Post by iris89 on Sept 4, 2007 12:30:08 GMT -5
Did the Messiah say the Sacred Name?
There are some who believe that the Messiah only referred to Yahweh as "The Father" or believe that Yahushua also believed in the doctrine that states Yahweh's name is too holy to pronounce.
Let us first examine the meaning of the word "name" in scripture. It 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 [perhaps rather from 7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position; compare 8064]; an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character: - + base, [in-] fame[-ous], name[-d], renown, report.
As we can see from the above definition, Yahweh's name is not only represents His "character" but the Name Yahweh is also "His mark". Therefore the word "Shem"/Name refers to His literal written or spoken name as well as His character. If it did not refer to His literal written and spoken name then one could say that Yahweh does not have a written name at all. But we know that is not true:
Isai 42:8 (av) I am Yahweh: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
According to the above definition, His Name is also is His "memorial of individuality". This definition goes hand in hand with scripture:
Exodus 3:15-AV And Elohim said moreover to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me to you: this [is] my name for ever, and this [is] my memorial to all generations.
Man has set up may memorials for himself such as "The Wall" in Washington DC. If one were to go and desecrate that memorial and replace it with a bunch of different names, this person could expect to receive a great punishment for his crime. Now if we wouldn't desecrate one of man's memorials, then why would anyone want to desecrate Yahweh's Memorial - His Name? Do we have the right to change His name to a title of our own liking? Surely our Messiah would not do this, especially when reading the scriptures in the Synagogue:
Luke 4:17 (NKJV) And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of Yahweh [is] upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to [the] poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to [the] captives And recovery of sight to [the] blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of Yahweh." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave [it] back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Let's examine some of the things the Messiah said concerning His Father's name:
John 5:43 (av) I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
Again, we must recognize the dual meaning of the word "Name" here. Not only did He come by His Father's authority, but He also came in His Father's literal written and spoken name. This is proven when we understand the Messiah's name as "Yah-shua" or "Yahweh (is) Salvation".
Peter (in Acts 3) confirmed that the following scripture was speaking of Yahushua:
Deut 18:18 (av) I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.19 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him.
This is a direct statement saying that Yahushua did 'speak' in His Father's name. Surely then He did not hide it, substitute it, or change it. He spoke in it. Also it was written of our Saviour:
Psal 118:26 (av) Blessed [be] he that cometh in the name of Yahweh..
So here we have 3 witnesses that Yahushua did come in His Father's name and speak in His Father's name. Nevertheless, lets examine more evidence. In Yahushua's prayer in John 17 He says:
John 17:5 (av) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
And again:
John 17:26 (av) And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare [it]: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
This was a fulfillment of scripture in the great Psalm 22:
Psal 22:22 (av) I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
Scripture does not lie. If it says that Yahushua declared His name, He had to have done so. He not only declared His Father's literal and spoken name, but also His true character to the people. However, it is evident that not all had "ears to hear" concerning His Father's true character. Not unlike today, they had much baggage (traditions) left over from their Fathers. Yahushua clearly condemned the traditions that were not in line with Yahweh's word. As He had said:
Mark 7:9 (av) And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of Elohim, that ye may keep your own tradition.
One of the traditions was that Yahweh's name was too holy to pronounce.
The question might be asked "Why did Yahushua refer to Yahweh as "Father"? I believe that there are many scriptures that indicate the Messiah was also called "Yahweh" in the old testament. For instance:
Isai 44:6 (av) Thus saith Yahweh the King of Israel, and His redeemer Yahweh of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no El'.
Because of this, I believe it is possible that one reason Yahushua called Him "Father" was to distinguish Him from Himself. Perhaps I cannot directly prove this. Nevertheless, besides the fact that Yahweh was His Father and this is what He wanted all to know, this is one other possible reason Yahushua often called Him "Father". It is not a wrong thing to call Yahweh by a title that fitly describes Him. The problem lies in replacing, changing and failing to praise, exalt, bless, love, teach, preach, anoint, assemble, believe, give thanks, honor and call on His name as scripture teaches us.
Now let's examine the trial in which Yahushua was sentenced to death.
