God the Father

===Overview===
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 001.png|thumb|An image of God the Father by [[Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld|Julius Schnorr]], 1860]]
In much of modern Christianity, God is addressed as the Father, in part because of his active interest in human affairs on the earth, in the way that a father would take an interest in his children who are dependent on him and as a father, he will respond to humanity, his children, acting in their best interests.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Bartolo-Abela, M.|title=The Divine Heart of God the Father|date=2012|isbn=978-0983715290|pages=108|edition=2nd}}</ref><ref name=MillerX>John W. Miller, ''Calling God "Father"'' (November 1999) {{ISBN|0809138972}} pages x–xii</ref><ref name=Eck15>Diana L. Eck (2003) ''Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras'' {{ISBN|0807073024}} p. 98</ref><ref name=Barth15>Karl Barth, ''Church Dogmatics, Vol. 2.1, Section 31: The Doctrine of God'' (23 September 2010) {{ISBN|0567012859}} pp. 15–17</ref> Many believe they can communicate with God and come closer to him through [[prayer]] – a key element of achieving communion with God.<ref>{{cite book|title=Devotion to the Divine Heart of God the Father|date=2012|isbn=978-0-9837152-8-3|pages=148|edition=3rd}}</ref><ref>Floyd H. Barackman, 2002 ''Practical Christian Theology'' {{ISBN|0-8254-2380-5}} p. 117</ref><ref>John W. Miller, ''Calling God "Father"'' (November 1999) {{ISBN|0809138972}} p. 51</ref><ref>Karl Barth, ''Church Dogmatics, Vol. 2.1, Section 31: The Doctrine of God''  (23 September 2010) {{ISBN|0567012859}} pp. 73–74</ref>

In general, the title ''Father'' (capitalized) signifies God's role as the life-giver, the [[authority]], and powerful protector, often viewed as immense, [[omnipotent]], [[omniscient]], [[omnipresent]] with infinite power and [[charity (virtue)|charity]] that goes beyond human understanding.<ref>Lawrence Kimbrough, 2006 ''Contemplating God the Father'' B&H Publishing {{ISBN|0805440836}} p. 3</ref> For instance, after completing his monumental work ''[[Summa Theologica]]'', Catholic St. [[Thomas Aquinas]] concluded that he had not yet begun to understand 'God the Father'.<ref>Thomas W. Petrisko, 2001 ''The Kingdom of Our Father'' St. Andrew's Press {{ISBN|1891903187}} p. 8</ref> 

Although the term "Father" implies [[Gender of God|masculine characteristics]], God is usually defined as having the form of a spirit without any human biological gender, e.g. the [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]] No. 239 specifically states that "''God is neither man nor woman: he is God''".<ref>David Bordwell, 2002, ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', Continuum International Publishing {{ISBN|978-0860123248}} p. 84</ref><ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P17.HTM Catechism at the Vatican website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303003725/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P17.HTM |date=3 March 2013 }}</ref> Although God is never directly addressed as "Mother", at times motherly attributes may be interpreted in [[Old Testament]] references such as a hymn of praise 
{{Bibleref2|Isa|42:14}}, {{Bibleref2|Isa|49:14–15}} or {{Bibleref2|Isa|66:12–13}}.<ref>John W. Miller, ''Calling God "Father": Essays on the Bible, Fatherhood and Culture'' (November 1999) {{ISBN|0809138972}} pp. 50–51</ref>
{{Christianity|state=collapsed}}

In the [[New Testament]], the Christian concept of God the Father may be seen as a continuation of the Jewish concept, but with specific additions and changes, which over time made the Christian concept become even more distinct by the start of the [[Middle Ages]].<ref name=North111>Wendy North and Loren T. Stuckenbruck, ''Early Jewish and Christian Monotheism'' (27 May 2004) {{ISBN|0567082938}} pp. 111–112</ref><ref name=LarryH96>Larry W. Hurtado, ''One God, One Lord: Early Christian Devotion and Ancient Jewish Monotheism'' (25 October 2003) {{ISBN missing}} pp. 96–100</ref><ref name=Q72 /> The conformity to the Old Testament concepts is shown in [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#4:10|Matthew 4:10]] and [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#4:8|Luke 4:8]] where in [[Temptation of Christ|response to temptation]] Jesus quotes [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Deuteronomy#6|Deuteronomy 6:13]] and states: "It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve."<ref name=North111 /> [[s:Bible (American Standard)/1 Corinthians#8|1 Corinthians 8:6]] shows the distinct Christian teaching about the ''agency of Christ'' by first stating: "there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him" and immediately continuing with "and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him."<ref name=LarryH96 /> This passage clearly acknowledges the Jewish teachings on the uniqueness of God, yet also states the role of Jesus as an agent in creation.<ref name=LarryH96 /> Over time, the [[Christian doctrine]] began to fully diverge from Judaism through the teachings of the [[Church Fathers]] in the second century and by the fourth century belief in the [[Holy Trinity|Trinity]] was formalized.<ref name=LarryH96 /><ref name=Q72>Thomas D. McGonigle and James F. Quigley, ''A History of the Christian Tradition, Vol. I'' (September 1988) {{ISBN|0809129647}} pp. 72–75, 90</ref>
According to Mary Rose D'Angelo and James Barr, the Aramaic term ''[[Ab (Semitic)#Christendom|Abba]]'' was in the early times of the New Testament neither markedly a [[term of endearment]],<ref name=JB>James Barr, "Abba isn't 'daddy'", ''Journal of Theological Studies'', 39:28–47.</ref><ref name=aram>{{cite web|url=http://aramaicdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/06/abba-isnt-daddy-traditional-aramaic.html|title=The Aramaic Blog: Abba Isn't Daddy – The Traditional Aramaic Father's Day Discussion|website=aramaicdesigns.blogspot.com}}</ref><ref name=MRDA>Mary Rose D'Angelo, "Abba and 'Father': Imperial Theology and the Jesus Traditions", ''Journal of Biblical Literature'', Vol. 111, No. 4 (Winter, 1992), pp. 615–616</ref> nor a formal word; but the word normally used by sons and daughters, throughout their lives, in the family context.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bauckham|first1=Richard|title=Jesus|date=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199575275|page=65}}</ref>