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    BIBLE STUDIES

    144 Names of God

    144 Names of God in the Hebrew Bible: A Journey to the Center of GodSpeak in Ancient Israel


    http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com/ancient_hebrew_poetry/2007/09/144...

    The Hebrew alphabet contains 22 letters. A number of ancient Hebrew poems have an acrostic structure. The first line or set of lines of the poem begins with an alef, the second with a bet, the third with a gimel, and so on.

    This section of the 144 names has an acrostic structure. The opening section of the list is introduced here. The series itself is introduced here.

    Descriptive phrases for God are numerous and varied in the Hebrew Bible. It is possible to organize a subset of them in an acrostic pattern. A tight thematic unity is not attainable, but the associations that “fall out” in the process are nevertheless food for thought.

    The list of names I offer is designed for memorization. Why would anyone want to memorize a text of any length? Isn’t “learning by rote” passé?

    I suppose that’s true. The first time I was asked to memorize a text of any length was for a class on Homer’s Iliad at the UW-Madison. Students were required to memorize the epic poem’s first 100 lines and recite it in class. I learned a lot of Greek and even a little prosody in the process. Ever since I’ve been convinced that committing extended text to memory is an excellent way to get a language into one’s bones.

    I was not asked to memorize extended text through grade school, middle school, and high school. In college the request was rare. It is as if a whole method of learning and knowing has been banned.

    Are music and drama students in a class by themselves, a different subspecies of the human race? They learn long things by heart. Why can’t the rest of us?

    Here are 22 names of God organized acrostically, with a scriptural preface. The text with vowels along with comment will be provided in an upcoming post.

    If you can read the unvocalized text correctly and without difficulty, you have a strong working knowledge of ancient Hebrew. If you cannot, but you would like to be able to, stay with me. By committing these names to memory, you will take a giant step in the direction of being able to read the Hebrew of the Bible without the aid of vowels and without consulting a dictionary and a grammar at every turn.

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    Saving a treasured trove, ever so slowly

    Ancient manuscripts from Mt. Sinai move into the digital age with the help of a Bedouin camel driver's son.

    By Suzanne Muchnic, Times Staff Writer
    February 5, 2007

    SINAI, EGYPT — On a refreshingly cool morning, before the sun drenches every exposed grain of sand in this vast desert, Hemeid Sobhy sets out on foot from the Bedouin village where he lives with his parents and sisters. Neatly dressed in jeans, sport shirt and sturdy sandals, he walks 40 minutes to the Holy Monastery of St. Catherine.

    He passes through a narrow door in the monastery's thick walls and makes his way past an ancient church and a warren of buildings, clustered along winding pathways. A stairway takes him to the third floor of a relatively modern structure along the monastery's south wall, where he enters the library, greets a monk in a long black robe and gets to work.

    His office is an 8-foot-square, 8-foot-tall tent of clear plastic sheeting stretched over a metal frame. A filtering system keeps the air free from dust. Erected in a small room at the end of the cavernous library, the tent is equipped with a computer, a large-format digital camera, two flash units on tripods and a metal cradle designed to hold fragile manuscripts safely in place while they are photographed.

    The setup could hardly seem more out of place at the oldest continuously operating monastery in Christendom. But St. Catherine's is entering the Age of Technology — with the help of Father Justin Sinaites, a 57-year-old American monk from El Paso, and Hemeid, the 23-year-old son of a Bedouin camel driver. They are implementing a digital photography project that will make high-resolution images of the library's closely guarded manuscripts available to scholars all over the world.

    Consisting of 3,300 manuscripts in 11 languages — many of them richly illuminated in gold leaf and bright, jewel-like colors — the library's collection is second in number and importance only to the trove at the Vatican. With manuscripts made as early as the 6th century, the Sinai cache consists mainly of scriptures, sermons and texts for religious services, but it includes classical Greek literature and a few medical texts with herbal remedies for various afflictions.

    Today the object awaiting its close-up is a rare Arabic manuscript of Christian gospels, written on parchment in 897. A vacuum hose attached to the cradle gently pulls back the open page. A narrow piece of bone placed on the front of the page, near the binding, helps to flatten the rumpled parchment.

    Hemeid scrutinizes a video preview of the page on the computer screen, centers the image, adjusts the focus and clicks the mouse. The flash units, covered with diffusers to remove harmful ultraviolet light, pop four times as the camera takes four pictures, each in a slightly different position. Hemeid clicks a command that enables the computer to merge the four exposures into a single high-resolution digital photograph.

    One more page down; hundreds of thousands to go.

    "If you do the math, it's discouraging," says Father Justin, who oversees the library. "There are 1.8 million pages, not to mention the manuscript fragments discovered in 1975, known as the New Finds; the scrolls and the collection of early printed books — all in overwhelming numbers. But each manuscript is the work of a patient scribe working with difficult materials, recording a text of importance. Each manuscript is unique, and each is yet another facet of the library of Sinai, contributing to our understanding of the spiritual heritage that has been preserved here."



    Protection in isolation

    Lodged in a fortress-like complex at the foot of precipitous mountains on a forbidding desert, St. Catherine's has survived partly because of its isolated location. The difficulty of getting here, even now that paved roads bring busloads of tourists, has protected the monastery and its spectacular collections of manuscripts and Byzantine icons, examples of which are on view through March 4 in a landmark exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

    But remotely situated as it is, the monastery is a Greek Orthodox oasis in Muslim territory. St. Catherine's resides in a community that is also adjusting to modernity.

    When Byzantine Emperor Justinian built the monastery, in the 6th century, he moved about 200 families of Bedouin slaves from Alexandria and the northern shore of Anatolia to guard and care for it. Today their descendants, the Jebeliya tribe of Sinai Bedouins, who are Muslims, offer camel rides to visitors making the trek up Mt. Sinai and provide the monastery with an essential workforce. As the resident population of monks at St. Catherine's has dwindled to 25, Bedouins have continued to serve as guards, cooks, gardeners, restaurant managers, storeroom supervisors and shopkeepers. Their wages are low but so are living expenses in Sinai, Father Justin says.

