Book on the Tetragram
Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 11:13 am
Dear list-members,
Some listmembers have shown that they are interested in the Tetragram. Therefore, i present the contents of my book: THE TETRAGRAM—ITS HISTORY, ITS PLACE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND ITS PRONUNCIATION
The book is at present being printed. It can be ordered from Awatu Publishers (awatu-publishers@sf-nett.no). It is paperback in colors, and it has 250 pages. The price is 350 Norwegian kroner, plus postage. You are welcome to ask questions regarding the points below.
PRESENTATION:
PART ONE The Tetragram in Hebrew Sources in BCE and the First Century CE
1) The divine name yhwh is freely used in the Hebrew Bible from the oldest to the youngest books. The appellative ’adōnāi is used in the Bible as a complement to yhwh and not as a substitute.
2) A detailed study is made of the Great Isaiah Scroll among the DSS. The argument that the scribe wrote at dictation and that he made some errors because yhwh was pronounced as ’adōnāi is shown to be without basis.
3) All the divine designations in the DSS are listed: 73 examples of ’adōnāi, 352 examples of yhwh, 368 examples of ’ælōhim, and 648 examples of ’ēl. There were two views among the members of the Qumran community regarding the use of yhwh. Some members used ’ēl (god) as a substitute, while others continued to use and pronounce yhwh as long as the community existed. There is no evidence in the DSS that the Aramaic word mārē’ (lord) or the Hebrew word ’adōnāi (lord) was used as a substitute for yhwh.
4) It is shown that the almost universal view that ’adōnāi was used as a substitute for yhwh in BCE and in the 1st century CE has no basis whatsoever. The first possible but not certain evidence for ’adōnāi being used as a substitute is seen in Ben Sira’s Masada manuscripts—written before 73 CE. But the writings of Josephus suggest that ’adōnāi as a substitute was not in general use among the Jewish population around 90 CE.
PART TWO The Tetragram in Greek Sources in the First Centuries CE
1) All the LXX manuscripts from BCE and until 50 CE contain the divine name, either as yhwh in old Hebrew or square Aramaic script, or as the Greek letters iaō —kyrios is not found.
2) Philo’s writings are considered, and it is shown that his treatise, “On the Life of Moses” shows that God-fearing persons used and pronounced the divine name around 40 CE.
3) The prohibition against the pronunciation of the divine name in Leviticus 24:16 LXX is considered in detail. The evidence shows that this prohibition did not occur in the LXX autograph but is a later addition.
4) The Greek translations of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion are discussed, as well as Origen’s Hexapla. All these used yhwh.
5) The Syro-Hexapla from the 7th century is also discussed. The mentioned translations show that Greek manuscripts with yhwh in old Hebrew and square Aramaic script existed in all these centuries.
PART THREE Did the Tetragram Occur in the New Testament Autographs?
The chapter begins with the following words:
“The argument is almost universal: ‘Any claim that the NT originally contained yhwh must be rejected, because no Greek manuscript contains that name.’ This argument is strange, because we can also say: ‘Any claim that the NT originally contained kyrios as a reference to God must be rejected, because no Greek manuscript contains this word.’ This is true for the first five centuries CE.»
1) At the end of the 1st century, or at the beginning of the 2nd century, someone tampered with the text of the NT. Words that referred to God were removed, and the nomen sacrum ks was written instead.
2) The ks in LXX manuscripts from the end of the 2nd century goes back to yhwh in earlier LXX manuscripts. Therefore, it is logical that ks in NT manuscripts from the end of the 2nd century CE goes back to yhwh as well. Thus, ks cannot be used as evidence that the NT autographs contained kyrios.
3) There is no evidence that ’adōnāi was used as substitute for yhwh during the time NT was written. So, there was no Hebrew antecedent for the use of kyrios for the NT writers.
4) Both the Hebrew text and LXX manuscripts that were quoted in the NT included the divine name. Therefore, the writers naturally included the name in their quotations as well.
5) The divine name should continue to be used for ever (Exodus 3:15). Not to include the name in the NT would be a violation of God’s expressed will.