Matt 26:64 (av) Yahushua saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
In light of these verses, it is fascinating to study the historical context of what was going on. Based on the above scripture, it is evident that the official charge against the Messiah was "blasphemy". The word "Power" in verse 64 was a popular 'euphenism' or substitution for the divine name Yahweh. Now according to the Mishna:
"He who blasphemes is liable only when he will have fully pronounced the Divine Name. Said R. Joshua ben Qorha, "on every day (of the trial) they examine the wtnesses with a substituted name. When sentence was to be given they did not decalre him guilty of death with the substituted name, but they put everyone out and ask the most important of the witnesses, saying to him, "Say, what exactly did you hear?" And he says what he heard. And the judges stand on their feet and tear their clothing, and they may not mend them again.(m.San. 7:5)"
Therefore, it is evident that historically no man could be sentenced for blasphemy unless he had actually spoken the Divine Name. This is furthur proven when we see that the High Priest "rent his clothes" upon hearing the name since Yahushua was his own witness (as he said "what further need have we of witnesses?").
Finally, there is strong evidence that Yahushua spoke the name aloud in Mt. 4:7; 4:10; 5:33; 21:42; 22:37 & 22:44. The Hebrew version DuTillet has 3 yods in the place of the name "Yahweh" and the Shem Tob has a "Heh" in those places. These all indicate He spoke the name since there is no Hebrew word with a single Heh or 3 consecutive Yod's. This is one of the multitude of attempts to falsify His name by those who believed in the ineffable name doctrine. The ineffable name doctrine states that Yahweh's name is too holy to pronounce. Clement of Alexandria did not hold to this doctrine, but others did like Jerome:
"For no one can utter the name of the ineffable deity; and if any one dare to say that there is a name, he raves with a hopeless madness. (I Apol.,61)"
"But to the father of all, who is unbegotten, there is no name given. For by whatever name he be called, he has as his elder the person who gives him the name. But these words, Father, and Deity, and Creator, and Lord, and Master, are not names but appelations derived from good deeds and functions. (II Apol., 6)"
With this in mind, it is no wonder that the manuscripts we have today do not contain the name. We know that the 'church fathers' quickly apostated from the true Sabbath. It shouldn't be difficult to believe that they also quickly dropped the use of the true name of our Creator. It is very evident that the "ineffable name" doctrine is totally unscriptural. It flies in the face of scriptures like:
Exod 9:16 (av) And in very deed for this [cause] have I raised thee up, for to shew [in] thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
Isai 52:6a "My people shall know my name.."
Psalms 116:4-AV Then I called upon the name of Yahweh; O Yahweh, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Psalms 116:13-AV I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of Yahweh.
Psalms 116:17-AV I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of Yahweh.
Isaiah 12:4-AV And in that day shall ye say, Praise Yahweh, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
I think it is better to trust in what the scriptures say concerning His name rather than trusting in the reasoning that "since the greek manuscripts which we have today (which are not original) do not contain the name, it must not be important." The scriptures already have declared the importance of His name. I will close with one final scripture:
Psalms 105:1-AV O give thanks to Yahweh; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
I believe this last scripture is one of many commandments to call on His name. Why not do so?
[www.eliyah.com/saidname.html]
In addition, I found the following:
The Hebrew word YHWH comes from the Hebrew verb 'to be'. Since Hebrew has no vowels and most of our English sounds and words include vowels, the name has been modified to Jehovah so that we can say it. The Name of God was considered by the ancient Jews to be too sacred to speak, so no one really knows the exact pronunciation of YHWH. The most often pronunciation is "Yahweh" which is close to a simple pronunciation of the letters YHWH.
First, the name Jehovah (YHWH) tells us what God is in Himself-'I AM THAT I AM' or 'I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE' [www.wbpc.org/knowledge_of...d-yhwh.htm]
Also, go to the following link to see signs with the name of God (YHWH) incorporated within them:
www.zionfire.com/page36.html
This Index to The Titles of Deity has been compiled to assist the reader to further his studies in the doctrine of God-manifestation. It will be found useful, not only in connection with the present work, but also in the study of Eureka, an exposition of the Apocalypse, by the author of Phanerosis. Eureka is a work which none of "the servants of God" should be without (see Rev. 1:3). Therein Dr. Thomas deals extensively with the subject of Deity in manifestation.