    Hemeid's father, Sobhy Hemeid, worked at the monastery's pharmacy until 1986, when he became a camel driver. The young man's grandfather was employed at St. Catherine's for 50 years, and many of his relatives still tend the bookshop, but he headed off to college in Cairo. Overwhelmed by the city's noise, confusion and pollution, he transferred to a university in much quieter Ismailiya, where he studied accounting, economics, management and computer science, and graduated in June 2005.

    "When I was studying at the university, the archbishop said I could work at the monastery," Hemeid says in carefully considered English. He had thought he might work in a bank, but when he didn't find a situation that suited him, he went home and presented himself to Archbishop Damianos. As abbot of St. Catherine's community of monks, the archbishop is responsible for day-to-day operations and outreach as well spiritual traditions.

    Hemeid's timing was impeccable. Father Justin, who arrived at the monastery in 1996, needed help. Born into a Baptist family that published religious books, he became fascinated with Byzantine history as a student at the University of Texas and joined the Greek Orthodox church. He entered a monastery in Brookline, Mass., and took charge of its publishing projects.

    At St. Catherine's, he started making digital images of the manuscripts when he was second in command at the library. Saint Catherine Foundation, a London-based charitable organization devoted to supporting the library, had allotted $10,000 to the project. Larger grants from other sources had paid for necessary equipment. The Flora Family Foundation in Menlo Park, Calif., gave $150,000; Italian publishing heir Leonardo Mondadori donated $35,000.

    But after photographing some of the most important manuscripts, Father Justin was promoted. New responsibilities left little time to continue the project. He had to facilitate plans to renovate the library and conserve its collections. On the rare occasions when manuscripts from the collection are allowed to travel, he accompanies them. And he is in demand as a speaker. He will present a seminar on one of the manuscripts in the Los Angeles exhibition Tuesday at the Getty Center. (getty.edu/art/exhibitions/icons_sinai/events.html)

    "When I asked for a helper, the monks' first instinct was to bring people from Greece because they know them, they trust them, they share the same culture," says Father Justin, adding that he and a British colleague are the only monks at the monastery who are not Greek. "But then you have the expense of transportation, wages, room and board. And how long can you expect the person to be here? So I told them, 'Get me a Bedouin who is instinctively careful and I can teach him the computer part.' They live here, we have known all their relatives for generations, and there is no thought about how long they can stay here."

    When Hemeid applied for work at the monastery, he knew nothing about the library.

    "I did not decide to work there," he says. "The Archbishop chose that place for me."

    A quiet trailblazer who spends his spare time listening to Arabic music while working on his home computer, Hemeid has the dreams of many young men. He wants to get married and have a child. He hopes to have a car. But he is the first person in his community to graduate from a university and the first Bedouin to secure such a rarefied position at the monastery.

    By all accounts, he caught on quickly because of his experience with computers.

    "He is a tremendous help," Father Justin says. "He is very careful. When he sees something that is not quite right, he asks me, instead of just charging ahead. That's exactly what I want. Each manuscript is unique and presents its own demands. But there is a certain repetition once things are set up. I compare it to driving. You have to be alert, but there's a routine to it. I think it takes a certain temperament. I think Hemeid has it."

    Six months into his job, Hemeid seems to have found a niche. He has no plans to leave the monastery or his village.

    "I am so happy to have this job," he says. "I feel that I have important work. I love it so much that I never get bored."

    He isn't likely to run out of work, even if the project is narrowed down considerably.

    "Photographing the whole library is not a realistic goal," Father Justin says. "But, as with all collections, 90% of the users are interested in 10% of the collection. The 10% that is of the greatest interest is quite a reasonable goal."

    suzanne.muchnic@latimes.com

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    Hebrew Names of GOD YHVH

    http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/names_of_g-d.html

     

     

    Hebrew Names of God -

     
     

    Shemot HaElohim
    		 
     
       

    Almighty God graciously chose to reveal His Name (i.e., His character and presence by means of His acts and deeds) to the world through the Jewish people. Through the ancient Hebrew Patriarchs, through the great deliverance God effected by means of His servant Moses, through the eloquent oracles and admonitions of the Hebrew prophets, and most especially through the manifestation of the Mashiach Yeshua: in all these ways God has revealed His Name. In fact, the Scriptures make it clear that the name of Yeshua is so vital to our correct apprehension of reality that without it we are literally lost, since we are told “there is no other name by means of which it is necessary for us to be saved” (Acts 4:12).
         
        Proverbs 18:10 (BHS)  
         
         
         
       
         
       

    Of the various Names of God found in the Tanakh, the one which occurs most
    frequently (6,823 times) is the Tetragrammaton, YHVH, though the other Names
    are significant and provide additional light on the nature and character of God.

    1. YHVH
    2. Elohim
    3. El
    4. Eloah
    5. Elah
    6. Yah
    7. Adonai
    8. Hakadosh
    9. Savior
    10. Redeemer
    11. Messiah
    12. Spirit of God
    13. Other Names
    14. Esoteric Names
    15. Shem Hameforash
         
         

     

     


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    The Sacred Name

    http://us.geocities.com/changes1611/name2.html

     


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    The name of Deity How to handle GOD's Sacred Name HaShem

    » How will you handle the name of G-d
    By James Tabor | Published 05/20/2005 | Translation Notes |
     

    Names of Deity

    Most modern/font translations in keeping with traditional prohibitions against pronouncing the name of God have adopted a complicated and confusing system of translating the names and designations for Deity in the Hebrew Bible. The Tetragrammaton (Yahweh) is thus translated LORD in all capital letters. The problem with this practice is that it then creates confusion with the Hebrew term Adonai which does mean Lord. Accordingly most modern translations distinguish this without the capital letters. This is fine until you have the terms used together: YHVH Adonai which would then become the nonsensical LORD Lord. To address this redundancy the translators in such cases opt for GOD (all caps) for YHVH. But here another problem is createdthe normal terms for God (El Eloah and Elohim) are also rendered God throughout with no distinction so that you can end up with GOD being redundant with God if Adonai is also used. The simple solution is to reflect in every case the Hebrew terms actually used without attempting translations that only further confuse. So in the TEB you will find written in all CAPS these special names or terms for Deity:

    YHVH (Yahweh or Yehovah)brYAH (shortened form of YHVH)
    ADON (Master or Lord)brADONAI (plural of ADON)
    EL ELOAH and its plural ELOHIM (the terms for God)
    ELYON (Most High)
    SHADDAI (Breasts or Protector/Destroyer)

    The TEB has also included notes on the 134 places where it is said that the scribes (Sopherim) removed the name YHVH for theological reasons altering it to ADONAI in the standard Masoretic text (MT). For example in Genesis 18:3 27 30 and 32 where Abraham is speaking to Yahweh the traditional text has Adonai or Lord to avoid what was considered an extreme anthropomorphism. The TEB notes the 18 emendations of the Sopherim for example see Genesis 18:22.  http://www.originalbible.com/articles/7/1/How-will-you-handle-the-name-o...

