The Name of God (Pronunciation)

[FlashOfInsight]

Much of my familiarity with the many titles associated with God and modes of addressing Him comes from erroneous knowledge attained in pursuit of occult wisdom. Having said that, I am reluctant to rely on anything that I've learned up to this point as accurate enough for me to turn to when it comes to responding to my curiosity about certain practices in Christianity.

Last weekend, I took a trip to a local church, and I discovered that they address God as "Yahweh." Now, I know that this is an attempt to transliterate the tetragrammaton, but I was always under the perhaps incorrect impression that there is no official pronunciation for those four letters, that the true name of God was in fact a mystery of the highest order. If that is the case, why do some insist on using Yahweh as an appropriate moniker for God? What is the history of the term, and do any of you use it in your personal communication with Him?

 

[heron]

Here's a good article on it.
God, Names of - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology on StudyLight.org

It points out that "yhwh" was used in the Old Testament 6, 828 times, and 700 times in the Psalms. Many of the Psalms were used in public worship, so I don't know the precise limits on what they (we) could say.

Think of how many times we have said hallelu-jah.

I used to use the Jerusalem Bible a lot, and that spelled out Yahweh throughout; so in answer to your question, it is a familiar term for me. I like it because "God" is generic, and can just imply deism....where Yahweh speaks of a Creator with an identity.

Good question. There are so many subcultures in Christianity, and it is so easy to look like you don't know a thing when you enter a new subculture.