Should they use the sacred name of God? YHWH

by Sirona 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Sirona

  Now you may think I'm a little slow to catch on here. This morning was the first time it occurred to me that the JW's use of the Tetragrammaton may actually be a huge insult to other faiths.

  Admittedly they use a modern day English version of the name of God - Jehovah. Still, don't Jews and other groups find it insulting that a group such as the JWs should first of all use the name in nearly every other sentence and also use that name as their label?

  Sirona
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  peacefulpete

  Yes it is offensive. That is why JW literature aimed at a Jewish or Muslim audiance will use titles such as God or even Allah, perhaps slipping the Tetragrammaton in near the end.
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  erik

  Hi there,

  I have wondered the same thing. It seems that the name in the Hebrew scriptures or in the Jewish faith is sacred and is not used as often. If I meet the President, I am not going to greet him with, Hey George how are ya. Emphasis on Hey George. The President is just a man and yet I would still pay him the respect of greeting him by Mr. President or something to that effect. Also, do modern day Jews use the name Yaweh as often as Witnesses?

  Erik
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  ChristianObserver

  You might care to visit the Jews for Judaism site and read the essay by Gerald Sigal which contains the following statement -

  "It is absurd to excuse the use of the pseudo-name "Jehovah" by saying it is the most common well-known name of God in the English language. God did not give His divine name in English; He gave it in Hebrew. The Watchtower Society's insistence that "God's personal name [is] Jehovah" is completely erroneous. God's personal name is not, and cannot be, "Jehovah." "

  http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/JW/thename.html
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  Frannie Banannie

  Who says God's name is sacred? Is it MEN that say this? Is it a religious group (s)? Did God ride up on a bicycle and tell someone His name is sacred? What does sacred mean in relation to God's name? According to whom?

  Frannie B
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  fjtoth

  There seem to be valid reasons for not using the Tetragrammaton in a conspicuous way.

  • The Tetragrammaton existed about 7,000 times in the original Hebrew text.
  • However, it was removed from the original text.
  • It was apparently removed for two important reasons: (1) The correct pronounciation became lost, and (2) Sincere Jews felt that mispronouncing the holy Tetragrammaton was sinful.
  • During the time of Jesus and the apostles, the Tetragrammaton did not exist in some portions or perhaps even entire copies of the Hebrew text nor in the Septuagint that they commonly used. Even in the synagogue, Jesus did not use the Tetragrammaton when he read from Isaiah 61. See Luke 4:18.
  • Jesus must have approved the removal of the Tetragrammaton. Otherwise he who knew the Father better than all others would have expressed dissatisfaction with the removal. Despite the absence of the Tetragrammaton in many or all manuscripts then available, Jesus never discussed the matter as if he felt the Tetragrammaton should be prominently used.
  • Even when quoting from the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, the writers of the Greek Scriptures did not insert the Tetragrammaton.
  • To re-insert the Tetragrammaton in the Hebrew Scriptures where it was removed is going beyond what Jesus and the apostles accepted.
  • There is absolutely no basis for inserting the Tetragrammaton into the Greek Scriptures as the WT Society has done. Such insertions are presumptuous and can possibly be viewed as additions to the Word of God--additions that are condemned at Deut 4:2; 12:32; Prov 30:6 and Rev 22:18.
  • Emphasis on the Tetragrammaton is an important feature of various sects and cults that try to give the impression that they have more truth than others. Such groups make a mockery of God's name by their attempts at spelling it, whereas they should readily acknowledge and comply with the fact that not even Yahweh and Jehovah are correct and that both are simply the results of mere guesswork. Scholars are not even in agreement on whether the Tetragrammaton should be spelled in English as JHVH or YHWH.
  • Is not the better course to do as Jesus and the apostles did and not go beyond what is written? If they were content not to use the literal name of God in any conspicuous way, we should also be content.