The Authorised Version has indiscriminately rendered many of the titles of Deity by the words "Lord" or "God." These words do not express the ideas conveyed in the name Yahweh, or the titles Eloah, Elohim, El, and so forth. By the use of this Index the student will be able to trace the places in his Bible where the different titles occur, and will thus be able to follow the reasoning of Dr. Thomas and other writers upon this subject more easily.
Much of the information contained in the following pages has previously appeared from time to time in Logos. It has been culled from various sources, mainly the writings of Dr. Thomas, and from lexicons and concordances. It is issued without any pretensions to scholarship on the part of the compiler, who claims no real knowledge of the original languages.
Dr. Thomas has transliterated this word as Ail, thus spelling it as it should be pronounced. He writes: "As often as this word Ail passed before the mind of the Hebrew, the idea of POWER, MIGHT, and STRENGTH, would stand out in bold relief." "It always," says Gesenius, "presented to the Hebrews the idea of strength and power." In Eureka, Vol. 1, p.95, Dr. Thomas writes: "Every member of the heavenly host is an Eloah (mighty one), but of all the Elohim (mighty ones) ONE ONLY is the original and self-existent AIL the absolute, omnipotent, and independent power of the universe. Speaking of Himself in His address to the ends of the earth He says: 'Look unto me, for I am AIL, and none else' (Isa. 45:22); and to Israel he saith: 'Ye are my witnesses, and my servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I, Yahweh, am He; before me AlL or POWER, has not been formed nor after me shall be" (Isa. 43: 10).
Jesus declared: "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30). This is true also of the heavenly host. However, with the aid of Ail, (which Power they manifest) "nothing is impossible" (Luke 1:37). El or Ail, therefore, refers to that mighty Power whose work is exhibited in all creation, and whose energy is the basis of all matter for "out of Him were all things made." "Lord," declared the Psalmist, "thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God (El)" -- Ps. 90:1-2.
According to Young's Index-Lexicon to the Old Testament, El has been translated "God" 212 times; "god" 15 times, "power" three times, "goodly" four times, "mighty" four times, and "idol," "might," "mighty one," "great," "mighty," "strong" once each.
"Another word applied to POWER INCREATE and improperly rendered 'God' is Eloah" (Dr. Thomas). The word is derived from the root El (Power). "POWER, then, is the radical idea of Eloah as well as of El. It is of the singular number and masculine gender" (Dr. Thomas).
Eloah thus signifies a Powerful or Mighty One. In regard to the doctrine of God manifestation, it signifies one who is made strong by Divine power (El). God is Himself Eloah, or a Mighty One, and so are the angels who manifest His power. This idea is expressed in the words recorded by Isaiah: "Exists there an Eloah without Me. Yea, there is no rock (metaphor for power), I know not any" (Isa. 44:8). David declared: "Who is Eloah
"save" halhaday,-- "without" or "apart from" -- see Strong's Concordance). David's question can be answered safely in the negative. There is no true strength apart from Yahweh. Man might claim to be Eloah, but his strength is but weakness compared with that of Yahweh, who, as Job remarked, can readily "gather unto Himself His spirit and breath, and all flesh would perish together."
Paul taught that believers are "in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2), and Peter that "divine nature" will be bestowed upon those who attain unto the "great and precious promises" (2 Pet. 1:4). Each saint attaining unto that position will be an Eloah, or a Mighty One; whilst combined they will constitute Elohim, or Mighty Ones. These titles will be applied to them because they will manifest El or the Divine power. Thus Isaiah represents the nations making supplication unto Cyrus (who was a type of Christ) saying: "Surely God (El - the Divine power) is in thee" (Isa. 45:14).
It is generally acknowledged that Yahweh is the correct pronunciation for the memorial name of God proclaimed at the Bush. Philologists and theologians agree that the term Jehovah, frequently used instead of Yahweh, is a spurious form of the word. In Eureka, vol 1, p.100, Dr. Thomas writes:
"Yahweh or Yah, as a noun, and signifying 'He who will be,' is the memorial name the Deity chooses to he known by among His people. It reminds them that HE will be manifested in a multitude, and that, in that great multitude which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, which shall stand before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands (Rev. 7:9) -- in each and every one of them, 'He will be the all things in all' (Cot. 15:28); or, as it is expressed in Eph. 4:6, 'there is one Deity and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all'."
