Yesterday we discussed how from around 500 BC, the Jews began referring to the Almighty using the term “Elohim”.
However, once the world entered the Greco-Roman era spearheaded by Alexander the Great, another new tradition started developing among the Jewish people.
What happened was the complete discontinuation of speaking God’s name (YHVH) out loud altogether.
And today this custom is still practiced among Orthodox Jews.
Why and how did this tradition develop?
I find this fascinating because the Talmud (the body of Jewish civil and ceremonial law) tells us that this prohibition against speaking the Lord’s name out loud has absolutely nothing to do with the commandment to not take the Lord’s name in vain.
So how did this custom come about?
It was actually an extension of an already established tradition of not saying your father’s name out loud because that was just downright disrespectful.
Eventually, this custom developed to the point where to say God’s name out loud was viewed as the same thing as committing blasphemy.
During this time, in addition to “Elohim”, titles such as “Adonai” and or “Hashem” also came into common use.
These terms were used even when reciting Scripture out loud in the synagogue.
Instead of verbalizing the Hebrew name YHVH, one of the approved-by-the-Rabbis titles were used instead.
We’ll continue this discussion the next time we meet.
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