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Evokation
  
 
Index
  

 

 

 

 

HONESTY AND TRUTH TRUTH AND HONESTY

DO I KNOW DO YOU KNOW DOES SHE KNOW DOES HE KNOW DO THEY KNOW

GOD KNOWS THAT THAT THAT GOD KNOWS

GOD IS PERFECT CREATIVITY PERFECT IS GOD

RIGHT AND WRONG AND WRONG AND RIGHT

NONE ESCAPES THAT PERFECT JUDGEMENT GODS JUDGEMENT PERFECT THAT ESCAPES NONE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-
2
R
E
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
18
5
+
=
23
2+3
=
5
-
5
-
-
9
5
+
=
14
1+4
=
5
-
5
-
2
R
E
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
5
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
6
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
1
=
9
31
2
R
E
-
-
14
-
-
2
-
14
3+1
-
9
-
-
-
1+4
-
-
-
-
1+4
4
2
R
E
-
-
5
-
-
2
-
5
-
-
9
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
2
R
E
-
-
5
-
-
2
-
5

 

 

2
R
E
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
18
5
+
=
23
2+3
=
5
-
5
-
9
5
+
=
14
1+4
=
5
-
5
2
R
E
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
-
9
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
1
=
9
2
R
E
-
-
14
-
-
2
-
14
-
9
-
-
-
1+4
-
-
-
-
1+4
2
R
E
-
-
5
-
-
2
-
5
-
9
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
R
E
-
-
5
-
-
2
-
5

 

 

-
2
R
A
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
18
1
+
=
19
1+9
=
10
1+0
1
-
-
9
1
+
=
10
1+0
=
1
-
1
-
2
R
A
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
1
occurs
x
1
=
1
2
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
1
=
9
35
2
R
A
-
-
10
-
-
2
-
10
3+5
-
9
-
-
-
1+0
-
-
-
-
1+0
8
2
R
A
-
-
1
-
-
2
-
1
-
-
9
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
2
R
A
-
-
1
-
-
2
-
1

 

 

2
R
A
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
18
1
+
=
19
1+9
=
10
1+0
1
-
9
1
+
=
10
1+0
=
1
-
1
2
R
A
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
1
occurs
x
1
=
1
-
9
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
1
=
9
2
R
A
-
-
10
-
-
2
-
10
-
9
-
-
-
1+0
-
-
-
-
1+0
2
R
A
-
-
1
-
-
2
-
1
-
9
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
R
A
-
-
1
-
-
2
-
1

 

 

-
4
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
`-
`-
9
19
9
19
+
=
56
5+6
=
11
1+1
2
=
2
-
-
9
1
9
1
+
=
20
2+0
=
2
=
2
=
2
-
4
I
S
I
S
-T
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
1
-
-
1
occurs
x
2
=
2
=
2
2
-`-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-`-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
-`-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
-`-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-`-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-`-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-`-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
2
=
18
1+8
9
35
4
I
S
I
S
-
-
10
-
1
4
-
20
-
11
3+5
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
1+0
-
-
-
-
2+0
-
1+1
8
4
I
S
I
S
-
-
1
-
1
4
-
2
-
2
-
-
9
1
9
1
-T
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
4
I
S
I
S
-
-
1
-
1
4
-
2
-
2

 

 

4
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
`-
9
19
9
19
+
=
56
5+6
=
11
1+1
2
=
2
-
9
1
9
1
+
=
20
2+0
=
2
=
2
=
2
4
I
S
I
S
-T
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
1
-
-
1
occurs
x
2
=
2
=
2
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
2
=
18
1+8
9
4
I
S
I
S
-
-
10
-
1
4
-
20
-
11
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
1+0
-
-
-
-
2+0
-
1+1
4
I
S
I
S
-
-
1
-
1
4
-
2
-
2
-
9
1
9
1
-T
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
I
S
I
S
-
-
1
-
1
4
-
2
-
2

 

 

-
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
1
9
1
+
=
20
2+0
=
2
-
2
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
9
19
9
19
+
=
56
5+6
=
11
1+1
2
-
2
-
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
1
-
-
-
-
-
+
=
10
1+0
=
1
-
1
-
1
-
-
18
1
-
-
-
-
-
+
=
19
1+9
=
10
1+0
1
-
1
-
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
18
1
-
9
19
9
19
+
=
75
7+5
=
12
1+2
3
-
3
-
-
9
1
-
9
1
9
1
+
=
30
3+0
=
3
-
3
-
3
-
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
1
-
1
-
-
1
occurs
x
3
=
3
-
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
-
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
3
=
27
2+7
9
35
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
10
-
-
6
-
30
-
12
3+5
-
9
-
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
1+0
-
-
-
-
3+0
-
1+2
8
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
1
-
-
6
-
3
-
3
-
-
9
1
-
9
1
9
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
1
-
-
6
-
3
-
3

 

 

6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
1
9
1
+
=
20
2+0
=
2
-
2
-
2
-
-
-
-
9
19
9
19
+
=
56
5+6
=
11
1+1
2
-
2
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
9
1
-
-
-
-
-
+
=
10
1+0
=
1
-
1
-
1
-
18
1
-
-
-
-
-
+
=
19
1+9
=
10
1+0
1
-
1
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
18
1
-
9
19
9
19
+
=
75
7+5
=
12
1+2
3
-
3
-
9
1
-
9
1
9
1
+
=
30
3+0
=
3
-
3
-
3
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
1
-
1
-
-
1
occurs
x
3
=
3
-
3
-
9
-
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
3
=
27
2+7
9
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
10
-
-
6
-
30
-
12
-
9
-
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
1+0
-
-
-
-
3+0
-
1+2
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
1
-
-
6
-
3
-
3
-
9
1
-
9
1
9
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6
R
A
-
I
S
I
S
-
-
1
-
-
6
-
3
-
3

 

 

6
ISRAEL
64
28
1
6
REALIS
64
28
1
6
ISREAL
64
28
1

 

 

-
ISRAEL
-
-
-
2
I+S
28
10
1
2
R+E
23
14
5
2
A+L
13
4
4
6
ISRAEL
64
28
10
-
-
6+4
2+8
1+0
6
ISRAEL
10
10
1
-
-
1+0
1+0
-
6
ISRAEL
1
1
1

 

 

-
ISRAEL
-
-
-
2
EL
17
8
8
2
IS
28
10
1
2
RA
19
10
1
6
ISRAEL
-
-
-

 

 

-
ISRAEL
-
-
-
2
RA
19
10
1
2
IS
28
10
1
2
EL
17
8
8
6
ISRAEL
-
-
-

 

 

2
IS
28
10
1
3
GOD
26
17
8

 

 

2
RA
19
10
1
3
GOD
26
17
8

 

 

2
EL
17
8
8
3
GOD
26
17
8

 

 

-
ISRAEL
-
-
-
2
AL
13
4
4
4
S+I+R+E
51
24
6
6
ISRAEL
64
28
10
-
-
6+4
2+8
1+0
6
ISRAEL
10
10
1
-
-
1+0
1+0
-
6
ISRAEL
1
1
1

 

 

-
ISRAEL
-
-
-
2
I+S
19
10
1
2
R+A
23
14
5
2
E+L
17
8
8
6
ISRAEL
64
28
10
-
-
6+4
2+8
1+0
6
ISRAEL
10
10
1
-
-
1+0
1+0
-
6
ISRAEL
1
1
1

 

 

-
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
1
-
-
-
-
+
=
10
1+0
=
1
=
1
=
1
-`
-
9
19
-
-
-
-
+
=
28
2+8
=
10
1+0
1
=
1
-
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
1
5
3
+
=
18
1+8
=
9
=
9
=
9
-
-
-
-
18
1
5
12
+
=
36
3+6
=
9
=
9
=
9
-
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
19
18
1
5
12
+
=
64
6+4
=
10
1+0
1
=
1
-
-
9
1
9
1
5
3
+
=
28
2+8
=
10
1+0
1
=
1
-
11
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
1
occurs
x
2
=
2
=
2
2
-
-
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
2
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
3
occurs
x
1
=
3
=
3
4
-
-
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
4
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
=
5
6
-
-
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
6
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
7
-
-
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
7
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
8
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
8
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
-
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
-
-
9
occurs
x
2
=
18
1+8
9
27
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
18
-
-
6
-
28
-
19
2+7
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
-
-
1+8
-
-
-
-
2+8
-
1+9
9
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
9
-
-
6
-
10
-
10
-
-
9
1
9
1
5
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+0
-
1+0
9
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
9
-
-
6
-
1
-
1

 

 

6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
9
1
-
-
-
-
+
=
10
1+0
=
1
=
1
=
1
-
9
19
-
-
-
-
+
=
28
2+8
=
10
1+0
1
=
1
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
1
5
3
+
=
18
1+8
=
9
=
9
=
9
-
-
-
18
1
5
12
+
=
36
3+6
=
9
=
9
=
9
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
-
-
-
--
-
-
-
-
-
9
19
18
1
5
12
+
=
64
6+4
=
10
1+0
1
=
1
-
9
1
9
1
5
3
+
=
28
2+8
=
10
1+0
1
=
1
11
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
1
occurs
x
2
=
2
=
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
3
occurs
x
1
=
3
=
3
-
-
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-
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5
-
-
-
5
occurs
x
1
=
5
=
5
-
9
-
9
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9
occurs
x
2
=
18
1+8
9
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
18
-
-
6
-
28
-
19
-
9
-
9
-
-
-
-
-
1+8
-
-
-
-
2+8
-
1+9
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
9
-
-
6
-
10
-
10
-
9
1
9
1
5
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1+0
-
1+0
6
I
S
R
A
E
L
-
-
9
-
-
6
-
1
-
1

 

 

IS RA EL IS EL RA IS LEAR REAL ISISIS REAL LEAR IS RA EL IS EL RA IS

GOD IS RA GOD IS EL GOD IS REAL REAL IS GOD GOD IS EL GOD IS RA

 

 

THE LOST LANGUAGE OF SYMBOLISM

Harold Bayley 1912

Page 278

""According to the authors of The Perfect Way, the words IS and ISH originally meant Light, and the name ISIS, once ISH-ISH, was Egyptian for Light-Light."

 

6
ISH-ISH
72
36
9
4
ISHI
45
36
9

 

Page 278

"ONE-EYE, TWO-EYES, THREE-EYES"

"According to the authors of The Perfect Way, the words IS and ISH originally meant Light, and the name ISIS, once ISH-ISH,

 

 

THE HOLY BIBLE

Scofield References

Hosea Chapter 2

Page 922/923

16

And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

 

 

A

HISTORY OF GOD

Karen Armstrong 1993

The God of the Mystics

Page 250

"Perhaps the most famous of the early Jewish mystical texts is the fifth century Sefer Yezirah (The Book of Creation). There is no attempt to describe the creative process realistically; the account is unashamedly symbolic and shows God creating the world by means of language as though he were writing a book. But language has been entirely transformed and the message of creation is no longer clear. Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is given a numerical value; by combining the letters with the sacred numbers, rearranging them in endless configurations, the mystic weaned his mind away from the normal connotations of words."

 

THIS IS THE SCENE OF THE SCENE UNSEEN

THE UNSEEN SEEN OF THE SCENE UNSEEN THIS IS THE SCENE

 

 

3
THE
33
15
6
4
MIND
40
22
4
2
OF
21
12
3
9
HUMANKIND
95
41
5
18
First Total
189
90
18
1+8
Add to Reduce
1+8+9
9+0
1+8
9
Second Total
18
9
9
-
Reduce to Deduce
1+8
-
-
9
Essence of Number
9
9
9

 

 

THE

FAR YFAR YONDER SCRIBE

AND OFT TIMES SHADOWED SUBSTANCES WATCHED IN FINE AMAZE

THE

ZED ALIZ ZED

IN SWIFT REPEAT SCATTER STAR DUST AMONGST THE LETTERS OF THEIR PROGRESS

AT THE THROW OF THE NINTH RAM WHEN IN CONJUNCTION SET

THE

FAR YONDER SCRIBE

MADE RECORD OF THE FALL

 

 

NUMBER

9

THE SEARCH FOR THE SIGMA CODE

Cecil Balmond 1998

Cycles and Patterns

Page 165

Patterns

"The essence of mathematics is to look for patterns.

Our minds seem to be organised to search for relationships and sequences. We look for hidden orders.

These intuitions seem to be more important than the facts themselves, for there is always the thrill at finding something, a pattern, it is a discovery - what was unknown is now revealed. Imagine looking up at the stars and finding the zodiac!

Searching out patterns is a pure delight.

Suddenly the counters fall into place and a connection is found, not necessarily a geometric one, but a relationship between numbers, pictures of the mind, that were not obvious before. There is that excitement of finding order in something that was otherwise hidden.

And there is the knowledge that a huge unseen world lurks behind the facades we see of the numbers themselves."

 

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

 

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL M+E I+S+H+I AND SHALL CALL M+E NO MORE BAALI

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL 4+5 9+S+H+9 AND SHALL CALL 4+5 NO MORE BAAL9

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

A4+5 9T 1+8ALL BE AT T8+1T DAY SA9TH THE 3+69D T8+1T TH6+3 1+8ALT

CALL 4+5 9+S+H+9 A4+5 1+8ALL CALL 4+5 NO MO9E BAAL9

 

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

1+4+5 9+2 1+8+1+3+3 2+5 1+2 2+8+1+2 4+1+7 1+1+9+2+8 2+8+5 3+6+9+4 2+8+1+2 2+8+6+3 1+8+1+3+2

3+1+3+3 4+5 9+1+8+9 1+5+4 1+8+1+3+3 3+1+3+3 4+5 5+6 4+6+9+5 2+1+1+3+9

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

 

 

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

1+4+5 9+2 1+8+1+3+3 2+5 1+2 2+8+1+2 4+1+7 1+1+9+2+8 2+8+5 3+6+9+4 2+8+1+2 2+8+6+3 1+8+1+3+2

3+1+3+3 4+5 9+1+8+9 1+5+4 1+8+1+3+3 3+1+3+3 4+5 5+6 4+6+9+5 2+1+1+3+9

AND IT SHALL BE AT THAT DAY SAITH THE LORD THAT THOU SHALT

CALL ME ISHI AND SHALL CALL ME NO MORE BAALI

 

 

I

ME

I SAY ISIS SAY I

I SAY OSIRIS SAY I

I SAY CHRIST SAY I

I SAY KRISHNA SAY I

I SAY RISHI ISHI ISHI RISHI SAY I

I SAY VISHNU SHIVA SHIVA VISHNU SAY I

ARISES THAT SUN SETS THAT SUN SETS THAT SUN ARISES THAT SUN

OSIRIS THAT SON SETS THAT SON SETS THAT SON OSIRIS THAT SON

 

 

 

 

SAPTARSHI A STAR SHIP SHIP STAR A SAPTARSHI

PAST A RISH SAPTARSHI SAPTARSHI RISH A PAST

A PAST RISH RISH PAST A

SHRI

KRISHNA

SHRI KRISHNA KRISHNA SHRI

 

 

MANY LIVES ARUJNA HAVE I LIVED

I

KRISHNA

REMEMBER THEM ALL ARUJNA THOU DOST NOT

 

 

I

ME

AND YOU AND

GOD

DO YOU KNOW DOES SHE KNOW DOES HE KNOW DO THEY KNOW

WHO KNOWS WHO KNOWS WHO

KNOWS GOD GOD KNOWS

 

 

THE HOLY BIBLE

Scofield References

Hosea Chapter 2

Page 922/923

16

And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

17

For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

18

And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

19

 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

20

I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD

21

And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

22

And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.

