This
study covers several aspects of the name dedi ; it is broken up into 3 parts: Part 1 covers the use
in Scriptures; Part 2 covers ancient archaeology; Part 3 covers
the history of disuse due to idolatry; the ban on His name after
the exile and substitutions for it; the hiding of it by the
Soferiym [Scribes], etymology of foreign substitutions and syncretism.
As you read and study, you will begin to see that the situation
concerning the name dedi, is not to be treated lightly. Increasingly,
there seems to be a grassroots movement to return to the foundation/basics
of faith in dedi,
as His ruach [breath, spirit] draws us to Him in truth, and
we come to Him, through the only Door possible, His Son Yahusha`;
we see a Creator, Melek [King], Father
that we have not known before. I pray that you will be given
a spirit of wisdom, understanding and revelation, that you would
know Him better.
The
first thing that readers of English, with little, to no understanding
of Hebrew needs to know, is the English transliteration of the
name dedi. Transliteration means to take each sound in a word, foreign
to your tongue, and produce it in your alphabet. This does not
translate meaning, but sounds. Also, Hebrew is written from
right to left. Therefore, the first letter of the name dedi, is the apostrophe looking letter
called Yod -
i . It is transliterated as a Y. The second and fourth letter is a Hey - d.
This
is transliterated as an H. The
third letter is a Waw -
e, and is transliterated as a W. So, if you place the consonants in the name
dedi,
in
English, and place them in the order from left to right for
English readers, you would end up with YHWH. The consonants
of Hebrew were written, but not all the vowels were, originally.
Some were signaled and understood. For fear of the Yahudiym
[Jews] during the Diaspora (the dispersion of the Yahudiym),
losing the ability to read and speak Hebrew, which was not the
common tongue any longer but simply used for religious assembly
and study, the Qaraiy [Karaites] developed a vowel pointing
system, which was improved by Masoretic Scribes around the year
500 CE. With the vowel points to YHWH, the name is transliterated
YaHuWeH. Some believe it to be Yahweh. I will cover this difference
later in the study. From now on, I will be rendering the name
dedi, as YHWH.
Use in Scriptures
In
Bereshiyth [Genesis], we see the first recorded instance of
a person calling on the name
YHWH. After Qayin [Cain] kills Hebel [Abel], Adam lies
with Chawwah [Eve] again and another son is born to them, named
Sheth. And to Sheth a son was born and he was named Enosh. Bereshiyth
4:26c, "at that time he (enosh) began to
call on the name YHWH." The next account listed is that of
Abram. This is after he is called out of Haran and moves to the land of Kenaan [Canaan]. Bereshiyth 12:8, "and from there he (abram) moved to the mountain
east of beyth el, and he pitched his tent, with beyth el on
the west and ay on the east. and he built there an altar to
YHWH and called on the name YHWH." Bereshiyth 13:4b refers to this instance and says that
Abram again goes to this altar and calls on the name YHWH. After
the events of rescuing Lot and meeting Malkitsedeq, the King
of Shalem, YHWH appears to Abram in a vision, recorded in Bereshiyth 15:
7, " and he said to him (abram),
'i am YHWH, who brought you out of ur kasiddiym [chaldeans],
to give you this land to inherit it.' " Again, in Bereshiyth
21:33, Abraham calls on the name YHWH, while in Beer Sheba. Even Hagar, Saray's maidservant
used the name YHWH, recorded in Bereshiyth 16:13. As did Abraham's
son, Yitschaq [Isaac] in Bereshiyth 26:25, "and
he (yitschaq) built there an altar, and he called on the name
YHWH, and he pitched there his tent, and the servants of yitschaq
dug there a well."
It
is a very common practice, in ancient Semitic cultures, to incorporate
a deity's name as part of their own. Here is a list of names,
that included the name YHWH, prior to to the time of Mosheh.
Some of the names bear the later contracted form of Yo from
Yahu. This contracted form did not occur until after the exile.
Earlier writings bearing the contracted form show the hand of
a later scribe.
Yahukebed
- YHWH's honor, the mother of Mosheh, Shemoth [Exodus] 6:20
Yahusef
- YHWH add, the son of Yaaqob and Rachel, Ber. [Gen.] 3:24
Yahudah
-YHWH praise, son of Yaaqob and Leah, Ber. 29:35
Yahuash
- YHWH's fire, son of Beker, before Mosheh, I Dibrey HaYamiym
[Chronicles]
7:8. (Though the time listed is earlier, Dibrey was written
after the exile.)
AbiYahu
- my father is YHWH, son of Beker, before Mosheh, I Dibrey HaYamiym
7:8
AchiYahu
- brother of YHWH, son of Yerachmeel, before Mosheh, I Dibrey
HaYamiym
2:25
All
of these names are of people that are recorded prior to Mosheh
and the encounter he had with YHWH, on Mountain Siynay [Sinai].
This shows that YHWH was in use and not an entirely forgotten
name.
The
next segment of history is that of Mosheh [Moses]. After 430
years of Yisrael in Mitsrayim [Egypt] (according to the text), YHWH uses
Mosheh to deliver His people from bondage. The use of the name
YHWH, in a foreign land, filled with idolatry, must have stopped
at some point or at least slowed, because YHWH has to introduce
Himself to Mosheh. Shemoth [Exodus] 3:14,15, "and YHWH said to mosheh , 'i am that which i am. [ehyeh asher ehyeh]'
and he said, 'so you will say to the sons of yisrael, "i
am [ehyeh] has sent me to you." '
and YHWH said further to mosheh, 'now you are to say
to the sons of yisrael, "YHWH, elohey of your fathers abraham,
yitschaq [isaac], and yaaqob [jacob], has sent me to you. this
is my name forever, and this is my memorial for generation to
generation." ' " Shemoth 6:3, " 'and i appeared to abraham, to yitschaq, and to
yaaqob as hashadday [the almighty]. and my name, YHWH, was not
well known (famous) to them.' "
Some
translations have "not known" instead of "well
known (famous)" in Shemoth [Exodus] 6:3. The difference
lies in the Hebrew. The Hebrew word for know is yada. The word
used here is nodaathiy, whose root is yada. This word is used
frequently for well known or famous. Obviously, you cannot say
that His name was not known, since the previous Scriptures clearly
show that Enosh, Abraham, Hagar and Yitschaq all called on the
name YHWH and that there were others before the time of Mosheh
that had the Yahu prefix or suffix in their name. The point
was that the name YHWH was not famous.
