the name of G-d

[Soapy]

To think that gods name should not be used is rediculous. Jewish superstition took the name out of the bible for many years. The entire theme of the bible is the vindication of Gods name Jehovah. Its a theme that starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation.

Yes, it was superstition that stopped God’s name being used BUT remember that God had says that no one should bring His name into disrepute… and that is absolutely right!!!!!

If the absolute authority (God) is made into a laughing stock; if God’s name is used for disreputable purposes, then this GOD IS NOT GOD!!! But He is God, almighty God.

Read what King Ahazereus said about an edict written IN HIS NAME by the treacherous Haman…. The kings word is sacrosanct … and even though the king came to learn that the edict was falsely made, it carries his NAME as the author… and IT CANNOT BE SEEN TO BE BROUGHT INTO DISREPUTE (… Re: Pontius Pilate, “What I have written I have written”!!)

So, as a Jew, you cannot be seen to be swearing an oath, for instance, IN THE NAME OF GOD, and then defaulting on that oath: it makes God’s name worthless…

• ‘And a [God] in his position cannot be made to look ridiculous!’ (Paraphrase from a character in ‘The Godfather’ movie)

 

[Soapy]

name Jehovah appears beginning in the 11th century...how can a 11th century name be in a document dating back, traditionally, 3500 years? (not counting the gospels)

JEHOVAH - JewishEncyclopedia.com
some catholic took the vowels in Adonai and put them in between the YHVH, and since all the Y sounds are J's in the German language you get JaHoVaH=Jehovah

The transliteration of YHWH (or whatever) to ‘Jehovah’, ‘Yahweh’, or similar, DOESN'T MATTER!!! How is ‘Jesus’ pronounced? It isn’t even ‘J-E-S-U-S’… it is JOSHUA and actually, ‘YESHUA’ (anglicised!!) because ‘Jesus’, or even ‘Iosous’ (since there was no letter ‘J’ in former language!)
What matters is that a name is used - in whatever form - with genuine respect and reverence. And different LANGUAGES use different pronunciation of vowels and consonants and enunciation (Jeysuus… Jee-sus… Je-Sus) should we not pronounce the name of the son of God because different nations and people pronounce it differently?

 

[shunyadragon]

Wrong. Gods name is, "I Am".

"I am" is a descriptive identity. God has no name.

 

[freelight]

i have attended a private jewish school for most of my life, and i do not understand why people (mainly christian, not to generalize) say that G-d's hebrew name is "yahew" or "jaweh". first of, the holy name of G-d should never be pronounced, even in the name of education, secondly the letters yud hay vuv hay sound nothing like "yahew"... please clear this up... also are we not to use G-d's name in vain? guess wondering.

'God' as beyond 'name' and the Source of all 'names' -


As touched on earlier,....'God' while being 'named' by various persons or even proposed statements by said 'God', is still an entity or reality beyond 'name' or 'form', if we entertain a true notion of pure Deity, who is timeless and infinite. Real 'God' is prior to any conception whatsoever, incorporeal, formless, prior to and transcending creation, but the origin of all forms and names, so.....'God' is not only beyond 'name', but can have an endless variety of 'names' attributed to Him/Her/IT.

Absolute Reality as pure Deity, so attributed, just IS......even prior to personality,...but is the source of all personality and personalities in the cosmos.....the First Source and Center of all things and beings (to use a descriptive term from the Urantia Book). So this 'God' would truly be the Father of fathers, the Universal Father of all.

The 'tetragrammaton' (Y-H-W-H, Ahayah, Ehyeh) is most wonderful anyhow, while 'God' is the source of all occult/esoteric truth, the Original Realityfrom which all realities spring......all comes from that Infinite ONE and returns to that infinite ONE because that ONE is All there IS, there is no outside of infinity, which is an eternal unity of endless space-time-potentials and possibilities. ( I WAS, I AM, I WILL BE ). God is One, God is All. - my view here on Deity is pretty 'meta-theistic' and 'theosophical'. One Universal Power and Presence IS, slice and divide IT as you please, and call 'IT' whatever you like, ...also relate to IT in whatever way you like, however unified or differentiated,....its still The ONE undifferentiated and differentiated that comprises and encompasses ALL. (Unity/Multiplicity).

In this context, 'God' has no 'name', so cannot be truly 'pronounced' perfectly or ultimately (because 'God' is forever evolving, configuring himself, expanding his LOGOS), but the divine mystery or Presence can be recognized and worshipped as the Infinite Spirit, Prime Source Creator/Creation that pervades all and is all. (hence those who value 'God' will worship in spirit and in reality for reality envalues and recognizes itself as the source of all meanings of all purpose and fulfillment in the cosmos). The reverence bestowed on 'God' is the fact of his mystery or unknowability from which all truth and knowledge has its origin, THE ONE LIFE. Its the very truth of Gods unity-infinity of BEING that constitutes his holiness and majesty! - the unnamable and unknowable one. The Identy of Deity is universal and individually infinite as the "I" of all sentient beings since that 'light' is the fractal of 'God' in all souls, whereby knowing is available. One ABSOLUTE. - all else is relative as language distorts and interprets this or that. So 'I AM' is the Self recognizing itself as Being, while that 'I AM' also includes the knowing of all past, present and future states within consciousness forever! - The "I" of 'God' includes all space, all time.