23

And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

 

 

THE

CHOSEN

RACE THE HUMAN RACE

 

 

 

2
EL
17
8
8
3
GOD
26
17
8

 

 

Christians accept the Hebrew Tanakh as part of scripture, generally translating El as "god" or "God." Some Christians take the Tanakh's use of the plural ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_(god) -

El (God)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from El (god))
Jump to: navigation, search

 

 

 

 

El depicted with two lions representing the planet Venus on the back of the handle of the Gebel el-Arak Knife

El (Hebrew: אל‎; Greek: Ελ) al, iah, yah or Eli is a Western Semitic word which means power.

In the Levant as a whole, el, al, iah, Yah Eli or Izer were the powers of the supreme being, the creator god of humankind and all creatures and the husband of the goddess Asherah as attested in the tablets of Ugarit. In the Egyptian pantheon the creator god was Ptah who is portrayed as green to represent the earth and blue to represent the sky. He is the smith who builds the iron frame on which the sky sits. In most early afroasiatic semitic ad IE languages *pitar, pater, peter and father are cognate with abu. Thus we have Zeus pitar, jupitar, and a host of other sky gods seen as creators

The word Eli was found at the top of a list of gods as the "ancient of gods" or the "father of all gods", in the ruins of the Royal Library of the Ebla civilization, in the archaeological site of Tell Mardikh in Syria dated to 2300 BCE. He may have been a desert god at some point, as the myths say that he had two wives and built a sanctuary with them and his new children in the desert. El had fathered many gods, but most important were Hadad, Yam and Mot, each of whom has similar attributes to the Greek gods Zeus, Poseidon or Ophion, and Hades or Thanatos respectively. Ancient Greek mythographers identified El with Cronus (not Chronos).

In the story of Abraham four powers are introduced: El Shaddai (translated in the NRSV as "God Almighty") or Shamsi Adad the lord of the land and the power of the earth. Yahwah (generally rendered "the LORD" in English translations), the power of the air, is a western semitic storm god associated with Bael. El Roi (which the NRSV suggests may mean "God of seeing" or "God who sees") is the lord of the well or the power of water in the sense that in a desert he who controls the water controls the land. In Biblical times Egypt fortified the wells between Egypt and a place called in the Akkadian cuneiform of the Amarna letters URU URU salaam KI. The final power is Moloch, the power of the fire through who Abraham is instructed to pass his son. (The name "Moloch" does not actually appear in Genesis, although it is possible that the story relates in some way to this deity.)


Contents[hide]

 

[edit] Linguistic forms and meanings

Cognate forms are found throughout the Semitic languages with the exception of the ancient Ge'ez language of Ethiopia. Forms include Ugaritic ’il, pl. ’lm; Phoenician ’l pl. ’lm, Hebrew ’ēl, pl. ’⁏lîm; Aramaic ’l, Arabic ʾilāh; Akkadian ilu, pl. ilāti. The original meaning may have been "strength, power". In northwest Semitic usage ’l was both a generic word for any "god" and the special name or title of a particular god who was distinguished from other gods as being the god, or in the monotheistic sense, God. Ēli is listed at the head of many pantheons. Eli was the father god among the Canaanites. However, because the word sometimes refers to a god other than the great god Ēli, it is frequently ambiguous as to whether Ēli followed by another name means the great god Ēli with a particular epithet applied or refers to another god entirely. For example, in the Ugaritic texts ’il mlk is understood to mean "Ēli the King" but ’il hd as "the god Hadad".

In Ugaritic an alternative plural form meaning "gods" is ’ilhm, equivalent to Hebrew ’elōhîm "gods". But in Hebrew this word is also regularly used for semantically singular "God" or "god" (literally godder).

The stem ’l is found prominently in the earliest strata of east Semitic, northwest Semitic, and south Semitic groups. Personal names including the stem ’l are found with similar patterns both in Amorite and South Arabic which indicates that probably already in Proto-Semitic ’l was both a generic term for "god" and the common name or title of a single particular "god" or "God".

[edit] Proto-Sinaitic, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Hittite texts
Ancient Near Eastern deities
Levantine deities

Adonis | Anat | Asherah | Ashima | Astarte | Atargatis | Ba'al | Berith | Chemosh | Dagon | Derceto | El | Elyon | Eshmun | Hadad | Kothar | Melqart | Moloch | Mot | Qetesh | Resheph | Shalim | Yam | Yarikh | YHWH
Mesopotamian deities

Abzu/Apsu | Adad | Amurru | An/Anu | Anshar | Ashur | Enki/Ea | Enlil | Ereshkigal | Inanna/Ishtar | Kingu | Kishar | Lahmu & Lahamu | Marduk | Mummu | Nabu | Nammu | Nanna/Sin | Nergal | Ningizzida | Ninhursag | Ninlil | Tiamat | Utu/Shamash
Egyptian deities
Amun | Ra | Apis | Bakha | Isis | Horus | Osiris | Ptah
This box: view • talk • edit
Myths of the Fertile Crescent
series
Mesopotamian mythology
Ancient Arabian mythology
Ancient Levantine mythology
Pre-Islamic Arabian gods


This box: view • talk • edit

A proto-Sinaitic mine inscription from Mount Sinai reads ’ld‘lm understood to be vocalized as ’il dū ‘ôlmi, 'Ēl Eternal' or 'God Eternal'.

The Egyptian god Ptah is given the title dū gitti 'Lord of Gath' in a prism from Lachish which has on its opposite face the name of Amenhotep II (c. 1435–1420 BCE) The title dū gitti is also found in Serābitṭ text 353. Cross (1973, p. 19) points out that Ptah is often called the lord (or one) of eternity and thinks it may be this identification of Ēl with Ptah that lead to the epithet ’olam 'eternal' being applied to Ēl so early and so consistently. (However in the Ugaritic texts Ptah is seemingly identified instead with the craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis.)[citation needed]

A Phoenician inscribed amulet of the 7th century BCE from Arslan Tash may refer to Ēl. Rosenthal (1969, p. 658) translated the text:

 

An eternal bond has been established for us. Ashshur has established (it) for us, and all the divine beings and the majority of the group of all the holy ones, through the bond of heaven and earth for ever, ...

However the text is translated by Cross (1973, p. 17):

 

The Eternal One (‘Olam) has made a covenant oath with us,
Asherah has made (a pact) with us.
And all the sons of El,
And the great council of all the Holy Ones.
With oaths of Heaven and Ancient Earth.

In some inscriptions the name ’Ēl qōne ’arṣ meaning "'Ēl creator of Earth" appears, even including a late inscription at Leptis Magna in Tripolitania dating to 2nd century (KAI. 129). In Hittite texts the expression becomes the single name Ilkunirsa, this Ilkunirsa appearing as the husband of Asherdu (Asherah) and father of 77 or 88 sons[citation needed].

In an Hurrian hymn to Ēl (published in Ugaritica V, text RS 24.278) he is called ’il brt and ’il dn which Cross (p. 39) takes as 'Ēl of the covenant' and 'Ēl the judge' respectively.

See Ba‘al Hammon for the possibility that Ēli was identical with Ba‘al Hammon who was worshipped as the supreme god in Carthage.

[edit] Amorites

Amorite inscriptions from Zinčirli refer to numerous gods, sometimes by name, sometimes by title, especially by such titles as ilabrat 'god of the people'(?), il abīka 'god of your father', il abīni 'god of our father' and so forth. Various family gods are recorded, divine names listed as belong to a particular family or clan, sometimes by title and sometimes by name, including the name Il 'god'. In Amorite personal names the most common divine elements are Il ('God'), Hadad/Adad, and Dagan. It is likely that Il is also very often the god called in Akkadian texts Amurru or Il Amurru.

edit] Ugarit

For the Canaanites, Eli or Il was the supreme god, the father of mankind and all creatures. He may have been a desert god at some point, as the myths say that he had two wives and built a sanctuary with them and his new children in the desert. El had fathered many gods, but most important were Hadad, Yam, and Mot, each share similar attributes to the GrecoRoman gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades respectively.

Three pantheon lists found at Ugarit begin with the four gods ’il-’ib (which according to Cross [1973; p. 14] is the name of a generic kind of deity, perhaps the divine ancestor of the people), Ēl, Dagnu (that is Dagon), and Ba’l Ṣapān (that is the god Haddu or Hadad). Though Ugarit had a large temple dedicated to Dagon and another to Hadad, there was no temple dedicated to Ēl.

Ēl is called again and again Tôru ‘Ēl ("Bull Ēl" or "the bull god"). He is bātnyu binwāti ("Creator of creatures"), ’abū banī ’ili ("father of the gods"), and ‘abū ‘adami ("father of man"). He is qāniyunu ‘ôlam ("creator eternal"), the epithet ‘ôlam appearing in Hebrew form in the Hebrew name of God ’ēl ‘ôlam "God Eternal" in Genesis 21.23. He is ḥātikuka ("your patriarch"). Ēl is the grey-bearded ancient one, full of wisdom, malku ("king"), ’abū šamīma ("father of years"), ’ēl gibbōr ("Ēl the warrior"). He is also named lṭpn of unknown meaning, variously rendered as Latpan, Latipan, or Lutpani ("shroud-face" by Strong's Hebrew Concordance).

The mysterious Ugaritic text Shachar and Shalim tells how (perhaps near the beginning of all things) Ēl came to shores of the sea and saw two women who bobbed up and down. Ēl was sexually aroused and took the two with him, killed a bird by throwing a staff at it, and roasted it over a fire. He asked the women to tell him when the bird was fully cooked, and to then address him either as husband or as father, for he would thenceforward behave to them as they call him. They saluted him as husband. He then lies with them, and they gave birth to Shachar ("Dawn") and Shalim ("Dusk"). Again Ēl lies with his wives and the wives give birth to "the gracious gods", "cleavers of the sea", "children of the sea". The names of these wives are not explicitly provided, but some confusing rubrics at the beginning of the account mention the goddess Athirat who is otherwise Ēl's chief wife and the goddess Rahmay ("Merciful"), otherwise unknown.

In the Ugaritic Ba‘al cycle Ēl is introduced dwelling on (or in) Mount Lel (Lel possibly meaning 'Night') at the fountains of the two rivers at the spring of the two deeps. He dwells in a tent according to some interpretations of the text which may explain why he had no temple in Ugarit. As to the rivers and the spring of the two deeps, these might refer real streams, or to the mythological sources of the salt water ocean and the fresh water sources under the earth, or to the waters above the heavens and the waters beneath the earth.

In the episode of the "Palace of Ba‘al", the god Ba‘al/Hadad invites the "70 sons of Athirat" to a feast in his new palace. Presumably these sons have been fathered on Athirat by Ēl in following passages they seem be the gods (’ilm) in general or at least a large portion of them. The only sons of Ēl named individually in the Ugaritic texts are Yamm ("Sea"), Mot ("Death"), and Ashtar, who may be the chief and leader of most of the sons of Ēl. Ba‘al/Hadad is a few times called Ēl's son rather than the son of Dagan as he is normally called, probably because Ēl is in the position of a clan-father to all the gods.

The fragmentary text RS 24.258 describes a banquet to which Ēl invites the other gods and then disgraces himself by becoming outrageously drunk and passing out after confronting an otherwise unknown Hubbay, "he with the horns and tail". The text ends with an incantation for the cure of some disease, possibly hangover.

[edit] Greater Levant

A proto-Sinaitic mine inscription from Mount Sinai reads ’ld‘lm understood to be vocalized as ’il dū ‘ôlmi, 'Ēl Eternal' or 'God Eternal'.

The Egyptian god Ptah is given the title dū gitti ("Lord of Gath") in a prism from Lachish which has on its opposite face the name of Amenhotep II (c. 1435–1420 BCE) The title dū gitti is also found in Serābitṭ text 353. Cross (1973, p. 19) points out that Ptah is often called the lord (or one) of eternity and thinks it may be this identification of Ēl with Ptah that lead to the epithet ’olam ("eternal") being applied to Ēl so early and so consistently. (However in the Ugaritic texts Ptah is seemingly identified instead with the craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis.)

A Phoenician inscribed amulet of the 7th century BCE from Arslan Tash may refer to Ēl. Rosenthal (1969, p. 658) translated the text:

 

An eternal bond has been established for us. Ashshur has established (it) for us, and all the divine beings and the majority of the group of all the holy ones, through the bond of heaven and earth for ever, ...

However the text is translated by Cross (1973, p. 17):

 

The Eternal One (‘Olam) has made a covenant oath with us,
Asherah has made (a pact) with us.
And all the sons of El,
And the great council of all the Holy Ones.
With oaths of Heaven and Ancient Earth.

In some inscriptions the name ’Ēl qōne ’arṣ ("Ēl creator of Earth") appears, even including a late inscription at Leptis Magna in Tripolitania dating to 100s (KAI. 129). In Hittite texts the expression becomes the single name Ilkunirsa, this Ilkunirsa appearing as the husband of Asherdu (Asherah) and father of 77 or 88 sons.

In an Hurrian hymn to Ēl (published in Ugaritica V, text RS 24.278) he is called ’il brt and ’il dn which Cross (p. 39) takes as 'Ēl of the covenant' and 'Ēl the judge' respectively.

See Ba‘al Hammon for the possibility that Ēl was identical with Ba‘al Hammon who was worshipped as the supreme god in Carthage.

[edit] Tanakh

The Hebrew form (אל) appears in Latin letters in Standard Hebrew transcription as El and in Tiberian Hebrew transcription as ʾĒl.

El is a generic word for god that could be used for any god including Baal, Moloch[1], or Yahweh.

In the Tanakh ’elōhîm is the normal word for a god or the great god (or gods). But the form ’ēl also appears, mostly in poetic passages and in the patriarchal narratives attributed to the P source according to the documentary hypothesis. It occurs 217 times in the Masoretic text: 73 times in the Psalms and 55 times in the Book of Job, and otherwise mostly in poetic passages or passages written in elevated prose. It occasionally appears with the definite article as hā’Ēl 'the God' (for example in 2 Samuel 22.31,33–48).

There are also places where ’ēl specifically refers to a foreign god as in Psalms 44.20;81.9 (Hebrew 44.21;81.10), in Deuteronomy 32.12 and in Malachi 2.11.

The theological position of the Tanakh is that the names Ēl, ’Ĕlōhîm when used in the singular to mean the supreme and active 'God' refers to the same being as does Yahweh. All three refer to the one supreme god who is also the God of Israel, beside whom other supposed gods are either non-existent or insignificant. Whether this was a longstanding belief or a relatively new one has long been the subject of inconclusive scholarly debate about the prehistory of the sources of the Tanakh and about the prehistory of Israelite religion. In the P strand YHVH says in Exodus 6.2–3:

 

I revealed myself to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as Ēl Shaddāi, but was not known to them by my name Yahweh.

This affirms the identity of Yahweh with either Ēl in his aspect Shaddāi or with a god called Shaddāi. Also affirmed is that the name Yahweh is a more recent revelation. One scholarly position is that the identification of Yahweh with Ēl is late, that Yahweh was earlier thought of as only one of many gods and not normally identified with Ēl. In some places, especially in Psalm 29, Yahweh is clearly envisioned as a storm god, something not true of Ēl so far as we know. (Noted Parallel: El is derived from Sumerian Enlil, God of Wind[citation needed]) It is Yahweh who fights Leviathan in Isaiah 27.1; Psalm 74.14; Job 3.8 & 40.25/41.1, a deed attributed both to Ba’al/Hadad and ‘Anat in the Ugaritic texts, but not to Ēl. Such mythological motifs are variously seen as late survivals from a period when Yahweh held a place in theology comparable to that of Hadad at Ugarit; or as late henotheistic/monotheistic applications to Yahweh of deeds more commonly attributed to Hadad; or simply as examples of eclectic application of the same motifs and imagery to various different gods. Similarly it is argued inconclusively whether Ēl Shaddāi, Ēl ‘Ôlām, Ēl ‘Elyôn and so forth were originally understood as separate divinities. Albrecht Alt presented his theories on the original differences of such gods in Der Gott der Väter in 1929. But others have argued that from patriarchal times these different names were indeed generally understood to refer to the same single great god Ēl. This is the position of Frank Moore Cross (1973). What is certain is that the form ’ēl does appear in Israelite names from every period including the name Yiśrā’ēl 'Israel', meaning 'ēl strives' or 'struggled with él'.

According to The Oxford Companion To World Mythology (David Leeming, Oxford University Press, 2005, page 118), "It seems almost certain that the God of the Jews evolved gradually from the Canaanite El, who was in all likelihood the 'God of Abraham'...If El was the high god of Abraham - Elohim, the prototype of Yahveh - Asherah was his wife, and there are archeological indications that she was perceived as such before she was in effect 'divorced' in the context of emerging Judaism of the seventh century B.C.E. (See 2 Kings 23:15)"

The more traditional Orthodox Jewish opinion explains the depictions of Yahweh as performing these deeds attributed to other gods in the Ugaritic, etc. traditions as making the theological point that there is but one God and He is responsible for all natural forces and everything divine. This would cast Him in the roles that previously other gods had, as god of the weather and he who conquers deep sea creatures, etc.

The apparent plural form ’Ēlîm or ’Ēlim 'gods' occurs only four times in the Tanakh. Psalm 29, understood as an enthronement psalm, begins:

 

A Psalm of David.
Ascribe to Yahweh, sons of gods (bênê ’Ēlîm),
Ascribe to Yahweh, glory and strength

Psalm 89:6 (verse 7 in Hebrew) has:

 

For who in the skies compares to Yahweh,
who can be likened to Yahweh among the sons of gods (bênê ’Ēlîm).

Traditionally bênê ’ēlîm has been interpreted as 'sons of the mighty', 'mighty ones', for, indeed ’ēl can mean 'mighty', though such use may be metaphorical (compare the English expression God-awful). It is possible also that the expression ’ēlîm in both places descends from an archaic stock phrase in which ’lm was a singular form with the m-enclitic and therefore to be translated as 'sons of Ēl'. The m-enclitic appears elsewhere in the Tanakh and in other Semitic languages. Its meaning is unknown, possibly simply emphasis. It appears in similar contexts in Ugaritic texts where the expression bn ’il alternates with bn ’ilm, but both must mean 'sons of Ēl'. That phrase with m-enclictic also appears in Phoenician inscriptions as late as the 5th century BCE.

One of the other two occurrences in the Tanakh is in the "Song of Moses", Exodus 15.11a:

 

Who is like you among the gods (’ēlim), Yahweh?

The final occurrence is in Daniel 11.36:

 

And the king will do according to his pleasure; and he will exalt himself and magnify himself over every god (’ēl), and against the God of gods (’ēl ’ēlîm) he will speak outrageous things, and will prosper until the indignation is accomplished: for that which is decided will be done.

There are a few cases in the Tanakh where some think ’ēl referring to the great god Ēl is not equated with Yahweh. One is in Ezekiel 28.2 in the oracle against Tyre:

 

Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: "Thus says the Lord Yahweh: 'Because your heart is proud and you have said: "I am ’ēl, in the seat of ’elōhîm (God or gods), I am enthroned in the middle of the seas." Yet you are man and not ’ēl even though you have made your heart like the heart of ’elōhîm ('God' or 'gods').'"

Here ’ēl might refer to a generic god, not necessarily the high god Ēl and if it does so refer, the King of Tyre is certainly not thinking specifically of Yahweh.

In Judges 9.46 we find ’Ēl Bêrît 'God of the Covenant', seemingly the same as the Ba‘al Bêrît 'Lord of the Covenant' whose worship has been condemned a few verses earlier. See Baal for a discussion of this passage.

Psalm 82.1 says:

 

’elōhîm ('God') stands in the council of ’ēl
he judges among the gods (elohim).

This could mean that God, that is Yahweh, judges along with many other gods as one of the council of the high god Ēl. However it can also mean that God, that is Yahweh, stands in the divine council (generally known as the Council of Ēl), as Ēl judging among the other members of the Council. The following verses in which God condemns those whom he says were previously named gods (elohim) and sons of the Most High suggest God is here indeed Ēl judging the lesser gods.

An archaic phrase appears in Isaiah 14.13, kôkkêbê ’ēl 'stars of God', referring to the circumpolar stars that never set, possibly especially to the seven stars of Ursa Major. The phrase also occurs in the Pyrgi Inscription as hkkbm ’l (preceded by the definite article h and followed by the m-enclitic). Two other apparent fossilized expressions are arzê-’ēl 'cedars of God' (generally translated something like 'mighty cedars', 'goodly cedars') in Psalm 80.10 (in Hebrew verse 11) and kêharrê-’ēl 'mountains of God' (generally translated something like 'great mountains', 'mighty mountains') in Psalm 36.7 (in Hebrew verse 6).

For the reference in some texts of Deuteronomy 32.8 to 70 sons of God corresponding to the 70 sons of Ēl in the Ugaritic texts see ’Elyôn.

[edit] Christian theology

Christians accept the Hebrew Tanakh as part of scripture, generally translating El as "god" or "God." Some Christians take the Tanakh's use of the plural "Elohim" for God as confirming the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

According to church fathers of early Christianity, El was the first Hebrew name of God. Dante Alighieri in his De vulgari eloquentia suggests that the name was the first sound emitted by Adam: While the first utterance of humans after birth is a cry of pain, Dante assumed that Adam could only have made an exclamation of joy, which at the same time was addressing his Creator. In the Divina commedia, however, Dante contradicts this by saying that God was called I in the language of Adam, and only named El in later Hebrew, but before the confusion of tongues (Paradiso, 26.134).

Unlike other Christians and unlike Jews, Latter-day Saints identify Elohim as a distinct deity from Yahweh, whom they identify with Jesus Christ. Elohim is viewed as God the Father, while Yahweh, or Jesus Christ, is identified as God the Son.

[edit] 'Ali becomes "Eli" of the Bible

Before the advent of the Fatimid Dynasty, a strange doctrine had evolved. Ismailis believed that each and every Prophet that had come upon this earth had had an intimate companion called Asas ("foundation"). Since the Prophet communicated with the members of his community he was called Natiq (a speaker). The companion of a Prophet — an Asas — was called Samit (a silent one). The Asas silently assisted the Prophet in his mission.

Adam's son Seth was an Asas with the Prophet Adam; Shem was an Asas with the Prophet Noah; Ishmael was an Asas with the Prophet Abraham; Aaron was an Asas with the Prophet Moses; initially John the Baptist was an Asas; and later on Simon Peter was an Asas with the Prophet Jesus; 'Ali ibn Abi Talib was an Asas with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon all the Prophets). Every Asas is labeled 'Ali of his era.

"Eli" and "'Ali." The Aramaic phrase that Jesus Christ uttered was "Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani?" which translates "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (Matthew 27/46).

As for the call by the Prophet for 'Ali is based upon a mythological account of the battle of Khaibar recorded by the author of Noorum-Mubin for which there is no historical evidence. As for an example, Noorum-Mubin records (p. 4) that 'Ali uprooted the heavy iron gate of the fort with his bare hands and placed it over the trench. The gate was short to cover the trench from one end to the other, and Hazrat `Ali held the other end of the gate in his hand. The Muslim army crossed over the gate and conquered the fort.

edit] Sanchuniathon

In the euhemeristic account of Sanchuniathon Ēl (rendered Elus or called by his standard Greek counterpart Cronus) is not the creator god or first god. Ēl is rather the son of Sky and Earth. Sky and Earth are themselves children of ‘Elyôn 'Most High'. Ēl is brother to the god Bethel, to Dagon, and to an unknown god equated with the Greek Atlas, and to the goddesses Aphrodite/’Ashtart, Rhea (presumably Asherah), and Dione (equated with Ba’alat Gebal). Ēl is father of Persephone who dies (presumably an otherwise unknown Semitic goddess of the dead) and of Athene (presumably the goddess ‘Anat).

Sky and Earth have separated from one another in hostility, but Sky insists on continuing to force himself on Earth and attempts to destroy the children born of such unions until at last Ēl, son of Sky and Earth, with the advice of the god Thoth and Ēl's daughter Athene attacks his father Sky with a sickle and spear of iron and drives him off for ever. So he and his allies the Eloim gain Sky's kingdom. In a later passage it is explained that Ēl castrated Sky. But one of Sky's concubines who was given to Ēl's brother Dagon was already pregnant by Sky and the son who is born of this union, called by Sanchuniathon Demarûs or Zeus, but once called by him Adodus, is obviously Hadad, the Ba‘al of the Ugaritic texts who now becomes an ally of his grandfather Sky and begins to make war on Ēl.

Ēl has three wives, his sisters or half-sisters Aphrodite/Astarte (‘Ashtart), Rhea (presumably Asherah), and Dione (identified by Sanchuniathon with Ba‘alat Gebal the tutelary goddess of Byblos, a city which Sanchuniathon says that Ēl founded).

Unfortunately Eusebius of Caesarea, through whom Sanchuniathon is preserved, is not interested in setting the work forth completely or in order. But we are told that Ēl slew his own son Sadidus (a name that some commentators think might be a corruption of Shaddai, one of the epithets of the Biblical Ēl) and that Ēl also beheaded one of his daughters. Later, perhaps referring to this same death of Sadidus we are told:

 

But on the occurrence of a pestilence and mortality Cronus offers his only begotten son as a whole burnt-offering to his father Sky and circumcises himself, compelling his allies also to do the same.

A fuller account of the sacrifice appears later:

 

It was a custom of the ancients in great crises of danger for the rulers of a city or nation, in order to avert the common ruin, to give up the most beloved of their children for sacrifice as a ransom to the avenging daemons; and those who were thus given up were sacrificed with mystic rites. Cronus then, whom the Phoenicians call Elus, who was king of the country and subsequently, after his decease, was deified as the star Saturn, had by a nymph of the country named Anobret an only begotten son, whom they on this account called Iedud, the only begotten being still so called among the Phoenicians; and when very great dangers from war had beset the country, he arrayed his son in royal apparel, and prepared an altar, and sacrificed him.

The account also relates that Thoth:

 

... also devised for Cronus as insignia of royalty four eyes in front and behind ... but two of them quietly closed, and upon his shoulders four wings, two as spread for flying, and two as folded. And the symbol meant that Cronus could see when asleep, and sleep while waking: and similarly in the case of the wings, that he flew while at rest, and was at rest when flying. But to each of the other gods he gave two wings upon the shoulders, as meaning that they accompanied Cronus in his flight. And to Cronus himself again he gave two wings upon his head, one representing the all-ruling mind, and one sensation.

This is the form under which Ēl/Cronus appears on coins from Byblos from the reign of Antiochus IV (175–164 BCE) four spread wings and two folded wings, leaning on a staff. Such images continued to appear on coins until after the time of Augustus.

[edit] Poseidon

A bilingual inscription from Palmyra (KAI. 11, p. 43) dated to the first century equates Ēl-Creator-of-the-Earth with the Greek god Poseidon. Going back to the eighth century BCE the bilingual inscription at Karatepe in the Taurus Mountains equates Ēl-Creator-of-the-Earth to Luwian hieroglyphs read as da-a-ś, this being the Luwian form of the name of the Babylonian water god Ea, lord of the abyss of water under the earth. (This inscription lists Ēl in second place in the local pantheon, following Ba`al Shamîm and preceding the Eternal Sun.)

Poseidon is known to have been worshipped in Beirut, his image appearing on coins from that city. Poseidon of Beirut was also worshipped at Delos where there was an association of merchants, shipmasters, and warehousemen called the Poseidoniastae of Berytus founded in 110 or 109 BCE. Three of the four chapels at its headquarters on the hill northwest of the Sacred Lake were dedicated to Poseidon, the Tyche of the city equated with Astarte (that is ‘Ashtart), and to Eshmun.

Also at Delos that association of Tyrians, though mostly devoted to Heracles-Melqart, elected a member to bear a crown every year when sacrifices to Poseidon took place. A banker named Philostratus donated two altars, one to Palaistine Aphrodite Urania (‘Ashtart) and one to Poseidon "of Ascalon".

Though Sanchuniathon distinguishes Poseidon from his Elus/Cronus, this might be a splitting off of a particular aspect of Ēl in a euhemeristic account. Identification of an aspect of Ēl with Poseidon rather than with Cronus might have been felt to better fit with Hellenistic religious practice, if indeed this Phoenician Poseidon really is Ēl who dwells at the source of the two deeps in Ugaritic texts. More information is needed to be certain.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

  • Bruneau, P. (1970). Recherches sur les cultes de Délos à l'époque hellénistique et à l'époque imperiale. Paris: E. de Broccard.
  • Cross, Frank Moore (1973). Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-09176-0.
  • Rosenthal, Franz (1969). "The Amulet from Arslan Tash". Trans. in Ancient Near Eastern Texts, 3rd ed. with Supplement, p. 658. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-03503-2.
  • Teixidor, James (1977). The Pagan God Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-07220-5

[edit] External links

 
 

The word is identical to the usual plural of el meaning gods or magistrates, .... It has been conjectured that El Shaddai was therefore the "god of Shaddai" ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_Judaism

 

Names of God in Judaism
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In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title. It represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relation of God to the Jewish people. To show the sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for them, the scribes of sacred texts took pause before copying them, and used terms of reverence so as to keep the true name of God concealed. The various names of God in Judaism represent God as he is known, as well as the divine aspects which are attributed to him.

The numerous names of God have been a source of debate amongst biblical scholars. Some have advanced the variety as proof that the Torah has many authors (see documentary hypothesis), while others declare that the different aspects of God have different names, depending on the role God is playing, the context in which God is referred to, and the specific aspects which are emphasized (see Negative theology in Jewish thought). This is akin to how a man may be called by: his first name, 'Dad', 'Captain', 'Honey', 'Sir', etc. depending on the role being played, and who is talking.

Contents[hide]

[edit] Names of God

[edit] The Tetragrammaton

Main article: Tetragrammaton
 

 

 

An early depiction of the Tetragrammaton - circa 600 B.C.E. Portion of writing on silver scroll with the "Priestly Benediction" (Numbers 6:24-26)

The most important and most often written name of God in Judaism is the Tetragrammaton, the four-letter name of God, AKA יהוה, YHWH or Yahweh. "Tetragrammaton" derives from the Greek prefix tetra- ("four") and gramma ("letter", "grapheme"). The Tetragrammaton appears 6,828 times (see 'Counts' in the Yahweh article) in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia edition of the Hebrew Masoretic text. This name is first mentioned in the book of Genesis (2.4) and in English language bibles is traditionally translated as "The LORD".

The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to AD 300), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts.