Continuing
with Mosheh, we see the account of YHWH revealing Himself to
Mosheh. Shemoth [Exodus] 33:19,20, " and he said, 'i will pass
all my goodness before your face, and i will proclaim the name
YHWH before your face. and i will show my favor to whom i favor
and i will show mercy to whom i show mercy.'
but he said, 'you are unable to see my face, for no man
may see me and live.' " Later
in Shemoth 34:5, "and
YHWH descended in a nimbus cloud (these are the dark storm clouds)
and stood beside him (mosheh) there, and proclaimed the name
YHWH." YHWH
treated Mosheh as a friend and part of that close relationship,
was to have the name YHWH revealed to him, by YHWH Himself.
YHWH
is not a name ascribed to just any deity or as some look at
it, the deity of the Ibriym [Hebrews]. YHWH is the only One.
There is no other. All the other elohiym [mighty ones] are false
and amount to nothingness. The following Scriptures are just
a sampling of those that describe who YHWH is, in relation to His name. Amos 4:13, " 'for, look, he who forms mountains
and creates the wind and declares to man what his thought is,
he who makes the dawn darkness, and treads on the high places
of the earth; YHWH, elohey tsebaoth, is his name.' " YeshaYahu [Isaiah] 54:5, " 'for your maker is
your husband; YHWH tsebaoth is his name; and your redeemer is
the holy one of yisrael; he is called the god of all the earth.' " Thehillah [Psalm] 124:8, " ' our help is in the name YHWH, the maker of the heavens and
earth.' " Shemoth [Exodus] 15:3, " ' YHWH is a man of
battle; YHWH is his name.' " Mishley [Proverbs] 18:10," ' the name YHWH is
a tower of strength, the righteous runs into it and is set on
high.' "
YeshaYahu 47:4, " ' our
redeemer; YHWH tsebaoth is his name, the holy one of yisrael.'
" HaDebariym [Deuteronomy] 32:3,
" '
because i will proclaim the name
YHWH and ascribe greatness to our elohay.' "
We see
Him as Creator, Husband, Warrior, Most High, Set-Apart One,
Redeemer, a strong tower, Great and Head of the heavenly armies.
As I said, these are just a small sampling of the awesomeness
of the One who bears the name YHWH.
The
name YHWH was not to be thrown about lightly. When He chose
Abraham to be a people set-apart, He made a beriyth [covenant]
with the descendants of Abraham through Mosheh. Wayyiqra [Leviticus] 22:32,33, " 'and do not defile my set-apart name, and i will be set-apart among
the sons of yisrael. i am YHWH, who sets you apart, who brought
you out of the land of mistrayim [Egypt], to be to you elohiym. i am YHWH.' " Within the set-apart people of Yisrael,
YHWH further set-apart the tribe of Lewiy [Levi]. HaDebariym
[Deuteronomy] 10:8, "at that time YHWH separated
the tribe of lewiy to bear the ark of the beriyth of YHWH, to
stand before YHWH, to serve him, and to bless in his name, to
this day." Wayyiqra
[Leviticus] 22:2,
" 'speak to aharon and his sons, that they separate themselves
from the set-apart offerings of the sons of yisrael, and that
they do not defile my set-apart name in what they set-apart
to me. i am YHWH.' " Wayyiqra
21:6, " 'they are set-apart to YHWH
and do not defile the name YHWH, for they bring offerings of
YHWH made by fire, and the bread of YHWH and it will be set-apart.'
" The
tribe of Lewiy was called to a higher level righteousness because
they were responsible for the ministry, service to YHWH. They
were the Kohaniym [Priests] of YHWH.
Bearing His Name
Here
is the famous blessing of the Kohaniym [Priests] on the people
of Yisrael. BeMidbar [Numbers] 6:23-27, "
'speak to aharon and his sons, saying, "this is how you
bless the sons of yisrael. say to them: 'YHWH bless you and
guard you; YHWH make His face to shine upon you, and show favor
to you; YHWH lift up his face upon you, and give you shalom.'
" so they will put my name on the sons of yisrael, and
i myself will bless them.' "
This
bearing the name YHWH came with restrictions, of course. There
was a certain standard of speech and living that went with being
the sons of Abraham, the chosen people of YHWH. Wayyiqra [Leviticus]
19:12, " 'and do not swear falsely by my name and so defile that which is
the name YHWH. i am YHWH.' " In this case, the defiling of His name is not to swear by It, but to swear by It
and not fulfill your vow, thereby bringing dishonor to His name.
We have cut a covenant with YHWH, to be His people. That makes
us walking, talking, breathing representatives of Him. If we
live and speak unrighteously; get a reputation of being dishonorable;
how does that reflect on Him? Poorly! That is how we defile
His name. HaDebariym [Deuteronomy] 5:11,
" 'you do not bring the name YHWH to nothing, for YHWH
does not leave him unpunished who brings his name to nothing.'
" Shemoth
[Exodus] 20:7,
" 'you do not carry (bear) the name YHWH for nothingness
(worthlessness), for YHWH does not cleanse whoever carries (bears)
his name for nothingness (worthlessness).' "
We
are to live our lives and speak righteously, to bring honor
to His name, not dishonor. It is kind of like the people that
call themselves “Christians” and have fish or some other emblem
on their bumper, then speed and threaten and cuss as they drive.
People mock those drivers as being hypocrites. Or the “ProLifer"
that bombs an abortion clinic, or whose daughter gets an abortion.
Or the preachers that are caught committing adultery. Or the
Rabbis that teach mysticism or Buddhism. Or the professing Jews
that eat pork, shellfish or meat with its lifeblood still in
it. Or the Muslim that drinks alcohol or one who is a believer
of peace and then sets off bombs. These are just a handful of
examples of people that profess a certain religion and have
certain morals, that set themselves apart from the “heathen”,
then become hypocrites in the eyes of others, and brings dishonor
to the One they profess to follow. Likewise, the person who
truly bears the name YHWH, cannot live in such a way, or it
will defile the name YHWH and make His name as nothingness in
the eyes of the Goyim [gentiles]. We are called to be set-apart
and must live as such. To distinguish clean from the unclean
and become righteous representatives of YHWH.
YHWH
meant His name to be a blessing for those that call on Him with
a circumcised heart. As I have already listed, the Kohaniym
[priests] were to bless the people in His name. In the book
of Ruth, which takes place in the time of the judges, we see
Boaz blessing his workers. Ruth 2:4, "and
see, boaz had come from beyth lechem, and said to the reapers,
'YHWH be with you.' and they answered him, 'YHWH bless you.'
" Even Dawiyd
used the name YHWH as a blessing. II Shemuel [Samuel] 6:18, "and when dawiyd had finished bringing burnt offerings and shalom
offerings, he blessed the people in the name YHWH tsebaoth."
The name YHWH
was clearly not banned here, to where only the Kohen
Gadol [High Priest] used it, and then only on Yom HaKippuriym,
once a year. Dawiyd even did battle in the name YHWH. I Shemuel
17:45, "but dawiyd said to the felishthiy [Philistine], 'you come to me
with sword and with a spear, and with a javelin. but i come
to you in the name YHWH tsebaoth, elohey of the armies of yisrael,
whom you have reproached.' "
We
are clearly to use the name YHWH; to call upon His name, praise
His name, bless others in His name and when directed by YHWH,
to do battle in His name (I am not advocating going around and
having a “crusade” or a “holy war”, in the name YHWH. Our battle now, is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers,
authorities, powers and spiritual forces of evil. Ephesians
6) I love Thehillah [Psalm] 118:10-14, " 'all the goyim [Gentiles
- uncircumcised] surrounded me, in the name YHWH i will cut
them off. they surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; in the
name YHWH will i cut them off. they surrounded me like bees;
they were extinguished like burning thorns; in the name YHWH
i will cut them off. pushing, the enemy pushed me to fall, but
YHWH helped me. YHWH is my strength and my song, and he has
become my deliverance.' " Also
Thehillah 149:6-9, "let
the exaltation of YHWH be in their (the Chasiddiym-devout ones
of YHWH) mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute
vengeance on the goyim, punishment on the peoples; to bind their
kings with chains, and their nobles with iron bands; to execute
on them the written judgment; a splendor it is for all his chasiddiy.
Halleluyah." This is real spiritual warfare!
There
are a number of passages, that declare what will happen to those
that do not call on the name YHWH. Here are a few. HaDebariym
[Deuteronomy] 28:58, 59, " 'if you do not guard to do all the words of this
thorah, that are written in this book, to fear this honored
and awesome name, YHWH, then YHWH will bring upon you and your
descendants extraordinary plagues, great and lasting plagues,
and grievous and lasting sicknesses.' " Thehillah
[Psalm] 79:6, "
'pour out your wrath on the goyim [Gentiles] who have not known
you, and on the kingdoms that have not called on your name.'
" It is just as harsh
for the one who blasphemes the name YHWH. Wayyiqra [Leviticus]
24:16, " 'and he who blasphemes the name YHWH will certainly
be put to death, and all the congregation certainly stone him,
the stranger as well as the native. when he blasphemes the name,
he is put to death.' "
Because
of the honor and awesomeness of the name YHWH, because of the
fear that should be there to not misuse it, because of the power
that we go forward in, in that name, we should be as it says
in HaDebariym [Deuteronomy] 28:10, " 'and all the peoples of the earth will see that
the name YHWH is called upon you, and they will be afraid of
you.' "
Substitute Names
Some
people like to add tags to the name YHWH. Tags to embellish
or add character. After a time, these embellishments or tags,
became the only name or title they called YHWH. For example,
El or Elohiym. Let’s take a look at some references and see
how these terms are defined.
Encyclopedia
Judaica
– “The oldest Semitic term for God is el (corresponding to Akkadian
ilu(m), Canaanite el or il, Arabic el as an element in personal
names). The etymology of the word is obscure. It is commonly
thought that the term derived from a root yl or wl, meaning
‘to be powerful’. But the converse may be true; since power
is an element in the concept of deity, the term for deity may
have been used in the transferred sense of ‘Power’.
In
Akkadian, ilu(m), and plural ilu and ilanu, is used in reference
to any god, as well as to divine beings in general; but it is
not employed as the personal name of any god. In Ugaritic Canaanite,
however, il occurs much more frequently as the personal name
of the highest god el, than as the common noun “god” (pl., ilm;
fem., ilt). In the Ugaritic myths, El is the head of the Canaanite
pantheon, the ancestor of the other gods and goddesses, and
the creator of the earth and its creatures; but he generally
fades into the background and plays a minor role in the preserved
myths.”
The
Universal Jewish Encyclopedia
- "El, which occurs 217 times
in the Bible, is the general Semitic term for god. Originally
it was used principally in connection with the name of a divinity
to indicate its sacred character; thus the Assyrians always
prefixed the corresponding term ilu before such names as Marduk,
Asshur and the like, even though they occurred in combinations
such as names of human beings (thus Merodach-baladan was written
ilu Marduk-abal-idin). The most probable derivation of El is
from a root meaning 'to be strong'; others have suggested a
root meaning 'to lead.' The use of El as a divine name is confined almost
entirely to poetry, where it was probably chosen as more suited
to metrical forms than the other names of God."
Comprehensive
Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language –
el-
“ god, of uncertain etymology. Related to Phoenician el, Samaritan
el, Ugaritic el (the mightiest god-El, whose wife was named
Elt), Akkadian ilu, Arabic al, with the feminine ilat.”
elah-
“goddess, formed from el. Akkadian, iltu.”
elohiym-
“plural. gods, supernatural beings. According to some scholars
elohiym is the plural of eloha.”
eloha-
“god. According to some scholars eloha is a back formation from
the plural elohiym. Others see in eloha the original form from
which the plural elohiym was formed. The consideration of the
fact that el has the plural of eliym, shows that the second
view is surely preferable to the first.”
eliyl-
“idol, no value, worthlessness. Syrian allil, Akkadian ulalu.
Plural eliyliy.”
eliylah-
“female idol, goddess. Formed from eliyl with the fem. suffix
ah.”
eliyloth-
“paganism, heathenish, idolatrous.”
Strong’s
Concordance and Brown, Driver, Briggs
el- “shortened from ayil, which means strength,
almighty. But used also of any deity. god, idol, mighty one,
power, strong.”
eloha-
“eloah- a diety or the Diety.”
elohiym-
“plural of eloha. Gods (goddesses) in the ordinary sense; but
specifically the plural.”
eliyl-
“good for nothing, vanity, an idol, no value, thing of nought.”
Dictionary
of Ancient Deities
El
– "Al, Elah, Il (Ugarit, Canaanite, Semite, Phoenician)
Also known as Argos, Allah, Elat (feminine form of El), Elioun,
Eloah, Elohim (plural of El), Elyon, Ilah, Ilu.
Supreme
Semitic god. Chief god in the hierarchy of the Phoenician pantheon.
Father of gods, mortals and time. Fertility god. Sun god. The
word 'El' means god in the sense of the supreme deity."
All
of this, to help explain
the following passages that occur in Scripture. Yisrael was
surrounded by pagan nations (Goyim-gentiles). In many cases,
the Goyim were not killed or driven from the land as YHWH directed,
but lived amongst them, even intermarrying with them. YHWH had
warned Yisrael, that if they had allowed the enemy nations to
live and dwell there, that those Goyim would become thorns and
barbs to them and would lead them astray. This is what took
place. Melek Shlomoh [ King Solomon], became idolatrous because
of intermarrying with foreign women, who worshipped pagan gods
(I Melakiym [Kings] 11]. After
he died, his son, Rechabam [Rehoboam] reigned. At the beginning
of the reign of Rechabam, the
kingdom was divided. Ten tribes went with Yarabam [Jeroboam]
and became what was called Yisrael, whose capitol became Shomeron
[Samaria]. Yahudah [Judah] and Benyamin [Benjamin]
were called Yahudah (I Melekiym 12), whose capitol was Yerushalayim
[Jerusalem].
At
first, Yisrael becomes idolatrous by setting up two golden calves
in Beyth El and Dan. The idolatry increased to the point that
YHWH used Ashshur [Assyria] to scatter them. But the idolatry
of Yahudah, increased
and surpassed that of Yisrael. YirmeYahu [Jeremiah] 11:9,10,
"
'and YHWH said to me, "there is a conspiracy among the
men of yahudah and among the inhabitants of yerushalayim. they
have turned back to the iniquity of their forefathers who refused
to hear my words, and they walked after elohiym [gods, mighty
ones] of others, to serve them. the beyth [house] yisrael and
the beyth yahudah have broken my beriyth [covenant] i made with
their fathers." ' " Yechezqel 16:45-59, Shomeron [Samaria- capitol of Yisrael] is the elder
sister of Yerushalayim [Jerusalem- capitol of Yahudah]. Verses 51, 52,
" 'and shomeron did not commit
half of your sins, but you have increased your abominations
more than they, and by all the abominations which you have done,
you made your sisters seem righteous. you also, who pleaded
for your sisters, bear your own shame, because the sins which
you committed were more abominable than theirs. they are more
righteous than you. so be ashamed too, and bear your own shame,
because you have made your sisters seem righteous.' "
Yechezqel
23 tells also, of the two sisters. Verse 4,
" 'and their names were: oholah the elder and oholibah
her sister. and they were mine (YHWH’s), and they bore sons
and daughters. and their names: shomeron [Samaria] is oholah, and yerushalayim [Jerusalem] is oholibah.' " Now, Oholah whored,
so YHWH gave her into the hands of the sons of Ashshur [Assyria] (verse 9). This was the Assyrian
captivity of Yisrael. Verse 11, "
'and her sister oholibah saw this, yet she became more corrupt
in her lust than she, and in her whorings more corrupt than
the whorings of her sister.' " So, YHWH gives Oholibah (Yerushalayim) into the
hands of the sons of Babel [Babylonians] and all Kasiddiym [Chaldeans],
Peqowd, Showa, Qowa and all the sons of Ashshur [Assyria] (verses
22,23). This was the Babylonian captivity of Yahudah. Verse
30, " 'i do this to
you because of your whoring after the goyim [gentiles], because
you have been defiled by their idols.' "
YHWH
is not likened to the elohiym of other countries. You cannot
go to another country and describe Him and they tell you they
already know of Him, they call Him Zeus or Ahura Mazda, or Dyeus,
or Thor. YHWH is YHWH. He is not a Hebrew version of the Canaanite
el, or the Akkadian il, or the Arabic al, etc. This is a term
that is pagan in origin and was increasingly added to the Scriptures
by scribes. The use of el or elohiym, substituting or being
added to the name YHWH by the scribes,
increased after the exile, but was already happening
before the exile.
The following are some examples of this scribal changing.
Scribal Changes
Thehilliym
[Psalms] 42-72 were written around the time of King Chizqiyahu
[Hezekiah], 729-696 BCE. In this section, the title “Elohiym”
occurs 197 times and YHWH 32. Some of those Thehilliym do not
have YHWH at all. Thehilliym 1-41 are called the Davidic Psalms.
In these, “Elohiym” occurs 48 times, with 13 of those 48 occurring with YHWH,
while YHWH occurs 278 times. Thehillah 14 does not use Elohiym at
all, and uses YHWH 7
times. In Thehillah 53, which is an almost exact copy of Thehillah
14, we see Elohiym 7 times and YHWH, not once.
The
books of Dibrey HaYamiym [Chronicles] were written after the
exile. Many of the accounts in them are similar or exactly as
those in Shemuel [Samuel] and Melekiym [Kings]. Yet, they are
written with Elohiym instead of YHWH. Such as II Shemuel 6:17, "and they brought the ark of
YHWH, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that
dawiyd had pitched for it. and dawiyd offered burnt offerings
before YHWH, and shalom offerings." I
Dibrey HaYamiym 16:1, "and
they brought the ark of the elohiym, and set it in the midst
of the tent that dawiyd had pitched for it. and they offered
burnt offerings and shalom offerings before the elohiym." Almost identical verses,
yet they substituted YHWH with
the Elohiym. This was just a random choice, as I opened up to
Dibrey HaYamiym. This is everywhere. I have cataloged over 100
places in I and II Dibrey HaYamiym, that this has occurred.
This occurs even in some of the Thehilliym [Psalms] that
quote Thorah or Shemuel or Melekiym [Kings] passages. When you
go through and change back what was substituted, you are left
with very few uses for El, Eloah or Elohiym.
The
Massorah is the name for the notes that the sopheriym [scribes]
made, to indicate changes, corrections, additions, including
Oral Thorah. These notes occur in the side and bottom margins
of the Masoretic Text. In these notes, there is a list of 134
times where the sopheriym changed the name YHWH and substituted
YHWH for Adonai.
There
are a number of lists, floating on the net, of the changes listed
by Ginsburg. Many of them are incorrect because they copied
lists from books that had errors due to the verse difference
between the Greek based Septuagint and the Hebrew Massoretic
texts. Some of the lists in books simply had typographical errors.
At any rate, it was easier for many to copy a list already written,
than to consult Ginsburg's list, because it was written in Hebrew.
The following is the list, from Ginsburg's Massorah:
Bereshiyth
[Genesis] 18:3,27,30,31,32;
19:18; 20:4.
Shemoth
[Exodus] 4:10,13; 5:22; 15:17; 34:9(2x).
BeMidbar
[Numbers] 14:17.
Yahush`
[Joshua] 7:8.
Shoftiym
[Judges] 6:15; 13:8.
I
Melekiym [Kings] 3:10,15; 22:6.
II
Melekiym 7:6; 19:23.
YeshaYahu
[Isaiah] 3:17,18; 4:4; 6:1,8,11; 7:14,20; 8:7; 9:7(8),16(17);
10:12; 11:11; 21:6,8,16; 28:2, 29:13; 30:20; 37:24;
38:14,16; 49:14.
Yechezqel
[Ezekiel] 18:25,29; 21:14(9); 33:17,20.
Amos
5:16; 7:7,8; 9:1.
Miykah
[Micah] 1:2.
ZekarYahu
[Zechariah] 9:4.
Malakiy
[Malachi] 1:12,14.
Thehilliym
[Psalms] 2:4; 16:2; 22:31(30); 30:9(8); 35:17,22,23; 37:13;
38:10(9),16(15),23(22); 39:8(7); 40:18(17); 44:24(23); 51:17(15);
54:6(4); 55:10(9); 57:10(9); 59:12(11); 62:13(12); 66:18; 68:12(11),18(17),20(19),23(22),27(26),33(32);
73:20; 77:3(2),8(7); 78:65; 79:12; 86:3,4,5,8,9,12,15; 89:50(49),51(50);
90:1,17; 110:5; 130:2,3,6;
Iyob
[Job] 28:28.
Eykah
[Lamentations] 1:14,15(2x); 2:1,2,5,7,18,19,20; 3:31,36,37,58.
Daniyel
[Daniel] 1:2; 9:3,4,7,9,15,16,17,19(3x).
Ezra
10:3.
NechemYahu
[Nehemiah] 1:11; 4:8(14).
These
are the passages where the sopheriym changed YHWH to Elohiym:
II
Shemuel [Samuel] 5:19-25; 6:9-17.
Thehilliym
[Psalms] 14:1,2,5; 53:1,2,4,5.
I
Dibrey HaYamiym [Chronicles] 13:12; 14:10,11,14,16; 16:1.
These
are the notations made by the Masorites of the 5th
century. We cannot even begin to tell what was done and when,
before that. YHWH occurs in the Tanak portion of the Scriptures
about 6828 times. Add in the 134 times that that Adonay was
substituted and you have 6962. Add in again, the 8 times that
Elohiym was substituted and you have 6970 times that YHWH was
used in the Tanak. On top of that, you have 49 times that Yah
is used.
Elohiym is used 2600 times. 23 times it refers
to mighty or powerful people, such as judges. That leaves us
with 2577 times that it is used. Take away the 274 times that
it is used of foreign gods (This is the same name they want
to call YHWH.), and you are left with, 2303 times. Of those
2303 times, 813 times it is used with the name YHWH, such as
YHWH Elohiym or YHWH our Elohiym, etc. That leaves 1490 times
that it is used independently, most of which occur in the latter
period writings.
Adonay was used 442 times in the Tanak.
307 of those times, it was used in conjunction with YHWH. 6 times it is used with Elohiym. Of the 307
times, that Adonay is used with YHWH, 218 of them, occur in
the text of Yechezqel [Ezekiel]. That is a whopping amount for
one book. The reason why? Because it was written during and
after the exile to Babel. The practice of substitution began
shortly before the exile and got worse while they were there.
Remember also, that you have to subtract 134 times that Adonay
was substituted for YHWH. That leaves 308 times, most of which
are used with YHWH.
El is used 236 times. 5 of those times
are to refer to someone or something as mighty. That leaves
231. 26 of the 231, are used for foreign gods, that leaves 205.
Of the 205, 3 times it is used as might for Elohiym, that leaves
202. 13 times of the 202, it is used in conjunction with Alyon
[The Most High] or Shaddai [Almighty]. That takes it down to
189. 8 times it is used in conjunction with YHWH. That leaves
only 189 times that it stands on its own. Of all the 236 uses
for El, 2/3 of them occur in the latter writings of Thehilliym
[Psalms], YeshaYahu [Isaiah] and some of the latter prophets,
and Iyob [Job]. That does not leave many times that it is used,
prior to the substitution period.
Eloah is used 57 times. 8 of those times,
it is used for foreign gods, leaving 49 times it is used to
reference YHWH. Of the 57 times it is used, only 2 occur in
HaDebariym [Deuteronomy]. All the other cases are in the latter
writings, with 42 of the 55 uses, in the book of Iyob [Job]. This especially does
not bode well.
It
was mentioned to me that the Aramaic targums (translation of
the Scriptures) did not use Elohiym in Bereshiyth [Genesis]
1, in the creation account. I checked it out and have a copy.
In the Onkelos Targum (an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew),
that Rashi used for his commentary on Bereshiyth, Elohiym rarely
occurs. YHWH is used, represented by three yods in a row, which
was a substitute for YHWH. I am becoming more and more convinced
that Elohiym is an addition of the sopheriym [scribes], and
should not even be used in connection with YHWH. The following
Scriptures are statements that YHWH made on this subject.
Scriptures Concerning El/Elohiym
YeshaYahu
[Isaiah] 42:8, " 'i am YHWH, that is my name,
and my honor i do not give to another, nor my praise to idols.'
" Thehillah [Psalms] 86:8, " 'there is none like you among the elohiym [mighty
ones], YHWH; and like your works there are none.' " Thehillah
89:6, " 'for who in the heavens is
comparable to YHWH? who among the sons of the eliym [plural
of el] is like YHWH.' " Thehillah 96:5, " 'for all the elohiy [mighty ones] of the people
are matters of nothing.' " Thehillah 97:9, " 'for you, YHWH, are the alyon [Most High] over
all the earth, you will be greatly exalted, over all elohiym
[mighty ones].' " Thehillah 97:7, " 'all are put to shame who serve carved images,
those boasting of matters of nothing. bow yourselves to him,
all you elohiym [mighty ones].' " Shemoth [Exodus] 34:14, " 'for you do not bow yourselves down to another
elohiym [might ones], for YHWH is jealous (zealous) for his
name. he is jealous (zealous).' "
All
the elohiym of the people are nothing! YHWH is not comparable
to an elohiym, or el, or eliym. He is YHWH. That is what He
is and that is what He wants to be called. We have no right
to presume to know better than YHWH. Who are we to determine
what He should be called. We are as nothing. Yet men keep trying
to put different labels on Him or for following Babylonian religious
fads, come up with a thousand names to call Him, but the ONE
that He directed us to. Current Masoretic scribal notes show
that YHWH was changed to Adonay and elohiym, more than a hundred
times. Couple that with these Scriptures on the difference between
YHWH and the elohiym of the people, I have decided to not use
the same word to describe or reference YHWH. I feel a perfect
peace about this. My desire is not to take away from YHWH, but
to honor Him, and restore what has been taken away for centuries
- the honor due His name, YHWH.
Leadership Responsibility
This
substituting did not begin with the people. It began with leadership.
Malakiy [Malachi] 2:1-9, " 'and now, kohaniym [priest],
this command is for you. if you do not hear, and if you do not
take it to heart, to give honor to my name,'
said YHWH tsebaoth [of armies/hosts], 'i will send a
curse upon you, and i will curse your blessings. and indeed,
i have cursed them, because you do not take it to heart. see,
i will rebuke your seed, and scatter dung before your faces,
the dung of your festivals. and you will be taken away with
it. and you will know that i have sent this command to you,
as being my beriyth [covenant] with lewiy [Levi],'
said YHWH tsebaoth. 'my beriyth with him was life and shalom
[wholeness, completeness, peace], and i gave them to him to
fear. and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name. the true
thorah was in his mouth, and perversity was not found on his
lips. and he walked with me in shalom and straightness, and
turned many away from iniquity. for the lips of a kohen should
safeguard knowledge, and thorah pour forth from his mouth, for
he is the malak [messenger] of YHWH tsebaoth. but you have turned
from the way, you have caused multitudes to stumble in the thorah,
corrupted the beriyth of the lewiy [Levites],' said YHWH tsebaoth. 'and i therefore, will make
you repulsive and low before all the people, because you do
not observe my ways, and are showing partiality in the thorah.'
"
HaDebariym
[Deuteronomy] 18:18-20, " 'i will raise up for them
a nabiy [Prophet] like you, out of the midst of their brothers.
and i will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them
all that i commanded him. and it will be, the man who does not
listen to my words, which he speaks in my name, i require it
of him. but the nebiy who presumes to speak a word in my name,
which i have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the
name of other elohiym [mighty ones], even that nebiy will die.'
"
YirmeYahu
[Jeremiah] 23:25-27, " 'i have heard what the nebiiym
[prophets] have said who prophesy falsehood in my name, saying,
"i have dreamed, i have dreamed."
till when will it be in the heart of the nebiiym? – the
nebiiym of falsehood and the nebiiym of the deceit of their
own heart, who try to make my people forget my name, by their
dreams, which everyone relates to his neighbor, as their fathers
forgot my name for baal.' "
YeshaYahu
[Isaiah] 52:5,6, " 'and now what have i here,'
declares YHWH, 'that my people are taken away for nothing? those
who rule over them make them wail,'
declares YHWH, 'and my name is despised all day continually.
therefore my people will know my name, in that day, for i am
the one who is speaking. see, it is i. ' "
The
kohaniym [priests] responsibility
was to minister to YHWH; mediate between YHWH and the people;
and teach the people the Words and Ways of YHWH. Reading through
the Tanak, you can see how corrupt and negligent they became.
If the leadership is not righteous, the people will not be (as
a whole). The nebiiym [prophets] responsibility was to speak
the message of YHWH to the people; to reveal the sins of the
people, as YHWH warned them and correct them. If the nebiy was
corrupt and negligent in his responsibility, not correcting
them of their sins and speaking lies, then the people would
continue on in their sin. Include in this, the sopheriym [scribes]
who wrote out the Scriptures; if they changed the text, they
would be misleading those who read or heard the Word read to
them. Between the kohaniym, nebiiym, and the soferiym, sin was
rampant, which lead to the further degradation of the people.
Which, lead to the captivity of Yisrael by Ashshur [Assyria] and Yahudah [Judah] by Babel [Babylon].
The Messenger
YHWH
will see to it that His name is made known. He sent a Malak
[Messenger], Nabiy [Prophet], Kohen [Priest], Moreh [Teacher],
and Mashiach [Messiah] that would declare His name; warn the
people of their sin; mediate between the people and YHWH; teach
the people the True Thorah of YHWH; redeem them from their sins;
and show them the Way to walk. Not several different people,
but one, who fulfilled multiple
offices. YHWH sent His own Son, to do what no other could
do.
Shemoth
[Exodus] 9:16, " 'but, however, in order
that, i left you standing, in order that i showed you my strength,
and for the sake of writing my name in all the earth.' " What is happening
here, is YHWH is speaking through Mosheh, to tell Pharaoh, to
let YHWH’s people go. He is stating that He is the source of
all the plagues, so that they will know that there is no one
like Him, in all the earth. If He had stretched out His Hand
and struck them, they would all be cut off. They were left standing
as a witness to YHWH, so that His name would be written and
declared, in all the earth. YirmeYahu [Jeremiah] 16:21, " 'therefore see, i am causing them to know my hand
and my might. and they will know that my name is YHWH.' " There’s
the Hand of YHWH again, so that His name will be made known.
Acts
15:14-18, " 'shimon [Simon- as in Simon Peter] has declared how YHWH first
visited the goyim, to take out of them a people, for his name.
and the words of the nabiy [prophet] agree with this, as it
has been written: " 'in that day i will raise up the sukkah
[booth, tabernacle] of dawiyd, which has fallen down. and i
will repair its breaches and raise up its ruins. and i will
build it as in days of old, so that they possess the remnant
of edom, and all the goyim on whom my name is called,' declares
YHWH who does this." who has made this known from of old.'
" The name YHWH was to
be declared to the Goyim, not hidden from them. The Yahudiym,
no matter the reason, even hid It from their own people. This
is in direct contradiction to what YHWH commanded.
This
is what “The Hand of YHWH”, Yahusha` ben [son of] YHWH did.
MaththiYahu [Matthew] 21:9, "and the crowds who went before
and those who followed cried out, saying, 'hoshaa na ben dawiyd.
blessed is he who is coming in the name YHWH. hoshaa na in the
highest.' " Hoshaa na is
not one word. Na- nun, aleph - means I pray . It is used like
an interjection, an exclamation. Like when people say, “O my
!” The Son came in His Fathers name. Yahuchanan
[John] 5:43, " 'i have come in my fathers
name and you do not receive me, if another comes in his own
name, him you would receive.' " Yahuchanan 12:26, " 'abba [Father], honor your name.' then a voice came from the heavens,
'i have honored it and will honor it again.' "
Yahusha`'s use of YHWH
Yahusha`
did not hide His Fathers name. This is what His arrest and execution
was all about. Here is the account from the Scriptures, of His
trial.
MaththiYahu
[Matthew] 26:59-66, "and the rosh kohaniym [chief
priests] and the zaqeniym [elders]
and the sanhedriy [sanhedrin] sought witness against
yahusha`, that they might put him to death; and did not find
them. and many false witnesses came; and at last two came forward,
and said, 'this man said, "i came to destroy the beyth
YHWH [House of YHWH], and in three days rebuild it." ' and the kohen gadol [high priest] rose up and
said to him, 'do you not respond? what do these witness against
you?' and yahusha` was silent. and the kohen gadol
answered, and said to him, 'i make you swear with, by elohiym
"the name (HaShem)", that you tell us whether
you are the mashiyach [messiah] ben haelohiym [son of
the elohiym].' yahusha` said to him, 'you have said it. and
i say to you, that from now on, you will see ben haadam [son
of the adam-man] sitting on the right hand of hageburah [the
power], and coming on the clouds of the heavens.'
then the kohen gadol tore his clothes, and said, 'look,
he has blasphemed. why then should we seek for witnesses? see,
you have now heard his blasphemy. what satisfies
you? they answered and they said, 'guilty he is of death.' they spit in his face and beat him and others
struck him, and they said to him, 'prophesy to us, you mashiyach
[messiah], who struck you?' "
This
is consistent with a trial for blasphemy, listed in Talmud.
Encyclopedia
Judaica, under “blasphemy” : “In
the Talmud
The
Mishnah (Sanh. 7:5), rules that the death sentence by stoning
should be applied only in the case where the blasphemer had
uttered the Tetragrammaton and two witnesses had warned him
prior to the transgression. In the Talmud, however, R.
Meir extends this punishment to cases where the blasphemer had
used one of the attributes, i.e., substitute names of God (Sanh.
56a). The accepted halakhah is that only the one who
has uttered the Tetragrammaton be sentenced to death by stoning;
the offender who pronounced the substitute names is only flogged
(Maim., Yad, Avodat Kokhavim, 2:7). In the court procedure (Sanh.
5:7 and Sanh. 60a) the witnesses for the prosecution
testified to the words of the blasphemer by substituting the
expressions "Yose shall strike Yose" (yakkeh Yose
et Yose). Toward the end of the hearing, however, after the
audience had been dismissed, the senior witness was asked to
repeat the exact words uttered by the blasphemer. Upon their
pronouncement (i.e., of the Tetragrammaton), the judges stood
up and rent their garments. The act expressed their profound
mourning at hearing the name of God profaned. The custom of
tearing one's clothes on hearing blasphemy is attested to in
II Kings 18:37 where it is told that Eliakim and his associates
tore their garments upon hearing the blasphemous words of the
Assyrian warlord Rab-Shakeh (Sanh. 60a). It is codified in Shulhan
Arukh (YD 340:37) that whoever bears a blasphemy whether
with the Tetragrammaton or with attributes, in any language
and from a Jew, even from the mouth of a witness, must rend
his garment. The second and any successive witnesses only testified:
"I have heard the same words" (Sanh. 7:5); according
to the opinion of Abba Saul, whoever utters the Tetragrammaton
in public, is excluded from the world to come (Av. Zar. 18a).
Besides sacrilege of God,
vituperation against the king, God's
anointed servant, was also considered blasphemy (cf. Ex.
22:27 and I Kings 21:10). Gentiles, too, are obliged to refrain
from blasphemy since this is one of the Seven Noachide Laws
(Sanh. 56a, 60a). Maimonides also classified as blasphemy the
erasure of God's name written on paper or engraved on stone,
etc., which was to be punished by flogging (Yad, Yesodei ha-Thorah
6:1–6). After Jewish courts were deprived of jurisdiction in
those cases where capital punishment was applied, excommunication
(see herem) was the usual sanction against a blasphemer (J.
Mueller (ed.), Teshuvot Ge'onei Mizrah u-Ma'arav (1898), 27a,
responsum no. 103 by Amram Gaon).”
Even the Toldoth Yeshu, an account by a Jewish writer, as a
counter-Gospel, states that "Yeshu" used the Ineffable
name to raise the dead and heal people. It also states that
His name was originally Yahusha`, but was changed to Yeshu,
when He became a heretic. Yeshu (YSHW) is an anagram for Ymch
SHmw Wzkrw, which means, blot out his name and rememberance.”
In
the book of Acts 6-7, we see the stoning of Stephan. Stephan
is seized and brought before the Sanhedrin, in 6:12. Just as with Yahusha`, false witnesses
are brought forward to speak against Stephan. In giving his
defense, he ends up giving a history of the Ibriym
[Hebrews]. When he gets to the part, where they killed
Yahusha`, they became infuriated. 7:55,56, "and
he, as he was full of faith and of the ruach YHWH, looked towards
the heavens, and saw the honor (kabowd) of YHWH and yahusha`
standing at the right hand of YHWH. and he said, 'look, i see
the heavens open, and the ben adam [son of man] standing at
the right hand of YHWH.' " Well, the members
of the Sanhedrin yell and stopped their ears and all of them
rushed upon him. They hurried him out of the city and stoned
him. This was another death for declaring the banned name YHWH.
Another
account, though not in Scripture, but in early church history,
is that of the brother of Yahusha`, Yaaqob Tzaddik [James the
Just]. Yaaqob became the leader of the Believers after Kepha
[Peter].
“But
the same writer, in the seventh book of the same work, relates
also the following things concerning him: "The Lord after
his resurrection imparted knowledge to James the Just and to
John and Peter, and they imparted it to the rest of the apostles,
and the rest of the apostles to the seventy, of whom Barnabas
was one. But there were two Jameses: one called the Just, who
was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and was beaten to
death with a club by a fuller, and another who was beheaded."
Paul also makes mention of the same James the Just, where he
writes, "Other of the apostles saw I none, save James the
Lord's brother." Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History, Book II, Chapter 1.”
CHAPTER 23 of Book II
The
Martyrdom of James, who was called the Brother of the Lord
“But
after Paul, in consequence of his appeal to C'sar, had been
sent to Rome by Festus, the Jews, being frustrated in their
hope of entrapping him by the snares which they had laid for
him, turned against James, the brother of the Lord, to whom
the episcopal seat at Jerusalem bad been entrusted by the apostles.
The following daring measures were undertaken by them against
him. Leading him into their midst they demanded of him that
he should renounce faith in Christ in the presence of all the
people. But, contrary to the opinion of all, with a clear voice,
and with greater boldness than they had anticipated, he spoke
out before the whole multitude and confessed that our Saviour
and Lord Jesus is the Son of God. But they were unable to bear
longer the testimony of the man who, on account of the excellence
of ascetic virtue and of piety which he exhibited in his life,
was esteemed by all as the most just of men, and consequently
they slew him. Opportunity for this deed of violence was furnished
by the prevailing anarchy, which was caused by the fact that
Festus had died just at this time in Judea, and that the province was thus without a governor and head.
The manner of James' death has been already indicated by the
above-quoted words of Clement, who records that he was thrown
from the pinnacle of the temple, and was beaten to death with
a club. But Hegesippus, who lived immediately after the apostles,
gives the most accurate account in the fifth book of his Memoirs.
He writes as follows: "James, the brother of the Lord,
succeeded to the government of the Church in conjunction with
the apostles. He has been called the Just by all from the time
of our Saviour to the present day; for there were many that
bore the name of James. He was holy from his mother's womb;
and he drank no wine nor strong drink, nor did he eat flesh.
No razor came upon his head; he did not anoint himself with
oil, and he did not use the bath. He alone was permitted to
enter into the holy place ; for he wore not woolen but linen
garments. And he was in the habit of entering alone into the
temple, and was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness
for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel, in consequence of his
constantly bending them in his worship of God, and asking forgiveness
for the people. Because of his exceeding great justice he was
called the Just, and Oblias, which signifies in Greek, 'Bulwark
of the people' and 'Justice,' in accordance with what the prophets
declare concerning him. Now some of the seven sects, which existed
among the people and which have been mentioned by me in the
Memoirs, asked him, 'What is the gate of Jesus ? and he replied
that he was the Saviour. On account of these words some believed
that Jesus is the Christ. But the sects mentioned above did
not believe either in a resurrection or in one's coming to give
to every man according to his works. But as many as believed
did so on account of James. Therefore when many even of the
rulers believed, there was a commotion among the Jews and Scribes
and Pharisees, who said that there was danger that the whole
people would be looking for Jesus as the Christ. Coming therefore
in a body to James they said, 'We entreat thee, restrain the
people; for they are gone astray in regard to Jesus, as if he
were the Christ. We entreat thee to persuade all that have come
to the feast of the Passover concerning Jesus; for we all have
confidence in thee. For we bear thee witness, as do all the
people, that thou art just, and dost not respect per sons. Do
thou therefore persuade the multitude not to be led astray concerning
Jesus. For the whole people, and all of us also, have confidence
in thee. Stand therefore upon the pinnacle of the temple, that
from that high position thou mayest be clearly seen, and that
thy words may be readily heard by all the people. For all the
tribes, with the Gentiles also, are come together on account
of the Passover.' The aforesaid Scribes and Pharisees therefore
placed James upon the pinnacle of the temple, and cried out
to him and said: Thou just one, in whom we ought all to have:
confidence, forasmuch as the people are led, astray after Jesus,
the crucified one, declare to us, what is the gate of Jesus.'
And he answered with a loud voice,' Why do ye ask me concerning
Jesus, the Son of Man ? He himself sitteth in heaven at the
right hand of the great Power, and is about to come upon the
clouds of heaven.' And when many were fully convinced and gloried
in the testimony of James, and said, 'Hosanna to the Son of
David,' these same Scribes and Pharisees said again to one another,'
We have done badly in supplying such testimony to Jesus. But
let us go up and throw him down, in order that they may be afraid
to believe him.' And they cried out, saying, 'Oh! oh! the just
man is also in error.' And they fulfilled the Scripture written
in Isaiah, ' Let us take away the just man, because he is troublesome
to us: therefore they shall eat the fruit of their doings.'
So they went up and threw down the just man, and said to each
other, 'Let us stone James the Just.' And they began to stone
him, for he was not killed by the fall; but he turned and knelt
down and said, 'I entreat thee, Lord God our Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do.' And while they were thus
stoning him one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, the son
of the Rechabites, who are mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet,
cried out, saying, 'Cease, what do ye? The just one prayeth
for you
And
one of them, who was a fuller, took the club with which he beat
out clothes and struck the just man on the head. And thus he
suffered martyrdom. And they buried him on the spot, by the
temple, and his monument still remains by the temple. He became
a true witness, both to Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ.
And immediately Vespasian besieged them." These things
are related at length by Hegesippus, who is in agreement with
Clement. James was so admirable a man and so celebrated among
all for his justice, that the more sensible even of the Jews
were of the opinion that this was the cause of the siege of
Jerusalem, which happened to them immediately after his martyrdom
for no other reason than their daring act against him. Josephus,
at least, has not hesitated to testify this in his writings,
where he says, "These things happened to the Jews to avenge
James the Just, who was a brother of Jesus, that is called the
Christ. For the Jews slew him, although he was a most just man."
And the same writer records his death also in the twentieth
book of his Antiquities.”
Eusebius
is a historian, dating 260-340 CE. He is quoting Hegesippus,
who is believed to have been of Jewish descent. He composed
his memoirs in 180 CE. Eusebius also quotes Josephus, also a
Jewish historian, who was present at the fall of Jerusalem, in 70 CE. Clement of Alexandria lived from 150 –215.
This
phrase, “right hand of the Great Power,” is a euphemism for
YHWH, that was used in Rabbinic/Talmudic times. The Hebrew is
Rab Geburah or Ha Geburah (Ashkenaz spelling is Gevurah) , meaning
Great Power or The Power. “In the Apocrypha, as in the Hebrew
Bible, the most common names for the deity are "God"
(Gr. Theos; in Ben Sira usually Elohim but sometimes El), "Lord"
(Gr. Kyrios, which no doubt generally stands for Adonai; but
Ben Sira commonly has YHWH, represented by three yods in the
medieval mss.), "the Most High" (Gr. ho Hypsistos,
probably for Heb. Elyon, but perhaps at times for Ha-Gavoha
as in the Talmud), "the Lord Almighty" (Gr.
Kyrios Pantokrator for Heb. YHWH Zevaot) or simply "the
Almighty" (Gr. ho Pantokrator for Heb. Zevaot alone), "the
Eternal One" (Gr. ho Aionios (I Bar. 4:20, 22, 24, etc.) for Heb. El Olam),
etc.
Among
the terms used for God that are more or less peculiar to the
Apocrypha are: "the God of Truth" (I Esd. 4:40); "the Living God of Majesty"
(Add. Esth. 16:16; cf. Talmudic Heb. Ha-Gevurah); "King of Gods and Ruler
of every power" (Add. Esth. 14:12); "Sovereign Lord"
(Lat. Dominator Dominus; IV Ezra 6:11); "Creator
of