To honor 'God' is to surrender to divine Mystery, the Unknown Itself....the zero-point of NO-THING, which is the womb and creator of every-thing. So, this spirit of awe and worship towards the Living Father-Mother-God is the hallowing of God's NAME, the IDENTITY of 'God' himself in all space, time, eternity.....the recognition of Omnipresence!... 'God' re-cognizing and re-configuring Himself thru every individual point of view and evolving point in space-time...in the play of CREATION.

While enjoying research on the names of 'God',.....they all point back to human conceptions of 'God', or assumed propositions spoken by 'God' himself, but still thru human vessels and language, so fashioned thereby. All images, forms or names of 'God' will be 'cryptic'. Consider a 'mirror' reflecting back to itself myriad forms and appearances. WHO is observing, articulating and interpreting it all, but 'God' himself? There is only one consciousness that contains and pertains to all that exists in all space, all time. All individual viewpoints and mirrors exist in the infinity of God, and continue to reflect the logos of 'God'. - thats all thats going on, - we are co-creators with-in 'God' himself, all that is and all that ever will be, since the mirrors arising in 'God' can never seperate from their Source.




~*~*~

 

[shunyadragon]

i have attended a private jewish school for most of my life, and i do not understand why people (mainly christian, not to generalize) say that G-d's hebrew name is "yahew" or "jaweh". first of, the holy name of G-d should never be pronounced, even in the name of education, secondly the letters yud hay vuv hay sound nothing like "yahew"... please clear this up... also are we not to use G-d's name in vain? guess wondering.

The belief in no name or names of God are a part of the many diverse beliefs over the millennia. Judaism's beliefs evolved as a Canaanite tribe polytheism and a hierarchy of Gods including YAWR and Asherah There is evidence that the God YHWH is an older Canaanite God of metallurgy adopted by the Hebrews. It was not until after the Pentateuch was compiled after 600 BCE that Monotheism became the prevalent belief in Judaism, and the concept of the unnamable God developed.

 

[shunyadragon]

name Jehovah appears beginning in the 11th century...how can a 11th century name be in a document dating back, traditionally, 3500 years? (not counting the gospels)

JEHOVAH - JewishEncyclopedia.com
some catholic took the vowels in Adonai and put them in between the YHVH, and since all the Y sounds are J's in the German language you get JaHoVaH=Jehovah

Archaeological evidence demonstrates the YHWH evolved from a Canaanite polytheistic culture that included Asherah the consort of YHWH. Older Canaanite references indicate that YHWH was an older Canaanite God of metallurgy.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Archaeological evidence demonstrates the YHWH evolved from a Canaanite polytheistic culture that included Asherah the consort of YHWH. Older Canaanite references indicate that YHWH was an older Canaanite God of metallurgy.

You're responding to a 2005 post.

 

[shunyadragon]

You're responding to a 2005 post.

It does not change the ongoing issues in this thread to quote the initial thread to clarify the factual issues of the thread.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

An interesting take on YHWH was offered in

YHWH: The Original Arabic Meaning of the Name​

 

[shunyadragon]

An interesting take on YHWH was offered in

YHWH: The Original Arabic Meaning of the Name​

The use of the word YHWH for a God was in use in Canaanite religion long before the Arabic and Hebrew language existed,

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

The use of the word YHWH for a God was in use in Canaanite religion long before the Arabic and Hebrew language existed

A couple of questions ...

1. Did you read the article?
2. Can you point to the first textual evidence of the Tetragrammaton?

 

[freelight]

An interesting take on YHWH was offered in

YHWH: The Original Arabic Meaning of the Name​

Yes interesting,.....so yahweh may just be another 'jealous' god among a pantheon, a passionate & loving one, MAINLY to his devotees only, and in this sense some early israelites where henotheistic, since gods/goddesses abound in ancient cultures - In any case the broader more universal sense of the tetragrammaton and its derivatives can still be applied to that universal God-Source that is the existential substratum for all potentials and possibilities, if we consider YHWH is a 'name' for the Most High God or Universal Deity (Father-Mother of all), - its that more ontological/metaphysical purview I enjoy exploring as touched on in my former commentary. While particulars are discussed, I like to take things in their universal perspective/context as well....if indeed 'God' proper is that prime-source-creator of all things and beings, assuming there is one absolute reality we can call 'God' whose one essence may take on any number of names or forms.