(The epithet, "The Eternal One," may increasingly be found instead, particularly in Progressive Jewish communities seeking to use gender-neutral language[1]). Because Judaism forbids pronouncing the name outside the Temple in Jerusalem, the correct pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton may have been lost, as the original Hebrew texts only included consonants. Some scholars conjecture that it was pronounced "Yahweh", but some suggest that it never had a pronunciation (which is extremely unlikely given that it is found as an element in numerous Hebrew names). The Hebrew letters are named Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh: יהוה; note that Hebrew is written from right to left, rather than left to right as in English. In English it is written as YHWH, YHVH, or JHVH depending on the transliteration convention that is used. The Tetragrammaton was written in contrasting Paleo-Hebrew characters in some of the oldest surviving square Aramaic Hebrew texts, and it is speculated that it was, even at that period, read as Adonai ("My Lord") or Elohim when encountered.[2]

In appearance, YHWH is the third person singular imperfect of the verb "to be", meaning, therefore, "He is". This explanation agrees with the meaning of the name given in Exodus 3:14, where God is represented as speaking, and hence as using the first person — "I am". It stems from the Hebrew conception of monotheism that God exists by himself for himself, and is the uncreated Creator who is independent of any concept, force, or entity; therefore "I am that I am".

The idea of 'life' has been traditionally connected with the name YHWH from medieval times. Its owner is presented as a living God, as contrasted with the lifeless gods of the 'heathen' polytheists: God is presented as the source and author of life (compare 1 Kings 18; Isaiah 41:26–29, 44:6–20; Jeremiah 10:10, 14; Genesis 2:7; and so forth).

 

 

At the bottom of the hands, the two letters on each hand combine to form יהוה (YHWH), the name of God.

The name YHWH is often reconstructed as Yahweh, based on a wide range of circumstantial historical and linguistic evidence. Most scholars do not view it as an "accurate" reconstruction in an absolute sense, but as the best possible guess, superior to all other existing versions, and thus the standard convention for scholarly usage. It is also, however, a historically used name within the Samaritan tradition. See Yahweh for a more detailed explanation of this reconstruction.

By contrast, the translation "Jehovah" was created by adding the vowel points of "Adonai." Early Christian translators of the Torah did not know that these vowel points only served to remind the reader not to pronounce the divine name, but instead say "Adonai," so they pronounced the consonants and vowel points together (a phonological impossibility in Hebrew). They took the letters "IHVH," from the Latin Vulgate, and the vowels "a-o-a" were inserted into the text rendering IAHOVAH or "Iehovah" in 16th century English, which later became "Jehovah."

The name YHWH is likely to be the origin of the Yao of Gnosticism. A minority view considers it to be cognate to an uncertain reading "Yaw" for the god Yam in damaged text of the Baal Epic. If the Hehs in the Tetragrammaton are seen as sacred augmentation similar to those in Abraham (from Abram) and Sarah (from Sarai), then the association becomes clearer. Though the final Heh in Yahweh would not necessarily have been pronounced in classical Hebrew, the medial Heh would have almost certainly been pronounced. Other possible vocalizations include a mappiq in the final Heh, rendering it pronounced — most likely with a gliding Patah (a-sound) before it.[citations needed]

The prohibition of blasphemy, for which capital punishment is prescribed in Jewish law, refers only to the Tetragrammaton (Soferim iv., end; comp. Sanh. 66a).

[edit] Pronouncing the tetragrammaton

For more details on this topic, see Tetragrammaton.
 

 

Portion of column 19 of the Psalms Scroll (Tehilim) from Qumran Cave 11. The Tetragrammaton in paleo-Hebrew can be clearly seen six times in this portion.

Most modern denominations of Judaism teach that the four-letter name of God, YHWH, is forbidden to be uttered except by the High Priest in the Temple. Since the Temple in Jerusalem no longer exists, this name is never said in religious rituals by Jews, and the correct pronunciation is disputed. Orthodox and some Conservative Jews never pronounce it for any reason. Some religious non-Orthodox Jews are willing to pronounce it, but for educational purposes only, and never in casual conversation or in prayer. Instead of pronouncing YHWH during prayer, Jews say Adonai.

Substituting Adonai for YHWH dates back at least to the 3rd century BCE.[3] Passages such as:

"And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, YHWH [be] with you. And they answered him, YHWH bless thee" (Ruth 2:4)

strongly indicate that there was a time when the name was in common usage. Also the fact that many Hebrew names consist of verb forms contracted with the tetragrammaton indicates that the people knew the verbalization of the name in order to understand the connection. The prohibition against verbalizing the name never applied to the forms of the name within these contractions (yeho-, yo-, -yahoo, -yah) and their pronunciation remains known. (These known pronunciations do not in fact match the conjectured pronunciation yahweh for the stand alone form.)

Many English translations of the Bible, following the tradition started by William Tyndale, render YHWH as "LORD" (all caps) or "LORD" (small caps), and Adonai as "Lord" (upper & lower case). In a few cases, where "Lord YHWH" (Adonai YHWH) appears, the combination is written as "Lord GOD" (Adonai elohim). While neither "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" is recognized in Judaism, a number of Bibles, mostly Christian, use the name. The Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in online versions does use Jehovah once at Exodus 6:3, where this footnote appears in the electronic version: The Hebrew word (four Hebrew letters: HE, VAV, HE, YOD,) remained in the English text untranslated; the English word 'Jehovah' was substituted for this Hebrew word. The footnote for this Hebrew word is: "The ineffable name, read Adonai, which means the Lord." ] Electronic versions available today can be found at E-Sword or The Sword Project (BUT also see below footnote re: Breslov.com version.)

The form "Jehovah" has been used in English bibles from the time of William Tyndale (See Yahweh, for why Jehovah is considered an error by some.) in 1530, including:

(for each of the preceding, in print these have 'Iehouah,' which in modern pronunciation equals Jehovah).

"Jehovah" is also found in the King James Bible, the American Standard Version, the Darby Bible, Green's Literal Translation also known as the LITV, Young's Literal Translation, the 1925 Italian Riveduta Luzzi version, the MKJV [1998], the New English Bible and the New World Translation.

"Yahweh" (or a similar construction) is found in the Rotherham's Emphasized Bible [1902], the New Jerusalem Bible, the World English Bible [in the Public Domain without copyright], the Amplified Bible [1987], the Holman Christian Standard Bible [2003], The Message (Bible) [2002], and the Bible in Basic English [1949/1964].

(As of 2007[update], the Breslov.com revised copy of the electronic Jewish Publication Society of America Version [1917] contains a single occurrence of "Jehovah" at Exodus 6.3 since at least 2001, but it seems to be a conversion error.[4])

YHWH

A pronunciation derived by scholars, however, Jews do not accept the pronunciation as correct

[edit] Hashem

Halakha requires that secondary rules be placed around the primary law, to reduce the chance that the main law will be broken. As such, it is common Jewish practice to restrict the use of the word Adonai to prayer only. In conversation, many Jewish people, even when not speaking Hebrew, will call God "Hashem", which is Hebrew for "the Name" (this appears in Leviticus 24:11). Many Jews extend this prohibition to some of the other names listed below, and will add additional sounds to alter the pronunciation of a name when using it outside of a liturgical context, such as replacing the 'h' with a 'k' in names of God such as 'kel' and 'elokim'.

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While other names of God in Judaism are generally restricted to use in a liturgical context, Hashem is used in more casual circumstances. Hashem is used by Orthodox Jews so as to avoid saying Adonai outside of a ritual context. For example, when some Orthodox Jews make audio recordings of prayer services, they generally substitute Hashem for Adonai; others will say Amonai. On some occasions, similar sounds are used for authenticity, as in the movie Ushpizin, where Abonai Elokenu [sic] is used throughout.

[edit] Adoshem

Up until the mid twentieth century, however, another convention was quite common, the use of the word, Adoshem - combining the first two syllables of the word Adonai with the last syllable of the word Hashem. This convention was discouraged by Rabbi David HaLevi Segal (known as the Taz) in his commentary to the Shulchan Aruch. However, it took a few centuries for the word to fall into almost complete disuse. The rationale behind the Taz's reasoning was that it is disrespectful to combine a Name of God with another word. Despite being obsolete in most circles, it is used occasionally in conversation in place of Adonai by Orthodox Jews who do not wish to say Adonai but need to specify the use of the particular word as opposed to God.

edit] Other names of God

[edit] Adonai

Main article: A-D-N

Jews also call God Adonai, Hebrew for "Lord" (Hebrew: אֲדֹנָי). Formally, this is plural ("my Lords"), but the plural is usually construed as a respectful, and not a syntactic plural. (The singular form is Adoni, "my lord". This was used by the Phoenicians for the god Tammuz and is the origin of the Greek name Adonis. Jews only use the singular to refer to a distinguished person: in the plural, "rabotai", lit. "my masters", is used in both Mishnaic and modern Hebrew.)

Since pronouncing YHWH is avoided out of reverence for the holiness of the name, Jews use Adonai instead in prayers, and colloquially would use Hashem ("the Name"). When the Masoretes added vowel pointings to the text of the Hebrew Bible around the eighth century CE, they gave the word YHWH the vowels of Adonai, to remind the reader to say Adonai instead. Later Biblical scholars mistook this vowel substitution for the actual spelling of YHWH and interpreted the name of God as Jehovah.

The Sephardi translators of the Ferrara Bible go further and substitute Adonai with A.

[edit] Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh

The name Ehyeh (Hebrew: אֶהְיֶה) denotes God's potency in the immediate future, and is part of YHWH. The phrase "ehyeh-asher-ehyeh" (Exodus 3:14) is interpreted by some authorities as "I will be because I will be", using the second part as a gloss and referring to God's promise, "Certainly I will be [ehyeh] with thee" (Exodus 3:12). Other authorities claim that the whole phrase forms one name. The Targum Onkelos leaves the phrase untranslated and is so quoted in the Talmud (B. B. 73a). The "I am that I am" of the Authorized Version is based on this view.

"I am that I am" (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced Ehyeh asher ehyeh) is the sole response used in (Exodus 3:14) when Moses asked for God's name. It is one of the most famous verses in the Hebrew Bible. Hayah means "existed" or "was" in Hebrew; ehyeh is the first-person singular imperfect form. Ehyeh asher ehyeh is generally interpreted to mean "I will be what I will be", I shall be what I shall be or I am that I am (King James Bible and others). The Tetragrammaton itself may derive from the same verbal root.

“I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE.” Heb., אהיה אשר אהיה (’Eh·yeh′ ’Asher′ ’Eh·yeh′), God’s own self-designation; Leeser, “I WILL BE THAT I WILL BE”; Rotherham, “I Will Become whatsoever I please.” Gr., E·go′ ei·mi ho on, “I am The Being,” or, “I am The Existing One”; Lat., e′go sum qui sum, “I am Who I am.” ’Eh·yeh′ comes from the Heb. verb ha·yah′, “become; prove to be.” Here ’Eh·yeh′ is in the imperfect state, first person sing., meaning “I shall become”; or, “I shall prove to be.” The reference here is not to God’s self-existence but to what he has in mind to become toward others. Compare Ge 2:4 ftn, “Jehovah,” where the kindred, but different, Heb. verb ha·wah′ appears in the divine name.


[edit] El

Main article: El (god)

The word El appears in other northwest Semitic languages such as Phoenician and Aramaic. In Akkadian, ilu is the ordinary word for god. It is also found in Old South Arabian and in Amharic/Ethiopian, and, as in Hebrew, it is often used as an element in proper names. In northwest Semitic texts it often appears to be used of one single god, perhaps the head of the pantheon, sometimes specifically said to be the creator.

El (Hebrew: אל) is used in both the singular and plural, both for other gods and for the God of Israel. As a name of God, however, it is used chiefly in poetry and prophetic discourse, rarely in prose, and then usually with some epithet attached, as "a jealous God." Other examples of its use with some attribute or epithet are: El `Elyon ("Most High God"), El Shaddai ("God Almighty"), El `Olam ("Everlasting God"), El Hai ("Living God"), El Ro'i ("God of Seeing"), El Elohe Israel ("God, the God of Israel"), El Gibbor ("God of Strength"). In addition, names such as Gabriel ("Strength of God"), Michael ("Who is like God?"), Raphael ("God's medicine"), "Ariel" ("God's lion"), and Daniel ("God is My Judge"/"God's Judge") and Israel ("one who has struggled with God") and Immanuel ("God is with us") use God's name in a similar fashion.

[edit] Elohim

Main article: Elohim

A common name of God in the Hebrew Bible is Elohim (Hebrew: אלהים); as opposed to other names mentioned in this article, this name also describes gods of other religions.

Despite the -im ending common to many plural nouns in Hebrew, the word Elohim, when referring to God is grammatically singular, and takes a singular verb in the Hebrew Bible. The word is identical to the usual plural of el meaning gods or magistrates, and is cognate to the 'lhm found in Ugaritic, where it is used for the pantheon of Canaanite Gods, the children of El and conventionally vocalized as "Elohim" although the original Ugaritic vowels are unknown. When the Hebrew Bible uses elohim not in reference to God, it is plural (for example, Exodus 20:3). There are a few other such uses in Hebrew, for example Behemoth. In Modern Hebrew, the singular word ba'alim ("owner") looks plural, but likewise takes a singular verb.

Another popular explanation comes from the interpretation of El to mean "power"; Elohim is thus the plural construct "powers". Hebrew grammar allows for this form to mean "He is the Power (singular) over powers (plural)", just as the word Ba'alim means "owner" (see above). "He is lord (singular) even over any of those things that he owns that are lordly (plural)."

Other scholars interpret the -im ending as an expression of majesty (pluralis majestatis) or excellence (pluralis excellentiae), expressing high dignity or greatness: compare with the similar use of plurals of ba`al (master) and adon (lord). For these reasons many Trinitarians cite the apparent plurality of elohim as evidence for the basic Trinitarian doctrine of the Trinity. This was a traditional position but there are some modern Christian theologians who consider this to be an exegetical fallacy.[citation needed]

Theologians who dispute this claim, cite the hypothesis that plurals of majesty came about in more modern times. Richard Toporoski, a classics scholar, asserts that plurals of majesty first appeared in the reign of Diocletian (284-305 CE)1. Indeed, Gesenius states in his book Hebrew Grammar ² the following:

 

The Jewish grammarians call such plurals … plur. virium or virtutum; later grammarians call them plur. excellentiae, magnitudinis, or plur. maiestaticus. This last name may have been suggested by the we used by kings when speaking of themselves (compare 1 Maccabees 10:19 and 11:31); and the plural used by God in Genesis 1:26 and 11:7; Isaiah 6:8 has been incorrectly explained in this way). It is, however, either communicative (including the attendant angels: so at all events in Isaiah 6:8 and Genesis 3:22), or according to others, an indication of the fullness of power and might implied. It is best explained as a plural of self-deliberation. The use of the plural as a form of respectful address is quite foreign to Hebrew.

The plural form ending in -im can also be understood as denoting abstraction, as in the Hebrew words chayyim ("life") or betulim ("virginity"). If understood this way, Elohim means "divinity" or "deity". The word chayyim is similarly syntactically singular when used as a name but syntactically plural otherwise.

The Hebrew form Eloah (אלוה, which looks as though it might be a singular form of Elohim) is comparatively rare, occurring only in poetry and late prose (in the Book of Job, 41 times). What is probably the same divine name is found in Arabic (Ilah as singular "a god", as opposed to Allah meaning "The God" or "God") and in Aramaic (Elaha). This unusual singular form is used in six places for heathen deities (examples: 2 Chronicles 32:15; Daniel 11:37, 38;). The normal Elohim form is also used in the plural a few times, either for gods or images (Exodus 9:1, 12:12, 20:3; and so forth) or for one god (Exodus 32:1; Genesis 31:30, 32; and elsewhere). In the great majority of cases both are used as names of the One God of Israel.