     


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    Tetragrammaton

    Sunday, August 06, 2006
    http://groups.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=ScienceAndTheBible
     

    YEHOWAH

    I am so thrilled to know Him
    The God of Jesus Christ
    The Father of our Savior
    The Awesome God of Might

    God's Name just gives me feelings
    that make me feel complete
    the joyous thought of knowing it
    so soothing and replete

    I feel it's quite an honor
    to speak His Glorious Name
    to share my thoughts about Him
    to tell of His great fame

    For Jehovah has a people
    Six million going strong
    Who He has placed His Name upon
    I doubt that they are wrong

    While scattered other persons
    insist He's called Yahweh
    surely God would tell them
    if it was right - that way

    For why would God Jehovah
    place his seal upon
    A people called by His Name
    If the name they used was wrong ?

    And numerous famous scholars
    have searched this subject deep
    of how to say his glorious name
    pronounced by his true sheep

    The Father of our Jesus
    Was revealed in Jewish thought
    with Hebrew written letters
    in synagogues was taught

    In time the Jewish Tetragram
    was forbidden and despised
    because their faith grew tranished
    and they preferred the lies

    How Satan stole the glory
    by superstitious strife
    attempting to remove it
    from the Bible and its Light

    This Jewish false tradition
    spread to evil Rome
    and onto fallen Christendom
    whose voice began to drone

    Now many say we know not how
    to correctly say God's Name
    they argue and debate a lot
    and often try to blame

    Jehovah's people for their part
    in making God's Name known
    for cultivating a thirst for Him
    and for the seeds they've sown

    What really is important
    in this time of the end
    is not the way we say God's Name
    but to truly be His friend

    All our friends have vital names
    that identify their face
    and they feel truly honored when
    their name has found a place

    Within our hearts and memory
    and we speak their name a loud
    to identify them specifically
    from others in the crowd

    Jehovah too, loves it when
    we single him from those
    who claim to be a godly one
    that have a name they chose

    For many gods and many lords
    abound the world and seas
    for mankind has a numerous lot
    to whom they bend their knees

    Just think of William as a name
    while some might call him Bill
    Still others might refer to him
    as Billy, Bob, or Will.

    No matter what the moniker
    we use to call each one
    a compliment and courtesy
    is what we've really done

    Yes, our love and caring too
    are shown by true attempts
    to remember and call him by
    the name He's always kept

    So rather than avoid God's name
    or replace it with mere "LORD"
    we do well to make it known
    and use it even More.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Many "Lords" and Many "gods"

    First of all "GOD" and "LORD" are not names -
    but only titles.

    These titles may even be used in idol worship
    or devil worship. The Bible itself refers to Satan
    as 'the god of this world . . .'
    -(2 Cor. 4:4)(1 John 5:1)

    The Bible tells us :

    ".....indeed there are many "gods"
    and many "lords    "......"
    (1Corinthians 8:5,6) (NIV) -BibleGateway



    Jehovah -
    The GOD of all gods
    and The LORD of all Lords

    JEHOVAH IS IDENTIFIED
    AS THE GOD OF ALL GODS
    AND THE LORD OF ALL LORDS

    "For Jehovah your God,
    he is God of gods,
    and Lord of lords,
    the great God, the mighty..."
    (Deuteronomy 10:17)(ASV)-BibleGateway


    Pronunciation

    "Yehovah - pronounced {yeh-ho-vaw'} -
    is the correct Hebrew rendering. "
    -Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

    Though the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) does not appear
    in the vast majority of the English translations
    in use today, most of these do emphasize the word
    "LORD" or "GOD" (all letters capitalized),
    to indicate where the sacred name was originally used.

    Strong's Exhaustive Concordance tells us:

    "Jesus in Greek, is of Hebrew origin
    and is taken from the name Yehoshua,
    which in English is translated as Joshua.
    Yehoshua, in Hebrew means "Yehovah Saves". "
    -Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

    Indeed Jesus was the means by which Jehovah
    chose - to save the world of mankind.


    Jehovah's Seal of Approval

    HIS "MARK" OF APPROVAL -
    HIS NAME


    The Divine Name of God
    as shown in scripture -
    YHWH - Yehowah (Hebrew)
    Jehovah (English)

    Jehovah has put his "MARK" of approval
    upon his chosen people - by putting his name
    upon them too.

    The meaning of the word "name" in scripture.
    "Name" comes from the Hebrew word "Shem".
    Here is a definition of this word in the Strong's Lexicon:


    "Strong's # 8034 Shem; a primitive word position;
    an appellation, as a "MARK" or memorial of individuality;
    by implication honor, authority, character: fame[-ous],
    name, renown, report."

    As we can see from the above definition, God's name
    not only represents His "character" but His Name is
    also "His mark".



    Jehovah Himself,
    Declares His Own Name


    "I am Jehovah,
    and there is none else;
    besides me there is no God."
    (Isaiah 45:5) (ASV) -BibleGateway

    "I am Jehovah,
    that is my name;
    and my glory will I not give to another,
    neither my praise unto graven images."
    (Isaiah 42:8)(ASV)-BibleGateway


    "Jehovah, the God of your fathers...
    this is my name forever,
    and this is my memorial unto all generations."
    (Exodus 3:15)(ASV)-BibleGateway

    "...The Sacred Name Yahovah
    was revealed to man by Yahovah Himself
    and is not a man-given name."
    -(see II Apol., 10, 13; Trypho, 126, 127).



