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Names
of God – Wikipedia
The Names of God
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about names of God in monotheistic
religions. For theonyms generally, see Lists of deities.
A diagram of the names of God in Athanasius Kircher's
Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652–1654). The style and form are typical of the mystical
tradition, as early theologians began to fuse emerging pre-Enlightenment
concepts of classification and organization with religion and alchemy, to shape
an artful and perhaps more conceptual view of God.
Part of a series on
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There are various names of God and many titles that refer
to God, many of which enumerate the various qualities of a Supreme Being. The
English word god (and its equivalent in other languages) is used by multiple
religions as a noun to refer to different deities, or specifically to the
Supreme Being, as denoted in English by the capitalized and uncapitalized terms
God and god.[1] Ancient cognate equivalents for the biblical Hebrew Elohim, one
of the most common names of God in the Bible,[2] include proto-Semitic El,
biblical Aramaic Elah, and Arabic ilah.[2] The personal or proper name for God
in many of these languages may either be distinguished from such attributes, or
homonymic. For example, in Judaism the tetragrammaton is sometimes related to
the ancient Hebrew ehyeh ("I will be").[2] It is connected to the
passage in Exodus 3:14 in which God gives his name as אֶהְיֶה
אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה
(Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh), where the verb may be translated most basically as "I
Am that I Am", "I shall be what I shall be", or "I shall be
what I am". In the passage, YHWH,[2] the personal name of God, is revealed
directly to Moses.
Correlation between various theories and interpretation of
the name of "the one God", used to signify a monotheistic or ultimate
Supreme Being from which all other divine attributes derive, has been a subject
of ecumenical discourse between Eastern and Western scholars for over two
centuries.[3] In Christian theology the word is considered a personal and a
proper name of God.[4] On the other hand, the names of God in a different
tradition are sometimes referred to by symbols.[5] The question whether divine
names used by different religions are equivalent has been raised and
analyzed.[6]
Exchange of names held sacred between different religious
traditions is typically limited. Other elements of religious practice may be
shared, especially when communities of different faiths are living in close
proximity (for example, the use of Khuda or Prabhu within the Indian Christian
community) but usage of the names themselves mostly remains within the domain
of a particular religion, or even may help define one's religious belief
according to practice, as in the case of the recitation of names of God (such
as the japa).[7] Guru Gobind Singh's Jaap Sahib, which contains 950 names of
God is one example of this. The Divine Names, the classic treatise by
Pseudo-Dionysius, defines the scope of traditional understandings in Western
traditions such as Hellenic, Christian, Jewish and Islamic theology on the
nature and significance of the names of God.[8] Further historical lists such
as The 72 Names of the Lord show parallels in the history and interpretation of
the name of God amongst Kabbalah, Christianity, and Hebrew scholarship in
various parts of the Mediterranean world.[9]
The attitude as to the transmission of the name in many
cultures was surrounded by secrecy. In Judaism, the pronunciation of the name
of God has always been guarded with great care. It is believed that, in ancient
times, the sages communicated the pronunciation only once every seven
years;[10] this system was challenged by more recent movements. The nature of a
holy name can be described as either personal or attributive. In many cultures
it is often difficult to distinguish between the personal and the attributive
names of God, the two divisions necessarily shading into each other.[11]
The world's first religions were formed when the first
civilizations were formed, and thus, the first instances of the Names of God
appeared in these regions, including Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Levant, and other
regions; this also includes the civilizations that would form and occupy the
region in its future, such as the Achaemenid Empire, Ottoman Empire, and Iran.
Abrahamic and related religions
Further information: El (deity)
Judaism
Main article: Names of God in Judaism
Further information: I Am that I Am, Yahweh,
Tetragrammaton, Elohim, El Shaddai, and Elyon
El comes from a root word meaning "god" or
"deity", reconstructed in the Proto-Semitic language as ʾil.
Sometimes referring to God and sometimes the mighty when used to refer to the
God of Israel, El is almost always qualified by additional words that further
define the meaning that distinguishes him from false gods. A common title of
God in the Hebrew Bible is Elohim (Hebrew: אלהים).
The root Eloah (אלה) is used in poetry and late prose (e.g.,
the Book of Job) and ending with the masculine plural suffix -im ים
creating a word like ba`alim ('owners') and adonim ('lords', 'masters') that
may also indicate a singular identity.
In the Book of Exodus, God commands Moses to tell the
people that 'I AM' sent him, and this is revered as one of the most important
names of God according to Mosaic tradition.
Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and
say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me,
'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses,
"I Am who I Am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I Am has
sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites,
'The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the
God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name you shall
call me from generation to generation".
— Exodus
3:13–15
In Exodus 6:3, when Moses first spoke with God, God said,
"I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did
not make myself known to them by my name YHWH."
YHWH (יהוה) is the proper name of
God in Judaism. Neither vowels nor vowel points were used in ancient Hebrew
writings and the original vocalisation of YHWH has been lost.[12]
Later commentaries additionally suggested that the true
pronunciation of this name is composed entirely of vowels, such as the Greek
Ιαουε.[13] However, this is put into question by the
fact that vowels were only distinguished in the time-period by their very
absence due to the lack of explicit vowels in the Hebrew script. The resulting
substitute made from semivowels and glottals, known as the tetragrammaton, is
not ordinarily permitted to be pronounced aloud, even in prayer. The
prohibition on misuse (not use) of this name is the primary subject of the
command not to take the name of the Lord in vain.
Instead of pronouncing YHWH during prayer, Jews say
"Adonai" ('Lord'). 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 religious 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 (השם), which
is Hebrew for 'the Name'; this appears in Leviticus 24:11.
Almost all Orthodox Jews avoid using either Yahweh or
Jehovah altogether on the basis that the actual pronunciation of the
tetragrammaton has been lost in antiquity. Many use the term HaShem as an
indirect reference, or they use "God" or "The Lord"
instead. Mark Sameth argues that Yahweh was a pseudo name for a dual-gendered
deity, the four letters of that name being cryptogram which the priests of
ancient Israel read in reverse as huhi, 'he–she', as earlier theorized by
Guillaume Postel (16th century) and Michelangelo Lanci [it] (19th century).[14][15][16][17]
Christianity
Main article: Names of God in Christianity
Further information: Jehovah
See also: Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament
In Christianity, the Old Testament reveals YHWH (יהוה;
often vocalized with vowels as "Yahweh" or "Jehovah") as
the personal name of God.[18][19] References, such as The New Encyclopædia
Britannica, affirm the vocalization "Yahweh" by offering additional
specifics to its (Christian) reconstruction out of Greek sources:
Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in
the 2nd century, had used a form like Yahweh, and claim that this pronunciation
of the tetragrammaton was never really lost. Other Greek transcriptions also
indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.[13]
Jah or Yah (rendered as יָהּ in
Hebrew) is an abbreviation of Jahweh/Yahweh/Jehovah.[20] It appears in certain
translations of the Bible, such as the Revised Standard Version, and is used by
Christians in the interjection Hallelujah, meaning "Praise Jah",
which is used to give Jahweh glory.[20] In Christianity, certain hymns
dedicated to God invoke the divine name using the vocalization Jehovah (יְהֹוָה,
Yəhōwā), such as Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.[21]
The Hebrew personal name of God YHWH is rendered as
"the Lord" in many translations of the Bible, with Elohim being
rendered as "God"; certain translations of Scripture render the
Tetragrammaton with Yahweh or Jehovah in particular places, with the latter
vocalization being used in the King James Version, Tyndale Bible, and other
translations of the Bible from that time period and later.[22] Many English
translations of the Bible (such as ESV, NIV, KJV, etc.) translate the
tetragrammaton as Lord, thus removing any form of YHWH from the written text
and going well beyond the Jewish oral practice of substituting Adonai for YHWH
when reading aloud.[23][failed verification]
English Bible translations of the Greek New Testament
render ho theos (Greek: Ο Θεός) as God and ho kurios
(Greek: Ο Κύριος) as "the Lord",
with the latter being the "Greek translation of the Hebrew OT name for
God, Yahweh."[24]
Jesus (Iesus, Yeshua[25]) was a common alternative form of
the name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
(Yehoshua 'Joshua') in later books of the Hebrew Bible and among Jews of the
Second Temple period. The name corresponds to the Greek spelling Iesous, from
which comes the English spelling Jesus.[26][27] Christ means 'the anointed' in
Greek (Χριστός). Khristos is the Greek
equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah; while in English the old Anglo-Saxon
Messiah-rendering hæland ('healer') was practically annihilated by the Latin
Christ, some cognates such as heiland in Dutch and Afrikaans survive—also, in
German, the word Heiland is sometimes used as reference to Jesus, e.g., in
church chorals).
