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Names of God

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"Holy name" redirects here. For other uses, see Holy name (disambiguation).

Monotheistic faiths believe that there is and can only be one unique supreme being; polytheism means the belief in several coexisting deities. The conceptions of such beings can vary widely, but the 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.

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.

A "diagram" of the names of God in Athanasius Kircher's Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652-54). 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.

Abrahamic religions

Judaism

Main article: Names of God in Judaism
Further information: Ēl

In the Torah, the name of God represents the 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:Template:Hebrew, 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.'

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 Witnesses. (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)

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. 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.

Jesus (Iesus, Yeshua, Joshua, or Yehoshûa) is a Hebraic personal name meaning "Yahweh saves/helps/is salvation", [1].

Christ means "the anointed" in 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.

In the effort to translate the Bible into every language (see SIL), the Christian God has usually been named after a pagan or philosophical concept that was present in the language before Christianity.

The word God itself is an example of this, the word having earlier referred to Germanic pagan deities. 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 Bog, Finnish Jumala, Japanese Kami. In the Arabic language, Allah is also used for the Christian God.

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.

The less evangelical branch of the Quakers often refers to God as The Light. Another term used is 'King of Kings' or 'Lord of Lords' and Lord of the Hosts. Other names used by Christians include Ancient of Days, Father/Abba, 'Most High' and the Hebrew names Elohim, El-Shaddai, and 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.

For the Russian Orthodox group Imiaslavie ("Name glorification"), the name of the God is God Himself and can produce miracles.

See also: Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament.

Islam

Main article: 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 linguistic cognate of the Hebrew word Eloah and a translation of the English word "god", although there are some Christian sects 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 Christians when speaking of God.

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.

Besides those names of Qur'anic 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 anachronism Tanrı (originally the pagan Turks' celestial chief god, corresponding to the Ancient Turkish Tengri), or Khuda in Persian language.

Rastafari

  • 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.

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.

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.

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 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".

Chinese religions

Main article: 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

Hinduism

Main article: 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 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 Shabda Yoga.
  • There are many thousands of 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.

Sikhism

Background

In Sikhism God is One Universal Entity, the creator, self-illuminated, perpetual and gender-less. He is referred to in the Sikh Scriptures by many hundreds of names. The holy scripture of the Sikhs called the Sri Guru Granth Sahib or SGGS begins with the following passage called the Mool Mantar or the "Main Mantra":

Original Text -Template:Lang-pa
ISO 15919 transliteration: Ika ōaṅkāra sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabha'u niravairu akāla mūrati ajūnī saibhaṃ gura prasādi
Simplified transliteration: Ik ōaṅkār sat nām kartā purkh nirbha'u nirvair akāl mūrat ajūnī saibhaṃ gur prasād ||
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 ~

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.

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).

The Sikhs believe that Allah - The name of God used by Muslim is a valid name to use. Similarly, the name Raam, Paarbrahm, Krishan which are names of God used by Hindus are frequently mentioned in the Sikh holy scriptures. The same God of the Christians, Muslims, Hindus, etc is the Akal Purakh, the primal being of the Sikhs.

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

Sikh names for God

However, some of the popular names for God are:

  • 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

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)

Jainism

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

Main article: God in Buddhism

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 orGautama 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.

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).

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 .

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.

Roman paganism

While some of the older deities have names long pre-dating the Latin people the 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 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, the pater familias of the Roman pantheon, was later adopted in Christianity, as well as Deus.

Mithras

The name of this 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

Deism and Pantheism

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").

Taboos

Several religions advance taboos related to names of their gods. In some cases, the name may never be spoken, or only spoken by inner-circle initiates, or only spoken at prescribed moments during certain rituals. 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

Because of the influence of Ugaritic Pagan tradition, most observant Jews 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 calendars 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 scriptures, 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 gentiles (non-Jews).
  • All religious texts that include the name of God are buried.

Islam

  • 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.

Christianity

  • In Christianity, God's name may not "be used in vain" (see the Ten Commandments), which is commonly interpreted to mean that it is wrong to 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 Matthew 5:37)
  • Some Christians capitalize all references to God in writing, including pronouns. (ex. "The Lord, He is God, worthy is His name.")
  • 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.
  • 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 first name. This taboo does not apply to more indirect names and titles like Emmanuel or Salvador.

Phrases and alternatives

Tabuism or glorification are usually reasons not to refer to a deity directly by name.

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.

Literature and fiction

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 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.

References

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