    Jehovah's Name
    Will Never Change

    "Thy name, O Jehovah,
    endureth for ever;
    Thy memorial name, O Jehovah,
    throughout all generations."
    (Psalm 135:13)(ASV)-BibleGateway

     

    The Importance of A NAME

    "If you want to win friends,
    make it a point to remember them.
    If you remember my name,
    you pay me a subtle compliment;
    you indicate that I have made an impression on you.
    Remember my name
    and you add to my feeling of importance."
    ---Dale Carnegie

    "The spelling and the pronunciation are
    not highly important. What is highly
    important is to keep it clear that this
    is a personal name...and cannot be properly
    understood if we translate this name by a
    common noun like 'Lord' or 'God'."
    -Steven T. Byington,
    translator of The Bible in Living English


    "That they [the Jews] now allege
    the name Jehovah to be unpronounceable,
    they do not know what they are talking
    about...If it can be written with pen
    and ink, why should it not be spoken ?
    --1543- Martin Luther
    Founder of Protestantism

    "This name Jehovah...
    belongs exclusively to the true God."
    --1526 - A sermon on Jeremiah 23:1-8
    delivered by Martin Luther


    "Iehovah is God's name . . .
    Moreover as oft as thou seist LORD
    in great letters...it is in Hebrew - Iehovah."
    -- Preface of English Bible 1530 -
    William Tyndale



    Pronunciation - in Favor of Jehovah
    Some Scholarly Comments

    "The oldest archeological testimony favors the
    pronunciation Jehovah.     A short inscription dated
    of the time of Amenophis III (circa 1400 BCE)
    has been found at Soleb..."
    -M. Gérard GERTOUX; a Hebrew scholar,
    specialist of the Tetragram; president of the
    Association Biblique de Recherche d'Anciens Manuscrits

    "According to postings on various forums, it has been
    stated that both Emanuel and Nehemiah Gordon believe
    that the Name of God is closer to Yehowah, which is
    similar to Jehovah in English. Nehemiah Gordon...
    defends Yehovah after extensive study of the Masoretic
    Text manuscripts. Nehemiah's view...based on studying
    the actual manuscripts under Emanuel Tov, is that...
    the earlier Masoretic manuscripts all have a Yehowah
    or Yehovah pronounciation..."
    - Seek God Association (Michael John Rood:
    Messianic Karaite Rabbi)

    "The great name YHWH is vocalized "Yehowah" in Hebrew...
    In the same way, as there were theophoric names
    elaborated from the great name, that is names beginning
    with Yehô- or its shortened form Y(eh)ô-, ...
    The Hebrews took care of making either their names begin
    with Yehô- or Yô-, or to end their names with -yah,
    theophoric names like: Joshua, Jonathan, Jesus, John, etc."
    For example, the name YHWHNN (John) is vocalized
    Yehôha-nan in Hebrew."
    - M. Gérard GERTOUX; a Hebrew scholar,
    specialist of the Tetragram; president of the
    Association Biblique de Recherche d'Anciens Manuscrits

    "Yehova, which was in agreement with the beginning
    of all the theophoric names, was the authentic pronunciation..."
    - Paul Drach;
    De l'harmonie entre l'église et la synagogue
    (Of the Harmony between the Church and the Synagogue)
    published in 1842

    To determine the correct pronounciation of the
    Divine Name of God, using the Hebrew Tetragram,
    "Carr used a computer to sift through all the relevant
    vowel/consonant combinations found in Hebrew scripture.
    The computer eventually narrowed the list to 'e' 'o'
    and 'a' or YeHoWaH (Jehovah in English)."
    --The Daily Breeze

    "The tetragrammaton, YHWH, is therefore read
    I-eH-U-A (Iehoua), the equivalent of "YeHoWaH"
    in Masoretic punctuation. This means that the name
    is to be pronounced as it is written, or according
    to its letters."
    - (Won W. Lee professor at the Calvin College)
    published in the Religious Studies Review
    Volume 29 Number 3 July 2003 page 285.

    "Numerous linguists have postulated that...this name
    was pronounced Yehowah in the first century..."
    -M. Gérard GERTOUX; a Hebrew scholar,
    specialist of the Tetragram; president of the
    Association Biblique de Recherche d'Anciens Manuscrits

    "As a follower of Christ,
    Peter used Gods name, Jehovah.
    When Peters speech was put on record
    the Tetragrammaton (YHWH / Jehovah) was here used
    according to the practice during the first
    century B.C.E. and the first century C.E."
    - Paul Kahle; Studia Evangelica, edited by Kurt Aland,
    F. L. Cross, Jean Danielou, Harald Riesenfeld
    and W. C. van Unnik, Berlin, 1959, p. 614
    (See App 1C §1.)


    "Jehovah is simply the form that conforms to normal
    English usage with respect to Hebrew names in the Bible.
    For example, in Hebrew, the name “Isaiah” was probably
    pronounced “Yeshayahu.” Similarly the English “Jerusalem”
    was, in Hebrew, pronounced “Yerushalaim.” “Jesus” was
    pronounced “Yeshua” or “Yehohshua”. The names Isaiah,
    Jerusalem and Jesus, were not the original Hebrew or
    Greek pronunciations. It is normal and proper for names
    to take on different pronunciations when they are
    transferred into another language. In Hebrew, God’s name
    was likely pronounced “Yehowah,” in Spanish it is Jehová
    (pronounced: ‘he-o-vá’), in English we say “Jehovah.”
    -The Divine Name of God;
    Pursuit of Scriptural Truth
    Home Christians.net

    "non-superstitious Jewish translators always favored
    the name Jehovah in their translations of the Bible.
    On the other hand one can note that there is NO Jewish
    translation of the Bible with Yahweh."
    -M. Gérard GERTOUX; a Hebrew scholar,
    specialist of the Tetragram; president of the
    Association Biblique de Recherche d'Anciens Manuscrits

    See the chart below for examples
    of some of these Jewish Translations :

    NAME OF VERSION
    (JEWISH)         		TONGUE PUBLISHED
    IN:         		DIVINE NAME
    RENDERED
    Immanuel Tremellius Latin 1579 Jehova
    Baruch Spinoza Latin 1670 Jehova*
    Samuel Cahen French 1836 Iehovah
    Alexander Harkavy English 1936 Jehovah**
    Joseph Magil (see below) English 1910 Jehovah
    Rabbi L. Golschmidt (see below) German 1921 Yehovah


    "That mystic name which is called
    the Tetragrammaton, by which alone
    they who had access to the Holy of Holies
    were protected, is pronounced JEHOVAH
    (Iehovah), which means,
    Who is, and who shall be."
    -Nicetas, Bishop of Heraclea, 2nd century,
    From The Catena On The Pentateuch,
    Published In Latin
    By Francis Zephyrus, P 146

    "The Jewish scholars known as Massoretes
    introduced a system of vowels and accents...
    In this way the Tetragrammaton became Ye-Ho-VaH
    and later on, in Western languages, Jehovah..."
    - B.9.2: The Biblical Background;
    Gilles C H Nullens



    Theophoric Names

    Many biblical names Started with the Tetragram,
    and give insite as to how we would pronounce
    The Great Divine Name of God.