In the Book of Revelation in the Christian New Testament,
God, that is, Jesus is quoted as saying "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
First and the Last, the Beginning and the End". (cf. Rev. 1:8, 21:6, and
22:13)
Some Quakers refer to God with the title of the Light.
Another term used is King of Kings or Lord of Lords and Lord of Hosts. In
addition to the personal name of God YHWH (pronounced with the vocalizations
Yahweh or Jehovah), titles of God used by Christians include the Hebrew titles
Elohim, El-Shaddai, and Adonai, as well as Ancient of Days, Father/Abba which
is Hebrew, "Most High".[18] Abba ('father' in Hebrew) is a common
term used for the creator within Christianity because it was a title Jesus used
to refer to God the Father.
Mormonism
Main article: God in Mormonism
In Mormonism the name of God the Father is Elohim [28] and
the name of Jesus in his pre-incarnate state was Jehovah.[29][30] Together,
with the Holy Ghost they form the Godhead; God the Father, Jesus Christ, and
the Holy Spirit.[31] Mormons typically refer to God as "Heavenly
Father" or "Father in Heaven".[32][non-primary source needed]
Although Mormonism views the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit as three distinct beings, they are one in purpose and God the Father
(Elohim) is worshipped and given all glory through his Son, Jesus Christ
(Jehovah). Despite the Godhead doctrine, which teaches that God the Father,
Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three separate, divine beings, many Mormons
(mainstream Latter-day Saints and otherwise, such as the Fundamentalist Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) view their beliefs as monotheist since
Christ is the conduit through which humanity comes to the God the Father. The
Book of Mormon ends with "to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great
Jehovah, the eternal Judge of both the quick and dead. Amen."[33]
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God has a distinctive
name, represented in the Old Testament by the Tetragrammaton. In English, they
prefer to use the form Jehovah.[34] According to their New World Translation of
the Holy Scriptures, the name Jehovah means "He causes to
become".[35]
Though scholars prefer the form Yahweh, Jehovah's Witnesses
maintain that the name Jehovah is the most well known form in English.[citation
needed] Their literature compares the use of the form Jehovah in English to the
widespread use of Jesus in English as a translation of Yeshua or Yehoshua.[36]
Islam
The word Allah in thuluth calligraphy
99 names of Allah, in Chinese Sini (script).
Main article: Names of God in Islam
Further information: Allah and God in Islam
Allah—meaning 'the God' in Arabic—is the word for God in
Islam.[37] The word Allah has been used by Arabic people of different religions
since pre-Islamic times. More specifically, it has been used as a term for God
by Muslims (both Arab and non-Arab) and Arab Christians. God has many names in
Islam. The Qur'an says (in translation) "to Him Belong the Best Names
(Lahu Al-Asma' Al-Husna)"; examples include Ar-Rahman ('the Entirely
Merciful') and Ar-Rahim ('the Especially Merciful'). Beside these Arabic names,
Muslims of non-Arab origins may also sometimes use other names in their own
languages to refer to God, such as Khuda in Persian, Bengali and Urdu. Tangri
or Tengri was used in the Ottoman Turkish language as the equivalent of
Allah.[38]
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of
the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially
Merciful. He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the
Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in
Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they
associate with Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to
Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting
Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (Translation of Qur'an: Chapter
59, Verses 22-24)
Sufism
In Tasawwuf, often characterised as the inner, mystical
dimension of Islam, Hu, Huwa (depends on placement in the sentence), or
Parvardigar in Persian are used as names of God. The sound Hu derives from the
last letter of the word Allah, which is read as Allahu when in the middle of a
sentence. Hu means 'Just He' or 'Revealed'. The word explicitly appears in many
verses of the Quran:
"La ilaha illa Hu"
— Al
Imran:18
Baháʼí Faith
See also: God in the Baháʼí Faith
Calligraphy of the Greatest Name
The scriptures of the Baháʼí Faith often refer to God
by various titles and attributes, such as Almighty, All-Possessing,
All-Powerful, All-Wise, Incomparable, Gracious, Helper, All-Glorious, and
