Such contemplation led some translators of the Christian canonical scriptures to “reinstate” the Tetragrammaton into the text of the New Testament. The use of the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew editions of the New Testament led the way for this practice in other languages, as well. The esteemed polymath Joseph Priestley exhorted other Bible translators: “In the Old Testament let the word Jehovah be rendered by Jehovah, and also the word kurios in the New [Testament], in passages in which there is an allusion to the Old [Testament], or where it may be proper to distinguish God from Christ.”3
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The Tetragrammaton during the Middle Ages (–)
During the Middle Ages Latin became rapidly the “lingua franca” of the spreading Christianity and of the emerging European literature. A few early Latin Church fathers used forms like Iaho and Iao to refer to the proper name of the Bible God. Just like Jerome, who turned to the hebraica veritas for assistance, the Christians turned to Hebrew informants for linguistic help. The growing study of the Hebrew language made clear that the words are based on consonantal roots and, as a result, Hebrew words rendered in other languages cannot be made up solely of vowels. Although they were well accustomed to the patristic renderings, it became clear that according to the Hebraists “the Semitic unpointed script is syllabic in character, each letter representing the unit of consonant plus any or no vowel.”2 In the early 2th
The traditional form
Yehowah (Lat. Iehova/Iehovah/Yehova, Eng. Jehovah, Gr. Ιεχωβα/Ιεωβα/Ιεοβα), although it is the “natural” reading of the divine name in Hebrew, has been treated disparagingly especially during the previous century.62 Views expressed categorically that describe the form Jehovah as “impossible,” a “hybrid,” or even a “monstrous” form have not been followed by adequately sound, clear, and firm support.63 In addition, it is interesting to note that the Leningrad Codex contains not only three but seven different
vowel pointings (qere) as vocalizations of the Tetragrammaton.6