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{{Short description|none}}
{{unreferenced|date=November 2006}}
{{About|names for the single God of monotheistic religions|theonyms generally|List of deities}}
{{redirect|Holy name}}
[[File:Kircher-Diagram of the names of God.png|thumb|upright=1.3|A diagram of the names of God in [[Athanasius Kircher]]'s ''[[Oedipus Aegyptiacus]]'' (1652–1654). The style and form are typical of the [[mysticism|mystical]] tradition, as early [[theologians]] began to fuse emerging [[Age of Enlightenment|pre-Enlightenment]] concepts of [[Categorization|classification]] and organization with [[religion]] and [[alchemy]], to shape an artful and perhaps more conceptual view of God.]]
[[Monotheism|Monotheistic]] faiths believe that there is and can only be one unique supreme being; [[polytheism]] means the belief in several coexisting deities. The [[concept]]ions of such beings can vary widely, but the word [[God (word)|God]] in English and its counterparts in cognate languages are normally used for all of them. Other languages have similar generic names, and a common experience is for the word for "God" in one language to be ''perceived'' by speakers of other languages as the name of a specific deity worshipped by speakers of that one language. However some names refer almost exclusively to the supreme being of a single religion.
[[File:Allah3.svg|thumb|right|The word ''Allah'' in ''[[thuluth]]'' [[Islamic calligraphy|calligraphy]]]]
{{God}}


There are various '''names of God''', many of which enumerate the various [[Quality (philosophy)|qualities]] of a Supreme Being. The English word ''[[God (word)|god]]'' (and its equivalent in other languages) is used by multiple religions as a [[noun]] to refer to different deities, or specifically to the Supreme Being, as denoted in English by the capitalized and uncapitalized terms ''[[God]]'' and ''[[deity|god]]''.<ref name="isbn0-7546-0755-0">{{cite book |last=Velde |first=Rudi van de |title=Aquinas on God: the 'divine science' of the Summa theologiae |publisher=Ashgate |location=Aldershot, Hants, England |year=2006 |pages=45–46 |isbn=0-7546-0755-0}}</ref> Ancient [[cognate]] equivalents for the [[biblical Hebrew]] ''[[Elohim]]'', one of the most common [[Names of God in Judaism|names of God in the Bible]],<ref name="JE1">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11305-names-of-god |title=Names of God |last1=Eisenstein |first1=Judah D. |last2=McLaughlin |first2=John F. |author-link1=Julius Eisenstein |author-link2=John Fletcher McLaughlin |year=1906 |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[Kopelman Foundation]] |access-date=26 August 2019}}</ref> include [[Proto-Semitic language|proto-Semitic]] ''[[El (deity)|El]]'', [[biblical Aramaic]] ''[[Names of God in Judaism#Elah|Elah]]'', and [[Arabic]] ''[[ilah]]''.<ref name="JE1"/> The personal or proper name for [[God]] in many of these languages may either be distinguished from such [[property (philosophy)|attributes]], or [[homonym]]ic. For example, in [[Judaism]] the [[tetragrammaton]] is sometimes related to the ancient Hebrew ''[[Names of God in Judaism#Ehyeh asher ehyeh|ehyeh]]'' ("[[I Am that I Am|I will be]]").<ref name="JE1"/> It is connected to the passage in {{bibleverse||Exodus|3:14|HE}} in which God gives his name as {{lang|he|אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה}} ({{tlit|he|Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh}}), where the verb may be translated most basically as "I am that I am", "I shall be what I shall be", or "I shall be what I am". In the passage, [[Yahweh|YHWH]],<ref name="JE1"/> the personal name of God, is [[Theophany#Judaism|revealed directly]] to [[Moses]].
Some of the names are used in approximately the same sense (e.g., when a Catholic uses both "God" and "the Holy Trinity"), but for the most part, the names mark important differences in meaning. Positivists (e.g., advocates of [[Logical empiricism]]) should take note that a robust theory of the meaning of [[Religious]] [[Language]], however dismissive, ought to be able to account, in ''some'' fashion, for these differences in meaning. Among the names used, or ways to refer to the divine, are the following; there are both generic words given for the divine being(s), as well as specific names (used by analogy to names for particular individuals or things) for the divine used in particular religions.


Correlation between various theories and interpretation of the name of "the one God", used to [[sign (semiotics)|sign]]ify a [[monotheistic]] or ultimate Supreme Being from which all other divine attributes derive, has been a subject of [[ecumenicalism|ecumenical]] discourse between Eastern and Western scholars for over two centuries.<ref>Jordan, Mark D. (1983), ''The Names of God and the Being of Names,'' in ''The Existence and Nature of God'', edited by Alfred J. Freddoso, pp. 161–190. University of Notre Dame Press. {{ISBN|0-268-00911-2}}</ref> In [[Christian theology]] the word is considered a personal and a proper name of God.<ref>[http://etd.nd.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-03262009-105239/unrestricted/WellsC032009.pdf (PDF) Sacraments of the Incarnate Word: The Christological Form of the Summa theologiae] C. Wells, Etd.nd.edu</ref> On the other hand, the names of God in a different tradition are sometimes referred to by symbols.<ref>Aiyadurai Jesudasen Appasamy, G. S. S. Sreenivasa Rao, ''Inter-faith dialogue and world community''. Christian Literature Society for India (1991) "All these names of God are, of course, symbols. ... All names of the one God or the Absolute are symbols." p. 9</ref> The question whether divine names used by different religions are equivalent has been raised and analyzed.<ref>Peter C. Phan (2004). ''Being religious interreligiously: Asian perspectives on interfaith dialogue'' p. 102.</ref>
[[Image:Kircher-Diagram of the names of God.png|thumb|295px|A "diagram" of the names of God in [[Athanasius Kircher]]'s ''[[Oedipus Aegyptiacus]]'' ([[1652]]-54). The style and form are typical of the [[mysticism|mystical]] tradition, as early [[theology|theologians]] began to fuse emerging [[Age of Enlightenment|pre-Enlightenment]] concepts of [[Categorization|classification]] and organization with [[religion]] and [[alchemy]], to shape an artful and perhaps more ''conceptual'' view of God.]]


Exchange of names held sacred between different religious traditions is typically limited. Other elements of religious practice may be shared, especially when communities of different faiths are living in close proximity (for example, the use of [[Khuda]] or [[Prabhu]] within the Indian Christian community) but usage of the names themselves mostly remains within the domain of a particular religion, or even may help define one's religious belief according to practice, as in the case of the recitation of names of God (such as the [[japa]]).<ref>Jerald D. Gort ''On sharing religious experience: possibilities of interfaith mutuality'' p. 146 Encounter of Religions Research Group Rodopi, 1992 {{ISBN|0-8028-0505-1}}</ref> [[Guru Gobind Singh]]'s [[Jaap Sahib]], which contains 950 names of God is one example of this. ''The Divine Names'', the classic treatise by [[Pseudo-Dionysius]], defines the scope of traditional understandings in Western traditions such as Hellenic, Christian, Jewish and Islamic theology on the nature and significance of the names of God.<ref>Paul Rorem, ''Pseudo-Dionysius: a commentary on the texts and an introduction to their influence.'' Oxford University Press, 1993, p.163 {{ISBN|0-19-507664-8}}</ref> Further historical lists such as ''The 72 Names of the Lord'' show parallels in the history and interpretation of the name of God amongst [[Kabbalah]], Christianity, and Hebrew scholarship in various parts of the [[Mediterranean world]].<ref>Valentina Izmirlieva, ''All the names of the Lord: lists, mysticism, and magic'', University of Chicago Press, 2008 {{ISBN|0-226-38870-0}}</ref>
==Abrahamic religions==
===Judaism===
{{main|Names of God in Judaism}}
{{see|Ēl}}
In the [[Torah]], the name of God represents the [[Judaism|Jewish]] conception of the divine nature. The various Jewish names of God represent God, and His divine attributes. The most important name of God is the [[tetragrammaton]] ([[Hebrew languages|Hebrew]]:{{Hebrew| יהוה}}, [[English language|English]]: '''YHVH''' or '''YHWH'''—vowels are not written in the Hebrew spelling), and '''[[Elohim]]'''. The correct pronunciation of the tetragrammaton has been lost completely.
In Messianic Judaism, YHWH (pre-incarnate) and Yeshua (incarnate) are one and the same, the second Person, with the Father and Ruach haQodesh (the Holy Spirit) being the first and third Persons, respectively, of ha'Elohiym (the Godhead). YHWH is expressed as "haShem," which means 'the Name.'


The attitude as to the transmission of the name in many cultures was surrounded by secrecy. In [[Judaism]], the pronunciation of the name of God has always been guarded with great care. It is believed that, in ancient times, the sages communicated the pronunciation only once every seven years;<ref>James Orr ''The International Standard Bible encyclopaedia'' Edition: —Item notes: v. 1—1959 1915 p. 1267</ref> this system was challenged by more recent movements. The nature of a holy name can be described as either personal or attributive. In many cultures it is often difficult to distinguish between the personal and the attributive names of God, the two divisions necessarily shading into each other.<ref>John S. Mbiti. ''Concepts of God in Africa''. p. 217, 1970</ref>
===Christianity===
[[Yahweh]] is a common vocalization of God's personal name based on the Hebrew ''tetragrammaton'' (above). The modern rendition, "[[Jehovah]]" is believed by virtually all scholars to be incorrect, although it is used predominantly by [[Jehovah's Witness]]es. (http://hebrew4christians.com) Instead the word, "[[LORD]]" is used in many places where the divine name is implied, but because its actual pronunciation has been lost in antiquity, most scholars avoid using Yahweh or Jehovah. "LORD" based on Hebrew, "[[ADONAI]]" has a root which is similar or related to the tetragrammaton. ([[NRSV]] translators footnotes)


== Abrahamic and related religions ==
Much of Christendom believes in the '''[[Holy Trinity]]''', i.e. a single God in three Persons, '''[[God the Father]]''', '''[[God the Son]]''' and '''[[God the Holy Spirit]]'''.
{{Further|El (deity)}}
The three main divisions of Christianity, Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism affirm in the belief of the Holy Trinity of God, that God is one as in the Jewish shema, but expressed in three divine persons, which many describe as "light shinning through a prism, with one beam breaking up into three separate lights, which are all one." Many smaller sects outside the fringe of Christianity (i.e. [[Latter Day Saints]] and Jehovah's Witnesses) would disagree with this view however.


=== Judaism ===
[[Jesus]] ([[Iesus]], [[Yeshua (name)|Yeshua]], [[Joshua]], or [[Yehoshûa]]) is a Hebraic personal name meaning "Yahweh saves/helps/is salvation", <ref> [[Bible Dictionary]] by William Smith LLD 1948 p.307; [[An Expository Dictionary of NT Words]] by W.E. Vine 1965 edition p.275, Websters English Dictionary; etc. </ref>.
{{Main|Names of God in Judaism}}
{{Further|I Am that I Am|Yahweh|Tetragrammaton|Elohim|El Shaddai|Elyon}}
''Christ'' means "the [[anoint]]ed" in [[Greek language|Greek]], translating [[Messiah]]; while in English the old Anglo-Saxon Messiah-rendering ''hæland'' 'healer' was practically annihilated by the Latin Christ, some cognates such as ''heiland'' in Dutch survive.
[[El (deity)|El]] comes from a root word meaning "god" or "deity", reconstructed in the [[Proto-Semitic language]] as ''[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʔil-|ʾil]]''. Sometimes referring to God and sometimes the mighty when used to refer to the God of Israel, El is almost always qualified by additional words that further define the meaning that distinguishes him from [[false god]]s. A common title of God in the Hebrew Bible is Elohim (Hebrew: {{Lang|he|אלהים}}). The root ''[[Eloah]]'' ({{Lang|he|אלה}}) is used in poetry and late prose (e.g., the [[Book of Job]]) and ending with the masculine plural suffix ''-im'' {{Lang|he|ים}} creating a word like ''[[baal|ba`alim]]'' ('owners') and ''[[adon]]im'' ('lords', 'masters') that may also indicate a singular identity.


In the [[Book of Exodus]], God commands Moses to tell the people that 'I AM' sent him, and this is revered as one of the most important names of God according to [[Pentateuch|Mosaic]] tradition.
In the effort to translate the [[Bible]] into every language (see [[SIL International|SIL]]), the Christian God has usually been named after a pagan or philosophical concept that was present in the language before Christianity.


{{Blockquote|Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "''I Am who I Am.'' This is what you are to say to the Israelites: '''I Am'' has sent me to you.{{'"}} God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation".|{{Bibleref2|Exodus|3:13-15}}}}
The word '''God''' itself is an example of this, the word having earlier referred to Germanic pagan deities. [[Greek language|Greek]] [[Theos]] (''Θεός'') was used for the supreme God even before Christianity, in the [[Septuagint]]. St. Jerome translated the Hebrew word [[Elohim]] to [[Latin]] as '''[[Deus]]'''. Other names of the Christian God that have a history of pagan meanings include [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] '''Bog''', [[Finnish language|Finnish]] '''[[Jumala]]''', [[Japanese language|Japanese]] '''[[Kami]]'''. In the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] language, '''[[Allah]]''' is also used for the Christian God.


In {{bibleref2|Exodus|6:3}}, when Moses first spoke with God, God said, "I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make myself known to them by my name YHWH."
Another example come from the initial stages of the predication of the Catholic missionary [[Francis Xavier]] in Japan. He was welcomed by the [[Shingon]] monks since he used the Buddhist word [[Dainichi]] for the Christian God. As Xavier learnt more about the religious nuances of the word, he changed to ''Deusu'' from the Latin and Portuguese ''Deus''. The monks also realized that Xavier was preaching a rival religion.


