In the henotheistic framework of Second Temple Judaism, the statement that “the LORD our God is a great God, a great King above all gods” does not require metaphysical exclusivity. The Hebrew text emphasizes YHWH’s supremacy without denying the existence or authority of other divine beings. YHWH is described as a great God and a great King, asserting his superiority among the gods while leaving room for other high-ranking figures to exist. Within this context, the exalted “lord” in Psalm 110, who is seated at YHWH’s right hand, can be understood as a second royal figure, sharing in the divine throne while remaining subordinate to the supreme God. This does not violate the henotheistic pattern, which allows multiple exalted figures to exercise authority, co-rule, and even share kingship over the divine council, provided that one remains ontologically primary. The exalted lord is thus a great king above all gods in his own right, yet his authority is derived from and oriented toward YHWH.
This binitarian structure is precisely reflected in the earliest Christian proclamation. Paul speaks of Christ as reigning at the right hand of God, exercising cosmic authority, and ultimately subjecting himself to God. Hebrews portrays Christ enthroned at God’s right hand, commanding angelic homage, while Revelation depicts both the throne of God and the throne of the Lamb, illustrating a shared sovereignty. In this schema, one divine figure is supreme, while the second is exalted to a throne that is subordinate but still over all other divine powers. This reading harmonizes with the original gospel faith, in which both YHWH and the exalted lord are “great kings above all gods,” yet the first retains primacy and the second functions in willing subordination.
Later developments in rabbinic Judaism and Trinitarian Christianity reconfigure this earlier flexibility. Rabbinic authorities declare the “Two Powers in Heaven” heresy and insist on a strictly singular divine throne, while Nicene theology affirms the Son as co-equal with the Father, eliminating the voluntary subordination and two-throne cosmology implicit in the earliest Christian henotheistic worldview. Despite these later changes, the henotheistic framework of the Second Temple period allows the understanding that YHWH is the great King above all gods, while the exalted lord can sit at his right hand, also recognized as a great king above all gods, participating in cosmic authority under YHWH’s primacy. This provides a coherent reading of the original gospel confession, preserving the notion of shared, hierarchical kingship within a cosmos populated by divine beings.
Worded by AI, as prompted by Stephen D Green
