WHY is the Tetragrammaton used so seldom

[Elijah John]

Why is the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), the Divine name, used so seldom in the New Testament?

It is used almost 7000 times in the OT/Hebrew Bible, but is absent or almost totally absent from the NT.

A few possible reasons are suggested.

1) Greek speaking NT writers honoring the Rabbinic prohibition against pronouncing (or writing?) the name of God.

2) The omission serves the agenda of NT writers in promoting Jesus as the "new" Lord, and redirecting honor in worship to Jesus instead of to YHVH.

Could it be either of these two reasons, or is there some other reason the Divine Name YHVH has been overlooked in the New Testament?

[2timothy316]

The Tetragrammaton is not used so often because there are those that want people to forget God's name so as to serve another god. (Today the trinity) This has been occurring for a very long time. Only it used to be Baal. The tricks are the same only the name of the false god has changed.

"I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal." Jer 23:25-27

[Elijah John]

The Tetragrammaton is not used so often because there are those that want people to forget God's name so as to serve another god. (Today the trinity) This has been occurring for a very long time. Only it used to be Baal. The tricks are the same only the name of the false god has changed.

"I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal." Jer 23:25-27

I think you are right. I know what you mean, but it's hard to hear it put in those terms. Jesus a "false god". Someone who never asked for any of this deification, and who we both revere (not worship) so highly.

[tigger2]

If the trinity (or just the deity of Jesus) had really been taught (or believed) by the first Christians, the schism between the Jews (who considered such a teaching "an unpardonable offense") and Christians would have been immediate, irrevocable, and incredibly intense. But that is not what caused the greatest and final split between the sect of the first Christians and the Jews. Nor is it what what caused Christians after 135 A.D. to rid themselves of "Jewish" aspects of the new religion (probably including the use of the Divine Name).


Noted Christian Bible historian, Philip Schaff writes: "(A.D. 132-135). A pseudo-Messiah, Bar-Cochba (son of the stars, Num. 24:17), afterwards called Bar-Cosiba (son of falsehood), put himself at the head of the rebels, and caused all the Christians who would not join him to be most cruelly murdered." – p. 37, History of the Christian Church, Vol. II, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995 reprint.

Not everybody agreed to Aqiba's view that Simon [Bar Kochba] was the Messiah. The Jewish Christians refused to accept this claim; the Christian author Justin Martyr tells that Simon commanded Christians 'to be lead [sic] away to terrible punishment,' unless they denied Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and cursed the man from Nazareth (First Apology 31.6). - http://www.livius.org/ja-jn/jewish_wars/jwar07.html

[It was the generation following the destruction of the Temple which brought about a final rupture between Jews and Christians .... In the third rebellion against Rome [132-135 A.D.], when the Christians were unable to accept bar Kochba as their Messiah, they declared that their kingdom was of the other world, and withdrew themselves completely from Judaism and everything Jewish. - pp. 152, 153, Jews, God and History, Max I. Dimont, A Signet Book, 1962.

This is the time when Jewish customs (including the Passover) started to be 'cleansed' from the Church.

This is also the time when Christians began copying the OT Greek Septuagint manuscripts of the Jews for their own OT use (and removing the name of the 'Jewish' God from it). At the same time they would also have removed any uses of that personal name of God (Ps. 83:18, KJV) from new copies of NT manuscripts as well.

Condensed from my Bar Kochba study

[2timothy316]

The Tetragrammaton is not used so often because there are those that want people to forget God's name so as to serve another god. (Today the trinity) This has been occurring for a very long time. Only it used to be Baal. The tricks are the same only the name of the false god has changed.

"I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal." Jer 23:25-27

I think you are right. I know what you mean, but it's hard to hear it put in those terms. Jesus a "false god". Someone who never asked for any of this deification, and who we both revere (not worship) so highly.

IMO it's Satan mocking Jehovah. Trying to use Jehovah's own Son as a way to miss lead others. The exact opposite of Jesus' purpose. This opposite of leading people to Jehovah's salvation is why Satan or 'resister' is known is also known as an 'anti-Christ'. Satan also has the name of Devil or 'slanderer'. Sadly many people gulp up these slanderous teachings. Why? Because of tradition's sake. As a JW I go out to peoples' houses asking them who do they think God is. The most popular reason people say 'Jesus' is because they don't see any reason to change their mind. It's what they were taught and that's good enough for them. To tell others that God's name is something else or isn't important is the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches too. Satan simply switched Baal for the trinity god and threw Jesus' name in the middle of it for max confusion. Such things defame God's name of Jehovah, and it makes me sad.

[JP Cusick]

Why is the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), the Divine name, used so seldom in the New Testament?

... or is there some other reason the Divine Name YHVH has been overlooked in the New Testament?

The reason is given (or hidden) in the NT text, which is that Jesus gives the correct interpretation and translation of Yahweh (the Tetragrammaton) as the Father.

The name YHWH (or YHVH) in Hebrew means Father.

The crude translation is = "He who causes to be" = which means male creator or Father.

Jesus made this quite clear in His words = Our Father who art in heaven ...

[Elijah John]

Why is the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), the Divine name, used so seldom in the New Testament?

... or is there some other reason the Divine Name YHVH has been overlooked in the New Testament?

The reason is given (or hidden) in the NT text, which is that Jesus gives the correct interpretation and translation of Yahweh (the Tetragrammaton) as the Father.

The name YHWH (or YHVH) in Hebrew means Father.

The crude translation is = "He who causes to be" = which means male creator or Father.

Jesus made this quite clear in His words = Our Father who art in heaven ...

Father is a title, not a name. It is reasonable to suppose that when Jesus says "hallowed be thy name", he is referring to the name YHVH, which is predecessor King David uses in the Psalms, over and over and over again.

[JehovahsWitness]

Jesus gives the correct interpretation and translation of Yahweh (the Tetragrammaton) as the Father.

This statement is nonsense. The translation of YHWH in English is not Father.

The tetragrammaton or Divine name stems from the Hebrew verb "to be" in the causative, so literally translated it would mean "He causes to become". It conveys the meaning that YHWH can be or cause to become anything He so wishes. The Hebrew for father '(Heb av; Gr pater) carries the sense of as begetter, or progenitor, of an individual and is an entirely different word.

That Jesus applied the title "Father" to Almighty God was fitting but in no way implied a negation of the use of unique place the Divine name has in worship, indeed Jesus immediately and explicitly stated the place God's name should hold in the worship of Christians stating that God's name be sancitified.

The name YHWH (or YHVH) in Hebrew means Father.

No it does not (see above)


JW

To learn more please go to other posts related to ....

GOD, THE DIVINE NAME and ...THE DIVINE PERSONALITY

[Justin108]

The Tetragrammaton is not used so often because there are those that want people to forget God's name so as to serve another god.

The OP asked why the Tetragrammaton is used to seldomly in the New Testament. Are you suggesting the authors of the New Testament wanted people to serve another god?

[2timothy316]

[Replying to post 9 by Justin108]

There are no writings from the original authors of the NT. The in the copies of the NT however the name of God suddenly stops being used. It's all over the Hebrew Bible yet mysteriously disappears in the Greek scriptures. The authors were very familiar with God's name being in the Bible since they were Jews. Why would they suddenly stop using it in their writings?

So no, the authors didn't want to mislead people. But the copyist, rather the controllers of the copyist, most likely had their own agenda.