    These names are called "theophoric".

    The following Chart by :
    Christian Ginsburg, Introduction To
    the Massoretico-Critical Edition
    Of The Hebrew Bible, p 369.

    Shows us these Examples :

    (remember - the Hebrew reads right to left)



    Thus we see by the chart above
    that the beginning letters of the tetragram
    are pronounced in english as JEHO -

    Thus, it is clear how the ancient Jews
    viewed the correct pronunciation of the
    Tetragrammaton, for without exception
    the first two syllables in the above names
    are identical in pronunciation to the traditional
    pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton - which
    is as shown above - JEHO.


    Scholarly Opinion Against
    "Yahweh" - pronunciation


    "The form Yahweh is thus an incorrect
    hybrid with an early 'w' and a late 'eh'. "
    -The Law and the Prophets,
    ed. by John H. Skilton,
    Milton C. Fisher, and Leslie W. Sloat

    "...there is NO Jewish translation
    of the Bible with Yahweh."
    -M. Gérard GERTOUX; a Hebrew scholar,
    specialist of the Tetragram; president of the
    Association Biblique de Recherche d'Anciens Manuscrits

    "Actually, there is a problem with the
    pronunciation Yahweh. It is a strange
    combination of old and late elements."
    -Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
    (TWOT)

    "The pronunciation of yhwh as Yahweh
    is a scholarly guess."
    -Anchor Bible Dictionary, VI-1011.


    "What should be obvious in all this
    is that the pronunciation of YHWH
    is an academic matter and the God of Israel
    is more interested in our personal relationship
    to Him rather than the pronunciation of his name.
    In fact, from the evidence now available,
    it may be argued that Yahweh is incorrect
    and Jahoweh might be the true pronunciation"
    -(The Law and the Prophets,pp. 215-224,
    edited by John H. Skilton, Milton C. Fisher,
    and Leslie W. Sloat).


    "YAHWEH is NOT a Hebrew name."
    --The Law and the Prophets,
    ed. by John H. Skilton,
    Milton C. Fisher, and Leslie W. Sloat

    "...the form "Yahweh" is
    an incorrect hybrid form...."
    -Laird Harris;
    The Pronunciation of the Tetragram,
    in The Law and the Prophets:
    Old Testament Studies
    Prepared in Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis,
    ed. John H. Skilton
    (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian
    and Reformed Publishing, 1974), pgs 218-224

    "Concerted effort has been underway for the past
    several generations to alter the pronunciation of
    the Divine Name, known as the Tetragrammaton,
    from Jehovah into the Egyptian slur, Yahweh.
    In spite of these efforts, there is compelling evidence
    to stick with the traditional pronunciation of Jehovah."
    --LambLion; by Scott Jones


    Two Syllables or Three ?

    YAHWEH = (2 syllables)
    YEHOWAH = (3 syllables)


    "The original form of the divine name
    was almost certainly three syllables,
    and NOT two. The accumulated data points
    heavily in the direction of a "three"
    syllable word."
    - George W. Buchanan,
    "Some Unfinished Business
    With the Dead Sea Scrolls,"
    RevQ 13.49-52 (1988), 416


    "When the Tetragrammaton was pronounced...
    it was pronounced in "three" syllables
    and it would have been 'Yahowah' "
    - George W. Buchanan,
    "How God's Name Was Pronounced,"
    BAR 21.2 (March-April 1995), 31-32


    "Samaritan poetry employs the Tetragrammaton
    and then rhymes it with words having the same
    sound as Yah-oo-ay (three syllables)."
    -(Journal of Biblical Literature, 25, p.50
    and Jewish Encyclopedia, vol.9, p.161).

    "in the syllable division of the divine name
    it would have ended up as Jahoweh,
    a form...remarkably like the...form Jehovah"
    -Laird Harris;
    The Pronunciation of the Tetragram,
    in The Law and the Prophets:
    Old Testament Studies

    "Many scholars believe...that it is more likely that
    the Divine name was originally pronounced
    in a three syllable form, ‘Yeh×o×wah.’ -
    ‘Jehovah’ is the English form of the divine name."
    -The Divine Name of God;
    Pursuit of Scriptural Truth
    Home Christians.net


    As Christians

    Regardless of how we pronounce Jehovah's Name,
    As Christians we should follow Our Leader,
    Jesus Christ, who told us to honor his Father's Name.

    "One of Jesus Christ's missions was
    to reveal the name of the Almighty God.
    Precisely, he taught in his prayer to
    Hallow or keep His Father's name Holy.
    How can we perform obedience to his word
    if we don't know His real personal name? "
    - B.9.2: The Biblical Background;
    Gilles C H Nullens

    "Our Father in heaven,
    help us to honor your name."
    (Matthew 6:9)(CEV)-BibleGateway

    ``````````````````````

     


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    Extract from Deconstructing Early Israel: A New Hermeneutic

    Extract from Deconstructing Early Israel: A New Hermeneutic

    L.M. Barre barre at c-zone.net
    Mon Apr 26 20:19:57 EDT 1999
    http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-hebrew/1999-April/002758.html 
    D.  The Elohistic Interpretation of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH)

    In a section of his account of the exodus,  the Elohist introduces 
    an interpretation of the divine Name.  The central importance of this 
    passage for the understanding Israelite history, tradition and religion 
    has generated much discussion and debate.  The heart of the episode 
    reads as follows:

    Then Moses said to El(ohim), "I am to go, then, to the sons of Israel 
    and say to them, 'The god of your fathers has sent me to you.'  
    But if they ask me what his name is, what am I to tell them?  
    And El(ohim) said to Moses, "I am becoming what I am Becoming.  
    This," he added, "is what you must say to the sons of Israel: 'I am 
    Becoming has sent me to you.'"  