YHWH ({{Script/Hebrew|יהוה}}) is the proper name of God in Judaism. Neither vowels nor [[vowel pointed|vowel points]] were used in ancient Hebrew writings and the original vocalisation of YHWH has been lost.<ref name=WGPlaut-YHWH>"How the [[Names of God in Judaism|Name]] was originally vocalized is no longer certain. Its pronunciation was in time restricted to the Temple service, then to the High Priest intoning it on the [[Day of Atonement]], after, and after the destruction of the Temple it received a substitute pronunciation both for the reading of [[Torah|Scripture]] and for its use at [[Jewish prayer|prayer]]." {{cite book |last1=Plaut |first1=W. Gunther; Leviticus / Bernard J. Bamberger; Essays on ancient Near Eastern literature / commentaries by William W. Hallo |title=[Torah] = The Torah : a modern commentary |date=1985 |publisher=Union of Hebrew Congregations |location=New York |isbn=0807400556 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/torahtorahm00plau/page/424 424–426] |edition=4th |url=https://archive.org/details/torahtorahm00plau/page/424}}</ref>
The less evangelical branch of the [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]] often refers to God as [[The Light]]. Another term used is '[[King of Kings]]' or 'Lord of Lords' and [[Names of God in Judaism#YHWH Tzevaot.2FSabaoth|Lord of the Hosts]]. Other names used by Christians include [[Ancient of Days]], [[God the Father|Father]]/[[Ab (father)|Abba]], 'Most High' and the [[Biblical Hebrew language|Hebrew]] names [[Elohim]], [[Names of God in Judaism#Shaddai|El-Shaddai]], and [[Names of God in Judaism#Adonai|Adonai]]. Principle, Mind, Soul, Life, Truth, Love, and Spirit are names for God in [[Christian Science]]. These names are considered synonymous and indicative of God's wholeness. The name, "Abba/Father" is the most common
euphemism used for the creator within Christianity, because it was the name Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah) himself used to refer to God.


Later commentaries additionally suggested that the true pronunciation of this name is composed entirely of [[vowel]]s, such as the Greek {{Lang|grc|Ιαουε}}.<ref name="Iaou" /> However, this is put into question by the fact that vowels were only distinguished in the time-period by their very absence due to the lack of explicit vowels in the Hebrew script. The resulting substitute made from [[Mater lectionis|semivowels and glottals]], known as the tetragrammaton, is not ordinarily permitted to be pronounced aloud, even in prayer. The prohibition on misuse (not use) of this name is the primary subject of the command not to [[Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain|take the name of the Lord in vain]].
For the Russian Orthodox group [[Imiaslavie]] ("Name glorification"), the name of the God is God Himself and can produce miracles.


Instead of pronouncing YHWH during prayer, Jews say "[[Adonai]]" ('Lord'). ''[[Halakha]]'' 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 religious practice to restrict the use of the word "Adonai" to prayer only. In conversation, many Jewish people, even when not speaking Hebrew, will call God ''[[HaShem]]'' ({{Lang|he|השם}}), which is Hebrew for 'the Name'; this appears in {{Bibleref2|Leviticus|24:11}}.
See also: [[Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament]].


Almost all [[Orthodox Jews]] avoid using either Yahweh or Jehovah altogether on the basis that the actual pronunciation of the tetragrammaton has been lost in antiquity. Many use the term ''HaShem'' as an indirect reference, or they use "God" or "The Lord" instead. Mark Sameth argues that Yahweh was a pseudo name for a dual-gendered deity, the four letters of that name being cryptogram which the priests of ancient Israel read in reverse as {{tlit|he|huhi}}, 'he–she', as earlier theorized by [[Guillaume Postel]] (16th century) and {{interlanguage link|Michelangelo Lanci|it}} (19th century).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sameth |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ozzpDwAAQBAJ&q=%22The+Name:+A+History+of+the+Dual-Gendered+Hebrew+Name+for+God%22 |title=The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God |publisher=Wipf & Stock |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-5326-9384-7 |page=25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1xyoBgAAQBAJ&dq=%22earlier+form+1551;+final+state+1566%22&pg=PA337 |title=Tetragrammaton: Western Christians and the Hebrew Name of God |publisher=Brill |year=2015 |isbn=9789004288171 |location=Boston |page=337}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Postel |first=Guillaume |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EmkytAEACAAJ |title=Le thrésor des prophéties de l'univers |publisher=Springer |year=1969 |isbn=9789024702039 |pages=211 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lanci |first=Michelangelo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-q4WAAAAQAAJ&dq=Paralipomeni+Alla+Illustrazione+Della+Sagra+Scrittura&pg=PR15 |title=Paralipomeni alla illustrazione della sagra Scrittura |publisher=Dondey-Dupre |year=1845 |isbn=978-1274016911 |edition=Facsmile of the first |pages=100–113 |language=it}}</ref>
===Islam===
{{main|99 Names of God in the Qur'an}}
[[Allah]] is the most frequently used name of God in [[Islam]] when speaking Arabic. It refers to the God without any other beside Him. It originally simply meant "the God" in Arabic, and was used in pre-Islamic times to refer to a divinity worshipped in [[Mecca]]. It is properly translated as "God" in English, and seen by Muslims as the same God as of Christianity and Judaism (referred to as "the God of [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], and [[Jacob]]"). The [[Arabic]] word [[Allah]] is a [[Linguistics|linguistic]] [[cognate]] of the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word [[Elohim|Eloah]] and a translation of the [[English language|English]] word "[[god]]", although there are some [[Christian]] [[sect]]s which claim that there is a distinction between their deity and the deity or deities worshipped in either [[Judaism]] or [[Islam]]. Nevertheless, [[Allah]] is the same word in [[Arabic]] used by [[Arab Jews]] and [[Arab Christians|Christians]] when speaking of God.


=== Christianity ===
In the Islamic point of view, Allah is the only Omnipotent and has the Most Beautiful Names. So anyone can call Him by the most beautiful names he may call. (e.g. as stated in 18/110, 20/8, 59/24, 7/180 in Quran.). A well established Islamic tradition enumerates [[99 Names of God]], which are His attributes.
{{Main|Names of God in Christianity}}
{{Further|Jehovah}}
[[File:Fiskebackskil altare.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The Divine Name [[YHWH]] on a Lutheran Christian altar at Fiskebäckskil Church in Sweden]]
[[File:JEHOVAH at RomanCatholic Church Saint-Fiacre Dison Belgium.JPG|upright=1.2|thumb|[[Jehovah]], a vocalization of the Divine Name [[YHWH]], on a stained glass window in of Saint-Fiacre de Dison Catholic Church in Belgium]]
{{See also|Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament}}
In Christianity, the Old Testament reveals [[YHWH]] ({{Script/Hebrew|יהוה}}; often vocalized with vowels as "Yahweh" or "Jehovah") as the personal name of God.<ref name="Parke-Taylor2006">{{cite book |last1=Parke-Taylor |first1=G. H. |title=Yahweh: The Divine Name in the Bible |date=1 January 2006 |publisher=[[Wilfrid Laurier University Press]] |isbn=978-0-88920-652-6 |page=4}}</ref><ref name="USCCB2008">{{cite web |title=The Name of God in the Liturgy |url=http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/frequently-asked-questions/the-name-of-god-in-the-liturgy.cfm |publisher=[[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] |year=2008}}</ref> References, such as ''The New [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', affirm the vocalization "Yahweh" by offering additional specifics to its (Christian) reconstruction out of Greek sources:
<blockquote>Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used a form like Yahweh, and claim that this pronunciation of the tetragrammaton was never really lost. Other Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.<ref name="Iaou">''The New Encyclopædia Britannica'', Vol. 12, 1998, Chicago, IL, article "Yahweh", p. 804.</ref></blockquote>


[[Jah]] or Yah (rendered as {{Script/Hebrew|יָהּ}} in Hebrew) is an abbreviation of Jahweh/Yahweh/Jehovah.<ref name="Loewen2020">{{cite book |last1=Loewen |first1=Jacob A. |title=The Bible in Cross Cultural Perspective |date=1 June 2020 |publisher=William Carey Publishing |isbn=978-1-64508-304-7 |page=182 |edition=Revised}}</ref> It appears in certain translations of the Bible, such as the [[Revised Standard Version]], and is used by Christians in the interjection [[Hallelujah]], meaning "Praise Jah", which is used to give Jahweh glory.<ref name="Loewen2020"/> In Christianity, certain hymns dedicated to God invoke the divine name using the vocalization [[Jehovah]] ({{lang|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|יְהֹוָה}}}}, {{tlit|hbo|Yəhōwā}}), such as ''[[Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah]]''.<ref name="Barrett2020">{{cite book |last1=Barrett |first1=Michael P. V. |title=The Gospel of Exodus: Misery, Deliverance, Gratitude |date=20 September 2020 |publisher=Reformation Heritage |isbn=978-1-60178-804-7}}</ref>
Besides those names of [[Qur'an]]ic origin, Muslims of non-Arabic peoples may also sometimes use some other names in their own language which refers to God, e.g. the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] anachronism [[Tanrı]] (originally the pagan Turks' celestial chief god, corresponding to the Ancient Turkish [[Tengri]]), or [[Khuda]] in [[Persian language|Persian]] language.


The Hebrew personal name of God YHWH is rendered as "the {{Lord}}" in many translations of the Bible, with Elohim being rendered as "God"; certain translations of Scripture render the Tetragrammaton with Yahweh or Jehovah in particular places, with the latter vocalization being used in the [[King James Version]], [[Tyndale Bible]], and other translations of the Bible from that time period and later.<ref name=WGPlaut-Jehovah>"The [[Masoretes]] who vocalized the [[Tanakh|Hebrew text]] took the [[vowel pointed|vowels]] from the word Adonai ({{lang|he|אֲדֹנָי}}) and put them with {{lang|he|יהוה}} (together: {{lang|he|יְהֹוָה}}) to remind the reader not to pronounce the name but to substitute Adonai. A Christian writer of the sixteenth century who was unaware of this substitution transcribed the word as he saw it, namely as [[Jehovah]], and this error has since entered many Christian Bibles [5]. 5. Only rarely has the pronunciation Jehovah been given scholarly endorsement; one exception is J. Neubauer, ''Bibelwissenschaftliche Irrungen'' (Berlin: Louis Lamm, 1917), who bases his opinion on [[Jerusalem Talmud]] San.. 10:1, describing the controversy between the Rabbanites and the Samaritans over the proniunciation. M. S. Enslin, ''The Prophet from Nazareth'' (New York: Schocken, 1968), p. 19, n. 7, calls the vocalization Jehovah an "orthoepic monstrosity".{{cite book |last1=Plaut |first1=W. Gunther; Leviticus / Bernard J. Bamberger; Essays on ancient Near Eastern literature / commentaries by William W. Hallo |title=The Torah : a modern commentary |year=1985 |publisher=Union of Hebrew Congregations |location=New York |isbn=0807400556 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/torahtorahm00plau/page/425 425] |edition=4th |url=https://archive.org/details/torahtorahm00plau/page/425}}</ref> Many English translations of the Bible (such as ESV, NIV, KJV, etc.) translate the tetragrammaton as [[Lord#Religion|{{LORD}}]], thus removing any form of YHWH from the written text and going well beyond the Jewish oral practice of substituting Adonai for YHWH when reading aloud.<ref>{{cite web |author=NASB |year=1995 |title=Preface to the New American Standard Bible |work=[[New American Standard Bible]] (Updated Edition) |publisher=[[Anaheim, California]]: Foundation Publications (for the [[Lockman Foundation]]) |url=http://www.bible-researcher.com/nasb-preface.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207004013/http://www.bible-researcher.com/nasb-preface.html |archive-date=2006-12-07 <!-- LATEST "site was updated" ARCHIVE --> |url-status=dead |quote=There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated as LORD. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion.}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2021}}
===Rastafari===
*'''[[Haile Selassie of Ethiopia|Haile Selassie]]''', whose titles include King of Kings (nəgusä nägäst), Lord of Lords, and Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, is the name of God incarnate in the [[Rastafari movement]]. God is called [[Jah]] and Haile Selassie is called Jah Rastafari, from his precoronation name Ras Tafari Makonnen.


[[English Bible translations]] of the Greek [[New Testament]] render {{Lang|grc-latn|ho theos}} (Greek: {{Lang|grc|Ο Θεός}}) as [[God (word)|God]] and {{Lang|grc-latn|ho kurios}} (Greek: {{Lang|grc|Ο Κύριος}}) as "the Lord", with the latter being the "Greek translation of the Hebrew OT name for God, Yahweh."<ref name="GreenMcKnightMarshall1992">{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=Joel B. |last2=McKnight |first2=Scot |last3=Marshall |first3=I. Howard |title=Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship |date=18 February 1992 |publisher=InterVarsity |isbn=978-0-8308-1777-1 |page=271 |quote=Many of the uses of ''kyrios'' for God are in citations of the OT and in expressions derived from the OT (e.g., "angel of the Lord"), and in these passages the term functions as the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT name for God, Yahweh. For example, twenty-five of the uses of ''kyrios'' for God in Luke are in the first two chapters, where the phrasing is so heavily influenced by the OT. The third frequently used term for God is "Father" (''patēr''), doubtless the most familiar term for God in Christian tradition and also perhaps the most theologically significant title for God in the NT. Unlike the other terms for God already mentioned--without exception in the Synoptics, and with only a few exceptions in John--"Father" as a title for God appears only in the sayings attributed to Jesus (the Johannine exceptions are in editorial remarks by the Evangelist in 1:14, 18, a saying of Philip in 14:8 and the crowd's claim in 8:41).}}</ref>
===Bahá'í Faith===
[[Bahá'í Faith|Bahá'ís]] refer to God using the local word for God in whatever language is being spoken, so '''God''' is used in English, '''Allah''' in Arabic, '''Gud''' in the Scandinavian languages, and so forth. This is because Bahá'ís believe that, although people have different concepts of God and His nature, and may call Him by different names and use different languages, everyone is referring to one unique Deity.


