Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk" <Peter_Kirk AT sil.org>]

Shoshanna, you are entitled to your views on this matter, which are
religious beliefs. You have stated these beliefs clearly before, and
there is no need for you to repeat them. I have carefully avoided
posting my own Christian beliefs about this. For this list is not the
place for propagation of any particular religious position.

Peter Kirk

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Shoshanna Walker [mailto:rosewalk AT concentric.net]
> Sent: 24 January 2002 00:12
> To: Biblical Hebrew
> Subject: Re: God's name: was Curious abut "G-d"
> 
> Lookit
> 
> Only the High Priest knew how to pronounce the Name, and was the only
> one permitted to pronounce the Name, once a year, on Yom Kippur, in
> the Inner Chamber of the Temple, where no one else was ever permitted
> except for him, and only on this one day per year.  In case he DIED
> from not being sufficiently spiritually prepared for the sheer
> holiness of the experience, a rope was tied to him, so that they
> could pull him out if necessary, without having to go in.
> 
> And you tell us that there is a - modern - non Jewish - BOOK - which
> purports to discuss the pronunciation of this holy Name????????
> 
> Is this author really serious?  What utter chutzpa!  What is there to
> discuss, what is the need that people feel, to what purpose do they
> think they need to know the  pronunciation of the Name?  They
> wouldn't even know what to do with it, even if they knew how to
> pronounce it, and worse, it could cause them great damage, if they
> were not meant to know.....
> 
> Shoshanna
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There is a new book on this subject that soon will be published in
> English. I have read the French edition: "Gérard Gertoux (1999) Un
> Historique du Nom Divin YHWH, Paris: L'Harmattan. It will soon be
> published in English by "University Press of America": I got a
> pre-publication discount of 20 % by ordering it last week
> (custserv AT rowman.com.); ordinary price is $ 47.
> 
> The author has marshaled a huge amount of material from Hebrew and
> cognate languages, and while it is difficult to draw definite
> conclusions regarding the pronunciation of the name, this is the most
> thorough discussion I have seen.
> 
> 
> Regards
> 
> Rolf
> 
> 
> Rolf Furuli
> University of Oslo
> 
>