  We should not ignore the fact that God has several other names besides the Tetragrammaton. Besides, some Bible scholars have concluded that when God speaks of his "name," he is often referring to his authority or reputation and less frequently to a literal name that can be spelled out in Hebrew characters. When I was a JW, I was never satisfied with their explanation of Exodus 6:3, and now I feel I know why. If God was talking to Moses about his literal name, he would have been telling a lie. He was not saying that he did not appear to Abraham by using the Tetragrammaton. The book of Genesis contains the Tetragrammaton quite often in the accounts about Abraham. What God apparently meant was this: The Tetragrammaton has a meaning that can only be known by the experience people gain by their dealings with God. Abraham knew the Tetragrammaton, but he did not know what it stood for in the sense that Moses and the Israelites came to know it. I've heard that no one knows the actual meaning of the Tetragrammaton, but some scholars are of the opinion that it stands for something like "the God who keeps his promises toward his intimate friends." Abraham received the promises, but his descendants began to receive the fulfillments of those promises. It seems to me that when we allow our focus to be merely on the literal name, we are prone to overlook the far more important significance of who God is in relationship with his people. In view of the strong Jewish inclination against the practice of saying God's name, Jesus must have been referring to God's authority and reputation instead of a literal name when he said to God, "I have made your name known." (John 17:26) If he had used the name publicly, he probably would have been stoned on the spot. Yet the Bible says nothing about Jesus' enemies even rebuking him for using the divine name. As the Bible foretold, there are many deceivers in the world. I've concluded that one of the easiest ways to identify them is to notice how much emphasis they place on things that Jesus never emphasized.
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  Narkissos

  fjtoth: the Tetragrammaton was never removed from the Hebrew text. It was not to be read aloud, but replaced by Adonaï (Lord) or Elohim (God) in public reading. However it is still written in any Hebrew Bible.

  On related matters, see also http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/62692/1.ashx
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  fjtoth

  Narkissos,

  I think we both need to rework our sentences. I wrote that the Tetragrammaton "was removed from the original text." I should have said "partially removed." You wrote that "the Tetragrammaton was never removed from the Hebrew text."

  An examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls shows that there are numerous instances where the Jews removed the name from certain manuscripts. Additionally, it seems obvious that the writer of the Chronicles preferred the term Elohim even where his sources Samuel and Kings used the Tetragrammaton. He did that under inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

  Psalms 42?83 show a preference for Elohim rather than Jehovah, whereas the remaining Psalms frequently use the Tetragrammaton throughout. The use of Elohim in Psalms 43:4 and 45:7 doesn't appear to be original because the psalmist would probably not have employed the awkward expressions "Elohim my Elohim" (instead of "Jehovah my Elohim") and "Elohim your Elohim" (instead of "Jehovah your Elohim").

  Chapters 3 to 37 of Job lack the Tetragrammaton in favor of other divine names, with two notable exceptions (12:9; 28:28). Jehovah is missing from the book of Daniel, with the exception of 1:2 and the prayer in chapter 9. Both Daniel and Ecclesiastes prefer Elohim. The preference for Elohim is also found in both Ezra (7:27?10:17) and Nehemiah (1?6; 12:27?13:31); and neither Jehovah nor Elohim is used in the Song of Solomon or the book of Esther.

  It certainly seems that both the original writers as well as later scribes were intent on avoiding the Tetragrammaton in many instances.
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  Quotes

  If it was important, the correct pronunciation (assuming such a "correct" version even exists) would have been preserved, especially if it was truly as important as some people say it is. But is was lost to the ages, like an old temple which falls apart through the eons. Oh well.
  
  BTW, what would happen if an elder started a prayer like this:
  
  "Our heavenly father, YAHWEH, we approach you, united as Witnesses to your great name YAHWEH, ....."
  
  Would probably shock the brothers & sisters, eh?
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  Joker10

  No, it is not. No one even knows for sure what Jesus name was, and its pronunciation. What gives other religions the right to withhold the divine name? Or why don't they even educate? Whats with the whole secrecy?