THE DIVINE COUNCIL OF YAHWEH

the ultimate source of the sanctus, that is, the earliest document in which it is recorded, is the book of the prophet Isaiah, whose prophecies are generally dated c. 742–700 BCE. Here it is usually referred to as the trisagion. It occurs on the lips of creatures called seraphim in a vision in which the prophet sees Yahweh on his throne. However, this vision must be seen in the wider context of the Old Testament conception of a Divine Council attending Yahweh.

In an important article entitled ‘The Council of Yahweh’, H. Wheeler Robinson drew attention to the fact that when Jeremiah asked

the word for council, sôd, is not a figurative or poetic expression, but reflects a real belief in a divine assembly presided over by Yahweh. There is a large amount of evidence in the Old Testament for the heavenly assembly or council, presided over by Yahweh, and composed of divine attendants, heralds and administrators. The Old Testament itself contains no uniform or systematic account of these celestial beings, but the different books yield what must have been a commonly believed, albeit diverse, angelology.

In Psalm 82:1 we read:

This psalm pictures a courtroom scene in which God, as head of the council, has indicted some beings called 'elohîm for violating the law.