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{{merge|Names given to the divine}}
{{redirect| Holy name}}
{{TOC-Right}}

] faiths believe that there is a unique supreme being. The ]ions of such beings can vary widely, but in English the word ] is normally used for all of them. Other languages have similar generic names, however some names refer almost exclusivly to the supreme being of a single religion.

==Pharaonic Egypt==
*''']''' is the earliest name of a supreme being associated with monotheistic thought, being the solar divinity which ] had declared the only god of the state cult, as part of his wholsale absolutist reforms, thereby threatening the position on the various temple priesthoods, which had the old polytheism restored immediately after his death. See also the ] .

==Zoroastrianism==
*''']''' "Lord Wisdom" is the name of the supreme benevolent god in ].

==Roman paganism==
While some of the older deities have names long pre-dating the ] people the ] belong to, and even more were adopted with their ] names (or Latinized in a recognizable way), many minor divinities were named simply as personifications of various minor aspects of daily life. ] also prominently used an abstract word for god, ''deus'' (hence deity and, from its adjective ''divinus'', divinity), from ] root ''deiwos'', also the root of words for "sky" and "day" -- the god-sense is originally "shining," but "whether as originally sun-god or as lightener" is not now clear; the epithet Deus Optimus Maximus, DOM "Best and Greatest God", an epithet for ], the ] of the Roman pantheon, was later adopted in Christianity, as well as ''Deus''.

==Mithras==
The name of this Persian god of light, one of the earliest Indic words we possess, being found in clay tablets from Anatolia dating to about 1500 B.C, reported in English only since 1551, is from Latin, from Greek ], derived from itself from Avestan ''Mithra-'', possibly from an Indo-Iranian root ''mitram'' "contract," whence *mitras "contractual partner, friend," conceptualized as a god, or, according to Kent, first the ] of a divinity and eventually his name; from proto-Indo-Germanic root base ''mei-'' "to bind"; related to Sanskrit ], a Vedic deity associated with Varuna.

==Abrahamic religions==
===Judaism===
In the ], the name of God represents the ] conception of the divine nature. The various Jewish names of God represent God, and His divine attributes. The most important name of God is the ] (]:{{Hebrew| יהוה}}, ]: '''YHVH''' or '''YHWH'''—vowels are not written in the Hebrew spelling), and ''']'''. See ], ].

===Christianity===
] or ] are common vocalizations of God's personal name based on the Hebrew ''tetragrammaton'' (above). Most modern ] Bibles have removed this name in nearly all of the 7000 places it appears in the Hebrew Scriptures, usually replacing it with 'LORD' or a similar alternative. The name does appear at four places in the King James Bible (e.g. Exodus 6:3), but is only used with prominence by the ]. Nearly all Christian traditions recognize the name in some form, even if it has largely fallen out of use.

] ('']'') is a Hebraic personal name meaning "Jehovah Saves", and ''Christ'' means "the anointed" in ]. (translating ]). Much of Christendom believes in a divine ''']''', i.e. a single God manifest in ''']''', ''']''' and ''']'''.

In the effort to translate the ] into every language (see ]), the Christian God has usually been named after a pagan or philosophical concept that was present in the language before Christianity.

'''God''' itself is an example of this, the word having earlier referred to Germanic pagan deities. ] '''Theos''' (''Θεός'', with the initial letter invariably capitalised - pagan or "false" gods were written as ''theos/θεός, theoi/θεοί'' with lowercase letters used throughout)) was used for the supreme God even before Christianity, in the ], translated to ] ''']''' by ]. Other names of the Christian God that have a history of pagan meanings include ] '''Bog''', ] ''']''', ] ''']''' and in ] '''Allah''' which is generally thought to be solely a word which describes the Islamic God.

The less evangelical branch of the ] often refers to God as ]. Other terms used include ']' or 'Lord of Lords' and ].

Other names used by Christians include the ] names ], ], and ].

===Islam===
] is the most frequently used name of God in ]. It originally simply meant "the God" in Arabic, and was used in pre-Islamic times to refer to a divinity worshipped in ]. It is properly translated as "God" in English, and seen by Muslims as the same God of Christianity. As such, contrary to much popular understanding of Allah as a distinct God, it is the word used by ] and ] when speaking of God.

An Islamic tradition states that there are ], which are His attributes.

Besides those names of ]ic origin, some other names have been used, be it far less widely, e.g. the Osmanli anachronism ] (originally the pagan Turks' celestial chief god).