[[Jesus]] (Iesus, [[Yeshua]]<ref>Yeshua ({{lang|he|ישוע}}, with vowel pointing {{lang|he|יֵשׁוּעַ}} {{tlit|he|yēšūă‘}} in Hebrew) [[Strong's Concordance|Strong's]] Yeshuwa</ref>) was a common alternative form of the name {{lang|he|יְהוֹשֻׁעַ}} ({{tlit|he|Yehoshua}} 'Joshua') in later books of the [[Hebrew Bible]] and among Jews of the [[Second Temple period]]. The name corresponds to the Greek spelling {{tlit|grc|Iesous}}, from which comes the English spelling ''Jesus''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ilan |first=Tal |title=Lexicon of Jewish Names in Late Antiquity Part I: Palestine 330 BCE-200 CE (Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum 91) |publisher=J. C. B. Mohr |year=2002 |location=Tübingen, Germany |pages=129}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Stern |first=David |title=Jewish New Testament Commentary |publisher=Jewish New Testament Publications |year=1992 |location=Clarksville, MD |pages=4–5}}</ref> ''[[Christ]]'' means 'the [[anoint]]ed' in [[Greek language|Greek]] ({{lang|grc|Χριστός}}). {{tlit|grc|Khristos}} is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word ''[[Messiah]]''; while in English the old Anglo-Saxon Messiah-rendering {{Lang|ang|hæland}} ('healer') was practically annihilated by the Latin {{Lang|la|Christ}}, some cognates such as {{Lang|nl|heiland}} in Dutch and Afrikaans survive—also, in German, the word {{Lang|de|Heiland}} is sometimes used as reference to Jesus, e.g., in church chorals).
Bahá'ís believe that the essence of God is beyond the knowledge and understanding of human beings, and that he therefore must be known through his names, or attributes. God's names are seen as his attributes, and God is often, in prayers, referred to by these titles and attributes, such as the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Merciful, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous, the All-Wise, the Incomparable, the Gracious, the Helper, the All-Glorious, the Omniscient.


In the [[Book of Revelation]] in the Christian [[New Testament]], God, that is, Jesus is quoted as saying "I am the [[Alpha and Omega|Alpha and the Omega]], the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End". (cf. {{Bibleref2|Rev.|1:8}}, {{Bibleref2-nb|Rev.|21:6}}, and {{Bibleref2-nb|Rev.|22:13}})
Translations of scripture typically use the local language unless a whole phrase is being transliterated for a specific purpose. However, since the languages in which the Bahá'í Faith was first authored were Arabic and Persian, the term '''Allah''' and other "names" are used in some specific contexts, even by non-Arabic speakers. The above-mentioned attributes are sometimes referred to in their Arabic form - for instance Bahá'ís refer to "Bahá" (meaning Glory or Splendour) as The [[Bahá'í symbols|Greatest Name]] of God. This also forms the root of the word "Bahá'i." The Bahá'í greeting '''Alláh'u'abhá''' is a formulation of this word and is usually translated "God is most Glorious".


Some [[Quakers]] refer to God with the title of [[Light (theology)|the Light]]. Another term used is [[King of Kings]] or Lord of Lords and [[Lord of Hosts]]. In addition to the personal name of God YHWH (pronounced with the vocalizations Yahweh or Jehovah), titles of God used by Christians include the [[Biblical Hebrew language|Hebrew]] titles Elohim, El-Shaddai, and Adonai, as well as [[Ancient of Days]], [[God the Father|Father]]/[[Ab (father)|Abba]] which is Hebrew, "Most High".<ref name="Parke-Taylor2006"/> ''[[Ab (Semitic)|Abba]]'' ('father' in Hebrew) is a common term used for the creator within Christianity because it was a title Jesus used to refer to [[God the Father]].
==Chinese religions==
{{main|Chinese mythology}}
*'''[[Shang Ti]]''' 上帝 ([[Hanyu Pinyin]]: shàng dì) (literally ''King Above'') was a supreme God worshipped in ancient [[China]]. It is also used to refer to the Christian God in the [[Standard Mandarin]] Union Version of the [[Bible]].
*'''[[Shen]]''' 神 (lit. ''God'', ''spirit'', or ''deity'') is commonly used to refer to various spirits, including gods, and was adopted by [[Protestant]] missionaries in China to refer to the Christian God. In this context it is usually rendered with a space, " 神", to demonstrate reverence.
*'''Zhu, Tian Zhu''' 主,天主 (lit. ''Lord'' or ''Lord in Heaven'') is translated from the English word, "Lord", which is a formal title of the Christian God in Mainland China's Christian churches.
*'''[[Tian]]''' 天 (lit. ''sky'' or ''heaven'') is used to refer to the sky as well as a personification of the sky. Whether it possesses sentience in the embodiment of an omnipotent, omniscient being is a difficult question for linguists and philosophers.


==Dharmic religions==
==== Mormonism ====
{{Main|God in Mormonism}}
===Hinduism===
In [[Mormonism]] the name of God the Father is Elohim <ref name="Twelve 1916, p. 150">First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, "God the Father", compiled by Gordon Allred, p. 150</ref> and the name of Jesus in his [[Incarnation (Christianity)#Mormonism|pre-incarnate]] state was Jehovah.<ref name="Moroni 10:34">Moroni 10:34</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">Old Testament Institute Manual:Genesis to 2 Samuel—"Who is the God of the Old Testament?"</ref> Together, with the Holy Ghost they form the [[God in Mormonism|Godhead]]; God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.<ref name="churchofjesuschrist.org">{{cite web |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/76.12-24?lang=eng |title=Doctrine and Covenants 76:12-24 |website=churchofjesuschrist.org}}</ref> Mormons typically refer to God as "Heavenly Father" or "Father in Heaven".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mormon.org/faq/father-in-heaven |title=How can we come to know our Father in Heaven? |author=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints |website=Mormon.org}}</ref>{{ssn|date=November 2024}}
{{main|Sahasranama}}
*'''[[Brahman]]''' in [[Sanskrit]] is both the knowable and unknowable Supreme. '''[[Aum]]''', has been seen as the first manifestation of the unmanifest Brahman (the single Divine Ground of Hinduism) that resulted in the phenomenal universe.
*'''[[Trimurti]]''' is the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] "Trinity", although this differs largely to the Christian concept. See '''[[Brahma]]''', '''[[Vishnu]]''', '''[[Shiva]]'''.
*In [[Vaishnavism]], the [[Vishnu sahasranama]] enumerates names of God. The names of [[Vishnu]]'s [[Dasavatara]] in particular are considered divine names. In [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]], '''[[Krishna]]''' in particular is held as the personal aspect of God, the [[Hare Krishnas]] being a modern example of a movement following this philosophy.
*In [[Shaivism]], the [[Shiva sahasranama]] enumerates names of God.
*'''Anami Purush''' (nameless power) and '''Radha Soami''' (lord of the soul) are two names used for God in [[Surat Shabd Yoga|Surat Shabda Yoga]].
* There are many thousands of [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]] within Hinduism who are regarded as different facets of God within some philosophical schools and referred to by a large number of names and titles. [[Ganesha]] is one such example.


Although Mormonism views the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as three distinct beings, they are one in purpose and God the Father (Elohim) is worshipped and given all glory through his Son, Jesus Christ (Jehovah). Despite the Godhead doctrine, which teaches that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three separate, divine beings, many Mormons (mainstream [[Latter-day Saints]] and otherwise, such as the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]]) view their beliefs as monotheist since Christ is the conduit through which humanity comes to the God the Father. [[The Book of Mormon]] ends with "to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the eternal Judge of both the quick and dead. Amen."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.34?lang=eng |title=Moroni 10:34 |website=churchofjesuschrist.org}}</ref>
===Sikhism===
====Background====
In [[Sikhism]] God is One Universal Entity, the creator, self-illuminated, perpetual and gender-less. He is referred to in the [[Sikh Scripture]]s by many hundreds of names. The holy scripture of the [[Sikh]]s called the [[Sri Guru Granth Sahib]] or [[SGGS]] begins with the following passage called the [[Mool Mantar]] or the "Main [[Mantra]]":


==== Jehovah's Witnesses ====
:Original Text -{{lang-pa|ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥}}
[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] believe that God has a distinctive name, represented in the Old Testament by the Tetragrammaton. In English, they prefer to use the form ''Jehovah''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Holden |first=A. |year=2002 |title=Cavorting With the Devil: Jehovah's Witnesses Who Abandon Their Faith |at=Endnote [i] |publisher=Department of Sociology, Lancaster University |url=http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/papers/holden-cavorting-with-the-devil.pdf |access-date=2009-06-21}}</ref> According to their ''[[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures]]'', the name ''Jehovah'' means "He causes to become".<ref>{{cite book |title=New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures |page=1735 |chapter=Appendix A4}}</ref>
:[[ISO 15919]] [[transliteration]]: ''{{IAST|Ika ōaṅkāra sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabha'u niravairu akāla mūrati ajūnī saibhaṃ gura prasādi ||}}''
:Simplified transliteration: {{IAST|Ik ōaṅkār sat nām kartā purkh nirbha'u nirvair akāl mūrat ajūnī saibhaṃ gur prasād}} ||
:[[English language|English]]: One God. Truth is His name. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Malice. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace ~


Though scholars prefer the form ''Yahweh'', Jehovah's Witnesses maintain that the name ''Jehovah'' is the most well known form in English.{{cn|date=November 2024}} Their literature compares the use of the form ''Jehovah'' in English to the widespread use of ''Jesus'' in English as a translation of {{tlit|he|Yeshua}} or {{tlit|he|Yehoshua}}.<ref>{{cite book |title=What Does the Bible Really Teach? |page=195 |publisher=Watch Tower Society |year=2005}}</ref>
''The English translation uses 'His' or 'He' when referring to God. Sikhism does not recognise God as being of either sex and the original [[Punjabi]] version reflects this by being [[Gender-neutral language|gender neutral]].''


=== Islam ===
The [[SGGS]] says the following about God: ''"You have so many Names, Lord, I do not know their limit. There is no other equal to You."'' (SGGS page 877).
[[File:Allah Names in Chinese Arabic Script.jpg|thumb|99 names of [[Allah]], in [[Chinese language|Chinese]] [[Sini (script)]].]]
{{Main|Names of God in Islam}}
{{Further|Allah|God in Islam}}
[[Allah]]—meaning 'the God' in Arabic—is the word for God in [[Islam]].<ref name="Britannica">"Allah." [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica</ref> The word ''Allah'' has been used by Arabic people of different religions since pre-Islamic times. More specifically, it has been used as a term for God by [[Muslims]] (both Arab and non-Arab) and [[Arab Christians]]. God has many names in Islam. The Qur'an says (in translation) "to Him Belong the Best Names ({{Transl|ar|Lahu Al-Asma' Al-Husna}})"; examples include ''[[Ar-Rahman]]'' ('the Entirely Merciful') and {{Transl|ar|Ar-Rahim}} ('the Especially Merciful'). Beside these Arabic names, Muslims of non-Arab origins may also sometimes use other names in their own languages to refer to God, such as [[#xoda<!-- explained above -->|''Khuda'']] in [[Farsi|Persian]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Urdu]]. {{Lang|ota|Tangri}} or ''[[Tengri]]'' was used in the [[Ottoman Turkish language]] as the equivalent of Allah.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Turks |volume=27 |page=472 |first=Charles Norton Edgcumbe |last=Eliot}}</ref>


{{Blockquote|He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (Translation of Qur'an: Chapter 59, Verses 22-24)}}
The Sikhs believe that [[Allah]] - The name of God used by [[Muslim]] is a valid name to use. Similarly, the name [[Raam]], [[Brahman|Paarbrahm]], [[Krishna|Krishan]] which are names of God used by [[Hindu]]s are frequently mentioned in the Sikh holy scriptures. The same God of the [[Christian]]s, [[Muslims]], [[Hindus]], etc is the [[Akal Purakh]], the primal being of the Sikhs.


