[Rest and re/New] "this is a day of new beginnings..."

[hermionesviolin]

At Rest and re/New last night, Jeff Reflected on Psalm 98. He okayed the Inclusive Bible version (noting that it changed "strong arm" to "holy arm," which I found interesting given that it included "Ruler of All"). I refuse to "pronounce" the Tetragrammaton, and Keith suggested that instead of my usual "HaShem" I say something more accessible, like

Comments

[moria923]

Even though the liturgical year starts with Advent, Advent always *feels* to me like a season of transition from the old year to the new. It's difficult to get into the spirit of newness when one is waiting for the celebratory event.

[marginaliana]

I refuse to "pronounce" the Tetragrammaton

I was curious about what this means and so googled it, but got immediately lost in a sea of jargon... can you say more about this?

Edit: or point me to a good primer on this sort of thing so I don't have to bother you with my questions? :D

[hermionesviolin]

The Tetragrammaton is the way the Name of God is written in Hebrew. The English transliteration is YHWH -- which is what the Inclusive Bible renders it as (many Bibles render it as "the LORD"). You'll notice there are no vowels there. To quote Wikipedia, "The authentic, historically correct pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton is not known, and the consensus view at various points in history has not been consistent."

Hebrew Scripture warns against misuse of the Name, and while Scripture suggests that there was a period when people used the Name, quoting from Wikipedia again: "Observant Jews write down but do not pronounce the Tetragrammaton, because it is considered too sacred to be used for common activities. Even ordinary prayer is considered too common for this use. The Tetragrammaton was pronounced by the high priest on Yom Kippur when the temple was standing in Jerusalem. Since the destruction of Second Temple of Jerusalem in CE 70, the Tetragrammaton is no longer pronounced," so I feel really uncomfortable "pronouncing"* YHWH

[wisdomeagle]

I think that's a great pocket answer. *puts in own pocket*