God's Name Discussion

by garyneal 55 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Leolaia

  Of course the funny part is that, in the NT, there is only ONE place that God's name ( one of them) is present and that is in Revelation in the word, "Hallelujah".

  And this is simply the Greek Alleluia which is simply a transliterated liturgical exclamation; the Gentile Christians who used it likely were unaware of its etymological meaning, much like how many of us use "Goodbye" without realizing that it is short for "God be with you".

  On the same grounds, the divine name is found all throughout the NT: in all the transliterated Hebrew names like Ieremias that contain it.
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  QuestForThruth

  YHWH in the new testament

  Wiki

  God name
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  Terry

  Jehovah is a parlour trick.

  Like pulling a table cloth out from under a setting of dishes and silverware without them clattering to the floor.

  It is impressive when you see it done right!

  Then, upon sober reflection, you realize it isn't very useful other than to dazzle.

  It is the personage of deity which is of use: the actual Character represented by whatever name.

  Whatever and whomever Jehovah (Yhvah/Adonai/El) was to the Jews is represented by what this deity is said to have DONE and DEMANDED of humanity. The character of JEHOVAH is outrageously large, formidable, ferocious and intemperate.

  By any measure, the Jews fashioned in their holy writings a real super-hero of such magnitude as to be irrepressibly dangerous and uncontainable.

  Yet--this verys same deity withers into a four hundred year silence only to be followed by a mere shadow of His former self as the tepid and understated God-the-Father who now, puzzlingly---LOVES humanity!

  Oh yes----He is also demoted to a Roman style Triumvirate so that His....umm...."son" can step forward onto the stage of history and take the spotlight!

  The Big NAME is gone so that the little name (Yeshua) can seem larger.
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  PSacramento

  And this is simply the Greek Alleluia which is simply a transliterated liturgical exclamation; the Gentile Christians who used it likely were unaware of its etymological meaning, much like how many of us use "Goodbye" without realizing that it is short for "God be with you".

  Indeed, but, if I may ask, since John was, probably, a Jew, when he wrote "Alleluia", didn't he probably have in mind Psalms, 111-117 , 145-150.
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  Married to the Mob

  garyneal wrote

  The way I see it, if he is not open to look at opposing views, why should I bother reading whatever WT literature he wants to present?

  I think this is going to be more the issue before you even get to looking at the whole devine name issue. Witnesses are taught almost from the begining t not to believe anything other than that sanctioned by the WBTS.

  If he isn't going to even recognise your source or the validity of it, it kind of blows any chance of putting forth your case that he is wrong or misinformed.
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  startingover

  Peacedog, that's an excellent point about removing the vowels from their own personal name.
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  freydo

  Dr. J. B. Rotherham states in the preface of his Scripture concerning Jehovah:
  
  "Erroneously written and pronounced Jehovah, which is merely a combination of the sacred Tetragrammaton and the vowels in the Hebrew word for Lord, substituted by the Jews for JHVH, because they shrank from pronouncing The Name, owing to an old misconception of the two passages, Ex. 20:7 and Lev. 24:16...To give the name JHVH the vowels of the word for Lord [Heb. Adonai], is about as hybrid a combination as it would be to spell the name Germany with the vowels in the name Portugal - viz., Gormuna. The monstrous combination Jehovah is not older than about 1520 A.D."...........

  Interestingly, even the Jehovah's Witnesses acknowledge that the name Jehovah is improper. Their book, "Let Your Name Be Sanctified" freely admits on pages 16 and 18 that Yahweh is the superior translation of the Tetragrammaton. This book has lately been withdrawn. However, in the preface of their "The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures," we find on page 23 the following admission:
  
  "While inclining to view the pronunciation 'Yahweh' as the more correct way, we have retained the form 'Jehovah' because of people's familiarity with it since the 14th century. Moreover, it preserves equally with other forms, the four letters of the Tetragrammaton JHVH."
  
  Keeping Man's Tradition
  
  We cannot let tradition lead us to call the Heavenly Abba by a wrong name! Much scholarly proof is now available to show that Jehovah is wrong. We are to walk in all the truth we are given so that YHWH will give us even more light. Our purpose is not to follow erroneous traditions of men: "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men." (Mark 7:7)
  
  The mistaken name Jehovah is said to have been given us about 1518 by Peter Gallatin who was confessor to Pope Leo X. The efforts not withstanding Protestant reformers to return to the truth of the Scipture, the majority of Protestants still retain the erroneous name Jehovah which was handed to us by the Catholics.
  
  James Moffatt's Scipture uses the title "Eternal," a title used by some groups who deny YHWH's Name. Moffatt says in his preface:
  
  "Strictly speaking, this ought to be rendered 'Yahweh,' which is familiar to modern readers in the erroneous form of 'Jehovah.' Were this a version intended for students of the original, there would be no hesitation whatever in printing 'Yahweh.'"
  
  Moffatt admits that students of the original text (correct text) should use "Yahweh." Those who are not ardent students or lack interest in the original text given us by YHWH Himself call Him by titles like "Eternal."
  
  http://www.remnantofyhwh.com/Is%20His%20Memorial%20Name%20Jehovah.htm
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  Terry

  When Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to salute the flag they do so because they interpret the action (salute) as addressing an inanimate (non-living) object in idolatry.

  Telling them that the flag is just the "image" of America as a body of people, laws, rights and freedoms worthy of allegience.....would fall on deaf ears.

  The LITERAL mind seeks offense in the literal interpretation.

  Now, is not Jesus the very image of God? Does he not represent everything which is God as an agent of Jehovah? Was Jesus not empowered, commissioned and dispatched by Jehovah to accomplish the purpose of BEING what man cannot alone BE: perfect as God is perfect?

  In this sense, Jesus is the Flag of God.

  The disciples, apostles, Paul had no problem with this. Jehovah's Witnesses do!

  Same literal minds with the same offense being sought.

  This consistency of interpretation is violated, however, when it comes to the Divine Name: Jehovah.

  The name is the flag and not the person. A name---any name---stands in for.....the person.

  Yet, JW's embrace the flag in this instance and actually wear it as their own identity!

  When the Watchtower publishes articles predicting Armageddon in JEHOVAH'S NAME it isn't just the word: Jehovah which is counterfeited with the fraud. It is the person of God himself!

  Honoring the name while simultaneously devaluing it with false prophecy is most illustrative of the mind of a Jehovah's Witnesses....bent into a pretzel logic permanently through failure to exercise rational thought!

  Honoring Almighty God by publishing true statements in His name is far more important than merely representing the deity AS A NAME to be identified.
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  Leolaia

  PSacramento....Jews spoke Aramaic rather than Hebrew, so the Hebrew hllwyh was borrowed both into Aramaic and Greek as a loanword (much like "Hosanna" was). But since Hebrew is related to Aramaic, it is possible that the etymological meaning of the word was salient. OTOH in usage it was pretty much a fixed expression.
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  freydo

  Terry, This is unassailable logic.