==== Sufism ====
{{Quotation| You fashioned all these men and women, Lord. All these are Your Forms. '''Kabeer is the child of God, [[Allah]], [[Raam]]'''. All the Gurus and prophets are mine. (5) Says Kabeer, listen, O men and women: seek the Sanctuary of the One. Chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord, O mortals, and you shall surely be carried across. ((6)(2))| [[Sri Guru Granth Sahib]] page 1349}}
In [[Tasawwuf]], often characterised as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam, [[Hu (Sufism)|Hu]], {{tlit|ar|Huwa}} (depends on placement in the sentence), or ''[[Parvardigar]]'' in Persian are used as names of God. The sound {{tlit|ar|Hu}} derives from the last letter of the word [[Allah]], which is read as {{tlit|ar|Allahu}} when in the middle of a sentence. {{tlit|ar|Hu}} means 'Just He' or 'Revealed'. The word explicitly appears in many [[ayah|verse]]s of the [[Quran]]:
{{Blockquote|"{{tlit|ar|La ilaha illa Hu}}"|[[Al Imran]]:18}}


====Sikh names for God ====
=== Baháʼí Faith ===
{{See also|God in the Baháʼí Faith}}
However, some of the popular names for God are:
The [[Bahá'í literature|scriptures]] of the [[Baháʼí Faith]] often refer to God by various titles and attributes, such as Almighty, All-Possessing, All-Powerful, All-Wise, Incomparable, Gracious, Helper, All-Glorious, and Omniscient.<ref>{{cite book |last=Adamson |first=Hugh C. |title=Historical dictionary of the Bahá'í Faith |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=Metuchen, NJ |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8108-5096-5}}</ref> Baháʼís believe the [[Greatest name|Greatest Name of God]] is "All-Glorious" or {{tlit|ar|bahá}} in Arabic. {{tlit|ar|Bahá}} is the root word of the following names and phrases: the greeting ''{{lang|ar|[[Alláh-u-Abhá]]}}'' ('God is the All-Glorious'), the invocation {{tlit|ar|Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá}} ('O Thou Glory of the Most Glorious'), {{tlit|ar|Bahá'u'lláh}} ('the Glory of God'), and {{Transl|ar|Baháʼí}} ('Follower of the All-Glorious'). These are expressed in Arabic regardless of the language in use (see [[Baháʼí symbols]]).<ref name="smith_gn">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Smith |first=Peter |encyclopedia=A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith |title=greatest name |year=2000 |publisher=Oneworld |location=Oxford |isbn=1-85168-184-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/167 167–168] |url=https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/167}}</ref> Apart from these names, God is addressed in the local language, for example {{Transl|hi|Ishwar}} in Hindi, {{Transl|fr|Dieu}} in French and {{Transl|es|Dios}} in Spanish.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}} Baháʼís believe [[Bahá'u'lláh]], the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, is the "complete incarnation of the names and attributes of God".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a Bahá'í Theology |first1=Jack |last1=McLean |first2=Anthony A. |last2=Lee |isbn=0-933770-96-0 |year=1997 |publisher=Kalimat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HWq67XexIHcC |page=66 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
* '''[[Akal Purakh]]''' meaning ''Timeless Primal Being''. "Akal" stands for 'Primal, timeless' and "Purakh" stands for 'Being'
* '''[[Ek Onkar]]''' meaning ''One Creator''. "Ek" means "One"; "Onkar" means "Creator".
* '''[[Satnam]]''' meaning ''True Name''
* '''[[Waheguru]]''', meaning ''Wonderful Lord''
* '''Bhao Khandan''' meaning ''Destroyer of Fear''
* '''Dukh Bhanjno''' meaning ''Dispeller of Pain''
* '''[[Bhagat]] Vachhal''' meaning ''Lover of His Saints''
* '''[[Hari]]''' meaning ''Glowing, Shining, Vitalising'' - Absolute Name of God
* '''[[Govind]]''' meaning ''Preserver of the World''


===Mandaeism===
God according to [[Guru Nanak]] is beyond full comprehension by humans; has endless number of virtues; takes on innumerable forms; and can be called by an infinite number of names thus ''"Your Names are so many, and Your Forms are endless. No one can tell how many Glorious Virtues You have."'' (SGGS page 358)
{{Main|Hayyi Rabbi}}
{{Further|Mandaeism}}
[[Mandaeism|Mandaeans]] believe in one God called {{tlit|myz|[[Hayyi Rabbi]]}} ('The Great Life' or 'The Great Living God').<ref name=Nashmi>{{Citation |last=Nashmi |first=Yuhana |title=Contemporary Issues for the Mandaean Faith |website=Mandaean Associations Union |date=24 April 2013 |url=http://www.mandaeanunion.com/history-english/item/488-mandaean-faith |access-date=31 October 2021}}</ref> Other names for God used include {{tlit|myz|Mare d'Rabuta}} ('Lord of Greatness'), {{tlit|myz|Mana Rabba}} ('The Great Mind'), {{tlit|myz|Melka d'Nhura}} ('King of Light') and {{tlit|myz|Hayyi Qadmaiyi}} ('The First Life').<ref>Rudolf, K. (1978). Mandaeism. Leiden: Brill.</ref>


===Jainism===
===Gnosticism===
{{main|Monad (Gnosticism)}}
There are no direct names of God in [[Jainism]]. However, [[Mahavir]] and other 'prophets' or 'perfected beings' are known as ''[[Tirthankar]]'' (literally 'Fordmaker') or ''[[Jina]]''.


===Buddhism===
==Egypt==
{{Redirect|Divine name|the name of a deity|Theonym}}
Main article: [[God in Buddhism]]
A '''divine name''' is an official title for any divine being. In Egypt, divine names were indicated with a god's inscription (''nṯr'', which can be Anglicised as ''netjer''.)<ref name="Frajzyngier Shay 2012 p. ">{{cite book | last1=Frajzyngier | first1=Zygmunt | last2=Shay | first2=Erin | title=The Afroasiatic Languages | publisher=Cambridge University Press | publication-place=Cambridge New York | date=2012-05-31 | isbn=978-0-521-86533-3 | page=}}</ref> In Sumerian cuneiform, the ''[[Dingir]]'' sign (𒀭) was used.<ref name="Smith 2003 p. 108">{{cite book | last=Smith | first=Mark S. | title=The Origins of Biblical Monotheism | publisher=Oxford University Press | publication-place=Oxford | date=2003-11-06 | isbn=0-19-516768-6 | page=}}</ref>
[[File:KTU1-4epithetexample.png|thumb|alt=mgn rbt atrt ym mgz qnyt ilm|Asherah's title in KTU 1.4 ''mgn rbt'' is like Jupiter's title ''optimus maxiumus.'']]
[[Buddhism]] is generally viewed as a religion or philosophy without a Supreme Being in the sense of a Creator God or Creator of the human race. [[The Buddha]], also know as [[Siddhartha Gautama]] or[[ Gautama Buddha]] is sometimes viewed as the example for a human who has achived the primal, eternal, sustaining essence within all beings and phenomena, but by no means is The Buddha considered to be divine.


A divine being's name is distinct from an epithet. A divine epithet expresses specific traits, aspects, or domains of a god, or applies a common noun to them.<ref name="Rahmouni 2007 v341">{{cite book | last=Rahmouni | first=Aicha | title=Divine Epithets in the Ugaritic Alphabetic Texts | publisher=Brill | date=2007-11-27 | isbn=9789047423003 | url=https://brill.com/display/title/13802 | access-date=2023-12-19}}</ref> Rahmouni says a locative name is ''ʔil yṯb bʕṯtrt ''in KTU 1.108, 2 meaning "The god who sits (enthroned) in ʕAṯtartu.<ref>Locative epithet 10 in Rahmouni, p 33. [[Tell Ashtara]] or Ashteroth karnaim. Parallel with "The god who judges / rules in Hidra`yu.</ref>
The [[Pure Land]] schools of Buddhism in China and Japan revere the [[Nembutsu]], the formulaic name of [[Amida Buddha]] (Namu Amida Butsu), as the sole method in this latter age of "degenerate [[Dharma]]" ([[mappo]]) for birth in the Pure Land after earthly death. [[Shinran]], the founder of the Japanese Pure Land sect of [[Jodo Shinshu]], went so far as to declare the Name as the same as Amida and his characteristics ([[Infinite Light]] and [[Infinite Life]]).


A name is sometimes double-barreled, like in [[Deir Alla Inscription|Shagar-we-Ishtar]] or [[Kothar-wa-Hasis]].
==Other pagan religion in Classical Antiquity==
===Pharaonic Egypt===
*'''[[Aten]]''' is the earliest name of a supreme being associated with monotheistic thought, being the solar divinity which [[Akhenaten]] had declared the only god of the state cult, as part of his wholesale absolutist reforms, thereby threatening the position on the various temple priesthoods, which had the old polytheism restored immediately after his death. See also the [[Great Hymn to the Aten]] .


ʔṯrt w rḥmy [[Asherah]]-wa-Rachmai takes this ("binomial") form but is of slightly unclear categorization.<ref>Rahmoui Pg xxvi</ref> In this case and that of the [[Baalat Gebal|Lady of Byblos]], it is not clear if the appellation is a personal name.
===Zoroastrianism===
*'''[[Ahura Mazda]]''' "Lord of Light" or "Lord Wisdom" (wisdom and light being synonymous in either case) is the name of the supreme benevolent god in [[Zoroastrianism]]. Zoroastrians today may refer to Ahura-Mazda as 'Ormazd,' simply being a contraction of the original term.


Binomial names can be found in "bound forms" like [[Bethel (god)|Bethel's]] Anat-Bethel, Ashim-Bethel, "and Herem-Bethel from the archives of Elephantine."<ref name="Religion and Literature of Ancient Palestine 2015 a281">{{cite web | title=A New Analysis of YHWH's asherah | website=Religion and Literature of Ancient Palestine | date=2015-12-13 | url=https://www.religionofancientpalestine.com/?page_id=230 | access-date=2024-01-03}}</ref>
===Roman paganism===
While some of the older deities have names long pre-dating the [[Latins|Latin]] people the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] belong to, and even more were adopted with their [[autochthonous]] names (or Latinized in a recognizable way), many minor divinities were named simply as personifications of various minor aspects of daily life. [[Latin]] also prominently used an abstract word for god, ''deus'' (hence deity and, from its adjective ''divinus'', divinity), from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root ''deiwos'', also the root of words for "sky" and "day" -- the god-sense is originally "shining," but "whether as originally sun-god or as lightener" is not now clear; the [[epithet]] ''Deus Optimus Maximus'', DOM "Best and Greatest God", coined for [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], the [[pater familias]] of the Roman [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]], was later adopted in Christianity, as well as ''Deus''.


In one Egyptian story, the sun god Ra's [[true name]] was cunningly uncovered by Isis. Using a secret scheme, Isis gained complete dominion over Ra. This enabled her to elevate her son Horus to the throne, showing the power that a name had over the gods.
===Mithras===
<ref>Harris, Geraldine (1981). ''Gods & Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology.'' London, England: Eurobook Limited. pp. 24–25. {{ISBN|0-87226-907-8}}</ref>
The name of this [[Persia|Persian]] god of light, one of the earliest Indic words we possess, being found in clay tablets from Anatolia dating to about 1500 B.C, reported in English only since 1551, is from Latin, from Greek [[Mithras]], derived from itself from Avestan ''Mithra-'', possibly from an Indo-Iranian root ''mitram'' "contract," whence ''mitras'' "contractual partner, friend," conceptualized as a god, or, according to Kent, first the [[epithet]] of a divinity and eventually his name; from proto-Indo-Germanic root base ''mei-'' "to bind"; related to Sanskrit [[Mitrah]], a Vedic deity associated with Varuna.


==Other traditions==
=== Appendages ===
The maiden goddesses of Canaan and Phoenicia were sometimes called the "name of the lord" (Ba'al) or the "face of the lord." In their less-virginal incarnations as the consort Anat-Bethel or as a mother goddess ʕtr [ʕ-t-r-m = ʕtr-(ʕ)m(y) "ʕtr my mother"] these and "hand of" the deity are added. This might mean hypostasis or intercession.<ref name="Steiner 2001 pp. 259–268">{{cite journal | last=Steiner | first=Richard C. | title=The Scorpion Spell from Wadi Hammamat: Another Aramaic Text in Demotic Script | journal=Journal of Near Eastern Studies | volume=60 | issue=4 | date=2001 | issn=0022-2968 | doi=10.1086/468948 | pages=259–268| pmid=16468205 }}</ref>
*'''Xwedê''' is the term used for God in the [[Yazidi]] religion and in [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]].
*'''[[Abraxas]]''' is a god uniting the [[dualism|dualistic]] concepts in [[Gnosticism]]. See also [[Monad (Gnosticism)]].
*'''[[Cao Dai|Cao Đài]]''' is the name of God in [[Cao Dai|Caodaism]].


==Indian religions ==
===Deism and Pantheism===
===Hinduism===
In [[Deism]] and [[Pantheism]], and in variations of these like [[Pandeism]] and [[Panentheism]], God is sometimes referred to as ''[[Deus]]'' (pronounced Day-us), the Latin word for ''god'', which gave rise to the word Deism. Believers in Pantheistic or Pandeistic systems equate God with the Universe, and may refer to God by that term (sometimes using the definite article and referring to God as "the Deus").
{{Main|God in Hinduism}}
There are multiple names for God's various manifestations worshiped in [[Hinduism]]. Some of the common names for these deities in Hinduism are:
* ''[[Bhagavan]]'' ({{Lang|sa|भगवान्}}) the most frequently used name for Lord in [[Hinduism]]. The equivalent term used for female deities is {{Transl|sa|Bhagavati}} ({{Lang|sa|भगवती}}).
* ''[[Brahman]]'' ({{Lang|sa|ब्रह्मन्}}) is a theological concept espoused in [[Vedanta]] philosophy of Hinduism, which is of neuter gender. The word {{Transl|sa|Paramatman}} ({{Lang|sa|परमात्मन्}}) popularly pronounced as {{Transl|sa|Paramatma}} ({{Lang|sa|परमात्मा}}) is also used synonymously with it. The word is used to denote the Supreme Divinity/Supreme Soul.
* ''[[Isvara]]'' ({{Lang|sa|ईश्वर}}) shortened as {{Transl|sa|Isha}} ({{Lang|sa|ईश}}) is applied to mean 'God' in both religious and secular context (for example in the [[Gita]], [[Arjuna]] is referred to as {{Transl|sa|Manujeshvara}} which is a compound of the two words {{Transl|sa|manuja}}, 'human' and {{Transl|sa|Ishvara}}, thus the word means 'God of humans', i.e. 'king'). The term {{Transl|sa|Parameshvara}} ('Supreme God') is used to refer to one's {{Transl|sa|Ishta}} (chosen deity for personal veneration) in general terms. The feminine equivalents are {{Transl|sa|Isvari}} ({{Lang|sa|ईश्वरी}}) and {{Transl|sa|Parameshvari}} ({{Lang|sa|परमेश्वरी}}) used in case of female deities.
* {{Transl|sa|Deva/Devata}} ({{Lang|sa|देव/देवता}}) is the most commonly used suffix used for male deities in Hinduism. The feminine equivalent is {{Transl|sa|Devi}} ({{Lang|sa|देवी}}).