    And El(ohim) also said to Moses, "You are to say  to the sons of Israel: 
    'YHWH, the god of your fathers, the god of Abraham, the god of Isaac, 
    and the god of Jacob, has sent me to you."  This is my name for all time; 
    by this Name I shall be invoked for all generations to come.


    The  unusual  rendering of the Hebrew, 'eyeh aser 'eyeh as 
    "I am becoming what I am Becoming" is informed by the fact that both 
    the form and content of this formulaic expression finds it closest parallel 
    not in Semitic thought but in Hamitic or Egyptian ontological, 
    mythic speculation.  Its formulation, based on theological word-play on the 
    verb "to be(come)," not only reveals that we are dealing with ontology in a 
    strict sense, but also that such a formulation is characteristically Egyptian.  
    Consider, for example, this comparable formulation taken from an Egyptian 
    grammar regarding the verb, xeper ("to be[come]"):

    xeper-a xeper xeperu

    "I am the one who came into being
     [and] who made come into being 
    the beings who have come into being." 


    We note three similarities to the formula found in the Elohist's tale.  
    First, the divine name is predicated upon a repetition of a verb, the Egyptian 
    version repeating it three times as subject, verb and object while the Hebrew 
    version repeats it twice with the second occurrence functioning syntactically as an 
    objective, subordinate predication introduced by the relative particle, aser.  
    Although the syntax varies, the two formulations are similar in the central 
    importance and repetition of the verb.  Second, the verbs themselves, adjusting 
    for the different cultures that produced them, are roughly semantic equivalents, 
    both meaning "to be" or "to become."  Third, both formulations are theological 
    proclamations, intended to expose essential characteristics of a deity based upon a 
    distinctively Egyptian, ontological perspective.  As such, it stands apart from typical 
    Semitic understandings of divinity, but is demonstrably at home within Egyptian 
    religious tradition.

    Another extract may serve to illustrate the central role that the  idea of xeper 
    plays in Egyptian thought:

    The Book of Knowing of the rollings of Ra, and the overthrowing of Apep.

    [These are] the words which the god Neb-er-tcher spoke after he had come into 
    being:

    "I am he who came into being in the form of Khepera, and I am the creator of 
    everything which came into being;  now the things which I had created, and which 
    came forth out of my mouth after I had come into being myself, were exceedingly 
    many.  The sky (or, heaven) had not come into being, the earth did not exist, and 
    the children of the earth, and the creeping things, had not been made at this time.  
    I myself raise them from out of the Nu, from a state of helpless inertness."


    Upon consideration, it is not surprising that we should find a fragment of Egyptian 
    ontological thought embedded in the Elohist's narrative since the tradition is ascribed 
    to Moses, the Egyptian advocate and eventual leader of the Hebrew slaves.  The 
    style and content of the formulaic interpretation of the Name is compatible with 
    the conclusion that we are dealing with a teaching that did indeed descend from 
    Moses as something of a Levitical catechism that ingeniously sums up the essential 
    teaching of Moses' understanding of God as adapted to Hebrew Yahwism.  As such, 
    the formulaic understanding has become "demythologized," stripped of Egyptian 
    mythology and distilled into a purely ontological statement that become compatible 
    with Hebrew culture among the relatively esoteric religious traditions of the Levites.  
    That the tradition lived on until the post-exilic era is shown by the fact that the 
    Priestly Writer knew and utilized the Memphite Theology in his creation account, 
    di!
    stinguished by its notion of creation not through the traditional Semitic notion of 
    theomachy but through the Hamitic concept of creation through divine fiat by both 
    Ptah and Elohim.

    We must also recognize that the Elohist is expressing in a form of syncretism that 
    sought to combine the Hebrew concept of Yahweh Sabaoth, the Israelite concept of 
    El as the god of the fathers, and Moses' Egyptian concept of divine ontology.  
    This he does by reinterpreting the three religions as essentially equivalent.  
    The divine warrior Yahweh Sabaoth now becomes "Yihwah" through his reading of 
    the Tetragrammaton as a Qal rather than a Hiphil stem under the influence of the 
    Egyptian formulation.  El, the god of the patriarchs, is simply equated through 
    proclamation with both Yihwah and the great I am Becoming.  The Priestly Writer 
    was well aware on the Elohist's syncretistic intention and brilliantly reproduced it in 
    his pithy, poetic couplet that strikes one as another example of Levitical catechism:

    And Elohim spoke to Moses and said,
    "I am Yahweh.

    I appeared as El Shaddai to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
    but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them."


    With the same intention that informed the Elohist, the Priestly Writer utilizes the 
    same setting to equate Yahweh of the Hebrew southern tribes, El of the Aramean 
    northern tribes, and the Elohim of the Egyptian-Levitical tradition that was 
    introduced by Moses.  Taking his cue from the Elohist, the Priestly Writer 
    perpetuated a brilliant synthesis that eventually led to the ascendancy of 
    monotheism within exilic and post-exilic theological thought by overcoming the 
    polytheism that was inherent in the acknowledgement of the historic and separate 
    identities of El and Yahweh.  Both gods were absorbed into the more abstract and 
    speculative Egyptian concept of God as an ontological entity.

    L. M. Barre, Ph.D.
    barre at c-zone.net
    www.angelfire.com/ca2/AncientIsrael

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    What was Jesus Hebrew Name?

    Start with Yeshua. That's his name, not 'Jesus.'

    It's what his father and mother and his brothers and sisters called him and it's how his followers knew him. Probably the name was pronounced in the rough regional dialect of Galilee as 'Yeshu'... (Akenson, 2000, p. 57).