Eloah, Elohim, means "He who is the object of fear or reverence", or "He with whom one who is afraid takes refuge". Another theory is that it is derived from the Semitic root "uhl" meaning "to be strong". Elohim then would mean "the all-powerful One", based on the usage of the word "el" in certain verses to denote power or might (Genesis 31:29, Nehemiah 5:5).

In many of the passages in which elohim [lower case] occurs in the Bible it refers to non-Israelite deities, or in some instances to powerful men or judges, and even angels (Exodus 21:6, Psalms 8:5).

1R. Toporoski, "What was the origin of the royal "we" and why is it no longer used?", (The Times, May 29, 2002. Ed. F1, p. 32)
²Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (A. E. Cowley, ed., Oxford, 1976, p.398)

[edit] `Elyon

Main article: Elyon

The name `Elyon (Hebrew: עליון) occurs in combination with El, YHWH or Elohim, and also alone. It appears chiefly in poetic and later Biblical passages. The modern Hebrew adjective "`Elyon" means "supreme" (as in "Supreme Court") or "Most High". El Elyon has been traditionally translated into English as 'God Most High'. The Phoenicians used what appears to be a similar name for God, Έλιον. It is cognate to the Arabic `Aliyy.

[edit] Shaddai

Main article: Shaddai

Shaddai was a late Bronze Age Amorite city on the banks of the Euphrates river, in northern Syria. The site of its ruin-mound is called Tell eth-Thadyen: "Thadyen" being the modern Arabic rendering of the original West Semitic "Shaddai". It has been conjectured that El Shaddai was therefore the "god of Shaddai" and associated in tradition with Abraham, and the inclusion of the Abraham stories into the Hebrew Bible may have brought the northern name with them (see Documentary hypothesis).

In the vision of Balaam recorded in the Book of Numbers 24:4 and 16, the vision comes from Shaddai along with El. In the fragmentary inscriptions at Deir Alla, though Shaddai is not, or not fully present,[6] shaddayin appear, less figurations of Shaddai.[7] These have been tentatively identified with the ŝedim of Deuteronomy 34:17 and Psalm 106:37-38,[8] who are Canaanite deities.

According to Exodus 6:2, 3, Shaddai is the name by which God was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The name Shaddai (Hebrew: שַׁדַּי) is used as a name of God later in the Book of Job.

In the Septuagint and other early translations Shaddai was translated with words meaning "Almighty". The root word "shadad" (שדד) means "to overpower" or "to destroy". This would give Shaddai the meaning of "destroyer" as one of the aspects of God. Thus it is essentially an epithet. Harriet Lutzky has presented evidence that Shaddai was an attribute of a Semitic goddess, linking the epithet with Hebrew šad "breast" as "the one of the Breast", as Asherah at Ugarit is "the one of the Womb".[9]

Another theory is that Shaddai is a derivation of a Semitic stem that appears in the Akkadian shadû ("mountain") and shaddā`û or shaddû`a ("mountain-dweller"), one of the names of Amurru. This theory was popularized by W. F. Albright but was somewhat weakened when it was noticed that the doubling of the medial d is first documented only in the Neo-Assyrian period. However, the doubling in Hebrew might possibly be secondary. In this theory God is seen as inhabiting a mythical holy mountain, a concept not unknown in ancient West Asian mythology (see El), and also evident in the Syriac Christian writings of Ephrem the Syrian, who places Eden on an inaccessible mountaintop.

An alternative view proposed by Albright is that the name is connected to shadayim which means "breasts" in Hebrew. It may thus be connected to the notion of God’s fertility and blessings of the human race. In several instances it is connected with fruitfulness: "May God Almighty [El Shaddai] bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers…" (Gen. 28:3). "I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]: be fruitful and increase in number" (Gen. 35:11). "By the Almighty [El Shaddai] who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts [shadayim] and of the womb [racham]" (Gen. 49:25).

It is also given a Midrashic interpretation as an acronym standing for "Guardian of the Doors of Israel" (Hebrew: שׁוֹמֶר דְלָתוֹת יִשְׂרָאֶל). This acronym, which is commonly found as carvings or writings upon the mezuzah (a vessel which houses a scroll of parchment with Biblical text written on it) that is situated upon all the door frames in a home or establishment.

Still another view is that "El Shaddai" is comprised of the Hebrew relative pronoun She (Shin plus vowel segol), or, as in this case, as Sha (Shin plus vowel patach followed by a dagesh, cf. A Beginner's Handbook to Biblical Hebrew, John Marks and Virgil Roger, Nashville:Abingdon, 1978 "Relative Pronoun, p.60, par.45) The noun containing the dagesh is the Hebrew word Dai meaning "enough,sufficient, sufficiency" (cf. Ben Yehudah's Pocket English-Hebrew/Hebrew-English,New York, NY:Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster Inc.,1964,p.44). This is the same word used in the Passover Haggadah, Dayeinu, "It would have been sufficient." The song entitled Dayeinu celebrates the various miracles God performed while extricating the Hebrews from Egyptian servitude. It is understood as such by The Stone Edition of the Chumash (Torah) published by the Orthodox Jewish publisher Art Scroll, editors Rabbi Nosson Scherman/Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications,Ltd. 2nd edition, 1994, cf. Exodus 6:3 commentary p.319. The Talmud explains it this way, but says that "Shaddai" stands for "Mi she'Amar Dai L'olamo" - "He who said 'Enough' to His world." When God was creating the world, He stopped the process at a certain point, holding back creation from reaching its full completion, and thus the name embodies God's power to stop creation.


It is often paraphrased in English translations as "Almighty" although this is an interpretive element. The name then refers to the pre-Mosaic patriarchal understanding of deity as "God who is sufficient." God is sufficient, that is, to supply all of one's needs, and therefore by derivation "almighty". It may also be understood as an allusion to the singularity of deity "El" as opposed to "Elohim" plural being sufficient or enough for the early patriarchs of Judaism. To this was latter added the Mosaic conception of YHWH as God who is sufficient in Himself,thatis,a self-determined eternal Being qua Being,for whom limited descriptive names cannot apply. This may have been the probable intent of "eyeh asher eyeh" which is by extension applied to YHWH (a likely anagram for the three states of Being past, present and future conjoined with the conjunctive letter vav), cf. Exodus 3:13-15.

[edit] Shalom

Main article: Shalom

Shalom ("Peace"; Hebrew: שלום)

The Talmud says "the name of God is 'Peace'" (Pereq ha-Shalom, Shab. 10b), (Judges 6:24); consequently, one is not permitted to greet another with the word shalom in unholy places such as a bathroom (Talmud, Shabbat, 10b). The name Shlomo, "His peace" (from shalom, Solomon, שלומו), refers to the God of Peace. Shalom can also mean "hello" and "goodbye."

[edit] Shekhinah

Main article: Shekhinah

Shekhinah (Hebrew: שכינה) is the presence or manifestation of God which has descended to "dwell" among humanity. The term never appears in the Hebrew Bible; later rabbis used the word when speaking of God dwelling either in the Tabernacle or amongst the people of Israel. The root of the word means "dwelling". Of the principal names of God, it is the only one that is of the feminine gender in Hebrew grammar. Some believe that this was the name of a female counterpart of God, but this is unlikely as the name is always mentioned in conjunction an article (e.g.: "the Shekhina descended and dwelt among them" or "He removed Himself and His Shekhina from their midst"). This kind of usage does not occur in Semitic languages in conjunction with proper names.

The Arabic form of the word "Sakina سكينة" is also mentioned in the Quran.This mention is in the middle of the narrative of the choice of Saul to be king and is mentioned as descending with the ark of the covenant here the word is used to mean "security" and is derived from the root sa-ka-na which means dwell:

And (further) their Prophet said to them: "A Sign of his authority is that there shall come to you the Ark of the Covenant, with (an assurance) therein of security from your Lord, and the relics left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. In this is a Symbol for you if ye indeed have faith."
 
 
 
 
[edit] Yah

The name Yah is composed of the first two letters of YHWH. It appears often in names, such as Elijah. The Rastafarian Jah is derived from this, as well as the expression Hallelujah.

 

[edit] YHWH Tzevaot/Sabaoth

The name YHWH and the title Elohim frequently occur with the word tzevaot or sabaoth ("hosts" or "armies", Hebrew: צבאות) as YHWH Elohe Tzevaot ("YHWH God of Hosts"), Elohe Tzevaot ("God of Hosts"), Adonai YHWH Tzevaot ("Lord YHWH of Hosts") or, most frequently, YHWH Tzevaot ("YHWH of Hosts"). This name is traditionally transliterated in Latin as Sabaoth, a form that will be more familiar to many English readers, as it was used in the King James Version of the Bible.

This compound divine name occurs chiefly in the prophetic literature and does not appear at all in the Pentateuch, Joshua or Judges. The original meaning of tzevaot may be found in 1 Samuel 17:45, where it is interpreted as denoting "the God of the armies of Israel". The word, apart from this special use, always means armies or hosts of men, as, for example, in Exodus 6:26, 7:4, 12:41, while the singular is used to designate the heavenly host.

The Latin spelling Sabaoth combined with the large, golden vine motif over the door on the Herodian Temple (built by the Idumean Herod the Great) led to identification by Romans with the god Sabazius.

The name Sabaoth is also associated with a demi-god in the gnostic Nag Hammadi Text; he is the son of Yaltabaoth.

[edit] HaMakom

"The Place" (Hebrew: המקום)

Used in the traditional expression of condolence; המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון HaMakom yenachem etchem betoch shs’ar aveilei Tziyon V’Yerushalayim — "The Place will comfort you (pl.) among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."

edit] Seven Names of God

In medieval times, God was sometimes called The Seven.[10] Among the ancient Hebrews, the seven names for the Deity over which the scribes had to exercise particular care were: [11]

  1. El
  2. Elohim
  3. Adonai
  4. Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh
  5. YHWH (i.e. Yahweh)
  6. Shaddai
  7. Zebaot

[edit] Lesser used names of God

  • Adir — "Strong One".
  • Adon Olam — "Master of the World".
  • Aibishter — "The Most High".
  • Avinu Malkeinu — "Our Father, our King".
  • Boreh — "the Creator".
  • Ehiyeh sh'Ehiyeh — "I Am That I Am": a modern Hebrew version of "Ehyeh asher Ehyeh".
  • Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak ve Elohei Ya`aqov — "God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob".
  • El ha-Gibbor — "God the hero" or "God the strong one".
  • Emet — "Truth".
  • E'in Sof — "endless, infinite", Kabbalistic name of God.
  • HaKadosh, Baruch Hu — "The Holy One, Blessed be He".
  • Kadosh Israel — "Holy One of Israel".
  • Melech HaMelachim — "The King of kings" or Melech Malchei HaMelachim "The King, King of kings", to express superiority to the earthly rulers title.
  • Makom or HaMakom — literally "the place", meaning "The Omnipresent"; see Tzimtzum.
  • Magen Avraham — "Shield of Abraham".
  • Ribbono shel `Olam — "Master of the World".
  • Ro'eh Yisra'el — "Shepherd of Israel".
  • YHWH-Yireh (Jehovah-jireh) — "The Lord will provide" (Genesis 22:13-14).
  • YHWH-Rapha — "The Lord that healeth" (Exodus 15:26).
  • YHWH-Niss"i (Yahweh-Nissi) — "The Lord our Banner" (Exodus 17:8-15).
  • YHWH-Shalom — "The Lord our Peace" (Judges 6:24).
  • YHWH-Ra-ah — "The Lord my Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1).
  • YHWH-Tsidkenu — "The Lord our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6).
  • YHWH-Shammah (Jehovah-shammah) — "The Lord is present" (Ezekiel 48:35).
  • Tzur Israel — "Rock of Israel".

edit] In English

The words "God" and "Lord" (used for the Hebrew Adonai) are often written by many Jews as "G-d" and "L-rd" as a way of avoiding writing a name of God, so as to avoid the risk of sinning by erasing or defacing His name. In Deuteronomy 12:3-4, the Torah exhorts one to destroy idolatry, adding, "you shall not do such to the LORD your God." From this verse it is understood that one should not erase the name of God. The general rabbinic opinion is that this only applies to the sacred Hebrew names of God — but not to the word "God" in English or any other language. Even among Jews who consider it unnecessary, many nonetheless write the name "God" in this way out of respect, and to avoid erasing God's name even in a non-forbidden way.[3]

edit] British folklore

A partial coincidence with this list appears in a medieval verbal charm from British folk medicine:

† El † Elye † Sabaoth
† Adonay † Alpha † Omega † Messias
† Pastor † Agnus † Fons[12][13]

[edit] Kabbalistic use

 

The seventy-two names.

The system of cosmology of the Kabbalah explains the significance of the names. One of the most important names is that of the En Sof אין סוף ("Infinite" or "Endless"), who is above the Sefirot.

The forty-two-lettered name contains the combined names אהיה יהוה אדוני הויה, that when spelled in letters it contains 42 letters. The equivalent in value of YHWH (spelled הא יוד הא וו = 45) is the forty-five-lettered name.

The seventy-two-lettered name is based from three verses in Exodus (14:19-21) beginning with "Vayyissa," "Vayyabo," "Vayyet," respectively. Each of the verses contains 72 letters, and when combined they form 72 names, known collectively as the Shemhamphorasch.

The kabbalistic book Sefer Yetzirah explains that the creation of the world was achieved by the manipulation of the sacred letters that form the names of God.

[edit] Laws of writing divine names

 

The Psalms in Hebrew and Latin. Manuscript on parchment, 12th century.

According to Jewish tradition, the sacredness of the divine names must be recognized by the professional scribe who writes the Scriptures, or the chapters for the tefillin and the mezuzah. Before transcribing any of the divine names he prepares mentally to sanctify them. Once he begins a name he does not stop until it is finished, and he must not be interrupted while writing it, even to greet a king. If an error is made in writing it, it may not be erased, but a line must be drawn round it to show that it is canceled, and the whole page must be put in a genizah (burial place for scripture) and a new page begun.

[edit] The tradition of seven divine names

According to Jewish tradition, the number of divine names that require the scribe's special care is seven: El, Elohim, Adonai, YHWH, Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, Shaddai, and Tzevaot.

However, Rabbi Jose considered Tzevaot a common name (Soferim 4:1; Yer. R. H. 1:1; Ab. R. N. 34). Rabbi Ishmael held that even Elohim is common (Sanh. 66a). All other names, such as "Merciful," "Gracious," and "Faithful," merely represent attributes that are common also to human beings (Sheb. 35a).