6) Most of part three is a detailed study of the internal evidence of the NT regarding the use of divine designations. This study presents strong evidence in favor of the view that the divine name was used and pronounced by the general Jewish population and by those who wrote the NT books when these books were written, and that the name occurred in the NT autographs.
PART FOUR The pronunciation of the Tetragram
1) In Hebrew words ending with the letter h, this h with few exceptions is not a consonant, but it represents a long vowel.
2) It is argued that the Tetragram consists of the three consonants yhw and one vowel, represented by the last letter h.
3) Hebrew inscriptions and bulla have Jewish names that either begins or ends with yhw—the full name of God.
4) On the basis of Origen’s Hexapla it can be argued that the Greek iaō is a pseudo-transliteration of the three letters yhw of the divine name. This means that iaō is not an abrreviation but represents the full form, yhw, of the divine name.
5) In the beginning of theophoric names in the MT, yhw is written as ye-ho. The long o represents the third letter w of yhwh. The fourth letter h of yhwh represents a vowel, and therefore, the divine name must have one syllable more than ye-ho. The two-syllabic form Yahweh must be rejected on the basis of the phonological rules of the Masoretes.
6) The first and last parts of theophoric names have the same basic consonants—yhw. The reasons why the endings are ya and ya-hu are the rules of stress and abbreviations—an open syllable with stress must have a long vowel and endings are abbreviated.
7) The Hebrew theophoric names show that the two first syllables of the divine name are ye-ho. But they do not show what the third syllable is.
8) Akkadian cuneiform has both consonants and vowels. The name of many Jewish exiles were written with cuneiform script. Some names have ye-ho as the first two syllables, and other names have ya-hu as the last syllables. Even the long o and long u are marked in the cuneiform script.
9) Also, the full name of the God of the Jews are found at the beginning or end of Jewish names as three syllables. Each cuneiform sign can represent different sounds (syllables). But three cuneiform signs that represent a name, must, when they are read together, give a meaningful name Several endings of Jewish theophoric names can be read as ie-’u-wa. Thus, the third syllable of the divine name is wa.
10) The conclusion is that both the Masoretic text and Akkadian cuneiform clearly indicate that the divine name was pronounced as ye-hō-wā.
Some listmembers have shown that they are interested in the Tetragram. Therefore, i present the contents of my book: THE TETRAGRAM—ITS HISTORY, ITS PLACE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND ITS PRONUNCIATION
The book is at present being printed. It can be ordered from Awatu Publishers (awatu-publishers@sf-nett.no). It is paperback in colors, and it has 250 pages. The price is 350 Norwegian kroner, plus postage. You are welcome to ask questions regarding the points below.
PRESENTATION:
PART ONE The Tetragram in Hebrew Sources in BCE and the First Century CE
1) The divine name yhwh is freely used in the Hebrew Bible from the oldest to the youngest books. The appellative ’adōnāi is used in the Bible as a complement to yhwh and not as a substitute.
2) A detailed study is made of the Great Isaiah Scroll among the DSS. The argument that the scribe wrote at dictation and that he made some errors because yhwh was pronounced as ’adōnāi is shown to be without basis.
3) All the divine designations in the DSS are listed: 73 examples of ’adōnāi, 352 examples of yhwh, 368 examples of ’ælōhim, and 648 examples of ’ēl. There were two views among the members of the Qumran community regarding the use of yhwh. Some members used ’ēl (god) as a substitute, while others continued to use and pronounce yhwh as long as the community existed. There is no evidence in the DSS that the Aramaic word mārē’ (lord) or the Hebrew word ’adōnāi (lord) was used as a substitute for yhwh.
4) It is shown that the almost universal view that ’adōnāi was used as a substitute for yhwh in BCE and in the 1st century CE has no basis whatsoever. The first possible but not certain evidence for ’adōnāi being used as a substitute is seen in Ben Sira’s Masada manuscripts—written before 73 CE. But the writings of Josephus suggest that ’adōnāi as a substitute was not in general use among the Jewish population around 90 CE.
PART TWO The Tetragram in Greek Sources in the First Centuries CE
1) All the LXX manuscripts from BCE and until 50 CE contain the divine name, either as yhwh in old Hebrew or square Aramaic script, or as the Greek letters iaō —kyrios is not found.
