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), the name of God.]] In Judaism , the name of God is more than a distinguishing title. It represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relation of God to the Jewish people. In awe at the Sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for them, the Scribe s of Sacred Text s took pause before copying them, and used terms of reverence so as to keep the true name of God concealed. The various names of God in Judaism represent God as he is known, as well as the divine aspects which are attributed to him. The numerous names of God have been a source of debate amongst biblical scholars — some have advanced the variety as proof that the Torah has many authors (see Documentary Hypothesis ), while others declare that the different aspects of God have different names, depending on the role God is playing, the context in which he is referred to and the specific aspects which are emphasized (see Negative Theology In Jewish Thought ). NAMES OF GOD The Tetragrammaton The most important and most often written name of convention that is used. The Tetragrammaton was written in contrasting Paleo-Hebrew characters in some of the oldest surviving square Aramaic Hebrew texts, and it is speculated that it was, even at that period, read as ''Adonai'', "My Lord", when encountered. According to Jewish tradition, in appearance, YHWH is the third person singular imperfect of the verb "to be", meaning, therefore, "God is," or "God will be" or, perhaps, "God lives". This explanation agrees with the meaning of the name given in that God exists by himself, the uncreated Creator who doesn't depend on anything or anyone else; therefore ''I am who I am''. The idea of 'life' has been traditionally connected with the name YHWH from medieval times. God is presented as a living God, as contrasted with the lifeless gods of the heathen: God is presented as the source and author of life (compare 2:7; and so forth) The name YHWH is often reconstructed as ''Yahweh'' or often times ''Jehovah'' in the English language. The name Yahweh is likely to be the origin of the Yao of Gnosticism . A few also think it might be cognate to Yaw of Ugarit ic texts. If the Hehs in the Tetragrammaton are seen as sacred augmentation similar to those in ''Abraham'' (from ''Abram'') and ''Sarah'' (from ''Sarai''), then the association becomes clearer. Though the final Heh in ''Yahweh'' was not pronounced in classical Hebrew, the medial Heh would have almost certainly been pronounced. The prohibition of blasphemy, for which capital punishment is prescribed in Jewish law, refers only to the Tetragrammaton (Soferim iv., end; comp. Sanh. 66a). Pronouncing the tetragrammaton (1100 BC to AD 300), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts.]]All modern denominations of Judaism teach that the four letter name of God, YHWH, is forbidden to be uttered except by the High Priest, in the Temple. Since the Temple In Jerusalem no longer exists, this name is never said in religious rituals by Jews. Orthodox and Conservative Jews never pronounce it for any reason. Some non-Orthodox (but religious) Jews are willing to pronounce it, but for educational purposes only, and never in casual conversation or in prayer. Instead of pronouncing YHWH during Prayer , Jews say ''Adonai'', though passages such as: : And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, YHWH {Link without Title} with you. And they answered him, YHWH bless thee. strongly indicate that there was a time when the name was in common usage. Also the fact that many Hebrew names were made from parts of the tetragrammaton indicates that the people knew the verbalization of the name in order to understand the connection. English translations of the Bible generally render YHWH as "Jehovah" in several locations, while replacing the name altogether as "the LORD" (in small capitals), and ''Adonai'' as "Lord" (in normal case). In a few cases, where "Lord YHWH" appears, the combination is written as "Lord GOD". = Hashem/Had'var Jewish Law requires that secondary rules be placed around the primary law, to reduce the chance that the main law will be broken. As such, it is common Jewish practice to restrict the use of the word ''Adonai'' to Prayer only. In conversation, many Jewish people will call God "''HaShem''", which is Hebrew for "the Name" (this appears in Leviticus 24:11). Many Jews extend this prohibition to some of the other names listed below, and will add additional sounds to alter the pronunciation of a name when using it outside of a liturgical context, such as kel or elokim. Many Jews also write "G–d" instead of "God". While this last substitution is by