Is The Name Of Yahveh Too Holy To Pronounce?
Based on an
article by Jozef Kivits
Did Messiah ever say the Sacred Name?
There are many that believe that Yashua only referred to the Almighty and most High Elohim as "The Father". They also believe
that Yashua adhered to the traditional doctrine that states that His Name is too holy to pronounce.
The Name of the Almighty not only represents His character but is also His mark. Therefore
the word "HaShem" (The Name) refers to His literal written or spoken Name as well as His character. If it did not refer to
His literal written and spoken Name then one could say that The Almighty does not have a written name at all.
But we know that is not true:
"I Am Yahveh: that is My Name: and My Glory will I not give to another, neither My Praise to graven images."
Isaiah 42:8
His Name is also His memorial of individuality, as the scripture says:
"And Elohim said moreover to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, Yahveh Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim
of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me to you: this is My Name for ever,
and this is My Memorial to all generations."
Exodus 3:15
Man has set up many memorials for himself. If one were to go and desecrate these memorials and rename them, this person
could expect to be punished for his crime. If we wouldn't desecrate one of man's memorials, why would anyone want to desecrate
Yahveh's Memorial - His Name? Do we have the right to change His name to a title of our own liking? Surely our Messiah would
not do this, especially when reading the scriptures in the Synagogue:
"And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
The Spirit of Yahveh is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; To set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim
the acceptable year of Yahveh. Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all
that were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Luke 4:17-21
Why were all the eyes in the synagogue fixed on Him
?
The people were shocked because Yashua broke with the tradition of substituting the Name of Yahveh. This tradition started
with the Talmud, after the return from Babylonian exile. Quotes of Jewish Sages (Rabbis) of the time were
noted down as they tried to explain the words of the Law in a more theological manner. This led to the many superstitions
and (added) burdens Yashua was referring to, when he quoted Isaiah:
"Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: These people honor me with their lips, but
their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the
commandments of Elohim and are holding on to the traditions of men. And he said to them: You have a fine way of setting aside
the commandments of Elohim in order to observe your own traditions."
Mark 7:6-9
The Holy Name was not to be used in vain, according to the third commandment, but 'in vain' did not mean ‘never’.
If Yahveh did not want His Name to be known or used, why did He tell His Prophets that the Nation would know
that His Name is Yahveh? Unfortunately, most Bibles have replaced His Sacred Name with 'Lord'. Why? Who gave
them permission? Is it not one of the gravest of sins to take away or to add to Scripture, let alone His Name?
Where and When did this tradition start
?
We read in the "Guide of the Perplexed", written by a Jewish Sage (Rabbi) in the 12th century, "those who pronounce the
letters of the Tetragrammaton have no share in the world to come." And there is where the tradition started!
By a man called Abba Saul, during the time of the compilation of the Babylonian Talmud! The only one still permitted to use
the Tetragrammaton, (the ineffable four letter Sacred Name) was the High Priest, and only during the Yom Kippur ceremony.
The letters "Y-H-V-H" were probably originally pronounced "Yahveh." Early German Christians added the
vowels for Adonai to these consonants and came up with the name Jahovah."
In footnote 7 from the chapter Sanhedrin 10 we read the words of Abba Saul: "The prohibition against pronouncing the Tetragramaton
developed during the Second Temple period. The only exceptions to the prohibition ~ the High Priest in the Holy of Holies
on Yom Kippur" (p.113 f.) and possibly the priests in the Temple in Jerusalem pronouncing the Priestly Blessing."
For additional study on the Sacred Name go to:
YHVH: The Tetragrammaton
As the Rabbis became more and more influential, (well before the
arrival of Messiah Yashua) they began adding many new "man made" rules and regulations to the Torah ~ No wonder Yashua was
angry with them:
"Woe unto you, ye lawyers! For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with
one of your fingers. Woe unto you lawyers! For ye have taken away the key of knowledge."
Luke 11:46,52
"I Am come in My Father's Name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."
John 5:43
Yashua came in His Father's authority, but He also came in His Father's literal written and spoken
Name. This is proven when we understand Messiah's name as "Yah-shua" meaning "Yahveh is Salvation".
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My Words in His mouth; and He shall
speak unto them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My Words which
He shall speak in My Name, I will require it of him."
Deut 18:18-19
Yashua was that Prophet who spoke in His Father's Name. He did not hide it, substitute it or change it.