The word occurs some 6,823 times in the Old Testament. It has been translated "Jehovah" in a few instances (Exod. 6:3; Ps. 83: 18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4; see also Gen. 22:14; Exod. 17:15; Judges 6:24), but most often it has been rendered as LORD or GOD. To indicate the presence of the name of Yahweh in the original text, the translators have printed these words in small capitals. For example, in Ezekiel 38:1, the word LORD appears in small capitals, whereas two verses on (v.3) it is printed in the lower case. In the former verse, the word is Yahweh; in the latter it is Adonai. Again, in Ezekiel 37:27 the word God appears printed in the lower case, whereas four verses on, in Ezekiel 38:3, the same word is printed in small capitals. In the former place the word is Elohim; in the latter it is Yahweh.
Yahweh also occurs in a contracted form as "Yah." Usually the condensed form is used for incorporating the Divine name in proper names, such Joshua (Yahshua), but it also appears in the text of Scripture, an example being found in Psalm 68:4: "Extol Him by His name Yah."
In The Christadelphian for 1881, J. W. Thirtle wrote: "The Name is a Hebrew word of four letters, and is spelled -- Yod, he, vav, he .... Some have wondered how the letter J came to be the initial of the word among us (i.e., the word Jehovah), as well as of the shorter form Yah -- in the common version, Jah. The answer is found in the fact that early translators and commentators wrote in Latin -- a language which has no such letter as Y in it, and those scholars selected J to do duty for the letter they wanted."
These Latin translators and commentators transposed the Memorial Name from Y.H.V.H. to J.H.V.H.. Previous to this, however, the Jews, owing to a misconception of the two passages Exod. 20:7 and Lev. 24:16, placed against these four letters the vowel points of the word rendered in our Bible "Lord," but in Hebrew Adonai. J. B. Rotherham in The Emphasised Bible states: "They intentionally wrote alien words not for combination with the sacred consonants, but for the purpose of cautioning the Jewish reader to enunciate a totally different word, vis., some other familiar name of the Most High." When the Jewish reader came to the words Yahweh Elohim, he would read Adonai Elohim, thus following the vowel points annotated to the text. But in some places, such as Ezekiel 38:10, the words used are Adonai Yahweh. Here, to avoid the repetition of Adonai Adonai, the vowel points of the word Elohim were supplied, and the Jewish reader read Adonai Elohim. Combine the vowel sounds of those words with the four letters, J.H.V.H., and the following combination results: JaHoVaiH, or Jehovah.
At one time, the correct pronunciation of the Name was subject to controversy; but today it is generally accepted that Yahweh is the correct form. Unger's Bible Dictionary states: "The Hebrew tetragrammaton (YHWH) traditionally pronounced Jehovah is now known to be correctly vocalised Yahweh. New inscriptional evidence from the second and first millenia B.C. point toward this fact .... and has commended itself in the light of the phonetic development and grammatical evidence of increased knowledge of Northwest Semitic and kindred tongues .... The Name Yahweh has been found to be unique to Israel and has not been verified as the name of any deity outside Israel."
[Read the following and you will clearly see they are only one in unity, but two distinct spirit beings] The word Elohim is derived from El (Strength or Power) and Alah meaning to bind together as by an oath. Thus the word suggests plurality in unity, whilst Theoi only denotes plurality. The dominant feature of the Elohim is their unity not their plurality. They are made strong by One, even El. Though many, they act in strict conformity with one another as a unit. The idea is perhaps better comprehended by the common use of the word Ecclesia. The later suggests a multitude called out of "every kindred, tongue and nation" and made "one" by the blood of Christ. That unity will be brought to perfection when each member is clothed upon with Divine nature, and thus made really "one" in Christ and in Yahweh (John 17:21). The use of the word Theoi would destroy the fundamental thought of the unity of the Elohim, and would suggest that they are independent beings deriving their power from various sources.
Did Christ use the Divine Name and titles? We are confident that he did. Christ spake in Hebrew (Acts 26:14), and there is strong evidence to suggest that the original gospels were written in that tongue. The fact that Christ spoke in Hebrew is evidenced by the words that are still retained in the text (see Mark 5:41; 7:34, etc.). [ users.aol.com/bible3/phanindc.htm basically from Unger's Bible dictionary]
See Part Two:
There are some who believe that the Messiah only referred to Yahweh as "The Father" or believe that Yahushua also believed in the doctrine that states Yahweh's name is too holy to pronounce.