===Rastafari===
*''']''' is the name of God incarnate in the ]. God is called ] and Haile Selassie is called Jah Rastafari, from his precoronation name Ras Tafari Makonnen

===Bahá'í Faith===
] refer to God using the local word for God in whatever language is being spoken, so '''God''' is used in English, '''Allah''' in Arabic, '''Gud''' in the Scandinavian languages, and so forth. This is because Bahá'ís believe that, although people have different concepts of God and His nature, and may call Him by different names and use different languages, everyone is referring to one unique Deity.

Bahá'ís believe that the essence of God is beyond the knowledge and understanding of human beings, and that he therefore must be known through his names, or attributes. God's names are seen as his attributes, and God is often, in prayers, referred to by these titles and attributes, such as the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Merciful, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous, the All-Wise, the Incomparable, the Gracious, the Helper, the All-Glorious, the Omniscient.

Translations of scripture typically use the local language unless a whole phrase is being transliterated for a specific purpose. However, since the languages in which the Bahá'í Faith was first authored were Arabic and Farsi, the term '''Allah''' and other "names" are used in some specific contexts, even by non-Arabic speakers. The above-mentioned attributes are sometimes referred to in their Arabic form - for instance Bahá'ís refer to "Bahá" (meaning Glory or Splendour) as The ] of God. This also forms the root of the word "Bahá'i." The Bahá'í greeting '''Alláh'u'abhá''' is a formulation of this word and is usually translated "God is most Glorious".

==Dharmic religions== ==Dharmic religions==
===Hinduism=== ===Hinduism===
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*In ], the ] enumerates names of God. The names of ]'s ] in particular are considered divine names. In ], ''']''' in particular is held as the personal aspect of God, the ]s being a modern example of a movement following this philosophy. *In ], the ] enumerates names of God. The names of ]'s ] in particular are considered divine names. In ], ''']''' in particular is held as the personal aspect of God, the ]s being a modern example of a movement following this philosophy.
*In ], the ] enumerates names of God. *In ], the ] enumerates names of God.
*''']''' is the ] "Trinity", although this differs largely to the Christian conception. See ''']''', ''']''', ''']'''. See also ].



===Sikhism===

In ] God is One Entity and has no gender. He is referred to in the ]s by many hundreds of names. Some of the common names for God are:

* '''Akal Purakh''' meaning ''Timeless Primal Being''
* '''On-kar''' meaning ''Creator''
* '''Satnam''' meaning ''True Name''
* ''']''', meaning ''Wonderful Lord''

God according to ] is beyond full comprehension by humans and can be called by an infinite number of names.

==Chinese religions==
{{main|Chinese mythology}}
*''']''' 上帝 (]: shàng dì) (literally ''King Above'') was a supreme God worshipped in ancient ]. It is also used to refer to the Christian God in the ] Union Version of the ].
*''']''' 神 (lit. ''spirit'', or ''deity'') is commonly used to refer to various spirits, including gods, and was adopted by ] missionaries in China to refer to the Christian God. In this context it is usually rendered with a space, " 神", to demonstrate reverence.
*''']''' 天 (lit. ''sky'' or ''heaven'') is used to refer to the sky as well as a personification of the sky. Whether it possesses sentience in the embodiment of an omnipotent, omniscient being is a difficult question for linguists and philosophers.

==Other traditions==
*'''Xwedê''' is the term used for God in the ] religion and in ].
*''']''' is a god uniting the ] concepts in ]. See also ].
*''']''' is the name of God in ].

==Taboos==
Several religions advance ]s related to names of their gods. In some cases, the name may never be spoken, or only spoken by inner-circle ]s, or only spoken at prescribed moments during certain ]s. In other cases, the name may be freely spoken, but when written, taboos apply. It is common to regard the written name of one's god as deserving of ]; it ought not, for instance, be stepped upon or dirtied. It may be permissible to burn the written name when there is no longer a use for it.

===Judaism===
Most observant ]s forbid any method of discarding the written name of God. Once written, the name must be preserved indefinitely. This leads to several noteworthy practices:
* Commonplace materials, such as ]s which include quotations from Torah, are written with an intentionally abbreviated form of the name. For instance, quotations written in English may substitute "G-d" for the name of God. Thus, a calendar or children's Hebrew school workbook may be discarded along with ordinary trash.
* Copies of the ] are, like most ]s, heavily used during ] services, and eventually become worn out. Since they may not be disposed of in any way, including by burning, they are removed, traditionally to the ] ]. ''See'' ]. There they remain until the building itself is destroyed by the hand of God or ]s (non-Jews).
* All religious texts that include the name of God are buried.

