Since the New Testament written by the apostles of Christ, the Tetragramaton (four sacred letter: YHVH, Yahweh) had been translated into Greek language: κυριος Kyrios (LORD). This was already used by the Jews (Septuagint/LXX) and followed by Jesus and His apostles. Modern Jewish translate YHWH with THE LORD (with all capital letter). The first of all sects that shocking the translation tradition of this God’s name is the Jehovah’s Witnesses. This sect, with proud they proclaim brought back the Name: Yahweh into NT, even though the original texts (or the copy of it) from the apostles itself didn’t maintain that name. The question is: May “the proper name” be translated? If the translation of YHWH’s name is prohibited, why Jesus and His apostles didn’t maintain that Name?
The Name: YHWH
the Origins and Theological Meaning
YHWH’s name was declared to Moses for the first time in Exodus 6:1. God declares Himself to prophet Moses in the burning bush and when God sends Moses to face the Pharaoh to brought back the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses asks: “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, `The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, `What is his name?' (Hebrew: מַה־֯שּׁמ֔וֹ Mah symo) Then what shall I tell them?" (Exodus 3:13, NIV).
For the record, the common practice to ask about a person's name in Hebrew using Mi pronouns is: Who, but in this verse is used "What (mah) about his name?". Mah symo is a question that require more in-depth answers, which gives the meaning of what and how or the nature of the name. And the answer to the question of God is the deepest meaning and the meaning of that name which is "a mystery that is behind the existence of that name". Mah symo question from Moses is not answered with 4 letters "YHWH" but was answered by God with the sentence: אהיה אשר אהיה Ehyeh asher Ehyeh (or in Greek of the Septuagint / LXX Εγω ειμι ὁ Ων Ego eimi ho On) I AM THAT I AM (Exodus 3:14). With these words, God declared Himself. This signifies the real being of God, His self-existence, and that He is the Being of beings; as it also denotes His eternity and immutability, and His Constancy and faithfulness in fulfilling His promises, for it includes all time, past, present, and to come; and the sense is, not only I am what I am at present, but I am what I have been, and I am what I shall be, and shall be what I am.
How grammatically we finally found a form of Yahweh? According to a commentary in Hebrew is quite representative (derived from Jewish Rabbis themselves), the form of Yahweh is closely related to the omnipresent of God, in the past, present and future. The existence of God if it is associated with the three aspects of time, in Hebrew is: hayah, "He was"; hoveh, "He is" and yihyeh, "He will be". The point here, God is all-eternal, not bound by the aspect of time, and it was proved by His power and His omnipresent which is always dynamic.
From the description above, it is clear that NT is more referring to the theological meaning behind that name, which is his power of life and not hold literally that dead letters. The name of this translation of Yahweh, among other things we can read in The Revelation of John:
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," declares the Lord God, the one who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty. (Rev 1:8)
Please note the phrase in italics. In Greek: ο ων και ο ην και ο ερχομενος ho on kai ho en kai ho erchomenos, this phrase is a translation of an Adon 'Olam prayer in Siddur (famous Jewish prayer), which contains information from the name of Yahweh (the name that prohibited for pronounced it): Vehu Haya Vehu Hove Vehu Yyiheeyeh Beteefarah (He is already there, existing, and which would have, his eternal power for ever).
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
CUR DEUS HOMO
CUR DEUS HOMO, God became man
That statement will become major misunderstanding Christian doctrine, especially when we try to share it with the Muslims. For them, it sounds too pagan. God became man, it means that God being crucified, died, buried etc. Allah (the God) for them is sacral, just likes YHWH (God) for the Jews. It’s too rude for a Muslim and a Jew to say “Allah/YHWH became man”. And because of Christianity have same root with the Jews, so it’s impossible to say “the God (the Father) became man”. We can compare it with Islamic Theology (called ‘Ilm al-Kalam). In ‘Ilm al-Kalam, the God (Allah) can’t be understood in His Ousia (Dzat) but can be understood through His Hypostasis (Shifatullah). Shifatullah are “not God but not different with God”. Logos (Word of God, Kalimatullah) is one of the Shifatullah in Islam. “Power” and “Life” of God (called the Holy Spirit in Christian faith) are also Shifatullah, that ‘qaimah’ (paste or stand) on Dzatullah (Ousia). Sifatullah are “not God but not creation”.