[edit] See also

edit] Notes

  1. ^ eg Siddur Lev Chadash (1995), the standard prayerbook used by Liberal Judaism in the UK
  3. ^ Harris, Stephen L.. Understanding the Bible: a reader's introduction, 2nd ed. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. page 21.
  4. ^ Until at least 1999 this site used the reverent YDWD substitution in Hebrew letters, and then all instances were converted to "HaShem", including at Exodus 6.2, but the one at Exodus 6.3. The switch occurred at some point between these two archives of the Breslov.com version of the electronic JPS Bible:
    – ""Exodus 6"". Archived from the original on 1999-10-08. "[...] by My name ידוד [...]" (source document requires the "Web Hebrew AD" font)
    – ""Exodus 6"". Archived from the original on 2001-02-16. "[...] by My name Jehovah [...]"
    The site maintainer states that he applied some adaptations to the electronic JPS in order to generate his own version, and that "The name of L-RD has been written as HaShem"[1], so this single instance of "Jehovah" looks like an odd case of automated conversion error.
  5. ^ New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., International Bible Students Association, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A., Exodus 3:14, Footnote
  6. ^ The inscription offers only a fragmentary Sh... (Harriet Lutzky, "Ambivalence toward Balaam" Vetus Testamentum 49.3 [July 1999, pp. 421-425] pp 421f.
  7. ^ Lutzky 1999:421.
  8. ^ J.A. Hackett, "Some observations on the Balaam tradition at Deir 'Alla'" Biblical Archaeology 49 (1986), p. 220.
  9. ^ Harriet Lutzky, "Shadday as a goddess epithet" Vetus Testamentum 48 (1998) pp 15-36.
  10. ^ The Reader's Encyclopedia, Second Edition 1965, publisher Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York, editions 1948, 1955. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 65-12510, page 918
  11. ^ The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins (Robert Hendrickson, 1987) [2] ISBN 0816040885 ISBN 978-0816040889
  12. ^ "seven". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989.
  13. ^ Forbes, Thomas R. Verbal Charms in British Folk Medicine. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 115(4). Aug 1971. pp. 293-316. p 297.

edit] References

  • Driver, S.R., Recent Theories on the Origin and Nature of the Tetragrammaton, Studia Biblica vol. i, Oxford, (1885)
  • Mansoor, Menahem, The Dead Sea Scrolls. Grand Rapids: Baker, (1983)
  • W. F. Albright, The Names Shaddai and Abram". Journal of Biblical Literature, 54 (1935): 173–210

edit] Bibliography

  • Harris Laird, Archer, Gleason Jr. and Waltke, Bruce K. (eds.) Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vol.,, Moody Press, Chicago, 1980.
  • Hoffman, Joel M. In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language, NYU Press (2004). ISBN 0-8147-3690-4.
  • Joffe, Laura, The Elohistic Pslater: What, How and why?, Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, vol 15-1, pp. 142-169 Taylor & Francis AS, part of the Taylor & Francis Group., June 2001.
  • Kearney, Richard, The God Who May be: A Hermeneutics of Religion, Modern Theology, January 2002, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 75-85(11)
  • Kretzmann, Paul E., Popular Commentary of the Bible, The Old Testament, Vol. 1. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. 1923.
  • Shaller, John, The Hidden God, The Wauwatosa Theology, vol. 2, pp. 169-187, Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1997.
  • Stern, David. Jewish New Testament Commentary, Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., Clarkville, Maryland, 1996.
  • Strong, James, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, New York and Nashville, 1890.
  • Tov, E., Copying a Biblical Scroll, Journal of Religious History, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 189-209(21), Blackwell Publishing, June 2001
  • Vriezen, Th. C., The Religion of Ancient Israel, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1967.

edit] External links

 

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We may also bring the god El into sharper definition. The worship of El seems to go back to the Aramean roots of those who, like Jacob first, were forced to ... www.biblicalheritage.org/God/el-goi.htm

 

El, god of Israel --Yahweh, god of Judah

By

L. M. Barre

Due to a failure to distinguish between myth and history, biblical interpreters have implicitly accepted the view that Elism was an old form of Yahwism because the Elohist (Ex 3:13-15) and the Priestly Writer (Ex 6:2-3) declared it so. Actually, but a moment’s reflection will show that El and Yahweh are not the same god. It is easily demonstrated that Yahwism and Elism were distinct religions, differing in more ways than they were alike.

The earliest Yahwistic traditions reveal that Yahweh was a bedouin war god from the deserts of Edom and of the surrounding regions. His essentially warlike characteristics are demonstated by his name, by cultic celebrations of his mighty deeds, and by his ark.

With regard to the Tetragrammaton,I think that the the strongest interpretation of the name regards "Yahweh" as an abbreviation of his official, longer name, "Yahweh Sabaoth." It means, "he musters armies." Yahweh's name identifies this god as primarily the military commander of his people.

In Ex 15:3, Yahweh’s name itself is defined in terms of war:

Yahweh is a warrior
Yahweh is his NAME

The cultic celebration of Yahweh from the Song of Deborah also portrays him as a warrior:

Yahweh, when you set out from Seir
As you trod the land of Edom,
Earth shook, the heavens quaked,
The clouds dissolved into water.
The mountains melted before Yahweh,

Before Yahweh, the god of Israel.This dramatic description portrays Yahweh as a warrior on the move, whose might is so great that earth shakes at his step, the heavens quake, and the mountains melt before his march.

Yahweh’s ark also was strongly associated with warfare. It was thought that Yahweh was seated upon this moveable platform and that from here he led his troops to and from battle as he did against Jericho. So we find the formulaic saying in Num 10:35-36:

And as the ark set out Moses would say,
"Arise, O Yahweh, may your enemies be scattered
and those who hate you to run
for their lives before you!"

And as it came to rest, he would say,
"Return, O Yahweh
to the thronging armies of Israel."

Here also we see military might glorified. Yahweh returns from his victories to the throngs of armies whom he commands.

Different from the savage Yahwism of the desert, a less bellicose form of Yahwism developed that likely entered Judah as migrant Hebrews moved in from the deserts to settle in southern Palestine. As we see reflected in the Abraham traditions, Yahweh is portrayed as a clan god who bears a special relationship to a clan cheiftain such as Abram. Yahweh is primarily portrayed as a god who promises to provide his devotees with a land of their own upon which they may live and prosper. This transported form of Yahwism may aptly be called "Hebrew Yahwism" since the word, "Hebrew" is derived from a root that means, "to cross over." The Hebrews were those Yahwists who, following the pioneer Abram, migrated from the deserts regions surruounding Judah and "crossed over" to dwell there. Thus, we must distinguish Abramic Yahwism from Desert or Arabic Yahwism. The former group did not obtain their land through warfare. Rather, its members settled in vacant domains adjacent to the indigenous population and would from time to time live among them. Abraham's cultic duties involved little more than the construction of altars for sacrifice to Yahweh. But even with this more pacifistic form of Yahwism, we yet find that Abram the Hebrew remained the cheiftain of his clan who could muster support from other Hebrew clans as he did when he gathered 318 men to rescue Lot. As for the character of this migration, it seems most realistic to envision waves of immigrants that were comprised of several clans, each with their own cheiftain who together form a support network that Abram and others like him could draw upon in time of need.

It is highly likely that Yahwism had its home in Edom/Seir/Paran. Two poems describe Yahweh as coming from this region. We have already cited the text from the Song of Deborah. The other is found in the Blessing of Moses (Deut 33:2):

Yahweh came down from Sinai.
For them, behind Seir, it [i.e. the morning star] arose on the horizon,
Over Mount Paran it shone forth.
For them it came for the mustering at Kadesh,
From its zenith as far down as the foothills.

The mention of Sinai is problematic since it is somewhat geographically remote from Edom. Sinai's location can be accounted for by the view that it had served as a pilgrimage shrine for Yahweh that drew Yahwists from throughout the desert regions (cp. Elijah's pilgrimage). But no doubt the center of Yahwism was defined by Yahweh's people who according to the above text were located in and around Edom and Kadesh. Thus, it safe to conclude that these Yahwists were centered in Edom. Perhaps Yahwism spread out from there across the desert regions of the Transjordan and the Sinai Peninsula. Oldest Yahwism was an ancient Arabic religion.

The antiquity of Yahwism is most evident in the fact that we have we have texts that presuppose the primary importance of nomadism, music, and metalllurgy. The following information supplied by a Kenite genealogy appears to be ancient:

Jabal, he was the ancestor of the tent dwellers and the owners of livestock.
His brother’s name was Jubal: he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and flute. Tubal-cain: he was the ancestor of all metalworkers, in bronze or iron.

Here we have what appears to be a piece of folklore that was part of the religious heritage of the Arabic Yahwists. The tradition assigns three cultural developments to the three sons of Lamech. The three vocations named are nomadism, musicianship and metallurgy. Because this people possessed such lore, we may deduce that they had long existed as the people of Yahweh.

We may also bring the god El into sharper definition. The worship of El seems to go back to the Aramean roots of those who, like Jacob first, were forced to find a new land in order to survive. Jacob was remembered in cultic tradition as a "perishing Aramean." That likely means that the tribe Jacob had lost its land. As it searched for new land, the tribe was perishing, meaning, its members were dying of starvation. It appears that these traditions are indeed historical. The Aramean roots of the northerners are not only shown by the credo of Deut 26:5 but also by the patriachal traditions of Isaac and Jacob, both of whom had to return "home" there to get wives. Old Israel remembered its roots as Aramean.

Jacob and his group settled in and spread out from the Hills of Ephraim, a very fertile area. They brought with them an Aramean version of El worship adapted to a new environment. A comparison with Canaanite mythology leads to the conclusion that the Aramaic version had both common and dissimilar elements between them. Common to both religions was the belief that El was the high god of a pantheon. The clearest picture of the variations of the Israelite Elism come from a consideration of Deut 32:7-9 and related texts. What we find is a religion in which El presides over his sons, assigning each of them a people to govern. What is surprising is that here we also find Yahweh portrayed as one of El Elyon’s divine sons. Even if Yahweh were missing from the text, it would still be important in that it reveals an important aspect regarding El’s pantheon. The metaphor is one of a royal executive family ruling over its domain that is divided among each of the sons, each given their specific assignment. This type of bureaucratic pantheon bears the strongest resemblence to Mesopotamian mythology. From this comparitive perspective, Aramean Elism seems to be a sister version of Canaanite mythology, both descended from a Mesopotamian ancestor.

Psalm 82 is remarkable in that it has El "firing" all his sons and condemning them to mortality. Although this Psalm shares the same view of El and his sons, this tradition descends from northern tradition and in this respect differs from the Jerusalem tradition found in Deut 32:8-9. In Psalm 82, Yahweh is not explicitly mentioned even though Deut 32:8-9 would place him among the "sons of Elyon" (v. 6).

One wonders what inspired such a Psalm that has El condemning his sons to death through whom he had formerly maintained his rule. The only event that could have triggered such a radical idea seems to be the establishment of the kingship of Jeroboam I. Apparently, among his reforms, intended to distance Israel from Judah and to promote national identity, Jeroboam I and his court thought it best to announce El's decision that the gods of the other nations had been condemned to death and that El was now forced to rule alone. This dramatic cultic scene appears to hold political implications. The arrangement that the nations that were under El's rule through rule throug his sons was no longer in effect. El, without any international intermediaries, now ruled alone over all from Israel. While the decree is aimed at all the gods of the nations, one realizes that the Psalm made its strongest point against Judah at a time when Jeroboam was establishing an independent kingdom. Therefore, it appears that we have two traditions that describe El's pantheon in similar terms but which are to be distinguished by their provenance, one coming David's Jerusalem cult and the other from Jeroboam's newly renovated cult.

Psalm 29 is remarkable in that while Yahweh appears here also as one of the sons of El, this psalm portrays a highly dynamic god who does not fit the profile of the subordinate god who ruled over a portion of his father's domain. Psalm 29 is much closer to Canaanite thought than to Deut 32:8-9 and Psalm 82. It appears that we have some variation with regard to the characteristics of El’s pantheon--one which shares many of the dynamic qualities of Canaanite myth (Psalm 29), while another that may be described as presenting the cosmic adminstrative rule of El by his sons.

We find within Israelite religion two variations of the same high god. These different versions of Elism show that this god was variously worshipped depending upon location. The places mentioned in the psalm are all north of Kedesh, itself mentioned, and located in far the north of Palestine near Dan. This location would have brought Yahwism in contact with Canaanite thought that may well explain its distinctly Canaanite quality.

The early Oracles of Balaam provide a look at other aspects of pre-Yahwistic, Israelite religion (The following is mostly the translation of the Jerusalem Bible):

The War Oracles of Balaam

The First Oracle (Num 23:6-10)

[Balak brought me from Aram,
The king of Moab from the hills of Kedem,
"Come, curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel."
How shall I curse one when El has not curse?
How shall I denounce when El does not denounce?]
Yes, from the tops of the crags I see him,
From the hills I observe him.
See, a people dwelling apart,
Not reckoned among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob?
Who can number the clouds of Israel?
May I die the death of the just!
May my end be one with theirs!


The Second Oracle (Num 23:18-24)

[Arise, Balak, and listen,
Give ear to me, son of Zippor.]
El is no man that he should lie,
No son of Adam to draw back.
Is it his to say and not to do,
To speak and not fulfill?
The charge laid on me is to bless,
I shall bless and not take it back.
I have seen no evil in Jacob,
I marked no suffering in Israel.
[Yahweh his god is with him,
for him sounds the royal acclaim.]
El brought him out of Egypt,
he has the strength of the wild ox.
There is no omen against Jacob,
No divination against Israel.
Though men say to Jacob,
and say to Israel, "What wonder has El to show?"
Here is a people like a lioness rising,
Poised like a lion to spring;
Not lying down till he has devoured his prey
And become drunk on the blood of his victims.


The Third Oracle (Num 24:3-9)

The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
The oracles of the man with the far-seeing eyes,
The oracles of one who hears the word of El.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
Receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.

How fair are your tents, O Jacob!
How fair your dwellings, O Israel.
Like valleys that stretch afar,
Like gardens by the banks of a river,
[Like aloes planted by Yahweh],
Like cedars beside the waters!

A hero arose from their stock,
he reigns over a multitude,
Their king is greater than the Agag,
his majesty is exalted.
El brought him out of Egypt
he has the strength of the wild ox.
He feeds on the carcass of his enemies
and breaks their bones in pieces.
He has crouched; he has lain down,
like a lion, like a lioness;
who dare rouse him?
Blessed be those who bless you,
and accursed be those who curse you!


The Fourth Oracle (Num 24:15-19)

The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
The oracle of the man with the far-reaching eyes,
The oracle of the one who hears the words of El,
of the one who knows the knowledge of Elyon,
he sees what Shaddai has him see,
receives the divine message and his eyes are opened.

I see him-but not in the present,
I behold him-but not close at hand:
a star from Jacob takes the leadership,
a scepter arises from Israel.
It crushes the brows of Moab,
the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.
Edom is a conquered land;
Seir his enemy is conquered.
Israel exerts his strength,
Jacob dominates his enemies
and destroys the fugitives of Ar.

We are very probably dealing with authentic oracles that were actually uttered before Joshua by none other than the famed Aramean seer, Balaam. The fact that Balaam has appeared also in an Egyptian source indicates that he was a real individual with an international reputation for his prognostic abilities. Further, there is nothing in the oracles themselves to suggest that they are the product of archaizing. The oracles appear to be authentic oracles delivered in the upper 13th century before a group of Israelite leaders known as "The Men of Israel."

In the oracles, the same god is referred to as El, Elyon and Shaddai. Therefore, the longer forms of El Elyon and El Shaddai are authetic titles for the same deity. It remains a question as to where each particular title may have been preferred. El Elyon has strong ties with the city of Jerusalem. This may suggest that the other two titles of El and Shaddai were favored by other groups. Jacob's experiences at Bethel, Penuel and the altar Jacob called "El elohe yisra'el" all suggest that the Aramean migrants addressed their god simply as "El." Both Shaddai and Elyon are additional attributes given to him by the cult.

Given that we are dealing with actual oracles, we would want to ask about the concrete setting that gave birth to these utterances. There can be little doubt that these words were spoken before the an official body of Israelite rulers. Indeed, it would have been these rulers who would have contacted Balaam and made arrangements with him to appear before them to deliver his oracles regarding Israel.

Reading these oracles, one finds that they are very optimistic if not enthusiatic about the nation's welfare. One obtains the impression that Balaam is saying just what the rulers want to hear. The leaders, after all, would have expected some flattery from their hired seer.

