Sacred Name Movement
Encyclopedia
The Sacred Name Movement (SNM) 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 "sacred name" Yahweh (יַהְוֶה), i.e. the reconstructed proper name of the God of Israel, and the use of the original Hebrew name of Jesus
, often transcribed as Yahshua
. SNM believers also generally keep many of the Old Testament
laws and ceremonies such as the Seventh-day Sabbath, Torah
festivals and keeping kosher food laws
.
, a member of the Church of God (Seventh Day), began keeping the Jewish festivals (including Passover
) in 1928 and adopted sacred name doctrines in the late 1930s.
Dodd began publishing The Faith magazine starting in 1937 to promote his views. It is currently freely distributed by the Assembly of Yahweh
, the oldest of any still existing Sacred Name Assembly. American religious scholar J. Gordon Melton
wrote that "No single force in spreading the Sacred Name movement was as important as The Faith magazine."
The SNM is a movement consisting of several small and contrasting groups, unified by the use of the Name Yahweh
and to the most part, Yahshua
. Angelo Traina
, a disciple of Dodd, undertook the writing of a Sacred Name edition of the Bible
, publishing the Holy Name New Testament in 1950 (see Tetragrammaton in the New Testament
) and the Holy Name Bible in 1962, both based upon the King James Version, but changing some names and words in the text to Hebrew based forms, such as "God
" with "Elohim
", "LORD
" with "Yahweh
" and "Jesus
" with "Yahshua
". Each group within the Sacred Name Movement uses a Sacred Name Bible
, others having been produced since Traina's.
The Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, PA, was begun by Jacob O. Meyer, after ordination by members of the Assembly of Yahweh. Over time, The Bethel organization became independent of the Michigan group, and expanded their national outreach.
Donald Mansager and several Elders split from the Assemblies of Yahweh over autocratic issues and formed Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah in the early 1980s. Mansager left that organization in dispute over the handling of an adultery scandal, involving a prominent minister in that group. He then formed Yahweh's New Covenant Assembly in 1985 The name was changed to Yahweh's Assembly in Yahshua after an internal split in 2006. Alan Mansager (Donald Mansager's Son) parted ways in 1998 as Alan disagreed with his father on the scriptural qualifications for ordaining ministers. Alan formed Yahweh's Restoration Ministry. Robert Wirl split from the Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, and formed Yahweh's Philadelphia Truth Congregation in 2002. He has since joined with Yahweh's Restoration Ministry.
It can be argued that all the above groups are a "Sacred Name group", as they all have ties to the original "Assembly of Yahweh" and have almost identical doctrines. Because there is no formal enrollment to be a "Sacred Name group," the term is loosely defined. Many people include groups that use variations of "Yahweh" and "Yahshua", but teach very different doctrines than the above groups, to be "in the movement".
There are countless groups with no established ties to the Assembly of Yahweh, Holt Michigan. One of the better-known includes The Assembly of Yahweh 7th Day in Cisco, TX, which developed their liturgy under their own leadership. They have extensive dealings with the mainstream Sacred Name groups listed above, exemplified by the fact that they host the Unity Conference every year. Their doctrines differ from mainstream Sacred Name doctrines such as using the vernal equinox to calculate their calendar, rejecting the pre-existence of Yahshua (commonly called Jesus) and differing views on the application of Sabbath rest.
The Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, PA, and the House of Yahweh each maintain an exclusive flavor to their fellowship patterns, and have distanced themselves from the mainstream of the movement. It is rare for a member of either of these two organizations to personally have dealings with Sacred Namers on the outside. The Assemblies of Yahweh (Bethel) still has many beliefs and practices in common with the Movement, while the House of Yahweh has evolved a liturgy and a doctrinal system that is considered unorthodox.
There are other notable Pentecostal organizations that are adamant about using the sacred names such as Victorious Covenant Community, Straitway and Assemblies of Messiah in the Apostles' Doctrine.
translations. Most of these Bibles use modern translations like the KJV with the common titles "God, Lord," replaced with the Sacred Names. These include:
Christianity in the United States
Christianity is the largest and most popular religion in the United States, with around 77% of those polled identifying themselves as Christian, as of 2009. This is down from 86% in 1990, and slightly lower than 78.6% in 2001. About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation...
, propagated by Clarence Orvil Dodd
Clarence Orvil Dodd
Clarence Orvil Dodd , often known as C. O. Dodd, was an American author and magazine editor and an Elder of a particular Church of God denomination church in Salem, West Virginia in the early 20th century....
from the 1930s, that claims to seek to conform Christianity to its "Hebrew Roots
Hebrew Roots
This article refers to the modern religious movement. For the Hebrew language grammatical structure, see Hebrew rootHebrew Roots is a contemporary global spiritual movement to return to the true faith revealed during the personal earthly ministry of Yeshua the Messiah.Hebrew Roots MovementThe...
" in practice, belief and worship. The best known distinction of the SNM is its advocacy of the use of the "sacred name" Yahweh (יַהְוֶה), i.e. the reconstructed proper name of the God of Israel, and the use of the original Hebrew name of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, often transcribed as Yahshua
Yahshua
Yahshua is an argued transliteration of the original Hebrew or Aramaic name of Jesus commonly used by individuals in the Sacred Name Movement....
. SNM believers also generally keep many of 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...
laws and ceremonies such as the Seventh-day Sabbath, Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
festivals and keeping kosher food laws
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
.
History
The Sacred Name Movement arose in the early 20th century out of the Adventist movement. C. O. DoddClarence Orvil Dodd
Clarence Orvil Dodd , often known as C. O. Dodd, was an American author and magazine editor and an Elder of a particular Church of God denomination church in Salem, West Virginia in the early 20th century....
