Number is an interesting thing. In mathematics it is the structure that we apply to the idea of quantity, making it sit in nice neat rows. In linguistics, it’s a grammatical feature in which words mutate depending on how many (of whatever) they or another word relate to. We have our system of ‘arabic’ numerals, more properly known as hindu-arabic numerals (represented using different symbols in different scripts, but sharing the essential system of placed number and associated marks to denote decimal fractions and so on). We count things almost obsessively, at times, with national censuses (for good reason), stock takes (also good reason), or “notches on the belt” (or bedpost, both for less good reason, in my opinion).

But we also have the question of number in relation to the divine (or divinities). Is there just one God, or several gods - or as in some theologies, sort-of-both-at-once? One of the Hebrew names for God, Elohim, has the grammatical form (and sometimes role) of a plural, but is considered semantically singular when used to refer to the Hebrew God (it is also apparently used to refer to plural gods in other pantheons, confusingly). So, for those of us for whom ‘the Divine’ is a nebulous, wilfully or reluctantly undefined thing, what is its number?

For me, it is in some ways the reverse of the Hebrew Elohim , but not exactly. It is a singular word, and I treat it entirely grammatically as a singular, and yet that singular something that I refer to may or may not be singular in essence. Sometimes I think of the Divine as a collection of entities – when I consider it as a collection of archetypes, it is certainly many, and when I consider it the gestalt of the divine essence in each of us it is one-and-many at the same time.

So, when I speak of the Divine, do not be fooled into thinking it means I conceive of it as a definitely singular entity. Maybe it is, or maybe it isn’t – or more true to the way I experience it, it is both singular and plural at the same time. Just there’s no easy way to do that grammatically, at least in English, so I go with singular by default. To me, the Divine is many and not many, but if I try to make that clear every time I refer to it, it would be confusing and lead to excessive verbosity. As I tend to excessive verbosity anyway, it’s best that I not do anything to exacerbate it.

Within the limits of language and practicality, it’s the best I can do.

Written July 2019