The Oracles announce that El will not curse Israel but that he regards Israel as a blessed, unique and numerous people that is to be envied. El is celebrated for bringing his people out of Egypt. El’s strong blessing of his people renders omens and divination ineffective. El's historic presence with them is shown by their past victories and by the fierceness of their armies. The national vigor is such that Israel seeks to get drunk with the blood of its victims. Even the beautiful physical landscape of Palestine is alluded to as evidence of favor of El.

Besides delivering a message that seems directed at national pride, Balaam's third and fourth orcles turn toward politics. Now he speaks about the future which his second sight allows. He sees a hero who will arise to become the leader of a powerful kingdom. He is a fierce warrior whom El has brought out of a Egypt. He will arise out of Jacob/Israel and lead a victorious campaign against Moab, the sons of Sheth, and Edom as Israel exerts its strength to dominate its enemies. Balaam's political message is basically favorable war oracle.

One wonders what Balaam knew of Israel's political situation when he gave these oracles. The description of the king who is to arise fits Joshua so closely that we might suspect that the "Men of Israel" may have been considering making Joshua king, that Balaam knew of this, was expected to address the issue, and so delivered a favorable word from El. In this light we might compare the use of the sacred lots through which Saul was selected to be king (1 Sam 10:17-24). Balaam's alleged ignorance of the future king that he saw may have been a charade, adopted as part of his performance as a seer. The Men of Israel may well have been already considering to go to war against the Transjordan and were in the process of selecting their leader. Joshua seemingly fit the predicted one so perfectly that one may wonder if coincidence can explain it. It appears that we here see the Men of Israel on the brink of making Joshua the king of Israel because El has spoken favorably through his servant Balaam.

So we see that the gods El and Yahweh are distinct gods from each other, as distinct as their individual names. Yahweh was worshipped as a war god from the deserts of southern Palestine who migrated north to Judah while El was the god of Israel whose home was Mesopotamia. Historically speaking, the two gods must be regarded as originally distinct that subsequently were related and finally identified through political and religious syncreticism.

 

 

EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in ... Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14). El Olam - The God Of Eternity ... www.allaboutgod.com/names-of-god.htm

 

Names of God: A Way to Understand His Nature and Character
The Names of God used in the Bible act as a roadmap for learning about the character of God. Since the Bible is God's Word to us, the names He chooses in scripture are meant to reveal His true nature to us.

Names of God: His Titles Revealed in Scripture
"ELOHIM" (or Elohay) is the first name for God found in the Bible, and it's used throughout the Old Testament over 2,300 times. Elohim comes from the Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "power", and has the unusual characteristic of being plural in form. In Genesis 1:1, we read, "In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth." Right from the start, this plural form for the name of God is used to describe the One God, a mystery that is uncovered throughout the rest of the Bible. Throughout scripture, Elohim is combined with other words to describe certain characteristics of God. Some examples: Elohay Kedem - God of the Beginning: (Deuteronomy 33:27). Elohay Mishpat - God Of Justice: (Isaiah 30:18). Elohay Selichot - God Of Forgiveness: (Nehemiah 9:17). Elohay Marom - God Of Heights: (Micah 6:6). Elohay Mikarov - God Who Is Near: (Jeremiah 23:23). Elohay Mauzi - God Of My Strength: (Psalm 43:2). Elohay Tehilati - God Of My Praise: (Psalm 109:1). Elohay Yishi - God Of My Salvation: (Psalm 18:47, 25:5). Elohim Kedoshim - Holy God: (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19). Elohim Chaiyim - Living God: (Jeremiah 10:10). Elohay Elohim - God Of Gods: (Deuteronomy 10:17).

"EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament. El is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive emphasis. Some examples: El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9). El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17). El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16). El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35). El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26). El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3). El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6). El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2). El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18). Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14). El Olam - The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33). El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10). "ELAH" is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God. Some examples: Elah Yerush'lem - God of Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:19). Elah Yisrael - God of Israel: (Ezra 5:1). Elah Sh'maya - God of Heaven: (Ezra 7:23). Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth: (Ezra 5:11).

"YHVH" is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". Found more often in the Old Testament than any other name for God (approximately 7,000 times), the title is also referred to as the "Tetragrammaton," meaning the "The Four Letters". YHVH comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM; and He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you... this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations'" (Exodus 3:14-15). Therefore, YHVH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything, without beginning and without end. Although some pronounce YHVH as "Jehovah" or "Yaweh," scholars really don't know the proper pronunciation. The Jews stopped pronouncing this name by about 200 A.D., out of fear of breaking the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHVH your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). (Today's rabbis typically use "Adonai" in place of YHVH.) Here are some examples of YHVH used in scripture: YHVH Elohim - LORD God: (Genesis 2:4). YHVH M'kadesh - The LORD Who Makes Holy: (Ezekiel 37:28). YHVH Yireh - The LORD Who Sees/provides: (Genesis 22:14). YHVH Nissi - The LORD My Banner: (Exodus 17:15). YHVH Shalom - The LORD Of Peace: (Judges 6:24). YHVH Tzidkaynu - The LORD Our Righteousness: (Jeremiah 33:16). YHVH O'saynu - The LORD our Maker: (Psalm 95:6).

Names of God: The Lord Revealed in YHVH is the Lord Revealed in Yeshua (Jesus)
The LORD who revealed Himself as YHVH in the Old Testament is revealed as Yeshua (Jesus) in the New Testament. Jesus shares the same attributes as YHVH and clearly claims to be YHVH. In John 8:56-9, Jesus presents himself as the "I AM." When challenged by some Jewish leaders regarding His claim of seeing Abraham (who lived some 2000 years earlier), Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM." Those Jewish leaders understood that Jesus was claiming to be YHVH. This is clearly established when they tried to stone Him to death for what they considered blasphemy under Jewish Law. In Romans 10:9, Paul declares, "if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as LORD... you shall be saved." Immediately thereafter, in Romans 10:13, Paul backs up this declaration by quoting the Old Testament, "Whoever will call upon the name of the LORD (YHVH) will be saved" (Joel 2:32). Calling on Yeshua (Jesus) as Lord is the same as calling Him YHVH, because Yeshua (Jesus) is YHVH (LORD), the Messiah foretold throughout the entire Old Testament.

 

 

pagan names, Elohim v.God.Adonai,Lord,Baal,G-d,el,eloah

Are the words God and Lord truly the names of pagan idols which should not be applied to the Almighty?

 

"GOD" or "ELOHIM"?

Are the words 'God' and 'Lord' holy names or, like some would insist, the names of pagan idols which should not be used in referring to the Almighty?  An overview of the over-zealous rejection of irreplaceable words by a major section in the Sacred Name Movement

First of all, 'God' is not a Name, like 'Peter' or 'John', but a Title - although most believers seem to think that the Name of the Most High is  "God".  If it is not a name,  then there can be no question of whether it is a 'holy' Name or not, in the same sense as the titles: Priest, Master, Judge, etc. do not necessarily refer to exclusively holy offices, but may even be used in idol worship or devil worship.  The Bible itself refers to Satan as 'the god of this world . . .' (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Jo. 5:1).

Many religious believers today, having discovered the True and original NAME of the Almighty,  i.e. YHVH (and of the Hebrew Messiah YAHU'SHUAH),  claim that He should not be referred to as  "God",  for "God" is an ancient NAME, they say, which was applied to a pagan deity of old.

We shall first consult a dictionary and then turn to the Bible for a definition of  "God".

The Oxford Dictionary - God: "Superhuman being worshipped as having power over natural and human fortunes; image or animal worshipped as symbolising or embodying or possessing divine power;  idol ... Supreme Being, Creator and Ruler of universe."

Young's Concordance gives a proper and detailed account of the different original Hebrew words which refer to the Almighty and which our modern Bible translations render as 'God' or 'gods'.

  1.  "EL"  - Mighty One  -    225 times. e.g. Gen. 14:20, "Blessed be the Most High EL".
  2. "YHVH"  (His Personal Name)  -  248 times. e.g. Is. 40:10,   "The Lord YHVH will come with a strong hand."
  3. "Tzur" - A Rock -  once. e.g.  lsa. 44:8, "Yes, there is no Tzur,   I know not any.".
  4. "Elah" - An object of Worship -  88 times. e.g.  Ezra 5:11, "We are the servants of Elah of heaven".
  5. "Elohim" - Object of Worship -  2222 times.  (Note: Plural used  in Hebrew to denote plenitude of might).  e.g.  "EL"  - Mighty One  -    225 times. e.g. Gen. 14:20, "Blessed be the Most High EL". Gen. 1:1,   "In the beginning Elohim created."
  6. "Eloah" - An object of Worship - 55 times.  e.g.  Deut. 32:17,  "They sacrificed unto devils, not to Eloah".
  7. "Theos" Greek  - Object of Worship - 1 274 times. e.g. Matt. 1:23,  "They will call Him (the Messiah)  Emmanuel,  a Name which means 'Theos is with us' ".

It is interesting to note that of the 4163 times that 'God' is used in the Bible, 3639 times it refers to "an Object of Worship". Which other English word then shall we use for the Most High, to denote:  "Object of Worship?"   Titles like "Mighty One",  does not necessarily refer to a Being Who is worthy of worship - Nimrod, ancient opposer of YHVH,  proclaimed himself as "mighty one" also.

The Bible tells us in 1 Cor. 8:5.6,  "For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth - as indeed there are many "gods" ... yet for us there is one God, the Father..."

Deut. 10:17 "YHVH your God is God of gods and Lord of lords".
Hebrew: "Ki  YHVH  Eloheichem  Hoe  Elohei  ha'elohim   v'adonei ha'adonim"
literally:  For YHVH  your God     He   God of  the gods      & Lord of  the lords

The latter Scripture stands as a Challenge to anyone, to translate it without using these very Titles, and yet convey this important concept of Who YHVH really is.  When we test the translation of this Scripture by one of the most outspoken champions for the abolishment of the use of the Title 'God', Dr Koster - in his version entitled The Scriptures, then we notice definite inconsistencies.  We underline these inconsistencies in the following quote from this increasingly popular Sacred Name version of the Bible:

“For  YHVH  your  Elohim  is  Elohim  of  mighty  ones  and  Master  of  masters"

Even those who are not versed in the Hebrew language will notice these variations by comparing it with the Hebrew and the literal renderings above.  This manipulation is typical of the agenda of translators of the Bible to endorse their personal views or teachings.  Dr Koster contends that YHVH should be referred to as Elohim and not God  which is claimed by many commentators to be the personal name of an idol of antiquity.   To have 'Scriptural proof' for this idea, he then forcibly mistranslates the original Hebrew to reflect his personal choice of elohim  (refer blue indicators in above quote from his version and compare it with the Hebrew rendering 2 paragraphs back).  And where the Hebrew does use elohim, Dr Koster chooses to translate it to mighty ones - once again proving his preferred manipulation.  Had he correctly used elohim rather than mighty ones,  he would have damaged his very teaching, for then it would have proven that elohim is as much used for referring to pagan idols as is the title God! - and to be consistent in his reasoning, he would then have had to reject the use of elohim in referring to YHVH also!

Concerning the matter of holiness, we can therefore say that there are many gods (objects claiming worship) - but none of them HOLY (and thus deserving of worship) bar One: the Almighty and Eternal Most High Creator (Rev. 15:4) - and HE HAS A NAME which is sacred. A title in itself can never be holy - the office which it depicts, most certainly yes!  Strikingly, whichever divine or sanctified office there may be in the Plan of the Almighty, the same is also available to mankind, including ... yes, we'll read it from the Bible, ... that of "God".

John 10:34, 35 Messiah speaking. "Is it not written in your Law, 'l said you are Gods?' (referring to Ps 82:6 where the Hebrew  word "Elohim" is used, as it is used for YHVH throughout!). So, the Law uses the word Gods of those to whom the word of God was addressed, and Scripture cannot be rejected ..." .

1 John 3:2 "It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is".

But, in case you think these statements are blasphemous, please note that this 'office' will not befall everyone who professes to follow Him, for the very next verse states:

1 John 3:3 "Every one who thus hopes in Him, purifies himself  as He is pure".

Can you wonder why the Bible is emphatic in its instruction to us, to "... strive for the holiness without which no one will see YHVH " (Heb. 12:14). Yes, unless we are like Him, we shall not see Him!"

Indeed, the Titles  'God' and 'Lord' were also given to pagan idols and systematically, it became regarded as NAMES for the idols. Similarly. Christianity, lacking the knowledge about the Sacred Names, have been deluded into believing that the Almighty's Name is 'God' or 'Lord'.

If those who claim that the Almighty should not be referred to as 'God' are correct, because idols were also named 'God' or 'Lord', then they should also discard all other Titles of YHVH and YAHU'SHUAH, for those idols were credited with every title thinkable, e.g..   "God (or Lord) of Heaven", "Lord of Hosts", "The Resurrected One",  "The Supreme One",  "Lord of the earth",  "Saviour"  "Healer",  "Mighty One",  "Protector",  "Messiah", etc.

Not only were idols named or referred to by titles, but, it seems, also by many or most words referring to religious worship, like the words:  holy, sacred, faith, hope, success, etc. Resultantly, in an effort to purify our religious vocabulary,  it is often suggested (as also by Dr Koster) that all these words be removed from our vocabulary!

Similarly, all the attributes of YHVH have been identified with  idols!  But that surely does not earn YHVH the attributes of pagan idols!  In the same way, we cannot say "God" is a pagan title because idol worshippers claimed the same title for their idols - or any other title for that matter. Those who prohibit the use of the word "God", do so on the strength of Ex 23:13, "Make no mention of the names of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth." Supporters of this stand should qualify the prohibition more accurately, in that it only applies to the use of the NAMES of those idols. Every idol or god has a personal NAME - and it is the mentioning of these NAMES that is forbidden.  And it should be logic that it really is the mentioning of these idol names in worshipping them, or of promotion or proselytising  in favour of them, which is forbidden.  If we were truly restricted from generally mentioning their names, for instance in our efforts to teach others not to worship them (which would be impossible to convey without mentioning those names that should not be worshipped),  such prohibition would in fact promote the cause for idol-worship!

In this respect, it is the position of BIBLE REVELATIONS to reject the use of the name 'Amen' (one of ancient Egypt's most popular idols) which is so commonly used in worship by both Christians and Jews.  Strange how many Sacred Name believers who strongly condemn the use of 'God' and other titles for the Most High as 'pagan',  refuse to reject the use of 'Amen' in their prayers and religious confirmations.  Refer Amen - the name of a pagan idol

The Eternal's Name most certainly is not 'God' -  but His TITLE indeed is. There are thousands of verses of Scripture to bear out this fact. How else shall we describe His Supremacy if we were not to use these titles, like 'God', which even infidels and the illiterate understand to mean: 'The Uppermost Sovereign Being'?

In fact,  it is the conviction of BIBLE REVELATIONS, that this supposed prohibition in fact smothers or dilutes the proclamation of the Greatest Truth in Scripture, namely that YAHU'SHUAH is YHVH Himself - "God of gods and Lord of lords"   (Deut 10:17;  1 Tim 6:15;  Rev 17:14 & 19:16).

Some will contend that the correct word for "god" is El, or Elohim (Hebrew). They have even gone so far as printing Bibles which  use these Hebrew words only. This, however, is tantamount to insisting that we call our Father in Heaven "Abba" (Hebrew) and not 'Father' for, no doubt, the pagans also call their deities by the TITLE of 'Father' - in whichever language they are speaking.  This is borne out by the fact that one such restoration version of the Bible even lists the titles "Pa" and "Ma" as unfitting.

Insisting on the original Hebrew word for 'God'. i.e. 'Elohim', is of no avail, for it merely changes the same 'pagan' title back to Hebrew.  If it is pagan in English, it will be pagan in Hebrew!

