Names of God

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

Conceptions of God 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.

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.
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.

Contents

[edit] Abrahamic religions

[edit] Judaism

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

In the Hebrew scriptures (i.e. the Law Torah, plus the Prophets [Nevi-im] and the Holy Writings /Hagiographa [ Kethuvim] the Jewish name of God is considered sacred and, out of deep respect for the name, Jews do not say it.(See Exodus 20:7) The tetragrammaton (Hebrew: יהוה, English: YHVH or YHWH, these Hebrew consonants named, reading right to left: "yod...heh...vahv...heh.") is the name for the group of four Hebrew symbols which represent the name of God. The Tetragrammaton occurs 6,828 times in the Hebrew text printed in Biblia Hebraica and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Neither vowels nor vowel points were used in ancient Hebrew writings, but are usually taken to be "a", "e", "i", "o" or "u." From the Hebrew tetragrammaton modern Christians have adopted pronunciations such as "Yahweh", "Yahveh" and "Jehovah".

Some claim the pronunciation of YHWH has been lost, other authorities say it has not and that it is pronounced Yahweh. References, such as The New Encyclopædia Britannica, validate the above by offering additional specifics:

Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used a form like Yahweh, and claim that this pronunciation of the tetragrammaton was never really lost. Other Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.[1]

Clement of Alexandria transliterated the tetragrammaton as Ιαου. The above claims were founded upon the understanding that Clement of Alexandria had transliterated YHWH as Ιαουε in Greek, which is pronounced "Yahweh" in English. However, the final -e in the latter form has been shown as having been a later addition. For a more in-depth discussion of this, see the article Yahweh.

[edit] Christianity

Yahweh is a common vocalization[citation needed] of God's personal name based on the Hebrew tetragrammaton (above). Opinions differ as to the most appropriate vowels to be used with the four-letter tetragrammaton. Because of Jewish concerns for avoiding blasphemy, the name was often avoided and replaced with "LORD" (equivalent to the Hebrew Adonai). Also some other names for God used by Christians are Father, Lord, Heavenly Father, or the Holy Trinity.

'Jehovah', an English rendering of the tetragrammaton, the four Hebrew letters used by Bible writers to represent the personal name of the supreme deity, is found Tyndale's Bible, in the King James Bible, and in many other translations from that time period onward. (See Jehovah for more details and examples of usage of this form.)
Some claim that the form Yahweh is an uncertain pronunciation, (in ancient Hebrew, the earliest forms of the tetragrammaton were written without vowels), but the article on Yahweh details why the traditionally used English word Jehovah also cannot be 'correct'.
Some avoid using either Yahweh or Jehovah altogether on the basis that the actual pronunciation of the tetragrammaton has been lost in antiquity. Instead they refer to him simply as God, or The Lord.

Jesus (Iesus, Yeshua, Joshua, or Yehoshûa) is a Hebraic personal name meaning "Yahweh saves/helps/is salvation",[2]. Christ means "the anointed" in Greek. Khristos is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word 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 Messianic Judaism, generally regarded as a form of Christianity, 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.'

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, Tagalog Bathala and Sinhala Deviyo. In the Arabic language, Allah is also used for the Christian God. Chinese names for God involve various translations, one of which, Shangdi, derives from a pre-Christianity deity and is used largely by Protestant Chinese-speakers, and the other Tianzhu is used primarily by Catholic Chinese-speakers. In the Irish Language, Dia is the term for God, Iosa Criost is the term for Jesus Christ.

Another example comes 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 term 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.

From the point of view of most Christians, all aforementioned names of God, as well as the names "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," are simply variegated descriptors for the One God, rather than distinct gods. The "Three Persons" (or hypostases) comprising the Trinity should not be misinterpreted as separate beings in any sense, for that would indicate that one or the other of "them" are somehow creatures of or engendered by another, rather than eternally-existing, mysterious aspects of the one Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. In this sense, the Christian Trinity could be seen as roughly parallel to the 99 Beautiful Names of God in Islam, in that they also represent distinctly manifest qualities of the One God (Allah), not ninety-nine separate gods.[citation needed]

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

[edit] Islam

Main article: 99 Names of God in the Qur'an

Allah is the most frequently used name of God in Islam. Allah is an Arabic word which means the Supreme Creator. In general conversation, the name Allah 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 worshiped in Mecca.[citation needed] It is properly translated as "Supreme Creator" 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 worshiped in either Judaism or Islam. Nevertheless, Allah is the same word in Arabic used by Arab Jews, Druze 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 Khoda in Persian language which has the same Indo-European root as god.

From the point of view of many Muslims, the 99 Beautiful Names of God could not be seen as roughly parallel to the Christian Trinity[citation needed], in that they represent ninety-nine qualities of the nature of the One God (Allah), as opposed to the three distinct gods in one of their understanding of the Christian Trinity concept (however, most Christians would dispute this interpretation of the Trinity as being "three gods in one").

[edit] 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.


[edit] Chinese religions

Main article: Chinese terms for God
  • Shangdi 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. Likewise, Korean Christians and Vietnamese Christians also use cognates of this name, to refer to the Biblical god.
  • 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.

