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  • From: Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: traditions regarding tetragrammaton?
  • Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 16:58:57 +0200


Dear Charles,

Thank you for your interesting post. In a cafe in Jerusalem I once asked a young man to read aloud from my Hebrew NT, and it was not easy for him to realize that YHWH was written in the text. So your words below are correct. I agree that to pronounce God's name in a certain way is not what is important, but how we live our lifes certainly are important.

The question about the tetragrammaton can be approached from two different angles (at least), from a theological and from a linguistic/philological one. While linguistics is a study of the language per se, philology is, by the help of all kinds of evidence to establish the original text. Theology can be one such tool, and that was the reason why I appealed to the OT view of the tetragrammaton. The quotes from Jesus in the NT indicates that he held the scriptures (the law, the prophets, and the Psalms, Luke 24:44,45) in high esteem while he was opposed to traditions (Matthew 15:1-9). So, to establish the origin of the view that the tetragrammaton should not be pronounced is a philological question.

The word $EM can refer to different things, and we cannot by the use of it alone know whether pronunciation was implied. However, if I should state the case in the negative, I would say: There is no indication in the OT that the tetragrammaton should not be pronounced or that it was the custom to say )A:DONFY instead of the tetragrammaton. The later custom of not pronouncing it is neither implied by any book in the OT. The nearest we come is that Ezra/Nehemiah did not use the tetragrammaton in their communication with foreign officials.

If there was a general custom in the days of Jesus to use a substitute for the tetragrammaton, this is an argument in favor of KURIOS being original in the NT. But it is not a conclusive argument, because of Jesus' standpoint regarding tradition. If it cannot be established that the commeon Jew used a substitute, this is an argument in favor of KURIOS not being original in the NT. My research has taught me that there is much hearsay in connection with this subject and often little substance.

The theological importance of the question relates to the relationship between the father and the son. A proper name used for God in addition to the proper name Jesus would suggest that there are two different individuals and that the two are no part of a trinity. The use of KURIOS for both is convenient for those who believe in the trinity doctrine.


Regards
Rolf


Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo




Dear Rolf,
I have enjoyed the exchanges about the Tetragrammaton. But are you not
taking at least a short leap to conclude from Exod 3:15 and Mal 3:16 that
YHWH should be USED in the sense of PRONOUNCED? There was never any doubt
among the rabbis, even of a later period when the pronunciation of the name
was no longer in vogue, that YHWH was in fact THE name. The issue is
whether it ought to be pronounced or "taken up" in a particular way or in a
general context, or whether it should be reserved for one specific context.
Specifically in Malachi, the reference is to those who should "respect
YHWH", but who have in fact spoken improperly of Him, non? Could this not
be taken as a reflection of the custom already of caution urged in
PRONOUNCING the name in an inappropriate context?
Perhaps my lack of understanding of the needs of Christian theology shuts me
out here, but I fail to see the importance of the distinction you are
attempting to draw. Is there some reason why a Christian should feel
compelled to PRONOUNCE the name in contradistinction to the Jewish practice
of substituting 'Adonai as a sign of respect? In other words, would a Jew
who PRONOUNCED the name thereby identify himself as a Christian? Is there
some theological significance here that I am missing?
Trying to follow your argument, I sense that a simpler explanation is at
hand. If the PRONUNCIATION of the name, as opposed to the continued WRITING
of it consonantally, had been curtailed by the time of the NT, would it not
follow that their use of kyrios merely reflected the majority usage current
among Jews of the day? In a private note to Dan, I pointed out that since
the four letters are not PRONOUNCED in Jewish liturgy or daily life, young
children studying for their b'nei mitzvah simply never hear it. They would
have NO IDEA of how to vocalize these consonants because when their eyes see
Yud He Vav He, the signal sent automatically to the brain is "pronounced
'Adonai." If you were to ask a twelve year old Jewish child to identify
Yahweh, I am sure you would get a blank look in return. Similarly, even in
the siddurim, often Yud Yud will be written for the Yud He Vav He, and again
the child learns to PRONOUNCE `Adonai automatically. I believe even many
adults in a typical shul would be hard pressed to tell you, if they heard
you PRONOUNCE "Yahweh," what it meant. You would have to explain, something
like "this is how Yud-He-Vav-He is vocalized," in order for them to make the
connection--"Oh yeah, he means 'Adonai." [I'm referring to Moshe six-pack
here, of course, not those who may have spent time studying Bible in an
academic context.] Again, I do not believe anything needs to be read into
this fact on the ground. One's respect for God, it seems to me, is
reflected in the way one lives rather than in the way a particular name is
or is not pronounced in the custom of a worshipping community. Without
stepping on toes, I would say that I find no reason to be impressed when a
Christian uses "Jesus" in a particular way. While anyone can easily SAY
"Jeeeezus," living or DOING Jesus like acts is a different matter. So too
in Malachi 3, it might have been easy for a bored priest to SAY "Yahweh,"
but to paraphrase Malachi, "his actions in dealing with sacred things spoke
so loudly God could not hear what he was SAYING."
There is one exception, however, that may be of some interest. In the
reading aloud of a biblical passage [as in the chanting of a Torah parashah
or even a prophetic haftarah], when the consonants Alef-Dalet-Nun-Yud occur
followed by YHWH, the traditional pronunciation is "'Adonai 'Elohim."
Again, I doubt that my young students even think about this after only a
short while. It too becomes automatic.
Regards,
Charles David Isbell





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