Omniscient.[39] Baháʼís believe the Greatest Name of God is "All-Glorious"
or bahá in Arabic. Bahá is the root word of the following names and phrases:
the greeting Alláh-u-Abhá ('God is the All-Glorious'), the invocation Yá
Bahá'u'l-Abhá ('O Thou Glory of the Most Glorious'), Bahá'u'lláh ('the Glory of
God'), and Baháʼí ('Follower of the All-Glorious'). These are expressed in
Arabic regardless of the language in use (see Baháʼí symbols).[40] Apart
from these names, God is addressed in the local language, for example Ishwar in
Hindi, Dieu in French and Dios in Spanish.[citation needed] Baháʼís
believe Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, is the
"complete incarnation of the names and attributes of God".[41]
Mandaeism
Main article: Hayyi Rabbi
Further information: Mandaeism
Mandaeans believe in one God called Hayyi Rabbi ('The Great
Life' or 'The Great Living God').[42] Other names for God used include Mare
d'Rabuta ('Lord of Greatness'), Mana Rabba ('The Great Mind'), Melka d'Nhura
('King of Light') and Hayyi Qadmaiyi ('The First Life').[43]
Gnosticism
Main article: Monad (Gnosticism)
Iranian religions
Yazidism
Main article: Yazidism
Yazidism knows only one eternal God, often named Xwedê or
Êzî.[44] According to some Yazidi hymns (known as Qewls), God has 1001
names.[45]
Zoroastrianism
Main article: 101 Names of God
In Zoroastrianism, 101 names of God (Pazand Sad-o-yak
nam-i-khoda) is a list of names of God (Ahura Mazda). The list is preserved in
Persian, Pazand and Gujarati. Parsi tradition expanded this to a list of 101
names of God.[46]
Indian religions
Hinduism
Main article: God in Hinduism
There are multiple names for God's various manifestations
worshiped in Hinduism. Some of the common names for these deities in Hinduism
are:
Bhagavan (भगवान्) the
most frequently used name for Lord in Hinduism. The equivalent term used for
female deities is Bhagavati (भगवती).
Brahman (ब्रह्मन्) is a
theological concept espoused in Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism, which is of
neuter gender. The word Paramatman (परमात्मन्)
popularly pronounced as Paramatma (परमात्मा) is
also used synonymously with it. The word is used to denote the Supreme Divinity/Supreme
Soul.
Isvara (ईश्वर)
shortened as Isha (ईश) is applied to mean 'God' in
both religious and secular context (for example in the Gita, Arjuna is referred
to as Manujeshvara which is a compound of the two words manuja, 'human' and
Ishvara, thus the word means 'God of humans', i.e. 'king'). The term
Parameshvara ('Supreme God') is used to refer to one's Ishta (chosen deity for
personal veneration) in general terms. The feminine equivalents are Isvari (ईश्वरी) and
Parameshvari (परमेश्वरी) used
in case of female deities.
Deva/Devata (देव/देवता) is
the most commonly used suffix used for male deities in Hinduism. The feminine
equivalent is Devi (देवी).
Additionally, most Hindu deities have a collection of
8/12/16/32/100/108/1000/1008 names exclusively dedicated to them known as
Namavali.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Tamil Tradition
அருமன்
(Arumaṉ) - The most giving.
உய்யன் (Uyyaṉ)
- The most high.
இறைவன் (Iṟaivaṉ)
- The one above all.
இயவுள்
(Iyavul) - who sets things in motion.
கடவுள்
(Kadavul) - The one who transcend the world and is hidden within)
Arya Samaj
Main article: Satyarth Prakash
Maharishi Dayanand in his book Satyarth Prakash has listed
100 names of God each representing some property or attribute thereof
mentioning "Om" or "Aum" as God's personal and natural
name.
Jainism
Main article: God in Jainism
Jainism rejects the idea of a creator deity responsible for
the manifestation, creation, or maintenance of this universe. According to Jain
doctrine, the universe and its constituents (soul, matter, space, time, and
principles of motion) have always existed. All the constituents and actions are
governed by universal natural laws and an immaterial entity like God cannot
create a material entity like the universe. Jainism offers an elaborate
cosmology, including heavenly beings (devas), but these beings are not viewed
as creators; they are subject to suffering and change like all other living
beings, and must eventually die.
Jains define godliness as the inherent quality of any soul
characterizing infinite bliss, infinite power, perfect knowledge and perfect
peace. However, these qualities of a soul are subdued due to karmas of the
soul. One who achieves this state of soul through right belief, right knowledge
and right conduct can be termed as god. This perfection of soul is called
kaivalya (omniscience). A liberated soul thus becomes a god – liberated of
miseries, cycles of rebirth, world, karmas and finally liberated of body as
well. This is called nirvana or moksha.
If godliness is defined as the state of having freed one's
soul from karmas and the attainment of Kevala Jnana and a god as one who exists
in such a state, then those who have achieved such a state can be termed
gods/Tirthankara. Thus, Rishabhanatha was god/Tirthankara but he was not the
only Tirthankara; there were many other Tirthankara. However, the quality of
godliness is one and the same in all of them.
Jainism does not teach the dependency on any supreme being
for enlightenment. The Tirthankara is a guide and teacher who points the way to
enlightenment, but the struggle for enlightenment is one's own. Moral rewards
and sufferings are not the work of a divine being, but a result of an innate
moral order in the cosmos; a self-regulating mechanism whereby the individual
reaps the fruits of his own actions through the workings of the karmas.
Jains believe that to attain enlightenment and ultimately
liberation from all karmic bonding, one must practice the ethical principles
not only in thought, but also in words (speech) and action. Such a practice
through lifelong work towards oneself is called as observing the Mahavrata
('Great Vows').
Gods can be thus categorized into embodied gods also known
as Tīrthankaras and Arihantas or ordinary Kevalis, and non-embodied
formless gods who are called Siddhas. Jainism considers the devīs and
devas to be souls who dwell in heavens owing to meritorious deeds in their past
lives. These souls are in heavens for a fixed lifespan and even they have to
undergo reincarnation as humans to achieve moksha.
Sikhism
Main article: Names of God in Sikhism
Further information: God in Sikhism
There are multiple names for God in Sikhism. Some of the
popular names for God in Sikhism are:
Akal Purakh, meaning 'timeless being'.
Ik Onkar, 'One Creator', found at the beginning of the Sikh
Mul Mantar.
Nirankar, meaning 'formless'.
Satnam, meaning 'True Name'; some are of the opinion that
this is a name for God in itself, others believe that this is an adjective used
to describe the Gurmantar, Waheguru.
Waheguru, meaning 'Wonderful Teacher bringing light to
remove darkness'; this name is considered the greatest among Sikhs, and it is
known as Gurmantar, 'the Guru's Word'. Waheguru is the only way to meet
God.[citation needed]
Dātā or Dātār, meaning 'the Giver'.
Kartā or Kartār, meaning 'the Doer'.
Diāl, meaning 'compassionate'.
Kirpāl, meaning 'benevolent'.
In the Sikh scripture, both Hindu and Muslim names of the
Supreme Being are also commonly employed, expressing different aspects of the
divine Name. For instance, names like Ram ('pervading'), Hari ('shining'),
Parmeshwar ('supreme lord'), and Jagdish ('world lord') refer to Hindu terms,
while names like Allah (Arabic for God), Khuda (Persian for God), Rahim
('merciful'), Karim ('generous'), and Sahib ('lord') are of Muslim origin.[47]
God, according to Guru Nanak, is beyond full comprehension
by humans; has an endless number of virtues; takes on innumerable forms, but is
formless; and can be called by an infinite number of names thus "Your
Names are so many, and Your Forms are endless. No one can tell how many
Glorious Virtues You have."[48]
The word Allah (Punjabi: ਅਲਹੁ) is
used 12 times in the Guru Granth Sahib (primary religious scripture) by Sheikh
Farid. Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Arjan Dev and Bhagat Kabeer used the word 18 times.
African religions
!Kung
The Supreme Being in !Kung mythology (known as Khu, Xu,
Xuba, or Huwa) is the Creator and Upholder of life.[49]
Egypt
"Divine name" redirects here. For the name of a
deity, see Theonym.
A divine name is an official title for any divine being. In
Egypt, divine names were indicated with a god's inscription (nṯr, which
can be Anglicised as netjer.)[50] In Sumerian cuneiform, the Dingir sign (𒀭)
was used.[51]
mgn rbt atrt ym mgz qnyt ilm
Asherah's title in KTU 1.4 mgn rbt is like Jupiter's title
optimus maxiumus.
A divine being's name is distinct from an epithet. A divine
epithet expresses specific traits, aspects, or domains of a god, or applies a
common noun to them.[52] Rahmouni says a locative name is ʔil yṯb bʕṯtrt
in KTU 1.108, 2 meaning "The god who sits (enthroned) in ʕAṯtartu.[53]
A name is sometimes double-barreled, like in
Shagar-we-Ishtar or Kothar-wa-Hasis.