, a member of the Church of God (Seventh Day), began keeping the Jewish festivals (including Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
) in 1928 and adopted sacred name doctrines in the late 1930s.
Dodd began publishing The Faith magazine starting in 1937 to promote his views. It is currently freely distributed by the Assembly of Yahweh
Assembly of Yahweh
The Assembly of Yahweh was the first religious organization in the Sacred Name Movement. It was formed in Holt, Michigan, in the 1930s.-Description:...
, the oldest of any still existing Sacred Name Assembly. American religious scholar J. Gordon Melton
J. Gordon Melton
John Gordon Melton is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently a research specialist in religion and New Religious Movements with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara...
wrote that "No single force in spreading the Sacred Name movement was as important as The Faith magazine."
The SNM is a movement consisting of several small and contrasting groups, unified by the use of the Name Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
and to the most part, Yahshua
Yahshua
Yahshua is an argued transliteration of the original Hebrew or Aramaic name of Jesus commonly used by individuals in the Sacred Name Movement....
. Angelo Traina
Angelo Traina
Angelo Traina , also known as A. B. Traina, was a Biblical scholar, best known for his emphasis on restoring "Semitic proper names to their Aramaic and Hebrew forms"....
, a disciple of Dodd, undertook the writing of a Sacred Name edition of 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...
, publishing the Holy Name New Testament in 1950 (see Tetragrammaton in the New Testament
Tetragrammaton in the New Testament
The Tetragrammaton is the quadriliteral, typically unvocalized, Hebrew designation יהוה identifying the God of Israel throughout the Hebrew Bible, composed of the Hebrew letters yodh he waw he, written Right-to-left in Hebrew, and transliterated YHWH or YHVH in English...
) and the Holy Name Bible in 1962, both based upon the King James Version, but changing some names and words in the text to Hebrew based forms, such as "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....
" with "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...
", "LORD
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
" with "Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
" and "Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
" with "Yahshua
Yahshua
Yahshua is an argued transliteration of the original Hebrew or Aramaic name of Jesus commonly used by individuals in the Sacred Name Movement....
". Each group within the Sacred Name Movement uses a Sacred Name Bible
Sacred name Bibles
The term Sacred Name Bibles and the term sacred-name versions are used in general sources to refer to editions of the Bible that are usually connected with the Sacred Name Movement...
, others having been produced since Traina's.
Sacred Name Family Tree
The Movement started with the formation of the Assembly of Yahweh in Holt, Michigan, USA in the early 1930s. The leaders of this group claim that a founding member was visited by two angels who explained that The Messiah's Name is properly Yahshua. This occurred around the time that interest in the subject was keen.The Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, PA, was begun by Jacob O. Meyer, after ordination by members of the Assembly of Yahweh. Over time, The Bethel organization became independent of the Michigan group, and expanded their national outreach.
Donald Mansager and several Elders split from the Assemblies of Yahweh over autocratic issues and formed Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah in the early 1980s. Mansager left that organization in dispute over the handling of an adultery scandal, involving a prominent minister in that group. He then formed Yahweh's New Covenant Assembly in 1985 The name was changed to Yahweh's Assembly in Yahshua after an internal split in 2006. Alan Mansager (Donald Mansager's Son) parted ways in 1998 as Alan disagreed with his father on the scriptural qualifications for ordaining ministers. Alan formed Yahweh's Restoration Ministry. Robert Wirl split from the Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, and formed Yahweh's Philadelphia Truth Congregation in 2002. He has since joined with Yahweh's Restoration Ministry.
It can be argued that all the above groups are a "Sacred Name group", as they all have ties to the original "Assembly of Yahweh" and have almost identical doctrines. Because there is no formal enrollment to be a "Sacred Name group," the term is loosely defined. Many people include groups that use variations of "Yahweh" and "Yahshua", but teach very different doctrines than the above groups, to be "in the movement".
There are countless groups with no established ties to the Assembly of Yahweh, Holt Michigan. One of the better-known includes The Assembly of Yahweh 7th Day in Cisco, TX, which developed their liturgy under their own leadership. They have extensive dealings with the mainstream Sacred Name groups listed above, exemplified by the fact that they host the Unity Conference every year. Their doctrines differ from mainstream Sacred Name doctrines such as using the vernal equinox to calculate their calendar, rejecting the pre-existence of Yahshua (commonly called Jesus) and differing views on the application of Sabbath rest.
The Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, PA, and the House of Yahweh each maintain an exclusive flavor to their fellowship patterns, and have distanced themselves from the mainstream of the movement. It is rare for a member of either of these two organizations to personally have dealings with Sacred Namers on the outside. The Assemblies of Yahweh (Bethel) still has many beliefs and practices in common with the Movement, while the House of Yahweh has evolved a liturgy and a doctrinal system that is considered unorthodox.
Sacred Name Pentecostals
Since the 1970s, the Sacred Name Movement has penetrated many among the Pentecostal denomination (especially those with a Oneness Pentecostal background). The House of God, a seventh-day Pentecostal organization started back in 1919 by RAR Johnson, has become inundated with certain sacred name doctrines. An independent Pentecostal body that is exclusively sacred name is Apostolic Houses of Yahweh presided over by Apostle William Greggs.There are other notable Pentecostal organizations that are adamant about using the sacred names such as Victorious Covenant Community, Straitway and Assemblies of Messiah in the Apostles' Doctrine.
Bibles
The use of the sacred names has led to the production of Sacred Name BibleSacred name Bibles
The term Sacred Name Bibles and the term sacred-name versions are used in general sources to refer to editions of the Bible that are usually connected with the Sacred Name Movement...
translations. Most of these Bibles use modern translations like the KJV with the common titles "God, