Dear friends,
I have followed the dialogues in this forum on the Holy Name of G'd and the
followers of Jesus.
In our tradition, Sephardic Jewish, we have "lost" the correct pronounciation
of HIS HOLY NAME. As you well know, based in our Rabbinical tradition, we have
used various punctuation symbols to indicate when to read ADONAY or ELOHIM in
the Hebrew text. These symbols have been combined and together with the
consonants of HIS NAME came the common pronounciation used by many Christians.
I think that Jesus himself as well as his followers respected and kept the same
tradition. This of course, did not take away his authority and the truth of
his teachings. To speak in the Name of the L-D is to speak by HIS authority
and sent by HIM.
I have found Christian groups in the USA that base their whole denomination and
creed on how to pronounce HIS NAME or on the claim that they know G-D and are
the only who can speak to HIM because they know HIS NAME. I do not understand
that. I cannot see how to know or not know the pronounciation of HIS NAME will
have anything to do with our relation with the Almighty and the way we live and
therefore our eternal hope.
I do believe that it is important to refer to the Almighty with respect and to
honour HIM in our way of life and the way we deal with each other. Did not
Jesus himself said that "to do for others what you want them to do for you is
the essense of the Torah and the prophets' message", and "love your enemies",
and "love the L-D your G-D" etc?
I would recognise that there is a place in scholarly research to explore this
issues, but let do not this take us away from the essense of HIS Word. "You
call me L-D but do not do what I commanded you" should be kept in mind. Did
not Jesus also said: "Is not the one that calls me lord, but the one that does
the will of my Father who will inherite eternal life."?
PS: I personally have very little trust in those Greek and other languages
transliteration of Hebrew words, especially when the scholars working with it
have also proposed various theories of how to pronounce that ancient Greek,
like koine.