kings, only Jesus Christ is ascribed the title the King of kings–implying his absolute dominion over the human realm.

1 Revelation 19:16, The Orthodox Study Bible. Thomas Nelson, 2008.

On the other hand, Lord of lords is intended to represent the divinity of Christ and His supremacy over the divine realm. Unlike King of kings, where the root title king of kings is attributed to humans, the title Lord of lords is only ever attributed to Jesus Christ Himself. In reserving this powerful title, Biblical authors ascribe all glory to Christ, distinguishing Him as uniquely divine. Similarly, Jesus Christ, who is understood as one with God, is attributed the additional title “God of gods.”5 Both Lord of lords and God of gods draw on the divine nature of Christ and God. These two titles are interchangeable, and it is important first to discuss how the name Lord arose as a substitution for the name God.

The Hebrew name of God in the Old Testament is YHWH. Ancient translators, writers, and recorders of Old Testament texts followed a Jewish practice that “developed sometime after 500 BC,” which was to neither pronounce nor write the divine name YHWH out of reverence for the great sacredness of the name.6 After the Yahwists7 “became fearful of uttering the personal name of God,” Adonai became the substitute in “the spoken language.”8 Adonai is a Hebrew word that means “to judge.”9 In the Septuagint,10 however, the Greek word Kurios or Kyrios is used in place of the Hebrew Adonai.11Kyrios is then translated into English to mean both Lord and lord, depending on the scriptural context. Given this etymology, it is evident that the divine name of God (YHWH) has been replaced with Lord throughout history.

On these grounds, Lord can be equated to mean God. As provided in Revelation 19:16, Lord of lords can thus be interchangeably referred to as God of gods. To the contemporary mind, the latter elicits a different image than the former. Lord of lords produces the human-like image of rulers above rulers. Whereas God of gods produces the intended image of God above all other divine beings (gods). This is an issue for the Christian monotheist.

Monotheism, as a term, refers to the “belief that there is only one God.”12 Polytheism describes a religious

5 Deuteronomy 10:17, Psalm 49:1, Psalm 83:8, Psalm 135:2, Daniel 2:46, Daniel 3:90

6 Pike, Dana M.. “The Name and Titles of God in the Old Testament.” (2010)., 19

7 Regarded as those who worship Yahweh

8 Stacy, Robert D. “OLD TESTAMENT NAMES FOR GOD.” pp. 126–135., 13

9 Paul Heinisch, Theology of the Old Testament, trans. William Heidt (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1950), 50

10 The Septuagint is a version of the Old Testament translated into ancient Greek

11 H. Wheeler Robinson, “The Characteristic Doctrines,” Record and Revelation Essays on the Old Testament by members of the Society for Old Testament Study, ed. H. Wheeler Robinson (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1938), 322

12 De Young, The V. Rev. Dr. Stephen. “Biblical Monotheism.” The Whole Counsel of God Blog, Ancient Faith Ministries, 28 Feb. 2019, https://blogs. ancientfaith.com/wholecounsel/2019/02/28/biblical-monotheism/ tradition “in which there are many gods and goddesses who are the object of worship and devotion.”13 An infrequently discussed theism is monolatry. A monolatrous religious tradition worships and serves only one God out of all gods that are believed to exist.

As seen, the testimony of scripture cannot be confined to the categories of monotheism or polytheism. Both God and gods can exist without destroying the very theological framework on which New Testament Christianity is grounded. Monolatry professes that a god is simply a spiritual being, a divine entity residing in the immaterial world. As seen, the word god or lord is used in reference to all kinds of divine beings. The key difference is that not all gods are equal. For Christians, there is only one god that is worshipped–the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one true God, existing in three divine persons. He is the creator of all things, including the other gods. Meaning all other divine beings are subject to the uncreated God, who eternally transcends both time and space. God holds all authority, power, and dominion over His entire creation. The authority which an auxiliary god might possess originates from God.

Who are the other gods? They are regarded as fallen angels, fallen, meaning willfully severed from the Creator. These divine beings can be revered as gods and worshipped, yet that does not make them worthy of such worship. According to the Christian perspective, worship of alternate gods is defiance of the one true God. The benevolent spiritual powers who are loyal to the one true God refuse the worship of human beings. The wicked spiritual powers seek to be worshipped instead of God. An alternate god demanding worship from humanity resides with evil. Those beings who reside in Christ strive not for the glory of oneself but of Him. Indeed this is also true of humanity. Just as humanity has the freedom to pursue God, so does minor divinity.

Monolatry broadens the Christian understanding of the spiritual realm. It answers some of the most disputed questions. Can monolatry not solve the everlasting debate of which god truly exists? Maybe all gods of all world religions do exist. That's it! Maybe, just maybe, this understanding of Christianity can suggest that religious coexistence is not only possible but the ever-present spiritual reality. “For even if there are socalled gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us, there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”14