2) Philo’s writings are considered, and it is shown that his treatise, “On the Life of Moses” shows that God-fearing persons used and pronounced the divine name around 40 CE.
3) The prohibition against the pronunciation of the divine name in Leviticus 24:16 LXX is considered in detail. The evidence shows that this prohibition did not occur in the LXX autograph but is a later addition.
4) The Greek translations of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion are discussed, as well as Origen’s Hexapla. All these used yhwh.
5) The Syro-Hexapla from the 7th century is also discussed. The mentioned translations show that Greek manuscripts with yhwh in old Hebrew and square Aramaic script existed in all these centuries.
PART THREE Did the Tetragram Occur in the New Testament Autographs?
The chapter begins with the following words:
“The argument is almost universal: ‘Any claim that the NT originally contained yhwh must be rejected, because no Greek manuscript contains that name.’ This argument is strange, because we can also say: ‘Any claim that the NT originally contained kyrios as a reference to God must be rejected, because no Greek manuscript contains this word.’ This is true for the first five centuries CE.»
1) At the end of the 1st century, or at the beginning of the 2nd century, someone tampered with the text of the NT. Words that referred to God were removed, and the nomen sacrum ks was written instead.
2) The ks in LXX manuscripts from the end of the 2nd century goes back to yhwh in earlier LXX manuscripts. Therefore, it is logical that ks in NT manuscripts from the end of the 2nd century CE goes back to yhwh as well. Thus, ks cannot be used as evidence that the NT autographs contained kyrios.
3) There is no evidence that ’adōnāi was used as substitute for yhwh during the time NT was written. So, there was no Hebrew antecedent for the use of kyrios for the NT writers.
4) Both the Hebrew text and LXX manuscripts that were quoted in the NT included the divine name. Therefore, the writers naturally included the name in their quotations as well.
5) The divine name should continue to be used for ever (Exodus 3:15). Not to include the name in the NT would be a violation of God’s expressed will.
6) Most of part three is a detailed study of the internal evidence of the NT regarding the use of divine designations. This study presents strong evidence in favor of the view that the divine name was used and pronounced by the general Jewish population and by those who wrote the NT books when these books were written, and that the name occurred in the NT autographs.
PART FOUR The pronunciation of the Tetragram
1) In Hebrew words ending with the letter h, this h with few exceptions is not a consonant, but it represents a long vowel.
2) It is argued that the Tetragram consists of the three consonants yhw and one vowel, represented by the last letter h.
3) Hebrew inscriptions and bulla have Jewish names that either begins or ends with yhw—the full name of God.
4) On the basis of Origen’s Hexapla it can be argued that the Greek iaō is a pseudo-transliteration of the three letters yhw of the divine name. This means that iaō is not an abrreviation but represents the full form, yhw, of the divine name.
5) In the beginning of theophoric names in the MT, yhw is written as ye-ho. The long o represents the third letter w of yhwh. The fourth letter h of yhwh represents a vowel, and therefore, the divine name must have one syllable more than ye-ho. The two-syllabic form Yahweh must be rejected on the basis of the phonological rules of the Masoretes.
6) The first and last parts of theophoric names have the same basic consonants—yhw. The reasons why the endings are ya and ya-hu are the rules of stress and abbreviations—an open syllable with stress must have a long vowel and endings are abbreviated.
7) The Hebrew theophoric names show that the two first syllables of the divine name are ye-ho. But they do not show what the third syllable is.
8) Akkadian cuneiform has both consonants and vowels. The name of many Jewish exiles were written with cuneiform script. Some names have ye-ho as the first two syllables, and other names have ya-hu as the last syllables. Even the long o and long u are marked in the cuneiform script.
9) Also, the full name of the God of the Jews are found at the beginning or end of Jewish names as three syllables. Each cuneiform sign can represent different sounds (syllables). But three cuneiform signs that represent a name, must, when they are read together, give a meaningful name Several endings of Jewish theophoric names can be read as ie-’u-wa. Thus, the third syllable of the divine name is wa.
10) The conclusion is that both the Masoretic text and Akkadian cuneiform clearly indicate that the divine name was pronounced as ye-hō-wā.