Let us first examine the meaning of the word "name" in scripture. It 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 [perhaps rather from 7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position; compare 8064]; an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character: - + base, [in-] fame[-ous], name[-d], renown, report.
As we can see from the above definition, Yahweh's name is not only represents His "character" but the Name Yahweh is also "His mark". Therefore the word "Shem"/Name refers to His literal written or spoken name as well as His character. If it did not refer to His literal written and spoken name then one could say that Yahweh does not have a written name at all. But we know that is not true:
Isai 42:8 (av) I am Yahweh: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
According to the above definition, His Name is also is His "memorial of individuality". This definition goes hand in hand with scripture:
Exodus 3:15-AV And Elohim said moreover to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me to you: this [is] my name for ever, and this [is] my memorial to all generations.
Man has set up may memorials for himself such as "The Wall" in Washington DC. If one were to go and desecrate that memorial and replace it with a bunch of different names, this person could expect to receive a great punishment for his crime. Now if we wouldn't desecrate one of man's memorials, then why would anyone want to desecrate Yahweh's Memorial - His Name? Do we have the right to change His name to a title of our own liking? Surely our Messiah would not do this, especially when reading the scriptures in the Synagogue:
Luke 4:17 (NKJV) And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of Yahweh [is] upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to [the] poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to [the] captives And recovery of sight to [the] blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of Yahweh." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave [it] back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Let's examine some of the things the Messiah said concerning His Father's name:
John 5:43 (av) I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
Again, we must recognize the dual meaning of the word "Name" here. Not only did He come by His Father's authority, but He also came in His Father's literal written and spoken name. This is proven when we understand the Messiah's name as "Yah-shua" or "Yahweh (is) Salvation".
Peter (in Acts 3) confirmed that the following scripture was speaking of Yahushua:
Deut 18:18 (av) I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.19 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him.
This is a direct statement saying that Yahushua did 'speak' in His Father's name. Surely then He did not hide it, substitute it, or change it. He spoke in it. Also it was written of our Saviour:
Psal 118:26 (av) Blessed [be] he that cometh in the name of Yahweh..
So here we have 3 witnesses that Yahushua did come in His Father's name and speak in His Father's name. Nevertheless, lets examine more evidence. In Yahushua's prayer in John 17 He says:
John 17:5 (av) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
And again:
John 17:26 (av) And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare [it]: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
This was a fulfillment of scripture in the great Psalm 22:
Psal 22:22 (av) I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
Scripture does not lie. If it says that Yahushua declared His name, He had to have done so. He not only declared His Father's literal and spoken name, but also His true character to the people. However, it is evident that not all had "ears to hear" concerning His Father's true character. Not unlike today, they had much baggage (traditions) left over from their Fathers. Yahushua clearly condemned the traditions that were not in line with Yahweh's word. As He had said:
Mark 7:9 (av) And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of Elohim, that ye may keep your own tradition.
One of the traditions was that Yahweh's name was too holy to pronounce.
The question might be asked "Why did Yahushua refer to Yahweh as "Father"? I believe that there are many scriptures that indicate the Messiah was also called "Yahweh" in the old testament. For instance:
Isai 44:6 (av) Thus saith Yahweh the King of Israel, and His redeemer Yahweh of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no El'.
Because of this, I believe it is possible that one reason Yahushua called Him "Father" was to distinguish Him from Himself. Perhaps I cannot directly prove this. Nevertheless, besides the fact that Yahweh was His Father and this is what He wanted all to know, this is one other possible reason Yahushua often called Him "Father". It is not a wrong thing to call Yahweh by a title that fitly describes Him. The problem lies in replacing, changing and failing to praise, exalt, bless, love, teach, preach, anoint, assemble, believe, give thanks, honor and call on His name as scripture teaches us.
Now let's examine the trial in which Yahushua was sentenced to death.