Jews may have no monopoly on 'God', but their scripture and other traditions give us insights into God's nature and identity. We can see the "I AM" (pure awareness state) within our own consciousness as a matter of self-existence and cognition....that 'god-fragment' within us that is pure light, as well as the greater universal 'I AM' PRESENCE that pervades the whole of creation, that Infinite Intelligence that is informing all. Again taking things to their ontological/metaphysical roots.

As far as 'Allah' being a name for 'God', that could be fun to explore too (Allah vs. Yahweh, root word similarities/differences), as the 'holy name' movements within judeo-christian cults today battle it out over the correct spelling and pronounciation of the tetragrammaton (fun stuff!) - as if every jot and tittle needed the most precise rendering to know 'God', if not mere semantics anyways. (as we touched on earlier, 'God' is beyond 'names', but any can be applied to varying degrees of success) - I find the simple 'ehyeh' or 'ahayah' sufficient as denotiong 'BEING' and its intrinsic potential for 'BECOMING' whatever it wills TO BE.....as the base meaning of 'God' anyways, in his existential and creative modes of being; - these are in turn expressed in MAN, who is an individual expression of the same MIND, since after all.....from a monist perspective, all derives and consists within ONE primal reality anyways, one substance with many forms. In this sense we are co-creators with universal consciousness in all the actuals and potentials of existence as we know it.

~*~*~

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Yes interesting,.....so yahweh may just be another 'jealous' god among a pantheon, ...

And your's may just be another disparaging post.

and in this sense some early israelites where henotheistic, ...

So what? BTW, to the extent that suggestions of a nomadic tradition are relevant, I would think that monolatry would be more likely.

 

[Soapy]

It does not change the ongoing issues in this thread to quote the initial thread to clarify the factual issues of the thread.

Correct.

 

[shunyadragon]

And your's may just be another disparaging post.


So what? BTW, to the extent that suggestions of a nomadic tradition are relevant, I would think that monolatry would be more likely.

By the archaeological evidence monolatry is a later development with monotheism. It would be true, in the early history the tribal rivalry over my Gods versus your Gods is the case, The other evidence is the evolution of the Hebrews as a Canaanite Tribe.

The archaeological evidence that Asherah was a consort Goddess of YHWH among the Hebrews of Judah. Also the evidence of the God YHWH as God of metallurgy. Also even in the Pentateuch the earlier references to the Canaanite/Ugarit Gods

The known texts found in the Canaanite/Ugarit libraries are all we have concerning the origin of the Pentateuch compiled and edited from older Sumerian, Babylonian, Canaanite/Ugarit texts. We have no known text or archaeological references to Monotheism before 600 BCE.


,

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

The archaeological evidence that Asherah was a consort Goddess of YHWH among the Hebrews of Judah.

If your archaeological evidence is limited to pithos A from Kuntillet 'Ajrud, you are overstating your case (whatever that case might be).

 

[Soapy]

This argument is poor. We know how to pronouce other names that were written in Hebrew. They all follow the same rules as YHWH. Jehovah is simply the english translation of Gods name.

The reason is that the Catholics simply followed the Jewish myth that the name of God must not be uttered.

God did not say that His name must not be uttered… He said we must not BLASPHEME His name; must not USE IT IN VAIN.

God’s name must always be used in REVERENCE… and it’s IRREVERENT to NOT use it at all. One reason why the Catholics (and hence, TRINITARIANS, won’t use it IS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY ARE BLASPHEMING every time they claim that Jesus is God!!!

 

[RestlessSoul]

Whenever you place a label, or name, on anything at all, you necessarily limit your understanding of that thing.

 

[Niatero]

God did not say that His name must not be uttered… He said we must not BLASPHEME His name; must not USE IT IN VAIN.

One way to be sure not to blaspheme it or use it in vain is to never use it. Just sayin'.

 

[Soapy]

"I am" is a descriptive identity. God has no name.

God has a name that he gave to Moses, and thereafter was known by. The name the one true God of the Israelites gave for himself was ‘YHWH’ (in Hebrew) which carries THE MEANING (description, if you like) of ‘I am [He that changeth not]… [The constant one]’.

The name, YHWH, indicates that the owner of it is IMMUTABLE…. IMMORTAL … “Has been, is, and always will be”… who He is.

One name for one immortal being… a personal identifier. No one else of immortality has this name since there can only be one GOD of immutability (in Jewish / Christian / Muslim belief).

Trinity people claim that their God has many names… they say this so they can claim that the Man, Jesus Christ, is also the one true God despite no one ever calling him ‘YHWH’. Get rid of the name, YHWH, and use the many TITLES which apply to ANYONE in certain positions of authority… E.g. “Lord”:

• ‘Lord, if you had been here Lazarus would not have died!’

Did the speaker really think he was speaking to almighty God (YHWH)… or just calling Jesus like, “Sir” or ‘Master’?