==Literature and fiction==
*]
*'''Aigonz''' is the word for God in the ] of ]
*], a name of monotheistic God in ], a fictional language invented by ].
*"]", a short story by ].
* ] is the name of God in ], the true language in the ] books by ]

==See also==
*]
*]
*]
*] (in Islam)
*] (Hindu)

==Sources and external links==
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
]
]
]

]
]

Revision as of 23:39, 12 June 2006

It has been suggested that this article be merged with Names given to the divine. (Discuss)
"Holy name" redirects here. For other uses, see Holy name (disambiguation).

Monotheistic faiths believe that there is a unique supreme being. The conceptions of such beings can vary widely, but in English the word God is normally used for all of them. Other languages have similar generic names, however some names refer almost exclusivly to the supreme being of a single religion.

Pharaonic Egypt

  • Aten is the earliest name of a supreme being associated with monotheistic thought, being the solar divinity which Akhenaten had declared the only god of the state cult, as part of his wholsale absolutist reforms, thereby threatening the position on the various temple priesthoods, which had the old polytheism restored immediately after his death. See also the Great Hymn to the Aten .

Zoroastrianism

Roman paganism

While some of the older deities have names long pre-dating the Latin people the Romans belong to, and even more were adopted with their autochthonous names (or Latinized in a recognizable way), many minor divinities were named simply as personifications of various minor aspects of daily life. Latin also prominently used an abstract word for god, deus (hence deity and, from its adjective divinus, divinity), from Proto-Indo-European root deiwos, also the root of words for "sky" and "day" -- the god-sense is originally "shining," but "whether as originally sun-god or as lightener" is not now clear; the epithet Deus Optimus Maximus, DOM "Best and Greatest God", an epithet for Jupiter, the pater familias of the Roman pantheon, was later adopted in Christianity, as well as Deus.

Mithras

The name of this Persian god of light, one of the earliest Indic words we possess, being found in clay tablets from Anatolia dating to about 1500 B.C, reported in English only since 1551, is from Latin, from Greek Mithras, derived from itself from Avestan Mithra-, possibly from an Indo-Iranian root mitram "contract," whence *mitras "contractual partner, friend," conceptualized as a god, or, according to Kent, first the epithet of a divinity and eventually his name; from proto-Indo-Germanic root base mei- "to bind"; related to Sanskrit Mitrah, a Vedic deity associated with Varuna.

Abrahamic religions

Judaism

In the Hebrew Bible, the name of God represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature. The various Jewish names of God represent God, and His divine attributes. The most important name of God is the tetragrammaton (Hebrew:Template:Hebrew, English: YHVH or YHWH—vowels are not written in the Hebrew spelling), and Elohim. See Ēl, Names of God in Judaism.

Christianity

Yahweh or Jehovah are common vocalizations of God's personal name based on the Hebrew tetragrammaton (above). Most modern Christian Bibles have removed this name in nearly all of the 7000 places it appears in the Hebrew Scriptures, usually replacing it with 'LORD' or a similar alternative. The name does appear at four places in the King James Bible (e.g. Exodus 6:3), but is only used with prominence by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Nearly all Christian traditions recognize the name in some form, even if it has largely fallen out of use.

Jesus (Yeshua`, Yeshû` or Yehoshûa`) is a Hebraic personal name meaning "Jehovah Saves", and Christ means "the anointed" in Greek. (translating Messiah). Much of Christendom believes in a divine Trinity, i.e. a single God manifest in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

In the effort to translate the Bible into every language (see SIL), the Christian God has usually been named after a pagan or philosophical concept that was present in the language before Christianity.

God itself is an example of this, the word having earlier referred to Germanic pagan deities. Greek Theos (Θεός, with the initial letter invariably capitalised - pagan or "false" gods were written as theos/θεός, theoi/θεοί with lowercase letters used throughout)) was used for the supreme God even before Christianity, in the Septuagint, translated to Latin Deus by Saint Jerome. Other names of the Christian God that have a history of pagan meanings include Slavic Bog, Finnish Jumala, Japanese Kami and in Arabic Allah which is generally thought to be solely a word which describes the Islamic God.

The less evangelical branch of the Quakers often refers to God as The Light. Other terms used include 'King of Kings' or 'Lord of Lords' and Lord of the Hosts.

Other names used by Christians include the Hebrew names Elohim, El-Shaddai, and Adonai.