Matt 26:64 (av) Yahushua saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
In light of these verses, it is fascinating to study the historical context of what was going on. Based on the above scripture, it is evident that the official charge against the Messiah was "blasphemy". The word "Power" in verse 64 was a popular 'euphenism' or substitution for the divine name Yahweh. Now according to the Mishna:
"He who blasphemes is liable only when he will have fully pronounced the Divine Name. Said R. Joshua ben Qorha, "on every day (of the trial) they examine the wtnesses with a substituted name. When sentence was to be given they did not decalre him guilty of death with the substituted name, but they put everyone out and ask the most important of the witnesses, saying to him, "Say, what exactly did you hear?" And he says what he heard. And the judges stand on their feet and tear their clothing, and they may not mend them again.(m.San. 7:5)"
Therefore, it is evident that historically no man could be sentenced for blasphemy unless he had actually spoken the Divine Name. This is furthur proven when we see that the High Priest "rent his clothes" upon hearing the name since Yahushua was his own witness (as he said "what further need have we of witnesses?").
Finally, there is strong evidence that Yahushua spoke the name aloud in Mt. 4:7; 4:10; 5:33; 21:42; 22:37 & 22:44. The Hebrew version DuTillet has 3 yods in the place of the name "Yahweh" and the Shem Tob has a "Heh" in those places. These all indicate He spoke the name since there is no Hebrew word with a single Heh or 3 consecutive Yod's. This is one of the multitude of attempts to falsify His name by those who believed in the ineffable name doctrine. The ineffable name doctrine states that Yahweh's name is too holy to pronounce. Clement of Alexandria did not hold to this doctrine, but others did like Jerome:
"For no one can utter the name of the ineffable deity; and if any one dare to say that there is a name, he raves with a hopeless madness. (I Apol.,61)"
"But to the father of all, who is unbegotten, there is no name given. For by whatever name he be called, he has as his elder the person who gives him the name. But these words, Father, and Deity, and Creator, and Lord, and Master, are not names but appelations derived from good deeds and functions. (II Apol., 6)"
With this in mind, it is no wonder that the manuscripts we have today do not contain the name. We know that the 'church fathers' quickly apostated from the true Sabbath. It shouldn't be difficult to believe that they also quickly dropped the use of the true name of our Creator. It is very evident that the "ineffable name" doctrine is totally unscriptural. It flies in the face of scriptures like:
Exod 9:16 (av) And in very deed for this [cause] have I raised thee up, for to shew [in] thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
Isai 52:6a "My people shall know my name.."
Psalms 116:4-AV Then I called upon the name of Yahweh; O Yahweh, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Psalms 116:13-AV I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of Yahweh.
Psalms 116:17-AV I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of Yahweh.
Isaiah 12:4-AV And in that day shall ye say, Praise Yahweh, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
I think it is better to trust in what the scriptures say concerning His name rather than trusting in the reasoning that "since the greek manuscripts which we have today (which are not original) do not contain the name, it must not be important." The scriptures already have declared the importance of His name. I will close with one final scripture:
Psalms 105:1-AV O give thanks to Yahweh; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
I believe this last scripture is one of many commandments to call on His name. Why not do so?
[www.eliyah.com/saidname.html]
In addition, I found the following:
The Hebrew word YHWH comes from the Hebrew verb 'to be'. Since Hebrew has no vowels and most of our English sounds and words include vowels, the name has been modified to Jehovah so that we can say it. The Name of God was considered by the ancient Jews to be too sacred to speak, so no one really knows the exact pronunciation of YHWH. The most often pronunciation is "Yahweh" which is close to a simple pronunciation of the letters YHWH.
First, the name Jehovah (YHWH) tells us what God is in Himself-'I AM THAT I AM' or 'I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE' [www.wbpc.org/knowledge_of...d-yhwh.htm]
Also, go to the following link to see signs with the name of God (YHWH) incorporated within them:
www.zionfire.com/page36.html
This Index to The Titles of Deity has been compiled to assist the reader to further his studies in the doctrine of God-manifestation. It will be found useful, not only in connection with the present work, but also in the study of Eureka, an exposition of the Apocalypse, by the author of Phanerosis. Eureka is a work which none of "the servants of God" should be without (see Rev. 1:3). Therein Dr. Thomas deals extensively with the subject of Deity in manifestation.