Additionally, most Hindu deities have a collection of 8/12/16/32/100/108/1000/1008 names exclusively dedicated to them known as {{Transl|sa|Namavali}}.{{Clarify|date=August 2022}}{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}
==Taboos==
Several religions advance [[taboo]]s related to names of their gods. In some cases, the name may never be spoken, or only spoken by inner-circle [[initiate]]s, or only spoken at prescribed moments during certain [[ritual]]s. In other cases, the name may be freely spoken, but when written, taboos apply. It is common to regard the written name of one's god as deserving of [[respect]]; it ought not, for instance, be stepped upon or dirtied. It may be permissible to burn the written name when there is no longer a use for it.


===Judaism===
==== Tamil Tradition ====
Because of the influence of Ugaritic Pagan tradition, most observant [[Jew]]s forbid any method of discarding the written name of God. Once written, the name must be preserved indefinitely. This leads to several noteworthy practices:
* Commonplace materials, such as [[calendar]]s which include quotations from the Torah, are written with an intentionally abbreviated form of the name. For instance, quotations written in English may substitute "G-d" for the name of God. Thus, a calendar or children's Hebrew school workbook may be discarded along with ordinary trash.
* Copies of the [[Torah]] are, like most [[scripture]]s, heavily used during [[worship]] services, and will eventually become worn out. Since they may not be disposed of in any way, including by burning, they are removed, traditionally to the [[synagogue]] [[attic]]. ''See'' [[genizah]]. There they remain until the building itself is destroyed by the hand of God or [[gentile]]s (non-Jews).
* All religious texts that include the name of God are buried.


* அருமன் (Arumaṉ) - The most giving.
===Islam===
* உய்யன் (Uyyaṉ) - The most high.
* இறைவன் (Iṟaivaṉ) - The one above all.
* இயவுள் (Iyavul) - [[Primum movens|who sets things in motion]].


=== Arya Samaj ===
* In Islam, the name (or any names) of God should be treated with the utmost respect. It is referred to in many verses of the Qur'an that the real believers respect the name of God very deeply. (e.g. stated in 33/35, 57/16, 59/21, 7/180, 17/107, 17/109, 2/45, 21/90, 23/2 ) On the other hand the condition is openly stressed by prohibiting people from unnecessary swearing using the name of Allah. (e.g. stated in 24/53, 68/10-11-12-13-14, 63/2, 58/14, 58/16, 2/224) Thus the mention of the name of God is expected to be done so reverently.
{{Main|Satyarth Prakash}}
[[Maharishi Dayanand]] in his book ''Vaghasiya Ayush'' has listed 100 names of God each representing some property or attribute thereof mentioning "Om" or "[[Aum]]" as God's personal and natural name.


===Christianity===
===Jainism===
{{Main|God in Jainism}}
[[Jainism]] rejects the idea of a [[creator deity]] responsible for the manifestation, creation, or maintenance of this universe. According to Jain doctrine, the universe and its constituents (soul, matter, space, time, and principles of motion) have [[Jainism and non-creationism|always existed]]. All the constituents and actions are governed by universal natural laws and an immaterial entity like God cannot create a material entity like the universe. Jainism offers an elaborate [[Jain cosmology|cosmology]], including heavenly beings ({{Transl|sa|deva}}''s''), but these beings are not viewed as creators; they are subject to suffering and change like all other living beings, and must eventually die.


Jains define godliness as the inherent quality of any soul characterizing infinite bliss, infinite power, [[Kevala Jnana|perfect knowledge]] and perfect peace. However, these qualities of a soul are subdued due to [[Karma in Jainism|karmas]] of the soul. One who achieves this state of soul through [[Ratnatraya|right belief, right knowledge and right conduct]] can be termed as god. This perfection of soul is called ''[[Kevala Jnana|kaivalya]]'' (omniscience). A liberated soul thus becomes a god – liberated of miseries, cycles of rebirth, world, ''karmas'' and finally liberated of body as well. This is called ''[[Nirvana (Jainism)|nirvana]]'' or ''[[Moksa (Jainism)|moksha]]''.
* In Christianity, God's name may not "be used in vain" (see the [[Decalogue|Ten Commandments]]), which is commonly interpreted to mean that it is wrong to [[Profanity|curse]] while making reference to God. A more natural interpretation of this passage is in relation to oath taking, where the command is to hold true to those commands made 'in God's name'. (Jesus also makes it clear that a Christian should hold true to all their words - cf [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=5&verse=37&version=31&context=verse Matthew 5:37])


If godliness is defined as the state of having freed one's soul from karmas and the attainment of [[Kevala Jnana]] and a god as one who exists in such a state, then those who have achieved such a state can be termed gods/''[[Tirthankara]]''. Thus, [[Rishabha (Jain tirthankar)|Rishabhanatha]] was god/{{Transl|sa|Tirthankara}} but he was not the only {{Transl|sa|Tirthankara}}; there were many other {{Transl|sa|Tirthankara}}. However, the quality of godliness is one and the same in all of them.
* Some Christians capitalize all references to God in writing, including pronouns. (ex. "The Lord, He is God, worthy is His name.")


Jainism does not teach the dependency on any supreme being for enlightenment. The {{Transl|sa|Tirthankara}} is a guide and teacher who points the way to enlightenment, but the struggle for enlightenment is one's own. Moral rewards and sufferings are not the work of a divine being, but a result of an innate moral order in the [[cosmos]]; a self-regulating mechanism whereby the individual reaps the fruits of his own actions through the workings of the karmas.
* God's name being used in vain can also be interpreted as trying to invoke the power of God, as a means to impress, intimidate, punish, condemn, and/or control others. Since "God is a loving God" (according to the New Testament), any efforts to use God's name in vain will forever be fruitless. Love is not compelled into action by fear. Saying that God's name should not be used in vain is just a helpful reminder that doing so, is just a waste of time and energy.


Jains believe that to attain enlightenment and ultimately liberation from all karmic bonding, one must practice the ethical principles not only in thought, but also in words (speech) and action. Such a practice through lifelong work towards oneself is called as observing the ''[[Mahavrata]]'' ('Great Vows').
*Different Christian cultures have different views on the appropriateness of naming people after God. English speakers would not name a son "Jesus", but "''[[Jesús]]''" is a common [[Spanish naming customs|Spanish first name]]. This taboo does not apply to more indirect names and titles like [[Emmanuel]] or [[Salvador]].


Gods can be thus categorized into embodied gods also known as ''[[Tirthankara|Tīrthankaras]] and [[Arihant (Jainism)|Arihanta]]s'' or ordinary ''[[Kevala Jñāna|Kevalis]]'', and non-embodied formless gods who are called ''[[Siddha]]s''. Jainism considers the {{Transl|sa|devī}}''s'' and {{Transl|sa|deva}}''s'' to be souls who dwell in heavens owing to meritorious deeds in their past lives. These souls are in heavens for a fixed lifespan and even they have to undergo reincarnation as humans to achieve {{Transl|sa|moksha}}.
*The taboo on abuse of the name of God and religious figures like [[Mary, mother of Jesus]] leads to their frequent use in [[profanity]] (a clear case is [[Quebec French profanity]], based mostly on Catholic concepts). More pious swearers try to substitute the [[blasphemy]] against holy names with [[minced oath]]s like ''Jeez!'' instead of ''Jesus!'' or ''[[:wiktionary:Judas Priest|Judas Priest]]!'' instead of ''Jesus Christ!''.


===Sikhism===
==Phrases and alternatives==
{{Main|Names of God in Sikhism}}
[[Tapu|Tabu]]ism or glorification are usually reasons not to refer to a deity directly by name.
{{Further|God in Sikhism}}
In addition to capitalized [[pronouns]] (e.g. He, Him, She, Her, One), this can be split into two types: Phrases (such as [[King of Kings]]) and Alternatives (such as [[G*d]] or [[HaShem]]). Generally, phrases are used to extol, and alternatives are more direct replacements for words.


There are multiple names for God in Sikhism. Some of the popular names for God in Sikhism are:
==Literature and fiction==
* ''[[Akal Purakh]]'', meaning 'timeless being'.
*[[Names of God in Old English poetry]]
*'''Aigonz''' is the word for God in the [[lingua ignota]] of [[Hildegard of Bingen]]
* ''[[Ik Onkar]]'', 'One Creator', found at the beginning of the Sikh [[Mul Mantar]].
* ''[[Nirankar]]'', meaning 'formless'.
*[[Eru Iluvatar|Eru Ilúvatar]], a name of monotheistic God in [[Quenya]], a fictional language invented by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]].
* ''[[Satnam]]'', meaning 'True Name'; some are of the opinion that this is a name for God in itself, others believe that this is an adjective used to describe the {{Transl|pa|Gurmantar}}, {{Transl|pa|Waheguru}}.
*"[[The Nine Billion Names of God]]", a short story by [[Arthur C. Clarke]].
* ''[[Waheguru]]'', meaning 'Wonderful Teacher bringing light to remove darkness'; this name is considered the greatest among Sikhs, and it is known as {{Transl|pa|Gurmantar}}, 'the Guru's Word'. {{Transl|pa|Waheguru}} is the only way to meet God.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}
* [[Maleldil]] is the name of God (or, more accurately, of the allegorical character associated with [[Jesus]]) in [[Old Solar]], the true language in the [[Space Trilogy]] books by [[C.S. Lewis]]
* {{Transl|pa|Dātā}} or {{Transl|pa|Dātār}}, meaning 'the Giver'.
* In the movie [[π (film)|Pi]], the characters are looking for [[Shemhamphorash|the true name of god]], which is 216 letter long.
* {{Transl|pa|Kartā}} or {{Transl|pa|Kartār}}, meaning 'the Doer'''.''
* {{Transl|pa|Diāl}}, meaning 'compassionate'''.''
* {{Transl|pa|Kirpāl}}, meaning 'benevolent'''.''


In the Sikh scripture, both Hindu and Muslim names of the Supreme Being are also commonly employed, expressing different aspects of the divine Name. For instance, names like [[Rama|Ram]] ('pervading'), [[Hari]] ('shining'), [[Parameshwara (god)|Parmeshwar]] ('supreme lord'), and {{Transl|sa|Jagdish}} ('world lord') refer to Hindu terms, while names like [[Allah]] (Arabic for ''God''), [[Khuda]] (Persian for ''God''), [[Rahim]] ('merciful'), [[Karim]] ('generous'), and [[Sahib]] ('lord') are of Muslim origin.<ref>Pashaura Singh (2014), in The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (Editors: Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech), Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0199699308}}, page 228</ref>
==See also==
*[[List of deities]]
*[[Names of God in Judaism]]
*[[List of titles and names of Krishna]]
*[[99 Names of God in the Qur'an]]
*[[Sahasranama]]


God, according to [[Guru Nanak]], is beyond full comprehension by [[human]]s; has an endless number of virtues; takes on innumerable forms, but is formless; and can be called by an infinite number of names thus "Your Names are so many, and Your Forms are endless. No one can tell how many Glorious Virtues You have."<ref>''Guru Granth Sahib'' p. 358</ref>
==Notes==
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>


The word ''[[Allah]]'' ({{Langx|pa|ਅਲਹੁ}}) is used 12 times in the ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]'' (primary religious scripture) by Sheikh Farid. Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Arjan Dev and Bhagat Kabeer used the word 18 times.
==References==

==External links==
==Iranian religions ==
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===Yazidism===
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{{Main|Yazidism}}
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Yazidism knows only one eternal God, often named {{Lang|ku|Xwedê}}.<ref name="Birgül">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ql4BAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA71|title=The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion|last=Açikyildiz|first=Birgül|date=2014-12-23|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9780857720610|language=en}}</ref> According to some Yazidi hymns (known as {{Lang|ku|Qewl}}''s''), God has 1001 names.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=45N4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA76|title=Deutsche Yeziden: Geschichte, Gegenwart, Prognosen|last=Kartal|first=Celalettin|date=2016-06-22|publisher=Tectum Wissenschaftsverlag|isbn=9783828864887|language=de}}</ref>
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===Zoroastrianism===
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{{Main|101 Names of God}}
<!--| |-->
In [[Zoroastrianism]], 101 names of God ([[Pazand]] {{Transl|pal|Sad-o-yak nam-i-khoda}}) is a list of names of God ([[Ahura Mazda]]). The list is preserved in [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Pazand]] and [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]. [[Parsi]] tradition expanded this to a list of 101 names of God.<ref>Antonio Panaino, ''The lists of names of Ahura Mazdā (Yašt I) and Vayu (Yašt XV)'', 2002, p. 20.</ref>
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==African religions==
<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->
===!Kung===
* [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=divinity&searchmode=none Etymology OnLine- here divinity and Mithras]
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2022}}
* [http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/names_of_g-d.html Hebrew Names of God]
The supreme being in [[!Kung mythology]] is known as Khu, Xu, Xuba, or Huwa.
* [http://www.allaboutgod.com/names-of-god.htm Names of God] according to the Bible

* [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/T/TU/TURKS.htm Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911- Turks]
===Odinani===
* [http://www.meherbabatheavatar.org/names.htm Meher Baba's 101 Names of God]
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2022}}
* [http://www.keysofenoch.org/html/hebrew-aramaic.html 72 Expressions of the Names of God]
[[Chukwu]] is the supreme being of the [[Odinani]] religion of the [[Igbo people]]. In the [[Alusi|Igbo pantheon]], Chukwu is the source of all other [[Alusi|Igbo deities]] and is responsible for assigning them their different tasks. The [[Igbo people]] believe that all things come from Chukwu, who brings the [[rain]] necessary for [[plants]] to grow and controls everything on [[Earth]] and the [[Spirit world (Spiritualism)|spiritual world]]. They believe Chukwu to be an undefinable [[omnipotent]] and [[omnipresent]] supreme deity that encompasses everything in [[space]] and time itself. Igbo Christians also refer to the Abrahamic God as Chukwu.