Islam

Allah is the most frequently used name of God in Islam. It originally simply meant "the God" in Arabic, and was used in pre-Islamic times to refer to a divinity worshipped in Mecca. It is properly translated as "God" in English, and seen by Muslims as the same God of Christianity. As such, contrary to much popular understanding of Allah as a distinct God, it is the word used by Arab Jews and Christians when speaking of God.

An Islamic tradition states that there are 99 Names of God, which are His attributes.

Besides those names of Qur'anic origin, some other names have been used, be it far less widely, e.g. the Osmanli anachronism Tangri (originally the pagan Turks' celestial chief god).

Rastafari

  • Haile Selassie is the name of God incarnate in the Rastafari movement. God is called Jah and Haile Selassie is called Jah Rastafari, from his precoronation name Ras Tafari Makonnen

Bahá'í Faith

Bahá'ís refer to God using the local word for God in whatever language is being spoken, so God is used in English, Allah in Arabic, Gud in the Scandinavian languages, and so forth. This is because Bahá'ís believe that, although people have different concepts of God and His nature, and may call Him by different names and use different languages, everyone is referring to one unique Deity.

Bahá'ís believe that the essence of God is beyond the knowledge and understanding of human beings, and that he therefore must be known through his names, or attributes. God's names are seen as his attributes, and God is often, in prayers, referred to by these titles and attributes, such as the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Merciful, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous, the All-Wise, the Incomparable, the Gracious, the Helper, the All-Glorious, the Omniscient.

Translations of scripture typically use the local language unless a whole phrase is being transliterated for a specific purpose. However, since the languages in which the Bahá'í Faith was first authored were Arabic and Farsi, the term Allah and other "names" are used in some specific contexts, even by non-Arabic speakers. The above-mentioned attributes are sometimes referred to in their Arabic form - for instance Bahá'ís refer to "Bahá" (meaning Glory or Splendour) as The Greatest Name of God. This also forms the root of the word "Bahá'i." The Bahá'í greeting Alláh'u'abhá is a formulation of this word and is usually translated "God is most Glorious".

Dharmic religions

Hinduism


Sikhism

In Sikhism God is One Entity and has no gender. He is referred to in the Sikh Scriptures by many hundreds of names. Some of the common names for God are:

  • Akal Purakh meaning Timeless Primal Being
  • On-kar meaning Creator
  • Satnam meaning True Name
  • Waheguru, meaning Wonderful Lord

God according to Guru Nanak is beyond full comprehension by humans and can be called by an infinite number of names.

Chinese religions

Main article: Chinese mythology
  • Shang Ti 上帝 (Hanyu Pinyin: shàng dì) (literally King Above) was a supreme God worshipped in ancient China. It is also used to refer to the Christian God in the Standard Mandarin Union Version of the Bible.
  • Shen 神 (lit. spirit, or deity) is commonly used to refer to various spirits, including gods, and was adopted by Protestant missionaries in China to refer to the Christian God. In this context it is usually rendered with a space, " 神", to demonstrate reverence.
  • Tian 天 (lit. sky or heaven) is used to refer to the sky as well as a personification of the sky. Whether it possesses sentience in the embodiment of an omnipotent, omniscient being is a difficult question for linguists and philosophers.

Other traditions

Taboos

Several religions advance taboos related to names of their gods. In some cases, the name may never be spoken, or only spoken by inner-circle initiates, or only spoken at prescribed moments during certain rituals. In other cases, the name may be freely spoken, but when written, taboos apply. It is common to regard the written name of one's god as deserving of respect; it ought not, for instance, be stepped upon or dirtied. It may be permissible to burn the written name when there is no longer a use for it.

Judaism

Most observant Jews forbid any method of discarding the written name of God. Once written, the name must be preserved indefinitely. This leads to several noteworthy practices:

  • Commonplace materials, such as calendars which include quotations from Torah, are written with an intentionally abbreviated form of the name. For instance, quotations written in English may substitute "G-d" for the name of God. Thus, a calendar or children's Hebrew school workbook may be discarded along with ordinary trash.
  • Copies of the Torah are, like most scriptures, heavily used during worship services, and eventually become worn out. Since they may not be disposed of in any way, including by burning, they are removed, traditionally to the synagogue attic. See genizah. There they remain until the building itself is destroyed by the hand of God or gentiles (non-Jews).
  • All religious texts that include the name of God are buried.

Literature and fiction

See also

Sources and external links

Categories: