Names of God in Christianity
Encyclopedia
There are various names of God in Christianity. Some names refer to one person of the Trinity
, while others refer to the entire Trinity. There are a number of names that can refer either to God the Father
or to the entire Trinity, and often "God
" is used directly. Many other terms, such as "The Creator", is usually thought of as God's attributes
rather than names. "The Lord" is also a common Christian name for God.
Some Christians use the Hebrew
names Elohim
, El-Shaddai, and Adonai.
Names based on the tetragrammaton
are also in use. Jehovah
appears in Tyndale's Bible, the King James Version, and other translations from that time period and later. Jehovah's Witnesses
make consistent use of Jehovah
.
Yahweh is used in the modern Sacred Name Movement
, such as the Assemblies of Yahweh
.
Many English translations of the Bible translate the tetragrammaton as , following the Jewish practice of substituting the spoken Hebrew word 'Adonai' (translated as 'Lord') for YHWH when read aloud. The Septuagint mainly used the Greek
word Kyrios to translate YHWH. As this was the Old Testament
of the Early Church, the Christian practice of translating the divine name as 'Lord' derives directly from it.
In Messianic Judaism
, sometimes considered a form of Christianity, God is often referred to as HaShem, meaning "the Name". The Trinity
is called ha'Elohiym, and the three persons of the Trinity are called Father, Yeshua, and Ruach haQodesh.
I Am that I Am
is a common English translation (King James Bible and others) of the response God
used in the Bible
when Moses
asked for His name (Exodus 3:14).
The New World Translation of the Bible, by the Jehovah's Witnesses
also uses the term "Jehovah" in the New Testament.
begins: "Our Father ...". Abba is also used in St. Paul's letters to the churches as in the New Testament ( and ).
In the Nicene Creed
, God the Father is referred to as "God", "the Father", and "the Almighty".
The Apostles' Creed
refers to God the Father as "God", "the Father almighty" and "the Father".
God the Father is often referred to as "Heavenly Father", especially in prayers and other devotional contexts.
Jesus
(Iesus, Yeshua
, Joshua
, or Yehoshûa
) is a Hebraic personal name meaning "Yahweh saves/helps/is salvation".
Christ means "the anointed" in Greek
. Khristos is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah
.
While in English the old Anglo-Saxon Messiah-rendering hæland 'healer' was practically annihilated by the Latin Christ, some cognates such as heiland in Dutch survive.
The Nicene Creed
refers to Jesus as "Lord", "Jesus Christ", "the only Son of God", "God from God", "Light from Light", and "true God from true God".
The Apostles' Creed
refers to Jesus as "Jesus Christ" and "our Lord".
Other common names for Jesus are "the Lamb", "the Lamb of God", "the Son of God", the "Son of Man", and the Nazarene.
The Catholic Litany of the Holy Name
lists many epithets of Jesus.
refers to the Holy Spirit
as "the Holy Spirit", "the Lord", and "the giver of Life".
The Apostles' Creed
refers to the Holy Spirit as "the Holy Spirit".
Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "Paraclete
" (Greek: παράκλητος) and "the Spirit of Truth". Elsewhere in the Gospels, the Holy Spirit is termed "a Comforter" and "the Counsellor".
The Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the "Holy Ghost". Usage of this name is now diminished in most Christian denominations, but survives in hymnals. It is still commonly used by Latter-day Saints.
"Pneuma" is the Greek word for spirit and is found 385 times in the New Testament. It is used in the general sense of spirit as well as the Holy Spirit, and can also mean wind or breath.
, 'Most High', 'King of Kings
' or 'Lord of Lords' and Lord of the Hosts.
Some Quakers
refer to God as the Light
.
is "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God". This is sometimes interpreted to mean that it is wrong to curse
while making reference to God (ex. "Oh my God!" as an expression of frustration or anger). Another interpretation of this passage is in relation to oath taking, where the command is to hold true to those commands made 'in God's name'. God's name being used in vain can also be interpreted as trying to invoke the power of God, as a means to impress, intimidate, punish, condemn, and/or control others. This can also be used to refer to the idea of saying that one acts "in God's behalf" when doing things that are clearly personal actions.
The Lord's Prayer
contains the line "Hallowed be thy name", in reference to God the Father.
The Catholic Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
commemorates the naming of Jesus.
In the movement Imiaslavie
("Name glorification") opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church, the name of God is God Himself and can be used to evoke miracles.
Some Christians capitalize all references to God in writing, including pronouns. (ex. "The Lord, He is God, Holy is His Name.")
Different Christian cultures have different views on the appropriateness of naming people after God. English speaking Christians generally would not name a son "Jesus", but "Jesús
" is a common Spanish first name. This taboo does not apply to more indirect names and titles like Emmanuel or Salvador. The word "Christian" is sometimes used as a first name, and is currently the name of about 1 out of every 1500 males in the United States.
Perhaps because of taboos on the use of the name of God and religious figures like Mary, mother of Jesus, these names are used in profanity
(a clear case is Quebec French profanity
, based mostly on Catholic concepts). More pious swearers try to substitute the blasphemy
against holy names with minced oath
s like Jeez! instead of Jesus! or Judas Priest! instead of Jesus Christ!
