Elohimאֱלֹהִים
  1. בa house
  2. רa head
  3. אthe Son
  4. שfire
  5. יa hand
  6. תa cross

Bereshit, “in the beginning,” the first word of the Bible. Letter after letter, one can read a house, a head, the Son, fire, a hand… and a cross.

Cover of the book The Origin and Purpose of the Elohim, by Rev. Léopold Mandeng

The Origin and Purpose of theElohim

From the Aleph to the Revelation of the Sons of God

Rev. Léopold Mandeng

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Full-color illustrated paperback, 239 pages, and Kindle edition.

“In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth.”Genesis 1:1

A plural in the first verse

We have read this verse since childhood without noticing how strange it is: Elohim is a plural, and the verb is singular. The rabbis saw it. The Church Fathers saw it. Our translations have erased it.

This book opens the Hebrew text, word by word and letter by letter, and asks the question no one dares to ask anymore: who are the Elohim, where do they come from, and why did God want sons?

It can be read on two levels. The main text is written for every Christian reader: each Hebrew or Greek word is translated and explained. The “Going Deeper” boxes give pastors, teachers and students the grammar, the ancient sources and the scholarly debates. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.

What you will discover

  • Why the first word of the Bible can be read as a scene from Calvary.
  • Who the “sons of God” were who shouted for joy at the founding of the earth, and why they are not angels.
  • What the Book of Enoch, quoted by the Epistle of Jude, reveals about the watchers who came down on Mount Hermon.
  • Why the cherub covered with precious stones refused to serve man.
  • The day God judged the gods of the nations, in Psalm 82.
  • How the cross spoiled principalities and powers.
  • Why so many men and women suffer without knowing who they are, and what “the manifestation of the sons of God” means.

The plates of the book

Nine full-page illustrations accompany the book, each with the verse that sheds light on it. Scroll to see them.

The Spirit of God over the primordial waters
The Spirit upon the watersGenesis 1:2
The Son comes out of the house of light and looks at a parched field
The Son of the Aleph before the fieldMatthew 13:38
The sons of God, beings of light, surround the earth as it is formed
The sons of God as buildersJob 38:4, 7
The angels bow before the man of earth; the cherub covered with stones refuses
The refusal of the cherubEzekiel 28:17
The watchers come down from heaven and gather on Mount Hermon
The watchers on HermonJude 6
The cross in the light, the powers of darkness fleeing
The cross and the powersColossians 2:15
A ripe field under rain and light
The ripe fieldJohn 4:35
Joseph, dressed as an Egyptian, makes himself known to his brothers
Joseph makes himself knownGenesis 45:4
A multitude in white before a city of light
The revelation of the sons of GodRomans 8:19

Contents

Foreword

What I saw before I wrote

In the beginning, the cross

  1. In the Beginning, Elohim: the mystery of the plural
  2. Calvary in the first verse
  3. The Elohim, craftsmen of the heavens and the earth

Who are the Elohim?

  1. The name that changes
  2. The watchers
  3. The assembly of the gods
  4. The day God judged the gods

Origin and purpose

  1. The origin of the Elohim
  2. The purpose of the Elohim
  3. The dry tree

From the cross to the glory

  1. The cross and the powers
  2. The revelation of the sons of God

Conclusion and appendices

From the builders of the beginning to the revealed sons. Hebrew alphabet, glossary, index of Bible passages, bibliography.

Read chapter 1 free

“In the Beginning, Elohim: The Mystery of the Plural.” The first chapter opens Genesis 1:1 word by word and asks the three questions the book answers. Receive it as a PDF, exactly as it is printed.

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Portrait of Rev. Léopold Mandeng

Rev. Léopold Mandeng

Holding a master’s degree in theology (practical theology), the Reverend Léopold Mandeng devoted his thesis to music therapy as a tool for post-traumatic care. A pastor, man of letters and humanities scholar, he also teaches classical music (pianoforte, music theory, flute).

A Cameroonian entrepreneur based in Yaoundé, he is the founder and CEO of La Méthode Intégrale, a digital marketing and artificial intelligence company. His quest to understand the Word of God led him to explore the meaning of the Elohim and of the sons of God in the biblical narrative. This book opens a series of in-depth reflections on eschatology.

“I do not ask the reader to believe my experiences; I ask him to open Scripture with me.”

Articles

Who are the Elohim?

A plural noun, a singular verb: what Genesis 1:1 really says, and what Scripture calls elohim.

The Book of Enoch and the watchers of Hermon

Genesis 6, the oath of the two hundred, and why Jude and Peter still speak of it.

Psalm 82: the day God judged the gods

Eight verses, a heavenly trial, and a sentence Jesus took up: “Ye are gods.”

Coming soon

Book 2
The investigation continues, beyond what the first book could say.
The Son of Alpha
An animated film inspired by the book, for children and families.
In French
The original edition, L’origine et la raison d’être des Elohim, is already available.

Keep me posted

Contact

A question about the book, a bulk order for your church or bookshop, an invitation to present the book or to preach? Write to the author directly.

WhatsApp Cameroon WhatsApp UK / Europe contact@elohims.online