The manner in which Jews ceased to vocalize YHWH is attended by mystery. Christopher Seitz notes that it is “unclear” how articulating God’s proper name stopped and divine circumlocutions started. See “The Divine Name in Christian Scripture,” in This Is My Name Forever, 29-30; Robert Jenson (Triune Identity, 19) dates the cessation of verbalizing the Tetragrammaton to the third century BCE. Cf. Owen Barfield, Saving the Appearances: A Study in Idolatry (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1965), 112-113. He concurs with Jenson’s observation. See TDNT 5:268-269.
Sporadic theological and historical musings by Edgar Foster (Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies and one of Jehovah's Witnesses).
If you haven't already, Check out Pavlos's work on the Divine name (he's a JW as well) https://auth.academia.edu/PVasileiadis
ReplyDeleteYes, I have read works by Pavlos and communicated with him by means of the Internet. We've also discussed the Johannine Comma. I consider him a friend.
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