[edit] Religions of India

[edit] Hinduism

Main article: Sahasranama
Radha and Krishna - Venerated within several traditions of Hinduism as the Supreme God, svayam bhagavan and his shakti, or as manifestations therof
Radha and Krishna - Venerated within several traditions of Hinduism as the Supreme God, svayam bhagavan and his shakti, or as manifestations therof
  • Bhagavan (bhagavān) - "possessing shares, lord", Brahman, Paramatma (paramātma) - "supreme soul" and Ishvara (īśvara) - "master, lord", are the terms used for God in the scriptures of Hinduism. A number of Hindu traditions worship a personal form of God or Ishvara, such as Vishnu or Shiva, whereas others worship the non-personal Supreme cosmic spirit, known as Brahman. The Vaishnava schools consider Vishnu as the Supreme God and within this tradition is the Vishnu sahasranama, which is a hymn describing the one thousand names of God (Vishnu). Shaivites consider Shiva as the Supreme God in similar way to the followers of Vaishnavism. The Supreme (Ishvara) of Hinduism must not be confused with the numerous deities or gods who are collectively known as devas.
  • Brahman in Sanskrit is the unknowable Supreme. Aum or Om̐, has been seen as the first manifestation of the unmanifest Brahman (the single Divine Ground of Hinduism) that resulted in the phenomenal universe.[citation needed]
  • Adi Purusha (ādipuruṣa) - original Purusha, primordial giant or creator.
  • Trimurti (trimūrti) is the Hindu "Trinity", although this differs largely from the Christian concept. See Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.
  • In Vaishnavism, the Vishnu sahasranama enumerates names of God. The names of Vishnu's Dasavatara (daśāvatāra) in particular are considered divine names.
  • In Shaivism, the Shiva sahasranama (sahasranāma) enumerates names of God.
  • Rama (Rāma) - as a name for a nirguna (nirguṇa) or saguna (saguṇa) God. The saguna Rama is the hero of the Ramayana and is venerated as the ideal man. The nirguna Rama is a formless, attribute-less monotheistic deity. The nirguna form is especially venerated in bhakti literature, such as that of Kabir and Ravidas, and more recently in the writings of Mohandas Gandhi.
  • Krishna (Kṛṣṇa) - as a name of personal God, svayam bhagavan (svayambhagavān) or Lord Himself.[3] In Krishna-centered schools of Vaishnavism - Madhva, Nimbarka, Vallabha and Caitanya - Krishna in particular is held as the personal aspect of God[4] based on the descriptions of him within the Bhagavata Purana and Mahabharata (with particular reference to the Bhagavad-Gita[5]).
  • Anami Purusha (anāmipuruṣa, nameless power) and Radha Soami (Rādhāsvāmī, lord of the soul) are two names used for God in Surat Shabda Yoga.[citation needed]
  • 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.[citation needed] Ganesha (Gaṇeśa) is one such example.

[edit] Sikhism

Main article: God in Sikhism

Some of the popular names for God in Sikhism 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, some are of the opinion that this is a name for God in itself, others believe that this is an adjective used to describe the 'Gurmantar', Waheguru (See below)
  • Waheguru, meaning Wonderful Teacher, this name is considered the greatest among Sikhs, and it is known as 'Gurmantar', the Guru's Word.
  • Bhagauti, stands for God and sometimes for Kirpan(Sword), which is identified with God.
  • 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
  • Govinda meaning Preserver of the World
  • Bhagavan meaning Lord or Supreme being
  • Rabh
  • Uppar Valah=a God who lives in heaven
  • Malik=leader

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." (Guru Granth Sahib page 358)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Buddhism

Main article: God in Buddhism

Buddhism is generally viewed as a religion or philosophy without a supreme being in the sense of a universal creator or a creator of the human race. The historical Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama or Gautama Buddha is sometimes viewed as an example of a human who has achieved the primal, eternal, sustaining essence within all beings and phenomena. While in the Theravada tradition the Buddha is not thought of as divine, in many Mahayana schools the Buddha is conceived as the eternal, imperishable essence of all phenomena.

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).

[edit] Religions in classical antiquity

[edit] 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 .

[edit] Roman religion

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.

[edit] 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, derived from the Greek Mithras. This was in turn derived 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 Mitra, a Vedic deity associated with Varuna.

[edit] Other traditions

[edit] 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.

[edit] Bahá'í Faith

Bahá'ís refer to God using the local word for God in whatever language is being spoken. Bahá'ís often, in prayers, refer to God to by 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. 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) or any derivation thereof (ex. Al-Abhá, or The Most Glorious) as the Greatest Name of God.

[edit] 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").

[edit] 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.

[edit] Judaism

Most observant Jews forbid discarding holy objects, including any document with a name of God written on it. Once written, the name must be preserved indefinitely. This leads to several noteworthy practices:

  • Commonplace materials are written with an intentionally abbreviated form of the name. For instance, a Jewish letter-writer may substitute "G-d" for the name God. Thus, the letter may be discarded along with ordinary trash. (Note that not all Jews agree that non-Hebrew words like God are covered under the prohibition.)
  • 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 they are buried.
  • All religious texts that include the name of God are buried.

[edit] Islam

  • In Islam, the name (or any names) of God is generally 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.

[edit] 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[citation needed] 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, Holy 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 speaking Christians generally 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. Nor does it apply to "Joshua," which is the English translation of "Jesus."
  • Traditionally, when a copy has worn out Bibles are burned, not simply thrown away.

[edit] 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), 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.

[edit] Literature and fiction

[edit] References

  1. ^ The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 12, 1998, Chicago, IL, article "Yahweh," p. 804.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Gupta, Ravi M. (2007). Caitanya Vaisnava Vedanta of Jiva Gosvami. Routledge. ISBN 0415405483.  p.36
  4. ^ Krishna explained in Srimad Bhagavatam
  5. ^ B-Gita Chapter 10, texts 12-13

[edit] See also

[edit] External links