The pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton according to Gérard Gertoux

by Narkissos 32 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Narkissos

  Some time ago I stumbled across a book by French author Gérard Gertoux, about the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton. The book was also published in English (cf. the author's site at http://gertoux.online.fr/divinename/)

  I read some of the book and was struck by its theology which was very similar to the WT's. The main difference I remember is that he goes ahead of the WT in asserting that the original pronunciation was actually Yehowah. I had a couple of e-mails with the author, exposing some (mainly linguistical) objections (I told him I was an exJW). He didn't wish to continue, and I forgot about it (I was not so much interested in the issue I guess). I didn't keep the book either.

  Today I noticed that Gertoux's thesis has found echo with some French-speaking exJWs and Evangelicals. A Google search on it shows a number of non-scholarly positive mentions but no critical review.

  Has anyone on JWD heard about it? Could you point to some useful discussion on the subject (the search on JWD gives no result)?

  Thanks,

  Narkissos
• 

  AlanF

  Yes, I have a copy of the book, but haven't read it. Gertoux occasionally posts to a JW-only email list that I subscribe to.

  AlanF
• 

  neyank

  There will always be people trying to figure out the proper pronunciation of Gods name.
  
  Just like there will always be people trying to figure out what the scriptures really mean.
  
  The bottom line is this.
  
  If God wanted His name to be known and used, He would have made it perfectly clear.
  
  The fact that people have been trying to guess what the Tetragrammaton really means proves that God didn't mean for people to use His name.
  
  Of course this is just my opinion.
  
  neyank
• 

  Mary

  The fact that people have been trying to guess what the Tetragrammaton really means proves that God didn't mean for people to use His name.

  Uh, no, the reason no one today knows how to pronounce His name, is because in ancient Hebrew there were no vowels, hence, no one today is quite sure how the YHVH should be pronounced. It's like ancient Egyptian. No one today really knows exactly how it was pronounced---it was lost over a thousand years ago.
• 

  Earnest

  Narkissos,

  I read some of the book and was struck by its theology which was very similar to the WT's.

  That is hardly surprising if it is true that he is a JW, as claimed on a web page ( http://members.shaw.ca/stanm/books/theobooks.htm) by Stan Milosevic who is himself a Witness. I believe there is a review of his book, The Name of God Y.eH.oW.Ah Which is Pronounced as it is written I_Eh_oU_Ah: Its Story, in Religious Studies Review 29 (2003): 285, published by Council on the Study of Religion, Valparaiso University.

  Earnest
• 

  Scully

  <shaking my head at the thought that the French could come up with the pronunciation of a Hebrew name that the Hebrews don't even know how to pronounce>

  Love, Scully
• 

  Pork Chop

  I have a copy of the book, haven't read it yet. This is not new idea, there was an article in Biblical Archaeology on it a couple of years ago. I think quite a few scholars are convinced that it is a three syllable name.
• 

  Narkissos

  Thanks everyone!

  AlanF / Earnest: Sooo Gertoux is a JW after all! That was my first impression, but when I asked him he did not admit to being one (did not deny either). Not exactly "in line with the organization" though.

  I really wonder what the WT's policy is with such "scholars". Does it ignore them, tolerate them, or use them to test new theories without committing itself?

  PorkChop:

  I think quite a few scholars are convinced that it is a three syllable name.

  I doubt it. As far as I remember Gertoux makes some points but also resorts to many basically unvalid arguments, such as using the same letter both as a mater lectionis and a full consonant, and the analogy with three-syllable names which actually combine the theophoric yeho- (where the "o" corresponds to the "w") with other roots. Several if not most "praise" quotations on his site are actually acknowledgements for receiving his thesis by scholars who had not read it yet...

  Scully:

  shaking my head at the thought that the French could come up with the pronunciation of a Hebrew name that the Hebrews don't even know how to pronounce

  Ain't we bright?
• 

  Euphemism

  I really wonder what the WT's policy is with such "scholars". Does it ignore them, tolerate them, or use them to test new theories without committing itself?

  Based on my limited acquaintance with members of that circle, I would say it's mostly in the tolerate/ignore camp. I seem to recall hearing that Tony Byatt had done some research/writing for the Society. Rolf Furuli's an elder, but the Society's never quoted his stuff in the publications (as far as I'm aware).

  Frankly, I think the Society's afraid. They quoted Penton a couple of times in the late 70's; and they probably don't want to ever again find themselves quoting someone who might later go leave the organization.
• 

  Leolaia

  I recall reading something a while back on purported prosodic evidence of YHWH as trisyllabic from the poetic texts. But I really can't say where I saw that...