The Authorised Version has indiscriminately rendered many of the titles of Deity by the words "Lord" or "God." These words do not express the ideas conveyed in the name Yahweh, or the titles Eloah, Elohim, El, and so forth. By the use of this Index the student will be able to trace the places in his Bible where the different titles occur, and will thus be able to follow the reasoning of Dr. Thomas and other writers upon this subject more easily.
Much of the information contained in the following pages has previously appeared from time to time in Logos. It has been culled from various sources, mainly the writings of Dr. Thomas, and from lexicons and concordances. It is issued without any pretensions to scholarship on the part of the compiler, who claims no real knowledge of the original languages.
Dr. Thomas has transliterated this word as Ail, thus spelling it as it should be pronounced. He writes: "As often as this word Ail passed before the mind of the Hebrew, the idea of POWER, MIGHT, and STRENGTH, would stand out in bold relief." "It always," says Gesenius, "presented to the Hebrews the idea of strength and power." In Eureka, Vol. 1, p.95, Dr. Thomas writes: "Every member of the heavenly host is an Eloah (mighty one), but of all the Elohim (mighty ones) ONE ONLY is the original and self-existent AIL the absolute, omnipotent, and independent power of the universe. Speaking of Himself in His address to the ends of the earth He says: 'Look unto me, for I am AIL, and none else' (Isa. 45:22); and to Israel he saith: 'Ye are my witnesses, and my servant whom I have chosen, that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I, Yahweh, am He; before me AlL or POWER, has not been formed nor after me shall be" (Isa. 43: 10).
Jesus declared: "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30). This is true also of the heavenly host. However, with the aid of Ail, (which Power they manifest) "nothing is impossible" (Luke 1:37). El or Ail, therefore, refers to that mighty Power whose work is exhibited in all creation, and whose energy is the basis of all matter for "out of Him were all things made." "Lord," declared the Psalmist, "thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God (El)" -- Ps. 90:1-2.
According to Young's Index-Lexicon to the Old Testament, El has been translated "God" 212 times; "god" 15 times, "power" three times, "goodly" four times, "mighty" four times, and "idol," "might," "mighty one," "great," "mighty," "strong" once each.
"Another word applied to POWER INCREATE and improperly rendered 'God' is Eloah" (Dr. Thomas). The word is derived from the root El (Power). "POWER, then, is the radical idea of Eloah as well as of El. It is of the singular number and masculine gender" (Dr. Thomas).
Eloah thus signifies a Powerful or Mighty One. In regard to the doctrine of God manifestation, it signifies one who is made strong by Divine power (El). God is Himself Eloah, or a Mighty One, and so are the angels who manifest His power. This idea is expressed in the words recorded by Isaiah: "Exists there an Eloah without Me. Yea, there is no rock (metaphor for power), I know not any" (Isa. 44:8). David declared: "Who is Eloah
"save" halhaday,-- "without" or "apart from" -- see Strong's Concordance). David's question can be answered safely in the negative. There is no true strength apart from Yahweh. Man might claim to be Eloah, but his strength is but weakness compared with that of Yahweh, who, as Job remarked, can readily "gather unto Himself His spirit and breath, and all flesh would perish together."
Paul taught that believers are "in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2), and Peter that "divine nature" will be bestowed upon those who attain unto the "great and precious promises" (2 Pet. 1:4). Each saint attaining unto that position will be an Eloah, or a Mighty One; whilst combined they will constitute Elohim, or Mighty Ones. These titles will be applied to them because they will manifest El or the Divine power. Thus Isaiah represents the nations making supplication unto Cyrus (who was a type of Christ) saying: "Surely God (El - the Divine power) is in thee" (Isa. 45:14).
It is generally acknowledged that Yahweh is the correct pronunciation for the memorial name of God proclaimed at the Bush. Philologists and theologians agree that the term Jehovah, frequently used instead of Yahweh, is a spurious form of the word. In Eureka, vol 1, p.100, Dr. Thomas writes:
"Yahweh or Yah, as a noun, and signifying 'He who will be,' is the memorial name the Deity chooses to he known by among His people. It reminds them that HE will be manifested in a multitude, and that, in that great multitude which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, which shall stand before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands (Rev. 7:9) -- in each and every one of them, 'He will be the all things in all' (Cot. 15:28); or, as it is expressed in Eph. 4:6, 'there is one Deity and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all'."