no means required by religious law (only the Hebrew name, not the English, is holy), it is done to remind the reader of the holiness attached to God's name. (N.B.: Some Orthodox rabbis, e.g., Shlomo Ganzfried, have held that none of the proper names of God should be erased, blotted out, or discarded, even in translation.) Another similar term is ''Had'var'' (Hebrew: הדבר), meaning "the thing that cannot be described" or simply "the Word". While other names of God in Judaism are generally restricted to use in a Liturgical context, ''Hashem'' is used in more casual circumstances. Hashem is used by Orthodox Jews so as to avoid saying Adonai outside of a ritual context. This extends to, for example, an audio recording of Jewish prayers. An Orthodox Jew wouldn't make the recording when actually praying; they would make it in a recording studio, so they cannot say Adonai. Other names of God Adonai Jews also call God Adonai, Hebrew for "Lord" (Hebrew: אֲדֹנָי). Formally, this is plural ("my Lords"), but the plural is usually construed as a respectful, and not a Syntactic plural. (The singular form is ''Adoni'' ("my lord"). This was used by the Phoenicians for the pagan god Tammuz and is the origin of the Greek name Adonis . Jews only use the singular to refer to a distinguished person.) Alternatively, Adonai and other names of God may be written in the plural form to point out that this one God embodies all of the many gods that were worshipped by the ancestors of the Israelites and concurrently by the surrounding peoples. Since pronouncing YHWH is considered sinful, Jews use ''Adonai'' instead in prayers, and colloquially would use ''Hashem'' (The Name). When the Masoretes added vowel pointings to the text of the Hebrew Bible in the First Century CE , they gave the word YHWH the vowels of ''Adonai'', to remind the reader to say ''Adonai'' instead. The Sephardi translators of the Ferrara Bible go further and susbtitute ''Adonai'' with ''A.'' Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh The name ''Ehyeh'' (Hebrew: אֶהְיֶה) denotes God's potency in the immediate future, and is part of YHWH. The phrase ''"ehyeh-asher-ehyeh"'' ( leaves the phrase untranslated and is so quoted in the Talmud (B. B. 73a). The "I am that I am" of the Authorized Version is based on this view. ''I am that I am (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced 'Ehyeh asher ehyeh'''') is the sole response used in (Exodus 3:14) when Moses asked for God's name. It is one of the most famous verses in the Hebrew Bible . ''Hayah'' means "existed" or "was" in Hebrew ; ''ehyeh'' is the first-person singular imperfect form. ''Ehyeh asher ehyeh'' is generally interpreted to mean "I will be what I will be", ''I shall be what I shall be'' or ''I am that I am'' ( King James Bible and others). The Tetragrammaton itself may derive from the same verbal root. El ''Main article: El (god) '' The word '' El '' appears in other northwest Semitic Languages such as Phoenician and Aramaic . In Akkadian , ''ilu'' is the ordinary word for god. It is also found also in Old South Arabian and in Ethiopic , and, as in Hebrew, it is often used as an element in proper names. In northwest Semitic texts it often appears to be used of one single god, perhaps the head of the pantheon, sometimes specifically said to be the creator. ''El'' (Hebrew: אל) is used in both the singular and plural, both for other gods and for the God of Israel. As a name of God, however, it is used chiefly in poetry and prophetic discourse, rarely in prose, and then usually with some epithet attached, as "a jealous God." Other examples of its use with some attribute or epithet are: ''El `Elyon '' ("Most High God"), ''El Shaddai'' ("God Almighty"), ''El `Olam'' ("Everlasting God"), ''El Hai'' ("Living God"), ''El Ro'i'' ("God of Seeing"), ''El Elohe Israel'' ("God, the God of Israel"), ''El Gibbor'' ("God of Strength"). In addition, names such as Gabriel ("Strength of God"), Michael ("He Who is Like God"), Raphael ("God´s medicine") and Daniel ("God is My Judge") use God's name in a similar fashion. Elohim ''Main article: Elohim '' A common name of God in the Hebrew Bible is '' Elohim '' (Hebrew: אלהים); as opposed to other names mentioned in this article, this name also describes gods of other religions. Despite the ''-im'' ending common to many plural nouns in Hebrew, the word ''Elohim'', when referring to God is grammatically singular, and regularly takes a singular verb in the Hebrew Bible. It is argued that the word ''elohim'' had an origin in a plural grammatical form. When the Hebrew Bible uses ''elohim'' not in reference to God, it usually takes plural forms of the verb (for example, ''. In Modern Hebrew , the singular word ''be'alim'' ("owner") looks plural, but likewise takes a singular verb. Other scholars interpret the ''-im'' ending as an expression of majesty (''pluralis majestatis'') or excellence (''pluralis excellentiae''), expressing high dignity or greatness: compare with the similar use of plurals of ''ba`al'' (master) and ''adon'' (lord). For these reasons many Christian s cite the apparent plurality of ''elohim'' as evidence for the basic Christian doctrine of the Trinity . This was a traditional position but modern Christian Theologians now largely accept that this is an exegetical fallacy. Theologians who dispute this claim, cite the hypothesis that plurals of majesty came about in more modern times. Richard Toporoski , a classics scholar, asserts that plurals of majesty first appeared in the reign of Diocletian (284-305 CE)1. Indeed, Gesenius states in his book ''Hebrew Grammar'' 2 the following: The Jewish grammarians call such plurals … ''plur. virium'' or ''virtutum''; later grammarians call them ''plur. excellentiae'', ''magnitudinis'', or ''plur. maiestaticus''. The plural form ending in ''-im'' can also be understood as denoting abstraction, as in the Hebrew words ''chayyim'': "life" or ''betulim'': "virginity". If understood this way ''Elohim'' means "divinity" or "deity". The word ''chayyim'' is similarly syntactically singular when used as a name but syntactically plural otherwise. The Hebrew form ''Eloah'' (אלוה, which looks as though it might be a singular form of ''Elohim'') is comparatively rare, occurring only in poetry and late prose (in the 31:30, 32; and elsewhere). In the great majority of cases both are used as names of the one God of Israel. The root-meaning of the word is unknown. One theory is that it may be connected with the old Arabic verb ''alih'' (to be perplexed, afraid; to seek refuge because of fear). ''Eloah'', ''Elohim'', would, therefore, be "He who is the object of fear or reverence," or "He with whom one who is afraid takes refuge." Hebraist Joel M. Hoffman suggests that אלהים derives from אלים ("gods") with a ''heh'' purposely inserted.3 (See Elohim .) In many of the passages in which ''Elohim'' occurs in the Bible it refers to non-Israelite deities, or in some instances to powerful men or judges (Exodus 21:6). 1R. Toporoski, "What was the origin of the royal "we" and why is it no longer used?", (Times of London, May 29, 2002. Ed. F1, p. 32) 2Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (A. E. Cowley, ed., Oxford, 1976, p.398) 3Hoffman Joel M., 2004. ''In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language'' NYU Press. `Elyon ''Main article: Elyon '' The name ''`Elyon'' (Hebrew: עליון) occurs in combination with ''El'', YHWH or ''Elohim'', and also alone. It appears chiefly in poetic and later Biblical passages. The modern Hebrew adjective "`Elyon" means "supreme" (as in "Supreme Court") or "Most High". ''El Elyon'' has been traditionally translated into English as 'God Most High'. The Phoenicians used what appears to be a similar name for God, Έλιον. It is cognate to the Arabic ''`Aliyy''. Shaddai The name ''Shaddai'' (Hebrew: שַׁדַּי), which occurs both independently and in combination with ''El'', is used as a name of God chiefly in the , Isaac , and Jacob . In the Septuagint and other early translation it was translated with words meaning 'Almighty'. The root word "shadad" (שדד) means "to overpower" or "to destroy". This would give Shaddai the meaning of "destroyer" as one of the aspects of God. Compare to " Shiva ," the destroyer in the Hindu trinity, "creator, preserver, destroyer". Another theory is that 'Shaddai' is a derivation of a ), and also evident in the Syriac Christian writings of Ephrem The Syrian , who places Eden on an inaccessible mountaintop. An alternative view proposed by Albright is that the name is connected to ''shadayim'' which means breasts in Hebrew. It may thus be connected to the notion of God’s fertility and blessings of the human race. In several instances it is connected with fruitfulness: “May God Almighty Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers . . .” (Gen. 28:3). “I am God Almighty Shaddai : be fruitful and increase in number” (Gen. 35:11). “By the Almighty Shaddai who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb [racham ” (Gen. 49:25). It is also given a , a vessel which houses a scroll of parchment with Biblical text written on it, that is situated upon all the doorframes in a home or establishment. ''Shaddai'' was also a late Bronze age, ''Amorite'' city on the banks of the rendering of the original West Semitic "Shaddai." It has been conjectured that ''El Shaddai'' was therefore the "god of Shaddai" and associated in tradition with Abraham , and the inclusion of the Abraham stories into the Hebrew Bible may have brought the northern name with them. (See Documentary Hypothesis .) Shalom '' Shalom '' ("Peace"; Hebrew: שלום) The , ''Shabbat'', 10b). The name ''Sh'lomo'' literally His peace (from ''shalom'', Solomon , שלומו) refers to the God of Peace. Shalom in Hebrew also can mean "hello" and "goodbye." Shekhinah ''; later rabbis used the word when speaking of God dwelling either in the Tabernacle or amongst the people of Israel. The root of the word means "dwelling". Of the principal names of God, it is the only one that is of the feminine gender in Hebrew grammar. Yah The name ''Yah'' is composed of the first letters of YHWH. The Rasta farian Jah is derived from this. YHWH Tzevaot/Sabaoth The names ''YHWH'' and ''Elohim'' frequently occur with the word ''tzevaot'' or ''sabaoth'' ("hosts" or "armies", Hebrew: צבאות) as ''YHWH Elohe Tzevaot'' ("YHWH God of Hosts"), ''Elohe Tzevaot'' ("God of Hosts"), ''Adonai YHWH Tzevaot'' ("Lord YHWH of Hosts") or, most frequently, ''YHWH Tzevaot'' ("YHVH of Hosts"). This name is traditionally transliterated in Latin as ''Sabaoth'', a form that will be more familiar to many English readers, as it was used in the King James Version of the Bible. This compound divine name occurs chiefly in the prophetic literature and does not appear at all in the 6:26, 7:4, 12:41, while the singular is used to designate the heavenly host. The Latin spelling ''Sabaoth'' combined with the large, golden vine motif over the door on the Herodian Temple (built by the Jewish Herod The Great ) led to identification by Romans with the god Sabazius . The name Sabaoth is also associated with a demi-god in the gnostic scriptures of the NAg Hammadi Text- he is the son of Yaltabaoth Lesser used names of God
MIRACLES OF THE DIVINE NAMES In the Haggadah (the traditional Hebrew Passover text) it is written that the divine names of God could be used to perform miracles if one knew their combination. Kabbalistic use The system of cosmology of the Kabbalah explains the significance of the names. One of the most important names is that of the En Sof אין סוף ("Infinite" or "Endless"), who is above the Sefirot . The forty-two-lettered name contains the combined names אהיה יהוה אדוני הויה, that when spelled in letters it contains 42 letters. The equivalent in value of YHWH (spelled הא יוד הא וו = 45) is the forty-five-lettered name. The seventy-two-lettered name is based from three verses in Exodus 14:19-21) beginning with "Vayyissa," "Vayyabo," "Vayyet," respectively. Each of the verses contains 72 letters, and when combined they form 72 names. The Kabbalistic book Sefer Yetzirah , explains that the creation of the world was achieved by the manipulation of the sacred letters that form the names of God. Much in the same way, a Golem is created using all permutations of God's name. LAWS OF WRITING DIVINE NAMES According to Jewish tradition, the sacredness of the divine names must be recognized by the professional scribe who writes the Scriptures, or the chapters for the Tefillin and the Mezuzah . Before transcribing any of the divine names he prepares mentally to sanctify them. Once he begins a name he does not stop until it is finished, and he must not be interrupted while writing it, even to greet a king. If an error is made in writing it, it may not be erased, but a line must be drawn round it to show that it is canceled, and the whole page must be put in a Genizah (burial place for scripture) and a new page begun. The tradition of seven divine names According to Jewish tradition, the number of divine names that require the scribe's special care is seven: ''El'', ''Elohim'', ''Adonai'', ''YHWH'', ''Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh'', ''Shaddai'', and ''Tzevaot''. However, Rabbi Jose considered ''Tzevaot'' a common name (Soferim 4:1; Yer. R. H. 1:1; Ab. R. N. 34). Rabbi Ishmael held that even ''Elohim'' is common (Sanh. 66a). All other names, such as 'Merciful', 'Gracious', and 'Faithful', merely represent attributes that are common also to human beings (Sheb. 35a). Many Jews do not actually ever write God's name on paper or say it, this is to sanctify his name and not to come to desecrate God’s name. In many Jewish communities one would say Hashem instead of God's name. It has been the Chabad tradition to write G–d or L–rd instead of actually spelling the name out, as can be seen on their official website Chabad.org . SEE ALSO
Compare with 99 Names Of God which are said to be the names of God revealed to man in Islam 's Qur'an . REFERENCES
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