ʔṯrt w rḥmy Asherah-wa-Rachmai takes this
("binomial") form but is of slightly unclear categorization.[54] In
this case and that of the Lady of Byblos, it is not clear if the appellation is
a personal name.
Binomial names can be found in "bound forms" like
Bethel's Anat-Bethel, Ashim-Bethel, "and Herem-Bethel from the archives of
Elephantine."[55]
In one Egyptian story, the sun god Ra's true name was
cunningly uncovered by Isis. Using a secret scheme, Isis gained complete
dominion over Ra. This enabled her to elevate her son Horus to the throne,
showing the power that a name had over the gods. [56]
Appendages
The maiden goddesses of Canaan and Phoenicia were sometimes
called the "name of the lord" (Ba'al) or the "face of the
lord." In their less-virginal incarnations as the consort Anat-Bethel or
as a mother goddess ʕtr [ʕ-t-r-m = ʕtr-(ʕ)m(y) "ʕtr
my mother"] these and "hand of" the deity are added. This might
mean hypostasis or intercession.[57]
Odinani
Chukwu is the supreme being of the Odinani religion of the
Igbo people. In the Igbo pantheon, Chukwu is the source of all other Igbo
deities and is responsible for assigning them their different tasks. It is
traditionally believed that all things come from Chukwu, who brings the rain
necessary for plants to grow and controls everything on Earth and the spiritual
world. Chukwu is described as an undefinable omnipotent and omnipresent supreme
deity that encompasses everything in space and time itself. Igbo Christians
also refer to the Abrahamic God as Chukwu.[58]
West African Vodun
Nana Buluku is the female supreme being in West African
Vodun. In Dahomey mythology, Nana Buluku is the mother supreme creator who gave
birth to the moon spirit Mawu, the sun spirit Lisa, and all of the universe.
After giving birth to these, she retired and left the matters of the world to
Mawu-Lisa. She is the primary creator, Mawu-Lisa the secondary creator, and the
theology based on these is called Vodun, Voodoo or Vodoun.[59]
Iṣeṣẹ
The supreme being in Iṣẹṣẹ, the
traditional religion of the Yoruba people, is known as Olorun or Olodumare. The
Yoruba traditionally believe that Olodumare is omnipotent and is the source of
all.[60] Olodumare is aloof; he is not directly involved in earthly matters and
lets other Yoruba deities (orisha), who are his sons and daughters, answer
human concerns through divination, possession, sacrifice and more.[61] However,
everything is in the hands of Olodumare when they are going to bed at
night.[60] Yoruba Muslims and Christians also refer to the Abrahamic God as
Olorun or Olodumare.
Zulu traditional religion
Unkulunkulu is the supreme creator in Zulu traditional
religion. Unkulunkulu is believed to have brought human beings and cattle from
an area of reeds. He is described as having created everything, from land and
water, to man and the animals. He is considered the first man as well as the
parent of all Zulu. He is traditionally believed to have taught the Zulu how to
hunt, how to make fire, and how to grow food.[62] Zulu Christians also refer to
the Abrahamic God as Unkulunkulu.
East Asian religions
In China
In China, belief systems can be considered to consist of
four major traditions: the official belief system, the folk belief system, the
Taoist belief system, and the Buddhist belief system. Among the first
three—though none are monotheistic—there exists the concept of an origin deity
or a supreme being.
Official Belief System
At the official level in classical China, from the Shang
dynasty to the Qing dynasty, the supreme deity worshipped was known as Shangdi
(上帝,
literally "The Deity Above"),[63] also referred to as Haotian Shangdi
(昊天上帝,
"Shangdi of the Vast Heaven"). The belief in Shangdi originated from
ancient Chinese worship of the sky and the North Star. After Confucianism
became the state orthodoxy, Shangdi continued to be revered as the highest
deity.
Folk Belief System
Due to the solemnity of sacrificial rites, only the emperor
was traditionally permitted to offer sacrifices to Shangdi in ancient China. As
a result, common people rarely worshipped Shangdi directly. Instead, they
venerated the Yudi (玉帝,
literally "Jade Emperor"),[64] also known as Yuhuang (玉皇) or Yuhuang Dadi (玉皇大帝). In fact, belief in
the Jade Emperor is considered to have developed from the earlier belief in
Shangdi.
Taoist Belief System
Taoism acknowledges the authority and status of the folk
Jade Emperor, but it does not regard him as the supreme deity of the religion.
Instead, the highest deities in Taoism are the Three Pure Ones.[65]
In Japan
In Japan, within their native mythology and religion, there
exists the concept of both an origin deity and a supreme being. The
Kotoamatsukami were a collection of deities that predated most others, and the
god known as Ame no Minakanushi (天之御中主神)
(lit. 'Lord of the August Center of Heaven') served as the origin of the
Universe. However, Japan is also home to many Japanese new religions which can
be considered to be monotheistic[66] or henotheistic.[67] Some names for God as
a supreme deity (rather than as a local kami) in various Japanese religions
are:[68]
Kurozumikyo: Amaterasu
Konkokyo: Tenchi-Kane-no-Kami (天地金乃神), or
the "Golden Kami of Heaven and Earth" (in Japanese, "Heaven and
Earth" also means the Universe)
Tenrikyo: God the Parent (Japanese: Oyagami 親神), Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto (天理王命) (lit. 'absolute
ruler of divine reason'), Tsukihi (月日)
(lit. 'Moon-Sun'), God of Origin (元の神), God
in Truth (実の神)
Oomoto: Oomoto-sume-oomikami (大天主太神)
(lit. 'The Great Heavenly Lord, the Supreme God')
Ananaikyo: the Great Spirit of the Universe (宇宙大精神,
uchū daiseishin), or uchū tairei (宇宙大霊)[69]
PL Kyodan: Daigenrei (大元霊)
(lit. 'Great Original Spirit') or Mioya Ōkami (大元霊) (lit. 'Great Parent
God'), both of which are different readings of the same characters 大元霊
Ennokyo: Ōmioya (大御親)[70]
Seicho-no-Ie: Refers to "God" or Kami using the
character 神
Mahikari: Su-god (ス神,
su-kami)
Native American religions
Anishinaabe
Main article: Anishinaabe traditional beliefs
Gitche Manitou, also known as Gitchi Manitou, Kitchi
Manitou, means "Great Spirit" in several Algonquian languages.
Christian missionaries have translated God as Gitche Manitou in scriptures and
prayers in the Algonquian languages.
See also
icon Religion
portal
Bhadrakalpika Sūtra c. 200-250 CE, which gives names
of 1002 Buddhas
Creator deity
Dingir
Existence of God
Lists of deities
List of goddesses
Sahasranama
Tetragrammaton
Vishnu Sahasranāma
The Nine Billion Names of God, a short story by Arthur C.
Clarke
References
Velde, Rudi van de
(2006). Aquinas on God: the 'divine science' of the Summa theologiae.
Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. pp. 45–46. ISBN 0-7546-0755-0.
Eisenstein, Judah
D.; McLaughlin, John F. (1906). "Names of God". Jewish Encyclopedia.
Kopelman Foundation. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
Jordan, Mark D.
(1983), The Names of God and the Being of Names, in The Existence and Nature of
God, edited by Alfred J. Freddoso, pp. 161–190. University of Notre Dame Press.
ISBN 0-268-00911-2
(PDF) Sacraments of
the Incarnate Word: The Christological Form of the Summa theologiae Archived
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Aiyadurai Jesudasen
Appasamy, G. S. S. Sreenivasa Rao, Inter-faith dialogue and world community.
Christian Literature Society for India (1991) "All these names of God are,
of course, symbols. ... All names of the one God or the Absolute are
symbols." p. 9
Peter C. Phan
(2004). Being religious interreligiously: Asian perspectives on interfaith
dialogue p. 102.
Jerald D. Gort On
sharing religious experience: possibilities of interfaith mutuality p. 146
Encounter of Religions Research Group Rodopi, 1992 ISBN 0-8028-0505-1
Paul Rorem,
Pseudo-Dionysius: a commentary on the texts and an introduction to their
influence. Oxford University Press, 1993, p.163 ISBN 0-19-507664-8
Valentina
Izmirlieva, All the names of the Lord: lists, mysticism, and magic, University
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International Standard Bible encyclopaedia Edition: —Item notes: v. 1—1959 1915
p. 1267
John S. Mbiti.
Concepts of God in Africa. p. 217, 1970
"How the Name
was originally vocalized is no longer certain. Its pronunciation was in time
restricted to the Temple service, then to the High Priest intoning it on the Day
of Atonement, after, and after the destruction of the Temple it received a
substitute pronunciation both for the reading of Scripture and for its use at
prayer." Plaut, W. Gunther; Leviticus / Bernard J. Bamberger; Essays on
ancient Near Eastern literature / commentaries by William W. Hallo (1985).
[Torah] = The Torah : a modern commentary (4th ed.). New York: Union of Hebrew
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(2015). Tetragrammaton: Western Christians and the Hebrew Name of God. Boston:
Brill. p. 337. ISBN 9789004288171.
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(1969). Le thrésor des prophéties de l'univers (in French). Springer. p. 211.
ISBN 9789024702039.
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(1845). Paralipomeni alla illustrazione della sagra Scrittura (in Italian)
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Parke-Taylor, G. H.
(1 January 2006). Yahweh: The Divine Name in the Bible. Wilfrid Laurier
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"The Name of
God in the Liturgy". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2008.
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June 2020). The Bible in Cross Cultural Perspective (Revised ed.). William
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Barrett, Michael P.
V. (20 September 2020). The Gospel of Exodus: Misery, Deliverance, Gratitude.
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"The Masoretes
who vocalized the Hebrew text took the vowels from the word Adonai (אֲדֹנָי)
and put them with יהוה (together: יְהֹוָה)
to remind the reader not to pronounce the name but to substitute Adonai. A
Christian writer of the sixteenth century who was unaware of this substitution
transcribed the word as he saw it, namely as Jehovah, and this error has since
entered many Christian Bibles [5]. 5. Only rarely has the pronunciation Jehovah
been given scholarly endorsement; one exception is J. Neubauer,
Bibelwissenschaftliche Irrungen (Berlin: Louis Lamm, 1917), who bases his opinion
on Jerusalem Talmud San.. 10:1, describing the controversy between the
Rabbanites and the Samaritans over the proniunciation. M. S. Enslin, The
Prophet from Nazareth (New York: Schocken, 1968), p. 19, n. 7, calls the
vocalization Jehovah an "orthoepic monstrosity".Plaut, W. Gunther;
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commentaries by William W. Hallo (1985). The Torah : a modern commentary (4th
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"Preface to the New American Standard Bible". New American Standard
Bible (Updated Edition). Anaheim, California: Foundation Publications (for the
Lockman Foundation). Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. There is yet
another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper
name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name
has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great
sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated
as LORD. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in
immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is
regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion.
Green, Joel B.;
McKnight, Scot; Marshall, I. Howard (18 February 1992). Dictionary of Jesus and
the Gospels: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship. InterVarsity.
p. 271. ISBN 978-0-8308-1777-1. Many of the uses of kyrios for God are in
citations of the OT and in expressions derived from the OT (e.g., "angel
of the Lord"), and in these passages the term functions as the Greek
translation of the Hebrew OT name for God, Yahweh. For example, twenty-five of
the uses of kyrios for God in Luke are in the first two chapters, where the
phrasing is so heavily influenced by the OT. The third frequently used term for
God is "Father" (patēr), doubtless the most familiar term for
God in Christian tradition and also perhaps the most theologically significant
title for God in the NT. Unlike the other terms for God already
mentioned--without exception in the Synoptics, and with only a few exceptions
in John--"Father" as a title for God appears only in the sayings
attributed to Jesus (the Johannine exceptions are in editorial remarks by the
Evangelist in 1:14, 18, a saying of Philip in 14:8 and the crowd's claim in
8:41).
Yeshua (ישוע,
with vowel pointing יֵשׁוּעַ
yēšūă‘ in Hebrew) Strong's Yeshuwa
Ilan, Tal (2002).
Lexicon of Jewish Names in Late Antiquity Part I: Palestine 330 BCE-200 CE
(Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum 91). Tübingen, Germany: J. C. B. Mohr.
p. 129.
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Jewish New Testament Commentary. Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament
Publications. pp. 4–5.
First Presidency and
Council of the Twelve, 1916, "God the Father", compiled by Gordon
Allred, p. 150
Moroni 10:34
Old Testament
Institute Manual:Genesis to 2 Samuel—"Who is the God of the Old
Testament?"
"Doctrine and
Covenants 76:12-24". churchofjesuschrist.org.
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Christ of Latter-Day Saints. "How can we come to know our Father in
Heaven?". Mormon.org.
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(2007). Historical dictionary of the Bahá'í Faith. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow
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"greatest name". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford:
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god who judges / rules in Hidra`yu.
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External links
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Bibliography on Divine Names in the Dead Sea Scrolls
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Ehyeh and YHWH—The Relationship Between the Divine Names in
Exodus 3:14-15
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