===West African Vodun===
[[Nana Buluku]] is the female supreme being in [[West African Vodun]]. In [[Dahomey mythology]], Nana Buluku is the mother supreme creator who gave birth to the moon spirit [[Mawu]], the sun spirit [[Lisa (mythology)|Lisa]], and all of the universe. After giving birth to these, she retired and left the matters of the world to Mawu-Lisa. She is the primary creator, Mawu-Lisa the secondary creator, and the theology based on these is called Vodun, Voodoo or Vodoun.<ref name="Asante2009p270">{{cite book|author1=Molefi Kete Asante|author2=Ama Mazama|title=Encyclopedia of African Religion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B667ATiedQkC |year=2009|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-1-4129-3636-1|pages=270–273}}</ref>

===Yoruba religion===
The supreme creator in the [[Yoruba religion|traditional religion]] of the [[Yoruba people]] is known as [[Olorun]] or [[Olodumare]]. The Yoruba believe that Olodumare is omnipotent and is the source of all.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://arabaifatemple.org/yoruba-believe-in-only-one-god-called-olodumare/|title=YORUBA BELIEVE IN ONLY ONE GOD CALLED OLODUMARE.|last=DAYO|first=CHIEF|date=February 14, 2016}}</ref> Olodumare is aloof; he is not directly involved in earthly matters and lets other Yoruba deities ([[orisha]]), who are his sons and daughters, answer human concerns through divination, possession, sacrifice and more.<ref name=":2">Bewaji, John (1998). "Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief and the Theistic Problem of Evil" (PDF). ''African Studies Quarterly''.</ref> However, everything is in the hands of Olodumare when they are going to bed at night.<ref name=":0" /> Yoruba Muslims and Christians also refer to the Abrahamic God as Olorun.

===Zulu traditional religion===
[[Unkulunkulu]] is the supreme creator in [[Zulu traditional religion]]. Unkulunkulu brought human beings and cattle from an area of reeds. He created everything, from land and water, to man and the animals. He is considered the first man as well as the parent of all Zulu. He taught the Zulu how to hunt, how to make fire, and how to grow food.<ref>{{harvnb|Leeming|Leeming|2009}} - entry [http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t279.e327 "Zulu Creation"]. Retrieved 2010-04-30.</ref> Zulu Christians also refer to the Abrahamic God as Unkulunkulu.

==Native American religions==
===Anishinaabe===
{{Main|Anishinaabe traditional beliefs}}
Gitche Manitou, also known as Gitchi Manitou, Kitchi Manitou, means "[[Great Spirit]]" in several [[Algonquian languages]]. [[Christian missionaries]] have translated ''[[God in Christianity|God]]'' as ''Gitche Manitou'' in scriptures and prayers in the Algonquian languages.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Religion}}
* [[Bhadrakalpika Sūtra]] c. 200-250 CE, which gives names of 1002 Buddhas
* [[Creator deity]]
* ''[[Dingir]]''
* [[Existence of God]]
* [[Lists of deities]]
* [[List of goddesses]]
* [[Sahasranama]]
* [[Tetragrammaton]]
* [[Vishnu Sahasranāma]]
*[[The Nine Billion Names of God]], a short story by [[Arthur C. Clarke]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{cite book |author=Brichto, Herbert Chanan |title=The names of God: poetic readings in biblical beginnings |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn = 0-19-510965-1}}
* {{cite book |author=Mbiti, John S. |title=African religions & philosophy |publisher=Heinemann |location=London |year=1990 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/africanreligions00mbit/page/34 34–36] |isbn=0-435-89591-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/africanreligions00mbit/page/34 }}
* {{cite book |author=Parrinder, Geoffrey |title=Comparative religion |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn |year=1975 |isbn = 0-8371-7301-9 }}
* {{cite book |author=Walter Henry Medhurst |title=An inquiry into the proper mode of rendering the word God in translating the Sacred Scriptures into the Chinese language |publisher=Mission Press |year=1848 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-OLyf0jnM00C |page=170}}
* {{cite book |title=History of Religions |author=Edward Washburn Hopkins |year = 1918 |publisher=Kessinger |isbn = 1-4366-7119-1}}
* {{cite book |last=van der Toorn |first=Karel |title=Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible |publisher=E.J. Brill |location=New York |year=1995 |isbn = 0-8028-2491-9}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080111200434/http://www.princeton.edu/~aamihay/Divine_Names.html Bibliography on Divine Names in the Dead Sea Scrolls]
* [http://www.iskcon.org/basics/hearing Education]{{Dead link|date=February 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}—Hearing and chanting in [[ISKCON]]
* [https://www.hearthymn.com/god-names-jehovah.html Do You Know the Origin of Name "Jehovah"?]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927184721/http://www.exodus-314.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=41 Ehyeh and YHWH—The Relationship Between the Divine Names in Exodus 3:14-15]
* [http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/names_of_g-d.html Hebrew Names of God]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08329a.htm Jehovah (Yahweh)]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08329a.htm Jehovah (Yahweh)]
* [http://matt.casaviva.org/2009/01/biblical-names-of-god.html Judeo Christian Biblical Names of God]{{Dead link|date=February 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://www.hinduism-today.com/archives/2003/10-12/44-49_four_sects.shtml Hinduism], Hinduism Today
* [http://www.meherbabatheavatar.org/names.htm The 101 Names of God] given by [[Meher Baba]]
* [http://www.exodus-314.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=41 Ehyeh and YHWH - The Relationship Between the Divine Names in Exodus 3:14-15]
* [http://www.princeton.edu/~aamihay/Divine_Names.html Bibliography on Divine Names in the Dead Sea Scrolls]


[[Category:Names of God| ]]
{{Names of God}}
{{Religion topics}}
[[Category:God]]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Singular God]]
[[Category:Sikhism]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Names Of God}}
[[fr:Noms de Dieu]]
[[ia:Nomines de Deo]]
[[Category:Names of God| ]]
[[Category:Ceremonial magic]]
[[lt:Dievo vardas]]
[[Category:Language and mysticism]]
[[pt:Nomes de Deus]]
[[Category:Lists of names|God]]
[[uk:Біблійні імена Бога]]
[[ru:Имена Бога]]

Latest revision as of 08:38, 24 December 2024

A diagram of the names of God in Athanasius Kircher's Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652–1654). The style and form are typical of the mystical tradition, as early theologians began to fuse emerging pre-Enlightenment concepts of classification and organization with religion and alchemy, to shape an artful and perhaps more conceptual view of God.
The word Allah in thuluth calligraphy

There are various names of God, many of which enumerate the various qualities of a Supreme Being. The English word god (and its equivalent in other languages) is used by multiple religions as a noun to refer to different deities, or specifically to the Supreme Being, as denoted in English by the capitalized and uncapitalized terms God and god.[1] Ancient cognate equivalents for the biblical Hebrew Elohim, one of the most common names of God in the Bible,[2] include proto-Semitic El, biblical Aramaic Elah, and Arabic ilah.[2] The personal or proper name for God in many of these languages may either be distinguished from such attributes, or homonymic. For example, in Judaism the tetragrammaton is sometimes related to the ancient Hebrew ehyeh ("I will be").[2] It is connected to the passage in Exodus 3:14 in which God gives his name as אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh), where the verb may be translated most basically as "I am that I am", "I shall be what I shall be", or "I shall be what I am". In the passage, YHWH,[2] the personal name of God, is revealed directly to Moses.

Correlation between various theories and interpretation of the name of "the one God", used to signify a monotheistic or ultimate Supreme Being from which all other divine attributes derive, has been a subject of ecumenical discourse between Eastern and Western scholars for over two centuries.[3] In Christian theology the word is considered a personal and a proper name of God.[4] On the other hand, the names of God in a different tradition are sometimes referred to by symbols.[5] The question whether divine names used by different religions are equivalent has been raised and analyzed.[6]

Exchange of names held sacred between different religious traditions is typically limited. Other elements of religious practice may be shared, especially when communities of different faiths are living in close proximity (for example, the use of Khuda or Prabhu within the Indian Christian community) but usage of the names themselves mostly remains within the domain of a particular religion, or even may help define one's religious belief according to practice, as in the case of the recitation of names of God (such as the japa).[7] Guru Gobind Singh's Jaap Sahib, which contains 950 names of God is one example of this. The Divine Names, the classic treatise by Pseudo-Dionysius, defines the scope of traditional understandings in Western traditions such as Hellenic, Christian, Jewish and Islamic theology on the nature and significance of the names of God.[8] Further historical lists such as The 72 Names of the Lord show parallels in the history and interpretation of the name of God amongst Kabbalah, Christianity, and Hebrew scholarship in various parts of the Mediterranean world.[9]

The attitude as to the transmission of the name in many cultures was surrounded by secrecy. In Judaism, the pronunciation of the name of God has always been guarded with great care. It is believed that, in ancient times, the sages communicated the pronunciation only once every seven years;[10] this system was challenged by more recent movements. The nature of a holy name can be described as either personal or attributive. In many cultures it is often difficult to distinguish between the personal and the attributive names of God, the two divisions necessarily shading into each other.[11]

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Judaism

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El comes from a root word meaning "god" or "deity", reconstructed in the Proto-Semitic language as ʾil. Sometimes referring to God and sometimes the mighty when used to refer to the God of Israel, El is almost always qualified by additional words that further define the meaning that distinguishes him from false gods. A common title of God in the Hebrew Bible is Elohim (Hebrew: אלהים). The root Eloah (אלה) is used in poetry and late prose (e.g., the Book of Job) and ending with the masculine plural suffix -im ים creating a word like ba`alim ('owners') and adonim ('lords', 'masters') that may also indicate a singular identity.

In the Book of Exodus, God commands Moses to tell the people that 'I AM' sent him, and this is revered as one of the most important names of God according to Mosaic tradition.

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I Am who I Am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I Am has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation".

In Exodus 6:3, when Moses first spoke with God, God said, "I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make myself known to them by my name YHWH."

YHWH (יהוה‎) is the proper name of God in Judaism. Neither vowels nor vowel points were used in ancient Hebrew writings and the original vocalisation of YHWH has been lost.[12]

Later commentaries additionally suggested that the true pronunciation of this name is composed entirely of vowels, such as the Greek Ιαουε.[13] However, this is put into question by the fact that vowels were only distinguished in the time-period by their very absence due to the lack of explicit vowels in the Hebrew script. The resulting substitute made from semivowels and glottals, known as the tetragrammaton, is not ordinarily permitted to be pronounced aloud, even in prayer. The prohibition on misuse (not use) of this name is the primary subject of the command not to take the name of the Lord in vain.

Instead of pronouncing YHWH during prayer, Jews say "Adonai" ('Lord'). Halakha 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 religious practice to restrict the use of the word "Adonai" to prayer only. In conversation, many Jewish people, even when not speaking Hebrew, will call God HaShem (השם), which is Hebrew for 'the Name'; this appears in Leviticus 24:11.

Almost all Orthodox Jews avoid using either Yahweh or Jehovah altogether on the basis that the actual pronunciation of the tetragrammaton has been lost in antiquity. Many use the term HaShem as an indirect reference, or they use "God" or "The Lord" instead. Mark Sameth argues that Yahweh was a pseudo name for a dual-gendered deity, the four letters of that name being cryptogram which the priests of ancient Israel read in reverse as huhi, 'he–she', as earlier theorized by Guillaume Postel (16th century) and Michelangelo Lanci [it] (19th century).[14][15][16][17]

Christianity

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The Divine Name YHWH on a Lutheran Christian altar at Fiskebäckskil Church in Sweden
Jehovah, a vocalization of the Divine Name YHWH, on a stained glass window in of Saint-Fiacre de Dison Catholic Church in Belgium

In Christianity, the Old Testament reveals YHWH (יהוה‎; often vocalized with vowels as "Yahweh" or "Jehovah") as the personal name of God.[18][19] References, such as The New Encyclopædia Britannica, affirm the vocalization "Yahweh" by offering additional specifics to its (Christian) reconstruction out of Greek sources:

Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used a form like Yahweh, and claim that this pronunciation of the tetragrammaton was never really lost. Other Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.[13]

Jah or Yah (rendered as יָהּ‎ in Hebrew) is an abbreviation of Jahweh/Yahweh/Jehovah.[20] It appears in certain translations of the Bible, such as the Revised Standard Version, and is used by Christians in the interjection Hallelujah, meaning "Praise Jah", which is used to give Jahweh glory.[20] In Christianity, certain hymns dedicated to God invoke the divine name using the vocalization Jehovah (יְהֹוָה, Yəhōwā), such as Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.[21]

The Hebrew personal name of God YHWH is rendered as "the LORD" in many translations of the Bible, with Elohim being rendered as "God"; certain translations of Scripture render the Tetragrammaton with Yahweh or Jehovah in particular places, with the latter vocalization being used in the King James Version, Tyndale Bible, and other translations of the Bible from that time period and later.[22] Many English translations of the Bible (such as ESV, NIV, KJV, etc.) translate the tetragrammaton as LORD, thus removing any form of YHWH from the written text and going well beyond the Jewish oral practice of substituting Adonai for YHWH when reading aloud.[23][failed verification]

English Bible translations of the Greek New Testament render ho theos (Greek: Ο Θεός) as God and ho kurios (Greek: Ο Κύριος) as "the Lord", with the latter being the "Greek translation of the Hebrew OT name for God, Yahweh."[24]

Jesus (Iesus, Yeshua[25]) was a common alternative form of the name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshua 'Joshua') in later books of the Hebrew Bible and among Jews of the Second Temple period. The name corresponds to the Greek spelling Iesous, from which comes the English spelling Jesus.[26][27] Christ means 'the anointed' in Greek (Χριστός). Khristos is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah; while in English the old Anglo-Saxon Messiah-rendering hæland ('healer') was practically annihilated by the Latin Christ, some cognates such as heiland in Dutch and Afrikaans survive—also, in German, the word Heiland is sometimes used as reference to Jesus, e.g., in church chorals).

In the Book of Revelation in the Christian New Testament, God, that is, Jesus is quoted as saying "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End". (cf. Rev. 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13)

Some Quakers refer to God with the title of the Light. Another term used is King of Kings or Lord of Lords and Lord of Hosts. In addition to the personal name of God YHWH (pronounced with the vocalizations Yahweh or Jehovah), titles of God used by Christians include the Hebrew titles Elohim, El-Shaddai, and Adonai, as well as Ancient of Days, Father/Abba which is Hebrew, "Most High".[18] Abba ('father' in Hebrew) is a common term used for the creator within Christianity because it was a title Jesus used to refer to God the Father.

Mormonism

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In Mormonism the name of God the Father is Elohim [28] and the name of Jesus in his pre-incarnate state was Jehovah.[29][30] Together, with the Holy Ghost they form the Godhead; God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.[31] Mormons typically refer to God as "Heavenly Father" or "Father in Heaven".[32][non-primary source needed]

Although Mormonism views the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as three distinct beings, they are one in purpose and God the Father (Elohim) is worshipped and given all glory through his Son, Jesus Christ (Jehovah). Despite the Godhead doctrine, which teaches that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three separate, divine beings, many Mormons (mainstream Latter-day Saints and otherwise, such as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) view their beliefs as monotheist since Christ is the conduit through which humanity comes to the God the Father. The Book of Mormon ends with "to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the eternal Judge of both the quick and dead. Amen."[33]

Jehovah's Witnesses

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Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God has a distinctive name, represented in the Old Testament by the Tetragrammaton. In English, they prefer to use the form Jehovah.[34] According to their New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, the name Jehovah means "He causes to become".[35]

Though scholars prefer the form Yahweh, Jehovah's Witnesses maintain that the name Jehovah is the most well known form in English.[citation needed] Their literature compares the use of the form Jehovah in English to the widespread use of Jesus in English as a translation of Yeshua or Yehoshua.[36]

Islam

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99 names of Allah, in Chinese Sini (script).

Allah—meaning 'the God' in Arabic—is the word for God in Islam.[37] The word Allah has been used by Arabic people of different religions since pre-Islamic times. More specifically, it has been used as a term for God by Muslims (both Arab and non-Arab) and Arab Christians. God has many names in Islam. The Qur'an says (in translation) "to Him Belong the Best Names (Lahu Al-Asma' Al-Husna)"; examples include Ar-Rahman ('the Entirely Merciful') and Ar-Rahim ('the Especially Merciful'). Beside these Arabic names, Muslims of non-Arab origins may also sometimes use other names in their own languages to refer to God, such as Khuda in Persian, Bengali and Urdu. Tangri or Tengri was used in the Ottoman Turkish language as the equivalent of Allah.[38]

He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (Translation of Qur'an: Chapter 59, Verses 22-24)

Sufism

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In Tasawwuf, often characterised as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam, Hu, Huwa (depends on placement in the sentence), or Parvardigar in Persian are used as names of God. The sound Hu derives from the last letter of the word Allah, which is read as Allahu when in the middle of a sentence. Hu means 'Just He' or 'Revealed'. The word explicitly appears in many verses of the Quran:

"La ilaha illa Hu"

— Al Imran:18

Baháʼí Faith

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The scriptures of the Baháʼí Faith often refer to God by various titles and attributes, such as Almighty, All-Possessing, All-Powerful, All-Wise, Incomparable, Gracious, Helper, All-Glorious, and Omniscient.[39] Baháʼís believe the Greatest Name of God is "All-Glorious" or bahá in Arabic. Bahá is the root word of the following names and phrases: the greeting Alláh-u-Abhá ('God is the All-Glorious'), the invocation Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá ('O Thou Glory of the Most Glorious'), Bahá'u'lláh ('the Glory of God'), and Baháʼí ('Follower of the All-Glorious'). These are expressed in Arabic regardless of the language in use (see Baháʼí symbols).[40] Apart from these names, God is addressed in the local language, for example Ishwar in Hindi, Dieu in French and Dios in Spanish.[citation needed] Baháʼís believe Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, is the "complete incarnation of the names and attributes of God".[41]

Mandaeism

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Mandaeans believe in one God called Hayyi Rabbi ('The Great Life' or 'The Great Living God').[42] Other names for God used include Mare d'Rabuta ('Lord of Greatness'), Mana Rabba ('The Great Mind'), Melka d'Nhura ('King of Light') and Hayyi Qadmaiyi ('The First Life').[43]

Gnosticism

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Egypt

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A divine name is an official title for any divine being. In Egypt, divine names were indicated with a god's inscription (nṯr, which can be Anglicised as netjer.)[44] In Sumerian cuneiform, the Dingir sign (𒀭) was used.[45]

mgn rbt atrt ym mgz qnyt ilm
Asherah's title in KTU 1.4 mgn rbt is like Jupiter's title optimus maxiumus.

A divine being's name is distinct from an epithet. A divine epithet expresses specific traits, aspects, or domains of a god, or applies a common noun to them.[46] Rahmouni says a locative name is ʔil yṯb bʕṯtrt in KTU 1.108, 2 meaning "The god who sits (enthroned) in ʕAṯtartu.[47]

A name is sometimes double-barreled, like in Shagar-we-Ishtar or Kothar-wa-Hasis.

ʔṯrt w rḥmy Asherah-wa-Rachmai takes this ("binomial") form but is of slightly unclear categorization.[48] In this case and that of the Lady of Byblos, it is not clear if the appellation is a personal name.

Binomial names can be found in "bound forms" like Bethel's Anat-Bethel, Ashim-Bethel, "and Herem-Bethel from the archives of Elephantine."[49]

In one Egyptian story, the sun god Ra's true name was cunningly uncovered by Isis. Using a secret scheme, Isis gained complete dominion over Ra. This enabled her to elevate her son Horus to the throne, showing the power that a name had over the gods. [50]

Appendages

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The maiden goddesses of Canaan and Phoenicia were sometimes called the "name of the lord" (Ba'al) or the "face of the lord." In their less-virginal incarnations as the consort Anat-Bethel or as a mother goddess ʕtr [ʕ-t-r-m = ʕtr-(ʕ)m(y) "ʕtr my mother"] these and "hand of" the deity are added. This might mean hypostasis or intercession.[51]

Indian religions

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Hinduism

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There are multiple names for God's various manifestations worshiped in Hinduism. Some of the common names for these deities in Hinduism are:

  • Bhagavan (भगवान्) the most frequently used name for Lord in Hinduism. The equivalent term used for female deities is Bhagavati (भगवती).
  • Brahman (ब्रह्मन्) is a theological concept espoused in Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism, which is of neuter gender. The word Paramatman (परमात्मन्) popularly pronounced as Paramatma (परमात्मा) is also used synonymously with it. The word is used to denote the Supreme Divinity/Supreme Soul.
  • Isvara (ईश्वर) shortened as Isha (ईश) is applied to mean 'God' in both religious and secular context (for example in the Gita, Arjuna is referred to as Manujeshvara which is a compound of the two words manuja, 'human' and Ishvara, thus the word means 'God of humans', i.e. 'king'). The term Parameshvara ('Supreme God') is used to refer to one's Ishta (chosen deity for personal veneration) in general terms. The feminine equivalents are Isvari (ईश्वरी) and Parameshvari (परमेश्वरी) used in case of female deities.
  • Deva/Devata (देव/देवता) is the most commonly used suffix used for male deities in Hinduism. The feminine equivalent is Devi (देवी).

Additionally, most Hindu deities have a collection of 8/12/16/32/100/108/1000/1008 names exclusively dedicated to them known as Namavali.[clarification needed][citation needed]

Tamil Tradition

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  • அருமன் (Arumaṉ) - The most giving.
  • உய்யன் (Uyyaṉ) - The most high.
  • இறைவன் (Iṟaivaṉ) - The one above all.
  • இயவுள் (Iyavul) - who sets things in motion.

Arya Samaj

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Maharishi Dayanand in his book Vaghasiya Ayush has listed 100 names of God each representing some property or attribute thereof mentioning "Om" or "Aum" as God's personal and natural name.

Jainism

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Jainism rejects the idea of a creator deity responsible for the manifestation, creation, or maintenance of this universe. According to Jain doctrine, the universe and its constituents (soul, matter, space, time, and principles of motion) have always existed. All the constituents and actions are governed by universal natural laws and an immaterial entity like God cannot create a material entity like the universe. Jainism offers an elaborate cosmology, including heavenly beings (devas), but these beings are not viewed as creators; they are subject to suffering and change like all other living beings, and must eventually die.

Jains define godliness as the inherent quality of any soul characterizing infinite bliss, infinite power, perfect knowledge and perfect peace. However, these qualities of a soul are subdued due to karmas of the soul. One who achieves this state of soul through right belief, right knowledge and right conduct can be termed as god. This perfection of soul is called kaivalya (omniscience). A liberated soul thus becomes a god – liberated of miseries, cycles of rebirth, world, karmas and finally liberated of body as well. This is called nirvana or moksha.

If godliness is defined as the state of having freed one's soul from karmas and the attainment of Kevala Jnana and a god as one who exists in such a state, then those who have achieved such a state can be termed gods/Tirthankara. Thus, Rishabhanatha was god/Tirthankara but he was not the only Tirthankara; there were many other Tirthankara. However, the quality of godliness is one and the same in all of them.

Jainism does not teach the dependency on any supreme being for enlightenment. The Tirthankara is a guide and teacher who points the way to enlightenment, but the struggle for enlightenment is one's own. Moral rewards and sufferings are not the work of a divine being, but a result of an innate moral order in the cosmos; a self-regulating mechanism whereby the individual reaps the fruits of his own actions through the workings of the karmas.

Jains believe that to attain enlightenment and ultimately liberation from all karmic bonding, one must practice the ethical principles not only in thought, but also in words (speech) and action. Such a practice through lifelong work towards oneself is called as observing the Mahavrata ('Great Vows').

Gods can be thus categorized into embodied gods also known as Tīrthankaras and Arihantas or ordinary Kevalis, and non-embodied formless gods who are called Siddhas. Jainism considers the devīs and devas to be souls who dwell in heavens owing to meritorious deeds in their past lives. These souls are in heavens for a fixed lifespan and even they have to undergo reincarnation as humans to achieve moksha.

Sikhism

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There are multiple names for God in Sikhism. Some of the popular names for God in Sikhism are:

  • Akal Purakh, meaning 'timeless being'.
  • Ik Onkar, 'One Creator', found at the beginning of the Sikh Mul Mantar.
  • Nirankar, meaning 'formless'.
  • Satnam, meaning 'True Name'; some are of the opinion that this is a name for God in itself, others believe that this is an adjective used to describe the Gurmantar, Waheguru.
  • Waheguru, meaning 'Wonderful Teacher bringing light to remove darkness'; this name is considered the greatest among Sikhs, and it is known as Gurmantar, 'the Guru's Word'. Waheguru is the only way to meet God.[citation needed]
  • Dātā or Dātār, meaning 'the Giver'.
  • Kartā or Kartār, meaning 'the Doer'.
  • Diāl, meaning 'compassionate'.
  • Kirpāl, meaning 'benevolent'.

In the Sikh scripture, both Hindu and Muslim names of the Supreme Being are also commonly employed, expressing different aspects of the divine Name. For instance, names like Ram ('pervading'), Hari ('shining'), Parmeshwar ('supreme lord'), and Jagdish ('world lord') refer to Hindu terms, while names like Allah (Arabic for God), Khuda (Persian for God), Rahim ('merciful'), Karim ('generous'), and Sahib ('lord') are of Muslim origin.[52]

God, according to Guru Nanak, is beyond full comprehension by humans; has an endless number of virtues; takes on innumerable forms, but is formless; and can be called by an infinite number of names thus "Your Names are so many, and Your Forms are endless. No one can tell how many Glorious Virtues You have."[53]

The word Allah (Punjabi: ਅਲਹੁ) is used 12 times in the Guru Granth Sahib (primary religious scripture) by Sheikh Farid. Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Arjan Dev and Bhagat Kabeer used the word 18 times.

Iranian religions

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Yazidism

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Yazidism knows only one eternal God, often named Xwedê.[54] According to some Yazidi hymns (known as Qewls), God has 1001 names.[55]

Zoroastrianism

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In Zoroastrianism, 101 names of God (Pazand Sad-o-yak nam-i-khoda) is a list of names of God (Ahura Mazda). The list is preserved in Persian, Pazand and Gujarati. Parsi tradition expanded this to a list of 101 names of God.[56]

African religions

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!Kung

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The supreme being in !Kung mythology is known as Khu, Xu, Xuba, or Huwa.

Odinani

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Chukwu is the supreme being of the Odinani religion of the Igbo people. In the Igbo pantheon, Chukwu is the source of all other Igbo deities and is responsible for assigning them their different tasks. The Igbo people believe that all things come from Chukwu, who brings the rain necessary for plants to grow and controls everything on Earth and the spiritual world. They believe Chukwu to be an undefinable omnipotent and omnipresent supreme deity that encompasses everything in space and time itself. Igbo Christians also refer to the Abrahamic God as Chukwu.

West African Vodun

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Nana Buluku is the female supreme being in West African Vodun. In Dahomey mythology, Nana Buluku is the mother supreme creator who gave birth to the moon spirit Mawu, the sun spirit Lisa, and all of the universe. After giving birth to these, she retired and left the matters of the world to Mawu-Lisa. She is the primary creator, Mawu-Lisa the secondary creator, and the theology based on these is called Vodun, Voodoo or Vodoun.[57]

Yoruba religion

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The supreme creator in the traditional religion of the Yoruba people is known as Olorun or Olodumare. The Yoruba believe that Olodumare is omnipotent and is the source of all.[58] Olodumare is aloof; he is not directly involved in earthly matters and lets other Yoruba deities (orisha), who are his sons and daughters, answer human concerns through divination, possession, sacrifice and more.[59] However, everything is in the hands of Olodumare when they are going to bed at night.[58] Yoruba Muslims and Christians also refer to the Abrahamic God as Olorun.

Zulu traditional religion

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Unkulunkulu is the supreme creator in Zulu traditional religion. Unkulunkulu brought human beings and cattle from an area of reeds. He created everything, from land and water, to man and the animals. He is considered the first man as well as the parent of all Zulu. He taught the Zulu how to hunt, how to make fire, and how to grow food.[60] Zulu Christians also refer to the Abrahamic God as Unkulunkulu.

Native American religions

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Anishinaabe

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Gitche Manitou, also known as Gitchi Manitou, Kitchi Manitou, means "Great Spirit" in several Algonquian languages. Christian missionaries have translated God as Gitche Manitou in scriptures and prayers in the Algonquian languages.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Velde, Rudi van de (2006). Aquinas on God: the 'divine science' of the Summa theologiae. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. pp. 45–46. ISBN 0-7546-0755-0.
  2. ^ a b c d Eisenstein, Judah D.; McLaughlin, John F. (1906). "Names of God". Jewish Encyclopedia. Kopelman Foundation. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  3. ^ Jordan, Mark D. (1983), The Names of God and the Being of Names, in The Existence and Nature of God, edited by Alfred J. Freddoso, pp. 161–190. University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN 0-268-00911-2
  4. ^ (PDF) Sacraments of the Incarnate Word: The Christological Form of the Summa theologiae C. Wells, Etd.nd.edu
  5. ^ Aiyadurai Jesudasen Appasamy, G. S. S. Sreenivasa Rao, Inter-faith dialogue and world community. Christian Literature Society for India (1991) "All these names of God are, of course, symbols. ... All names of the one God or the Absolute are symbols." p. 9
  6. ^ Peter C. Phan (2004). Being religious interreligiously: Asian perspectives on interfaith dialogue p. 102.
  7. ^ Jerald D. Gort On sharing religious experience: possibilities of interfaith mutuality p. 146 Encounter of Religions Research Group Rodopi, 1992 ISBN 0-8028-0505-1
  8. ^ Paul Rorem, Pseudo-Dionysius: a commentary on the texts and an introduction to their influence. Oxford University Press, 1993, p.163 ISBN 0-19-507664-8
  9. ^ Valentina Izmirlieva, All the names of the Lord: lists, mysticism, and magic, University of Chicago Press, 2008 ISBN 0-226-38870-0
  10. ^ James Orr The International Standard Bible encyclopaedia Edition: —Item notes: v. 1—1959 1915 p. 1267
  11. ^ John S. Mbiti. Concepts of God in Africa. p. 217, 1970
  12. ^ "How the Name was originally vocalized is no longer certain. Its pronunciation was in time restricted to the Temple service, then to the High Priest intoning it on the Day of Atonement, after, and after the destruction of the Temple it received a substitute pronunciation both for the reading of Scripture and for its use at prayer." Plaut, W. Gunther; Leviticus / Bernard J. Bamberger; Essays on ancient Near Eastern literature / commentaries by William W. Hallo (1985). [Torah] = The Torah : a modern commentary (4th ed.). New York: Union of Hebrew Congregations. pp. 424–426. ISBN 0807400556.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 12, 1998, Chicago, IL, article "Yahweh", p. 804.
  14. ^ Sameth, Mark (2020). The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God. Wipf & Stock. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-5326-9384-7.
  15. ^ Wilkinson, Robert (2015). Tetragrammaton: Western Christians and the Hebrew Name of God. Boston: Brill. p. 337. ISBN 9789004288171.
  16. ^ Postel, Guillaume (1969). Le thrésor des prophéties de l'univers (in French). Springer. p. 211. ISBN 9789024702039.
  17. ^ Lanci, Michelangelo (1845). Paralipomeni alla illustrazione della sagra Scrittura (in Italian) (Facsmile of the first ed.). Dondey-Dupre. pp. 100–113. ISBN 978-1274016911.
  18. ^ a b Parke-Taylor, G. H. (1 January 2006). Yahweh: The Divine Name in the Bible. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-88920-652-6.
  19. ^ "The Name of God in the Liturgy". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2008.
  20. ^ a b Loewen, Jacob A. (1 June 2020). The Bible in Cross Cultural Perspective (Revised ed.). William Carey Publishing. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-64508-304-7.
  21. ^ Barrett, Michael P. V. (20 September 2020). The Gospel of Exodus: Misery, Deliverance, Gratitude. Reformation Heritage. ISBN 978-1-60178-804-7.
  22. ^ "The Masoretes who vocalized the Hebrew text took the vowels from the word Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) and put them with יהוה (together: יְהֹוָה) to remind the reader not to pronounce the name but to substitute Adonai. A Christian writer of the sixteenth century who was unaware of this substitution transcribed the word as he saw it, namely as Jehovah, and this error has since entered many Christian Bibles [5]. 5. Only rarely has the pronunciation Jehovah been given scholarly endorsement; one exception is J. Neubauer, Bibelwissenschaftliche Irrungen (Berlin: Louis Lamm, 1917), who bases his opinion on Jerusalem Talmud San.. 10:1, describing the controversy between the Rabbanites and the Samaritans over the proniunciation. M. S. Enslin, The Prophet from Nazareth (New York: Schocken, 1968), p. 19, n. 7, calls the vocalization Jehovah an "orthoepic monstrosity".Plaut, W. Gunther; Leviticus / Bernard J. Bamberger; Essays on ancient Near Eastern literature / commentaries by William W. Hallo (1985). The Torah : a modern commentary (4th ed.). New York: Union of Hebrew Congregations. pp. 425. ISBN 0807400556.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ NASB (1995). "Preface to the New American Standard Bible". New American Standard Bible (Updated Edition). Anaheim, California: Foundation Publications (for the Lockman Foundation). Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated as LORD. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion.
  24. ^ Green, Joel B.; McKnight, Scot; Marshall, I. Howard (18 February 1992). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship. InterVarsity. p. 271. ISBN 978-0-8308-1777-1. Many of the uses of kyrios for God are in citations of the OT and in expressions derived from the OT (e.g., "angel of the Lord"), and in these passages the term functions as the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT name for God, Yahweh. For example, twenty-five of the uses of kyrios for God in Luke are in the first two chapters, where the phrasing is so heavily influenced by the OT. The third frequently used term for God is "Father" (patēr), doubtless the most familiar term for God in Christian tradition and also perhaps the most theologically significant title for God in the NT. Unlike the other terms for God already mentioned--without exception in the Synoptics, and with only a few exceptions in John--"Father" as a title for God appears only in the sayings attributed to Jesus (the Johannine exceptions are in editorial remarks by the Evangelist in 1:14, 18, a saying of Philip in 14:8 and the crowd's claim in 8:41).
  25. ^ Yeshua (ישוע, with vowel pointing יֵשׁוּעַ yēšūă‘ in Hebrew) Strong's Yeshuwa
  26. ^ Ilan, Tal (2002). Lexicon of Jewish Names in Late Antiquity Part I: Palestine 330 BCE-200 CE (Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum 91). Tübingen, Germany: J. C. B. Mohr. p. 129.
  27. ^ Stern, David (1992). Jewish New Testament Commentary. Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications. pp. 4–5.
  28. ^ First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, "God the Father", compiled by Gordon Allred, p. 150
  29. ^ Moroni 10:34
  30. ^ Old Testament Institute Manual:Genesis to 2 Samuel—"Who is the God of the Old Testament?"
  31. ^ "Doctrine and Covenants 76:12-24". churchofjesuschrist.org.
  32. ^ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. "How can we come to know our Father in Heaven?". Mormon.org.
  33. ^ "Moroni 10:34". churchofjesuschrist.org.
  34. ^ Holden, A. (2002). Cavorting With the Devil: Jehovah's Witnesses Who Abandon Their Faith (PDF). Department of Sociology, Lancaster University. Endnote [i]. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  35. ^ "Appendix A4". New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. p. 1735.
  36. ^ What Does the Bible Really Teach?. Watch Tower Society. 2005. p. 195.
  37. ^ "Allah." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica
  38. ^ Eliot, Charles Norton Edgcumbe (1911). "Turks" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 472.
  39. ^ Adamson, Hugh C. (2007). Historical dictionary of the Bahá'í Faith. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5096-5.
  40. ^ Smith, Peter (2000). "greatest name". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld. pp. 167–168. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
  41. ^ McLean, Jack; Lee, Anthony A. (1997). Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a Bahá'í Theology. Kalimat. p. 66. ISBN 0-933770-96-0 – via Google Books.
  42. ^ Nashmi, Yuhana (24 April 2013), "Contemporary Issues for the Mandaean Faith", Mandaean Associations Union, retrieved 31 October 2021
  43. ^ Rudolf, K. (1978). Mandaeism. Leiden: Brill.
  44. ^ Frajzyngier, Zygmunt; Shay, Erin (2012-05-31). The Afroasiatic Languages. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-86533-3.
  45. ^ Smith, Mark S. (2003-11-06). The Origins of Biblical Monotheism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516768-6.
  46. ^ Rahmouni, Aicha (2007-11-27). Divine Epithets in the Ugaritic Alphabetic Texts. Brill. ISBN 9789047423003. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  47. ^ Locative epithet 10 in Rahmouni, p 33. Tell Ashtara or Ashteroth karnaim. Parallel with "The god who judges / rules in Hidra`yu.
  48. ^ Rahmoui Pg xxvi
  49. ^ "A New Analysis of YHWH's asherah". Religion and Literature of Ancient Palestine. 2015-12-13. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  50. ^ Harris, Geraldine (1981). Gods & Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology. London, England: Eurobook Limited. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-87226-907-8
  51. ^ Steiner, Richard C. (2001). "The Scorpion Spell from Wadi Hammamat: Another Aramaic Text in Demotic Script". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 60 (4): 259–268. doi:10.1086/468948. ISSN 0022-2968. PMID 16468205.
  52. ^ Pashaura Singh (2014), in The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (Editors: Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199699308, page 228
  53. ^ Guru Granth Sahib p. 358
  54. ^ Açikyildiz, Birgül (2014-12-23). The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9780857720610.
  55. ^ Kartal, Celalettin (2016-06-22). Deutsche Yeziden: Geschichte, Gegenwart, Prognosen (in German). Tectum Wissenschaftsverlag. ISBN 9783828864887.
  56. ^ Antonio Panaino, The lists of names of Ahura Mazdā (Yašt I) and Vayu (Yašt XV), 2002, p. 20.
  57. ^ Molefi Kete Asante; Ama Mazama (2009). Encyclopedia of African Religion. SAGE Publications. pp. 270–273. ISBN 978-1-4129-3636-1.
  58. ^ a b DAYO, CHIEF (February 14, 2016). "YORUBA BELIEVE IN ONLY ONE GOD CALLED OLODUMARE".
  59. ^ Bewaji, John (1998). "Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief and the Theistic Problem of Evil" (PDF). African Studies Quarterly.
  60. ^ Leeming & Leeming 2009 - entry "Zulu Creation". Retrieved 2010-04-30.

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