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, while others refer to the entire Trinity. There are a number of names that can refer either to God the Father
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
or to the entire Trinity, and often "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
" is used directly. Many other terms, such as "The Creator", is usually thought of as God's attributes
Attributes of God
The Attributes of God in Christian theology are those characteristics of God revealed in the Bible.-Classification:Many Reformed theologians distinguish between the communicable attributes and the incommunicable attributes...
rather than names. "The Lord" is also a common Christian name for God.
Names derived from Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew language
Biblical Hebrew , also called Classical Hebrew , is the archaic form of the Hebrew language, a Canaanite Semitic language spoken in the area known as Canaan between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Biblical Hebrew is attested from about the 10th century BCE, and persisted through...
names Elohim
Elohim
Elohim is a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, "god" or especially, the God. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or...
, El-Shaddai, and Adonai.
Names based on the tetragrammaton
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
are also in use. Jehovah
Jehovah
Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....
appears in Tyndale's Bible, the King James Version, and other translations from that time period and later. Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
make consistent use of Jehovah
Jehovah
Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....
.
Yahweh is used in the modern Sacred Name Movement
Sacred Name Movement
The Sacred Name Movement is a movement within Adventism in Christianity, propagated by Clarence Orvil Dodd from the 1930s, that claims to seek to conform Christianity to its "Hebrew Roots" in practice, belief and worship. The best known distinction of the SNM is its advocacy of the use of the...
, such as the Assemblies of Yahweh
Assemblies of Yahweh
The Assemblies of Yahweh is a nonprofit religious organization with its international headquarters in Bethel, Pennsylvania. The organization developed independently out of a radio ministry begun by Elder Jacob O. Meyer in 1966...
.
Many English translations of the Bible translate the tetragrammaton as , following the Jewish practice of substituting the spoken Hebrew word 'Adonai' (translated as 'Lord') for YHWH when read aloud. The Septuagint mainly used the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word Kyrios to translate YHWH. As this was the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
of the Early Church, the Christian practice of translating the divine name as 'Lord' derives directly from it.
In Messianic Judaism
Messianic Judaism
Messianic Judaism is a syncretic religious movement that arose in the 1960s and 70s. It blends evangelical Christian theology with elements of Jewish terminology and ritual....
, sometimes considered a form of Christianity, God is often referred to as HaShem, meaning "the Name". The Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
is called ha'Elohiym, and the three persons of the Trinity are called Father, Yeshua, and Ruach haQodesh.
I Am that I Am
I Am that I Am
I Am that I Am is a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name . It is one of the most famous verses in the Torah...
is a common English translation (King James Bible and others) of the response God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
used in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
when Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
asked for His name (Exodus 3:14).
The New World Translation of the Bible, by the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
also uses the term "Jehovah" in the New Testament.
Names of God the Father
The name "Father" is the most common term used for the creator within Christianity. Some Christians use the Aramaic word "Abba" (אבא), meaning "Father", because it was the name Jesus Christ himself used to refer to God . Notably, the Lord's PrayerLord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
begins: "Our Father ...". Abba is also used in St. Paul's letters to the churches as in the New Testament ( and ).
In the Nicene Creed
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...
, God the Father is referred to as "God", "the Father", and "the Almighty".
The Apostles' Creed
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...
refers to God the Father as "God", "the Father almighty" and "the Father".
God the Father is often referred to as "Heavenly Father", especially in prayers and other devotional contexts.
Names of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
(Iesus, Yeshua
Yeshua (name)
Yeshua, was a common alternative form of the name Joshua "Yehoshuah" in later books of the Hebrew Bible and among Jews of the Second Temple Period...
, Joshua
Joshua
Joshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
, or Yehoshûa
Yehoshua
Yehoshua may refer to:* Yehoshua, the Hebrew of Joshua and Jesus* Book of Joshua , a book of the Bible* Yehoshua , a rare Hebrew surname* Joshua , a rare Hebrew given name...
) is a Hebraic personal name meaning "Yahweh saves/helps/is salvation".
Christ means "the anointed" in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. Khristos is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
.
While in English the old Anglo-Saxon Messiah-rendering hæland 'healer' was practically annihilated by the Latin Christ, some cognates such as heiland in Dutch survive.
The Nicene Creed
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...
refers to Jesus as "Lord", "Jesus Christ", "the only Son of God", "God from God", "Light from Light", and "true God from true God".
The Apostles' Creed
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...
refers to Jesus as "Jesus Christ" and "our Lord".
Other common names for Jesus are "the Lamb", "the Lamb of God", "the Son of God", the "Son of Man", and the Nazarene.
The Catholic Litany of the Holy Name
Litany of the Holy Name
The Litany of the Holy Name is a Roman Catholic prayer on the Holy Name of Jesus.It has been used in the Western Church since around the late 6th century. In the 15th century Saints Bernardine of Siena and John Capistrano promoted it and in the 16th century Pope Sixtus V granted indulgences for its...
lists many epithets of Jesus.
Names of the Holy Spirit
The Nicene CreedNicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...
refers to the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
as "the Holy Spirit", "the Lord", and "the giver of Life".