Yashua prayed:
"And now, O Father, glorify thou Me with thine own Self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have
manifested Thy Name unto the men which thou gavest Me: thine they were, and thou gavest them Me; and they have kept Thy Word."
John 17:5-7
And again:
"I have declared unto them Thy Name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and
I in them."
John 17:26
This was in fulfillment of Psalm 22:
"I will declare Thy Name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee."
Ps 22:22
Yashua not only declared His Father's literal and spoken Name to the people, but also His true character. However, not
all had "ears to hear" ~ They had their own traditions, many of which were not in line with Yahveh's Word:
"Full well ye reject the Commandment of Elohim, that ye may keep your own tradition."
Mark
7:9
One of these traditions was that Yahveh's Name was too holy to pronounce.
At times Yashua used the title "Father" when refering to Yahveh. Many scriptures indicate that Messiah was also called
"Yahveh" in the Tanach (Old Testament). For instance:
"Thus saith Yahveh the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, Yahveh of hosts; I Am the First, and I Am the Last; and beside
Me there is no El."
Isa 44:6
It is not a wrong thing to call Yahveh by a title that fitly describes Him. The problem lies in replacing, changing and
failing to praise, exalt, bless, love, teach, preach, anoint, assemble, believe, give thanks, honor and call on His Name as
scripture teaches us.
"Yashua saith unto him, thou hast said, nevertheless I say unto you: Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying: He
hath spoken blasphemy, what further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They
answered and said, He is guilty of death."
Matt 26:64-66
The official charge against Yashua was "blasphemy". The word "Power" in verse 64 was a popular substitution for the tetragramaton
"YHVH ~ Yahveh".
The Mishna (Jewish oral law) says:
"He who blasphemes is liable only when he will have fully pronounced the Divine Name. Said Rabbi Joshua
ben Qorha: "on every day (of the trial) they examine the witnesses with a substituted name. When sentence was to be given
they did not declare him guilty of death with the substituted name, but they put everyone out and ask the most important of
the witnesses, saying to him, "Say, what exactly did you hear?" And he said what he heard. And the judges stood on their feet
and did tear their clothing, and they were not permitted to mend them again. (m.San. 7:5)"
Historically, no man could be sentenced for blasphemy unless he had actually spoken the Divine Name YHVH.
The High Priest "rent his clothes" upon hearing Yashua pronounce The Name, since Yashua was his own witness - as he said "what
further need have we of witnesses."
There is strong evidence that Yashua spoke The Name aloud in Matthew 4:7,10; 5:33; 21:42 and 22:37,44. The ineffable name
doctrine states that Yahveh's Name is too holy to pronounce. "For no one can utter the name of the ineffable deity; and if
any one dare to say that there is a name, he raves with a hopeless madness." (Jerome - I Apol. 61)
"But to the Father of all, who is unbegotten, there is no name given. For by whatever name He be called, He has as his
elder the person who gives Him the name. But these words, Father, and Deity, and Creator, and Lord, and Master, are not names
but appellations derived from good deeds and functions." (Jerome - II Apol. 6)
No wonder the manuscripts we have today do not contain the Sacred Name. We know that the 'church fathers' quickly left
the true Sabbath. It shouldn't be difficult to believe that they also quickly dropped the use of the true Name of our Creator
~ Yahveh.
It is evident that the "ineffable name" doctrine is totally unscriptural.
"And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee My power; and that My Name
may be declared throughout all the earth."
Ex 9:16
"My people shall know My Name."
Isa 52:6a
"Then I called upon the Name of Yahveh; O Yahveh, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. I will take the cup of salvation, and
call upon the Name of Yahveh. I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the Name of Yahveh."
Psalms 116:4,13,17
"And in that day shall ye say, Praise Yahveh, call upon His Name, declare his doings among the people,
make mention that His Name is exalted."
Isaiah 12:4
It is better to trust in what the scriptures say concerning Yahveh's Name rather than trusting in the reasoning that "since
the Greek manuscripts which we have today (which are not original) do not contain The Name, it must not be important." The
scriptures already have declared the importance of His Name.
"O give thanks to Yahveh; call upon His Name: make known His deeds among the people."
Psalms 105:1
We are told to call on His Name, not His titles, because there is power in His Name. May we all receive
the fullness of His Name with all Spiritual understanding.