    "In pre-exilic times, the name Yehoshua consisted of ... two roots. The first, yeho, is the theophoric referring to God. The second, shua, means "help" and the name meant, "Whose help is YHWH/God." In 2nd temple times, it became a practice NOT to use full theophorics to prevent accidentally voicing the name of God so the theophorics were truncated and Yehoshua became Y'shua. In the Galilee, Aramaic was pronounced differently and Galileans dropped their alefs and ayins like Cockney English drop their H's. Jesus' Galilean friends would have called him Yeshu. Therefore, in Judea and formally, his name was Yeshua, yehSHOO-ah, and in the Galilee his name was pronounced Yeshu, pronounced YEHshoo. Because of strong Hellenistic influence in Palestine at the time, some Jews with the name of Yeshua used a Greek transliteration of the name. Yeshua ben Sirach was one of them who went by the name IHSOUS, pronounced YAYsoos. Hence, Yeshua was rendered IHSOUS." (Jack Kilmon, 2006)
     
    THE REALITY

    There never was a person named Jesus Christ!

    His first name wasn’t Jesus and his last name wasn’t Christ.

     

    Would you believe that Jesus’ real name in pre-exilic Hebrew was Yehoshua or in the Second Temple period Yeshua or Joshua? When the English rendered the Latin IESVS from the Greeks who translated the Semitic name Yeshua they came up with Jesus (Yehoshua became Yeshua became Iesous became Jesus), and that name stuck. But his real name in his own language was Yeshua, which was a very good name in the Hebrew tradition. It meant – “Yahweh (God) is savior (helper)”. Josephus mentions more than 20 Joshuas, the most famous of whom was the “Son of Nun” (Exodus, 33:11), from the tribe of Ephraim, who was the successor to Moses as the leader of the Israelites. We remember him best as the trumpeter who blew down the walls of Jericho. What is not so well known is that Nun in Hebrew means fish, the symbol of life, especially for Galileans who lived by the Sea of Galilee. Interestingly enough, the symbol of the fish became associated with Jesus [1], as did the fact that the start of the Age of Pisces (symbolized by the fish) represented the start of the “end of times”, since Pisces was the last symbol of the Zodiac, and the start of the new age coincided with Jesus’ birth. Moreover, the symbol for “Nun” is equivalent in the Jewish gematria [2] to the number 50, which represents freedom and the fullness of life, and Nun is the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the number 14 symbolizing David, the King of Israel. Thus, in many ways the name Joshua was a very holy name and had many connotations that later became associated with Jesus’ life (e.g., Jesus was said to be descended from David, was said to be a “fisher of men”, preached the “end of times”, etc.).

    As far as his last name goes, in those days, people didn’t have last names. He would have been called Yeshua bar Yahosef bar Yaqub, Joshua, son of Joseph, son of Jacob. Yet many people think his last name was Christ! Not true. He was never called Jesus Christ! Jesus/Joshua was believed, by some, to be the Messiah, which in Hebrew (moschiach) means “the anointed one” [3]. The Greek word for the oil used to anoint someone is “khrisma”, and the person so anointed is “Khristos” in Greek, “Christus” in Latin, and “Christ” in English. In reality, had he been considered someone deserving of anointing, he would have been called Joshua the Anointed, or Jesus the Christ.

    Many people mistakenly believe that because Jesus was the “anointed one” he was the Messiah. Not true: being anointed was not solely reserved for the Messiah. Other people who were anointed were Kings, High Priests, and prophets. Indeed, in special circumstances, sick people would be anointed to help in the healing process (James 5:14).

    The person referred to as “Jesus Christ” is best understood, then, to have been “Yeshua bar Yahosef ” or “Joshua, son on Joseph, son of Jacob” or “Joshua the Anointed One”. No one ever called him Jesus Christ!

    Updated 8/22/2006

    [1] The fish was also one of the symbol for Horus, a precursor to Jesus, who was also known as a “fisher of men” (Harpur, 2004).

    [2] The numerology of the Hebrew language, that involves translating Hebrew characters into numbers, then seeking the meaning of the numbers.

    [3] The Hebrew word, in turn, was derived from the Egyptian word messeh, the “holy crocodile”, which referred to the practice of the Pharaoh’s sister-brides anointing their husbands with the fat of the crocodile. Interestingly enough, it’s a woman (with the alabaster jar) who anoints Jesus during his fatal trip to Jerusalem (Mark 14:3). Later Gospels changed this event to hide the fact that a woman anointed Jesus, since this action implied that a woman was a priest, which was anathema to the later Gospel writers who had a definite masculine prejudice. http://www.jesuspolice.com/common_error.php?id=1

     


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    Question of the day...

    Did Adam and Eve go to Heaven?

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    Seven - more than just a David Fincher movie


    I am currently reading the Word Biblical Commentary: Genesis 1-15 (by Wenham). So far it is very well written. He has some great observations on the first section of Genesis (1:1 - 2:3) that I find very interesting (maybe it is just the mathematician in me that likes all the numbers!):

    For example, he mentions that "2:1-3 echoes 1:1 by introducing the same phrases but in reverse order: 'he created,' 'God,' 'heavens and earth' reappear as 'heavens and earth' (2:1) 'God' (2:2), 'created' (2:3). This chiastic pattern brings the section to a neat close which is reinforced by the inclusion 'God created' linking 1:1 and 2:3."

    Then, here is what inspired the title to this post- "The correspondence of the first paragraph, 1:1-2, with 2:1-3 is underlined by the number of Hebrew words in both being multiples of 7. 1:1 consists of 7 words, 1:2 of 14 (7 x 2) words, 2:1-3 of 35 (7 x 5) words. The number seven dominates this opening chapter in a strange way, not only in the number of words in a particular section but in the number of times a specific word or phrase recurs. For example, 'God' is mentioned 35 times, 'earth' 21 times, 'heaven/firmament' 21 times, while the phrases 'and it was so' and 'God saw that it was good' occur 7 times."

    What does it all mean? Perhaps it was just a way to make the passage easier to remember for oral tradition. Perhaps it is meant to indicate the beauty and symmetry of God and his creation. Any other thoughts?

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    "Yesterday in Religion 101"


    Based upon the future direction we'll be taking with art, story development, and the name of god, I found this post especially interesting.

    Higgaion
    After that, I start to survey the (genuine) "names of God" in the Tanakh:

    'elohim, 'adonai, Yhwh, and 'el. I also discuss the little saying in Exodus 34 that my colleague Tim Willis calls the "character name." In connection with the name Yhwh, I briefly discuss the tradition of not pronouncing the Tetragrammaton, and show the students a photograph of an scroll from the DSS that has "YHWH" written in an archaic script (the rest of the manuscript uses square Aramaic letters). I don't go into Albrecht Alt's "God of the fathers" thesis very far; I just barely broach it by introducing the "God of PN" locution as something that emphasizes a personal relationship between the god and the person (or group) named. I don't dig too far into the history of any particular tradition, but I do tell students that at least some of the 'el-compounds tend to be associated with specific places (here again I reflect Alt, but don't discuss him directly).