The Apostles' Creed
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...
refers to the Holy Spirit as "the Holy Spirit".
Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "Paraclete
Paraclete
Paraclete means advocate or helper. In Christianity, the term most commonly refers to the Holy Spirit.-Etymology:...
" (Greek: παράκλητος) and "the Spirit of Truth". Elsewhere in the Gospels, the Holy Spirit is termed "a Comforter" and "the Counsellor".
The Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the "Holy Ghost". Usage of this name is now diminished in most Christian denominations, but survives in hymnals. It is still commonly used by Latter-day Saints.
"Pneuma" is the Greek word for spirit and is found 385 times in the New Testament. It is used in the general sense of spirit as well as the Holy Spirit, and can also mean wind or breath.
Names not specific to one person of the Trinity
Names used to refer to God include Lord, Ancient of DaysAncient of Days
Ancient of Days is a name for God in Aramaic: Atik Yomin; in the Greek Septuagint: Palaios Hemeron; and in the Vulgate: Antiquus Dierum....
, 'Most High', 'King of Kings
King of Kings
King of Kings is a title that has been used by several monarchies and empires throughout history. The title originates in the Ancient Near East. It is broadly the equivalent of the later title Emperor....
' or 'Lord of Lords' and Lord of the Hosts.
Some Quakers
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
refer to God as the Light
Inner light
Inner Light is a concept which many Quakers, members of the Religious Society of Friends, use to express their conscience, faith and beliefs. Each Quaker has a different idea of what they mean by "inner light", and this also varies internationally between Yearly Meetings, but the idea is often...
.
Beliefs and practices surrounding the name of God
One the Ten CommandmentsTen Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
is "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God". This is sometimes interpreted to mean that it is wrong to curse
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
while making reference to God (ex. "Oh my God!" as an expression of frustration or anger). Another interpretation of this passage is in relation to oath taking, where the command is to hold true to those commands made 'in God's name'. God's name being used in vain can also be interpreted as trying to invoke the power of God, as a means to impress, intimidate, punish, condemn, and/or control others. This can also be used to refer to the idea of saying that one acts "in God's behalf" when doing things that are clearly personal actions.
The Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
contains the line "Hallowed be thy name", in reference to God the Father.
The Catholic Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated by a number of Christian denominations, on varying dates.The feast has been celebrated in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, at least at local levels, since the end of the fifteenth century...
commemorates the naming of Jesus.
In the movement Imiaslavie
Imiaslavie
Imiaslavie or Imiabozhie , also spelled imyaslavie and imyabozhie, and also referred to as onomatodoxy, is a dogmatic movement which was condemned by the Russian Orthodox Church, but that is still promoted by some affiliated with Gregory Lourie of the "Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church" , and by...
("Name glorification") opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church, the name of God is God Himself and can be used to evoke miracles.
Some Christians capitalize all references to God in writing, including pronouns. (ex. "The Lord, He is God, Holy is His Name.")
Different Christian cultures have different views on the appropriateness of naming people after God. English speaking Christians generally would not name a son "Jesus", but "Jesús
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
" is a common Spanish first name. This taboo does not apply to more indirect names and titles like Emmanuel or Salvador. The word "Christian" is sometimes used as a first name, and is currently the name of about 1 out of every 1500 males in the United States.
Perhaps because of taboos on the use of the name of God and religious figures like Mary, mother of Jesus, these names are used in profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
(a clear case is Quebec French profanity
Quebec French profanity
The literal translation of the French verb sacrer is "to consecrate". However, in Quebec it is the proper word for the form of profanity used in Quebec French. The noun form is sacre....
, based mostly on Catholic concepts). More pious swearers try to substitute the blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
against holy names with minced oath
Minced oath
A minced oath is an expression based on a profanity or a taboo term that has been altered to reduce the objectionable characteristics.Many languages have such expressions...
s like Jeez! instead of Jesus! or Judas Priest! instead of Jesus Christ!
See also
- Attributes of GodAttributes of GodThe Attributes of God in Christian theology are those characteristics of God revealed in the Bible.-Classification:Many Reformed theologians distinguish between the communicable attributes and the incommunicable attributes...
- Names and titles of Jesus in the New TestamentNames and titles of Jesus in the New TestamentTwo names and a variety of titles are used to refer to Jesus in the New Testament.In Christianity, the two names Jesus and Emmanuel that refer to Jesus in the New Testament have salvific attributes...
- Names of God in Islam
- Names of God in JudaismNames of God in JudaismIn Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title; it represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relationship of God to the Jewish people and to the world. To demonstrate the sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for...
- Names of God in Old English poetryNames of God in Old English poetryIn Old English poetry, many descriptive epithets for God were used to satisfy alliterative requirements. These epithets include:- References :*Swanton, Michael James, ....
- Sacred Name MovementSacred Name MovementThe Sacred Name Movement is a movement within Adventism in Christianity, propagated by Clarence Orvil Dodd from the 1930s, that claims to seek to conform Christianity to its "Hebrew Roots" in practice, belief and worship. The best known distinction of the SNM is its advocacy of the use of the...