Indeed, they have also failed to discover that El was the personal NAME of yet another pagan deity! One specific Holy Name edition (by Traina) goes as far as insisting on the exclusive use of "Elohim" for the Most High, yet uses this very same word for pagan deities! (Ex. 23:13; Deut. 11:28, etc. etc.)

We quote from Traina's Holy Name Bible Ex. 23:13:"...and make no mention of the name of other elohim, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth."

After all,  even the 1st Commandment forbids us to have 'other elohim' before YHVH - for He alone is our 'Elohim'.

So, if we are not to refer to YHVH as 'God' because of strange gods having been called 'God' - how then do we justify the exclusive use of 'Elohim' when referring to Him, if the Bible and YHVH Himself refers to strange gods as 'elohim' - His very own Title?  This reasoning is obviously subject to great inconsistency.

The Title "El" also forms part of the Names of two most important divine Messengers - Michael ('Who is like God') and Gabriel ('God is Mighty') in the Bible.

The same translation also insists on using 'Master' for 'Lord' which, they say, means 'Baal'. However. Baal means 'Master' as much as it means 'Lord'. If we are not to use the title of 'Lord' for the Most High because strange gods carried this title, then we should also refrain from giving YHVH the titles of King. Protector, Healer, Saviour, etc.. for the idols also carried these titles! Eventually we will end up being restricted from exalting YHVH altogether for lack of words to describe Him by.  And this is exactly where the opposing powers want us to be!

We would never dream of retreating to the very popular, but deceitful stand of  "God will understand ...".  Let us take heed, however, not to become so extreme that we no longer communicate with the outside world.

Paganism Called Their Idols By The Sacred Names Of The God Of Israel!

The point that reveals the total inconsistency of this 'puritan' school of thought most pertinently,  is the fact that pagans usurped the Sacred  Names of the God of Israel to name their idols.  Consider the following extracts from pagan history:

 

"Pagan leaders used the name Yahweh. The name was inscribed on the Moabite Stone in Jordan about 830 B.C. exactly as it appeared in the Old Testament. The Lachish Letters, written between 589-587 B.C. and discovered in 1935 in the ancient town of Lachish near Jerusalem, frequently used the name Yahweh. " (Source: http://www.plim.org/Sacred%20Names%20Article.html )

" Yw, Yawu, Yah, Iahu, IeuoYw or Yawu is given as the original name of Yam in the Myth of Ba`al from Ugarit, and is probably the same as Ieuo in Philo of Byblos' Phoenician History. He is possibly to be identified with Yahweh. Coincidentally, a likely pronunciation of Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh really is Yahuh (Yahoo!)." (Source: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/2938/mindei.html)

" The Protoindo European god Yayash, Yaë or Yave, a protective god whose symbol was a tree, signifying possibly '"walking", "going", "a pilgrim", has been dated back to the Indus River valley, circa 2900 B.C.E. He has been identified with the Turko Syrian YHVH, a "sacred animal or organization".

"Yahweh appears to have been originally a sky god - a god of thunder and lightning. He was associated with mountains and was called by the enemies of Israel 'a god of the hills'. His manifestation was often as fire, as at Mount Sinai and in the burning bush." - Great Events of Bible Times

"Originally, these four consonants [in YHWH] represented the four members of the Heavenly Family:
Y represented El the Father;
H was Asherah the Mother;
W corresponded to He the Son; and
H was the Daughter Anath.

"In accordance with the royal traditions of the time and region, God's mysterious bride, the Matronit, was also reckoned to be his sister. In the Jewish cult of the Cabbala God's dual male-female image was perpetuated. Meanwhile other sects perceived the Shekinah or Matronit as the female presence of God on Earth. The divine marital chamber was the sanctuary of the Jerusalem Temple, but from the moment the Temple was destroyed, the Matronit was destined to roam the Earth while the male aspect of Jehovah was left to rule the heavens alone."
- Laurence Gardner, Bloodline of the Holy Grail, p. 18 (Source: Biblical Beginnings in Canaan, Op. Cit.)

"A letter found in a mound northwest of the modern town of Ta'annek written in the fifth century B.C. proves that 'Yah' was a deity of the Canaanites. Yah is associated with the Canaanitish Mother-goddess, Ashtart-Anat as seen by the Father-Mother titles of the deity of the Jews at Elephantine. There, the title of Anat-Yaw is seen as well as Ashim-Bethel and Afat-Bethel where the titles of Astarte are combined with the Sun-god, Bethel. At Gaza, Yah appears as a Sun-god on a coin and coins were frequently inscribed with the figure of Ashtart-Yaw, Anat-Yaw, and Anat-Bethel, which corresponds to the Phoenician Melk-Ashtart and Eshmun-Ashtart" - The Mythology Of All Races, Vol. 5, p. 44.

"Yah was identified with the Aramaic Thunder-god, Adad. A coin from the fourth century B.C. in southern Philisti (when the Jews were in subjection to the Persian kings) has the only known representation of the Hebrew Deity. The letters YHW were inscribed just above a bird which the god held on his arm. The most likely identification of the god Yah of Gaza is the Hebrew, Phoenician, and Aramaic Sun-god El or Elohim whom the Hebrews had long since identified with Yah." (ibid., pp. 42-43).

"The collection of ancient manuscripts found at the Jewish colony of Elephantine demonstrates the use of Canaanite religious terminology in conjunction with the name of Israel's God Yahu. Such compound names as Anath-Yahu, Anath-Bethel, Ishum-Bethel, and Herem-Bethel are found there. These names all represent the attempt to combine differing philosophies and religious beliefs that were prevalent in the centuries following the Israelite conquest of Canaan. For example, Anath was the ancient Canaanite goddess, the sister of Baal (Bruce, p. 53), and Baal was one of the ancient names for Nimrod." (Hislop, p. 232).

"It was from the divine name Yah that the Greeks took 'Ie' in the invocations of the gods, especially the god Apollo. The name 'Ie' was written from right to left and inscribed over the great door of the temple of Apollo at Delphi (Taylor, p. 183). Iao, a variant of the Tetragrammaton, was applied to the Graeco-Egyptian god Harpocrates or Horus. Horus was called Harpocrates by the Greeks. The ancient Greeks had an acclamation similar to Hallelujah (Praise you Yah). They used Hallulujee in the beginning and ending of their hymns in honor of Apollo." - Taylor, p. 183. Source:  http://www.bibleresearch.org/law/sacredname.html 

"Many Vedic chants of praise also contain Yah, e.g. Rama-yah, Isha-ya (Yah my Divine Husband), Jai-ya (Yah as joy); Shiva-ya (Yah is purity, holiness, truth); Krishna ya (Yah is the transcendental loving Witness); Vishnu yah (Yah is all pervasive Light); Kali ya (Yah is the creative manifesting force or energy)." etc. etc. Source: http://www.corplink.com.au/~roman/Sacred.html 

This evidence totally flaws the restrictive reasoning that "we should not refer to YHVH as 'God' or 'Lord' because these were the names of pagan idols."  If this restriction was truly valid, then we would also have to refrain from calling Him by His Sacred Name 'YAH, YHVH or YAHU",  for these Names were also used for pagan idols! 

Strange how these 'puritans' will overlook and refuse to apply this restriction to their vocabulary as they insist for 'God; Lord' and a host of other religious terms.  And indeed, if these restrictions should apply consistently, we would be left without words to communicate the Message of YHVH - and that is exactly where the opposing forces against the Truth of God want us:  bound and restricted.

We certainly underwrite the statement that we should not use 'God' or 'Lord' as a NAME for the Most High, for in this habit lies much deceit concealed - HE HAS A NAME - USE IT IF YOU LOVE HIM! (Hosea 2:16-18).  But we do not agree with those who maintain that "LORD" and "God" means "a pagan idol". This borders on sacrilege and blasphemy, for THE TRUE GOD (YHVH) IS NOT A PAGAN IDOL!

We have seen, in writing, statements by believers, that "Jesus Christ is the name of a pagan idol". We must call for extreme caution here although we underwrite the claim that the name 'Jesus Christ' comes from the Greek 'Je-Zeus Christos'; and that it most probably refers to the Greek idol Zeus; that this name crept into early Christianity after pagan emperor Constantine, a Zeus worshipper, 'converted' the pagan Roman masses to Christianity for selfish political gain; that the attributes of Zeus were accredited to the Hebrew Messiah as well as the Zeus-mass (Xmas) (birthday) on 25 December and the whole pagan concept of a 3-headed god (Trinity). In fact, we go a step further and identify the mystery sign 666 (Rev.13:18) as the name 'JeZeus Christos' - but BEWARE! There is only ONE PERSON Who gave His Life and was crucified on Calvary in order to secure everlasting life for His true followers and Who rose from the Grave on the third day. THIS PERSON is known to the world as 'Jesus Christ' - and although this may be the name of a pagan idol which Satan managed to palm off on the righteous Hebrew Messiah, it still DOES NOT MAKE THAT PERSON A PAGAN IDOL!   Refer 666 - Mark of the Beast

The Message which this study strives to bring to the world, is that THE ONE WHOM THEY SHOULD WORSHIP AS THE GOD ABOVE ALL GODS (Deut. 10:17) is the SAME ONE WHOM THEY KNOW AS THE LAMB OF CALVARY - ONLY... HIS TRUE NAME IS NOT 'JESUS CHRIST' BUT YAHU'SHUAH - THE SAVIOUR OF MANKIND!

Hosea 2:17,19  "I (YHVH) will take the names of the Baals (lords) off her (His Bride's) lips".

(Bibliographical reference: "The Ancient Gods" - The History of Religion, by E.O. James, Prof. Emeritus of the History of Religion, University of London - Published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson).

Recommended additional reading: Amen - the name of a pagan idol

 

I

MEAN THE NAME AMEN THE NAME

 

 

JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS

Thomas Mann 1933

JACOB TEACHES AND DREAMS

Page 1146

THE GIANT tamarisk stood on a hill of medium height near the populalated settlement of Beersheba, which our travellers passed by on one side. Beneath its shade stood a primitive stone table and an upright stone column or massebe. The tree had, strictly speaking, probably not been planted by Jacob's father's father, but taken over by him from the children of the land and changed from a Baal shrine into a tree of God and Elon moreh or oracle tree, the central point of a shrine and cult of the highest and only God.. Jacob might easily know this without being shaken in his belief that the tree was planted by Abram. In a symbolic sense it was, and the mental procesesses of the father were broader than ours, which know only one thing or else the other, and are prone to shout, banging on the table; "If that had been a Baal tree, then Abram Abram did not plant it!" Such zeal for the truth is more peppery and thickheaded than wise, and there is far more dignity in the quiet reconciliation of both points of view, as Jacob achieved it.

But the forms in which Israel worshipped the eternal God under the tree did not after all differ much from the cult of the children of Canaan - aside from all the offensive sporting and unseemliness in which the worship of those children used inevitably to wind up. At the foot of the sacred tree, round about, the rest-tents were set up and preparations for the slaughtering got under way at once, to be performed on the dolmen, the primitive stone table, and afterwards partaken of in common, the sacrificial meal. Had the children of Baal done otherwise? Had not they too let the blood of sheep and goats run down upon the altar and struck the caked side-posts with the blood? Surely they had. But the children of Israel did it in a different spirit and in more enlightened wise, as is clear from the fact that after the sacred meal they did not sport with each other in pairs, at least not publicly.

And Jacob instructed them in God, too under vthe tree. And it did not bore them; even the young found his words most interesting and important, because they were all more or less gifted in that way and eagerly seized even on the subtleties of his remarks. He showed them the difference between the many-namedness of Baal and that of their Father the highest and only. The many-named Baal was a true plural-/Page 1147/ity; there was no one Baal but many - the occupants, possessors, and patrons of cult sites, groves shrines, springs, trees: a host of gods of dwelling and soil who worked singly and locally, had in their collectivity no face, no p person no proper name, and at most were called Melkart, city king, if they were that sort of deity, as for instance him of Tyre. One was called Baal Peor after his site, or Baal Hermon or Baal Meon; one was Baal of the Bond, of course, which had been useful in Abrams work on God. There was even one called quite absurdly, Dance-Baal. There was not much dignity about this and very little collective majesty. Quite otherwise was it with the many names of God the Father, which did no violence whatsoever to his personal one-ness. He was called El-Elyon, the highest; El ro'i the God that sees one; El Olam, god of the aeons, or after Jacob's great vision sprung from his humiliation, El Bethel the God of Luz. But all these were interchangeable designations for one and the same highest existing personal God not localized, existing in everything, like the labelled multiplicity of the Baal gods of towns and country, the single proprietorship of which was ascribed to them, the fertility they bestowed, the springs they guarde, the trees wherein they dwelt and murmered, the tempest they raged in, the burgeoning spring, the parching east wind - He was all this that they singly were, toHim it all belonged, he was the All-God of all of it, for from Him it came, in Himself He comprehended it, saying I, the the being of all being of all being, Elohim, the many as one."

 

 

HELLO HIM HELLO HER HELLO HER HELLO HIM

HELLO MANY AS ONE HELLO ONE AS MANY HELLO

 

 

JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS

Thomas Mann 1933

BEGINNING TO END END TO BEGINNING

REAMS OF DREAMS DREAMS OF REAMS

READ DREAMERS OF DREAMS GODS MIND MIND GODS DREAMS OF DREAMERS READ

 

 

JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS

Thomas Mann 1933

JACOB TEACHES AND DREAMS

Page 1150

"Th children of Israel were invited into the land by no less a person than Menfe's lord of bread, the shadow dispenser of the King, Djepnuteefonech, Pharaoh's universal friend; invited to pasture and settle! Difficulties? Trouble? The very litter in which they carried their old chieftain within the walls spoke for itself and its occupant

Page 1151

"Judah!" "Here am I, Father" he answered.

"Who is the fairly thickset man," asked Jacob,..."

"That is your son Joseph, Father," replied Judah.

"If it is indeed he," said Jacob, "Then i will get up and go meet him."..."

"...he rose from the litter..."

"Alone he went up to the other, who hastened his steps to /Page 1152/ shorten the distance between them. The man's smiling lips shaped the words "Father" and he held his arms open before him.",,,"

"...he peered and searched with his tired old eyes, his head laid back and sideways; peered long and urgently into the Egyptian's face with love and sorrow painted on his own, , and did not recognise his son...."

"...Joseph' eyes slowly filled with tears..." they overflowed; and lo they were Rachel's eyes, Rachel's eyes Rachel's dewy cheeks where Jacob in life's dreamy long ago had kissed away the tears. Now he knew his son. He let his head fall on the stranger's shoulder and wept bitter tears."

"Father do you forgive me? asked the son..."

"Father can you forgive me? asked the son..."

"God has forgiven us," he answered. "You see He has, for He has given you back to me, and Israel can die happy since you have come back."

"And you to me, Joseph said..."

 

 

JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS

Thomas Mann 1933

 

Page 1164

"OF THE TWINKLING EYE"

 

 

EGYPT CODE GODS CODE EGYPT

EGYPT 57772 57772 EGYPT

EGYPT CODE GODS CODE EGYPT

 

 

-
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8
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14
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28
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THAT

THE HOLY BIBLE

Scofield References

Hosea Chapter 2

Page 922/923

16

And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

17

For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

18

And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

19

 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

20

I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD

21

And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

22

And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.

23

And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

 

THE

CHOSEN

RACE THE HUMAN RACE

 

 

I

SAY

HAVE I MENTIONED DIVINE THOUGHT DIVINE LOVE DIVINE REALITY HAVE I MENTIONED

 

 

 
 
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