    Now that students know about the names Yhwh and 'el, I introduce the concepts of "inclusive monotheism" and "exclusive monotheism."

    After that, I take just about fifteen minutes to talk about the tensions created by Exodus 6 and the use of the name Yhwh by characters in Genesis. This involves introducing the students very briefly to Jean Astruc and Julius Wellhausen, and the classic Documentary Hypothesis. And that's all I can get done in 75 minutes.

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    "IS OPEN SOURCE SPIRITUALITY THE NEXT EVOLUTIONARY STEP BEYOND THE INTERFAITH MOVEMENT?"

    Check out this press release from the Religious News Service: http://www.religionnews.com/press02/PR091205.html Prior to seeing this story I had been reading about the debate on Open Source Biblical Studies. I love seeing the push towards all of these areas. I believe that the area of Biblical studies will be enhanced to the same degree as the other worlds that are being affected by the open source movement... software, general knowledge, social networks. I would love to see an online Bible with full wiki'd tagged commentary.

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    Biblical Studies Blogs


    The last few weeks as I have delved into deeper Biblical studies, I have been looking around at different blogs in this area. Here are the ones that I have added to my bloglines list:

    http://biblical-studies.ca/blog/ "My musings on Biblical Studies, Biblical Hebrew, Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Popular Culture, and pretty much anything else that interests me!" - Very interesting blog as well as a great collection of resources.

    http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/ "A weblog on ancient Judaism and its context" - Another site I highly recommend, great posts.

    http://www.supakoo.com/rick/ricoblog/ Another strong recommendation, great info and analysis.

    http://biblaridion.blogspot.com/ "Welcome to Biblaridion, or 'little scroll'. On this 'little scroll' will be written my various and sundry musings on myriad topics but especially on the Bible." Really good stuff, less frequent postings.

    http://servingtheword.blogspot.com/ "The Hebrew Bible and related matters ancient and modern, through the lenses of philology, anthropological linguistics and political theology." - What can I add to that explanation, except that this one is a worthy read.

    http://manuscriptboy.blogspot.com/ Good stuff, mostly beyond my grasp at this point...

    http://www.hypotyposeis.org/weblog/ "Sketches in Biblical Studies" - That about sums it up.

    http://parablemania.ektopos.com/ "Some say I speak in parables. The reality is far more complex. Within these walls you may find musings on philosophy, theology, politics, and Christian apologetics (without parables -- I'm a much more competent straight-talker than storyteller)." - This is my primary resource for Commentary reviews and recommendations. Has recommendations for commentaries for every book of the Bible.

    http://www.bsreview.org/weblog/blogger.html Bible software review, good for keeping up on Bible software updates and reviews.

    http://www.wiredjesus.com/ "The Wired Wanderings of a Postmodern Pilgrim" - I subscribe to his podcast as well. Pretty interesting commentary from a Pastor, discusses current events, philosophy and life.

    http://www.thinkchristian.net/ "Welcome to ThinkChristian.net, where we talk about Christ, culture and the ways that faith plays out in everyday life. We want to exercise our faith in every aspect of our lives: heart, soul and mind." - Some interesting thoughts on Christin thinking and how it applies to life.

    http://ntgateway.com/weblog/index.html "Mark Goodacre's blog for academic New Testament studies and related material; sister of The New Testament Gateway." - Excellent resource, both the blog and the sister NT Gateway site. Definitely check it out.

    http://exegetitor.blogspot.com/ "A network of highly cohesive details reveals the truth." - New blog, still waiting to see how good it will be.

    http://christdot.org/ "Christ. Period." - Good all around site with news and information.

    http://www.esv.org/blog "Keeps you up-to-date with the happenings of the English Standard Version Bible." - News, updates, and information about my new favorite Bible translation.

    http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/share/rss2.0/ "Weekly Memory Verse Plan from the ESV "Truth" Bible" - RSS Feed gives you the same verse everyday, a good way to get a verse in front of you every day.

    http://www.everythingaboutthebible.com/ Interesting with a wide variety of topics.

    http://christianmind.blogspot.com/ "'If Christians cannot communicate as thinking beings, they are reduced to encountering one another only at the shallow level of gossip and small talk. Hence the perhaps peculiarly modern problem - the loneliness of the thinking Christian.' - Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind" - Talks about Christianty in general.

    http://www.christianorigins.com/ "Kirby's blog and sundry essays about early Christianity." - Self-explanatory.

    http://macbiblioblog.blogspot.com/ "All things Macintosh for biblical scholarship. Providing news, help, and discussion for bible scholars using Macintosh technologies as a tool for doing their work." - For those of us who use good computers :-)

    http://www.bigbible.org/blog/ Posts from a Bible scholar about his life and the world of Bible Scholarship.

    http://www.jesuscreed.org/ "Exploring the Significance of Jesus and the Orthodox Faith for the 21st Century" - Pretty good commentary and analysis.

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    Favorite verse from today

    My favorite verse of today is 2 Timothy 3:7 - "always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth." from ESV.

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    Man's Divine and Mundane Origins

    I just started reading "The Book of Genesis Chapters 1-17" by Hamilton from the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series. Very interesting read so far. The author is discussing the ten occurances in Genesis of the Hebrew 'elleh toledot in Genesis, which translates as "this is the account of X" or "these are the descendants of X" depending on the context. The first occurance of 'elleh toldeot, Genesis 2:4, is the only one which does not reference a person - "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth". Apparently there is debate whether the statement refers to the verses AFTER the statement, or refers to Gen 1:1 - 2:3. The author argues in favor of the reference to verses after 2:4. The interesting part is he sees 1:1 - 2:3 and 2:4+ as two complementary stories of creation - the first focusing on man's divine origins, and the second focusing on man's mundane origins. Further he notes that the first story shows man as HAVING authority - as per Gen 1:29 "you shall" vs. the second story showing man UNDER authority - as per Gen 2:17. This further emphasizes the divine vs. mundane focus of each section.

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