In Islam, “Logos, Power and Life” of God are not to be understood as having a reality of self-identity entity, but in Christian faith both of them are having hypostasis (a reality that underlining identity). Logos is not the Father (God), but Logos is God (because He is immortal and not different with God), “The Word was God” (John 1:1).
The Word (the Son) is different with the Father, it’s explained by the Word himself when He became a man (nuzul, tajjasud): Jesus Christ and by the Bible statement in: John 1:1, 3:2, 3:17, 3:35, 5:24, 17:3, 20:17, 14:28 and many more. The Father (YHWH) that is transcendent, communicate Himself to mankind through His Word (called Memra in Targum). John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” Logos (the Word, the Son) is eternally coexisting with the Father. Origen of Alexandria appoint Christ as Logos, “if the first born of every creature, is the image of the invisible God, the Father is his arche.”
Because of this difficulty, so the Arabic Christian (may God protect them always!) never use term “God became man” (Allah al-Mutajjasad) but use term “Son of God became man” (Ibnullah al-Mutajjasad). So, clearly that Judaism tawhid (Unity), which is defending the God transcendency, in the same time give some space for Memra (Logos) that will be come in His Messiah, is still guarded and defended in the early church, because of it’s Judaic roots. And if we have open mind, we can more clearly understand this topic through reading The Epistle of St. Ignatius to Ephesians (VII) and to Magnesians (VIII), Adversus Haraeses (III) by Irenaeus, De Haraesibus by John of Damascus, The Dead Sea Scrolls, etc. It’s not just for Catholic or Orthodox Christian but for all Christian of any denomination. Haleluyah, Amen.
That statement will become major misunderstanding Christian doctrine, especially when we try to share it with the Muslims. For them, it sounds too pagan. God became man, it means that God being crucified, died, buried etc. Allah (the God) for them is sacral, just likes YHWH (God) for the Jews. It’s too rude for a Muslim and a Jew to say “Allah/YHWH became man”. And because of Christianity have same root with the Jews, so it’s impossible to say “the God (the Father) became man”. We can compare it with Islamic Theology (called ‘Ilm al-Kalam). In ‘Ilm al-Kalam, the God (Allah) can’t be understood in His Ousia (Dzat) but can be understood through His Hypostasis (Shifatullah). Shifatullah are “not God but not different with God”. Logos (Word of God, Kalimatullah) is one of the Shifatullah in Islam. “Power” and “Life” of God (called the Holy Spirit in Christian faith) are also Shifatullah, that ‘qaimah’ (paste or stand) on Dzatullah (Ousia). Sifatullah are “not God but not creation”.
In Islam, “Logos, Power and Life” of God are not to be understood as having a reality of self-identity entity, but in Christian faith both of them are having hypostasis (a reality that underlining identity). Logos is not the Father (God), but Logos is God (because He is immortal and not different with God), “The Word was God” (John 1:1).
The Word (the Son) is different with the Father, it’s explained by the Word himself when He became a man (nuzul, tajjasud): Jesus Christ and by the Bible statement in: John 1:1, 3:2, 3:17, 3:35, 5:24, 17:3, 20:17, 14:28 and many more. The Father (YHWH) that is transcendent, communicate Himself to mankind through His Word (called Memra in Targum). John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” Logos (the Word, the Son) is eternally coexisting with the Father. Origen of Alexandria appoint Christ as Logos, “if the first born of every creature, is the image of the invisible God, the Father is his arche.”
Because of this difficulty, so the Arabic Christian (may God protect them always!) never use term “God became man” (Allah al-Mutajjasad) but use term “Son of God became man” (Ibnullah al-Mutajjasad). So, clearly that Judaism tawhid (Unity), which is defending the God transcendency, in the same time give some space for Memra (Logos) that will be come in His Messiah, is still guarded and defended in the early church, because of it’s Judaic roots. And if we have open mind, we can more clearly understand this topic through reading The Epistle of St. Ignatius to Ephesians (VII) and to Magnesians (VIII), Adversus Haraeses (III) by Irenaeus, De Haraesibus by John of Damascus, The Dead Sea Scrolls, etc. It’s not just for Catholic or Orthodox Christian but for all Christian of any denomination. Haleluyah, Amen.
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