The word occurs some 6,823 times in the Old Testament. It has been translated "Jehovah" in a few instances (Exod. 6:3; Ps. 83: 18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4; see also Gen. 22:14; Exod. 17:15; Judges 6:24), but most often it has been rendered as LORD or GOD. To indicate the presence of the name of Yahweh in the original text, the translators have printed these words in small capitals. For example, in Ezekiel 38:1, the word LORD appears in small capitals, whereas two verses on (v.3) it is printed in the lower case. In the former verse, the word is Yahweh; in the latter it is Adonai. Again, in Ezekiel 37:27 the word God appears printed in the lower case, whereas four verses on, in Ezekiel 38:3, the same word is printed in small capitals. In the former place the word is Elohim; in the latter it is Yahweh.
Yahweh also occurs in a contracted form as "Yah." Usually the condensed form is used for incorporating the Divine name in proper names, such Joshua (Yahshua), but it also appears in the text of Scripture, an example being found in Psalm 68:4: "Extol Him by His name Yah."
In The Christadelphian for 1881, J. W. Thirtle wrote: "The Name is a Hebrew word of four letters, and is spelled -- Yod, he, vav, he .... Some have wondered how the letter J came to be the initial of the word among us (i.e., the word Jehovah), as well as of the shorter form Yah -- in the common version, Jah. The answer is found in the fact that early translators and commentators wrote in Latin -- a language which has no such letter as Y in it, and those scholars selected J to do duty for the letter they wanted."
These Latin translators and commentators transposed the Memorial Name from Y.H.V.H. to J.H.V.H.. Previous to this, however, the Jews, owing to a misconception of the two passages Exod. 20:7 and Lev. 24:16, placed against these four letters the vowel points of the word rendered in our Bible "Lord," but in Hebrew Adonai. J. B. Rotherham in The Emphasised Bible states: "They intentionally wrote alien words not for combination with the sacred consonants, but for the purpose of cautioning the Jewish reader to enunciate a totally different word, vis., some other familiar name of the Most High." When the Jewish reader came to the words Yahweh Elohim, he would read Adonai Elohim, thus following the vowel points annotated to the text. But in some places, such as Ezekiel 38:10, the words used are Adonai Yahweh. Here, to avoid the repetition of Adonai Adonai, the vowel points of the word Elohim were supplied, and the Jewish reader read Adonai Elohim. Combine the vowel sounds of those words with the four letters, J.H.V.H., and the following combination results: JaHoVaiH, or Jehovah.
At one time, the correct pronunciation of the Name was subject to controversy; but today it is generally accepted that Yahweh is the correct form. Unger's Bible Dictionary states: "The Hebrew tetragrammaton (YHWH) traditionally pronounced Jehovah is now known to be correctly vocalised Yahweh. New inscriptional evidence from the second and first millenia B.C. point toward this fact .... and has commended itself in the light of the phonetic development and grammatical evidence of increased knowledge of Northwest Semitic and kindred tongues .... The Name Yahweh has been found to be unique to Israel and has not been verified as the name of any deity outside Israel."
[Read the following and you will clearly see they are only one in unity, but two distinct spirit beings] The word Elohim is derived from El (Strength or Power) and Alah meaning to bind together as by an oath. Thus the word suggests plurality in unity, whilst Theoi only denotes plurality. The dominant feature of the Elohim is their unity not their plurality. They are made strong by One, even El. Though many, they act in strict conformity with one another as a unit. The idea is perhaps better comprehended by the common use of the word Ecclesia. The later suggests a multitude called out of "every kindred, tongue and nation" and made "one" by the blood of Christ. That unity will be brought to perfection when each member is clothed upon with Divine nature, and thus made really "one" in Christ and in Yahweh (John 17:21). The use of the word Theoi would destroy the fundamental thought of the unity of the Elohim, and would suggest that they are independent beings deriving their power from various sources.
Did Christ use the Divine Name and titles? We are confident that he did. Christ spake in Hebrew (Acts 26:14), and there is strong evidence to suggest that the original gospels were written in that tongue. The fact that Christ spoke in Hebrew is evidenced by the words that are still retained in the text (see Mark 5:41; 7:34, etc.). [ users.aol.com/bible3/phanindc.htm basically from Unger's Bible dictionary]
See Part Two: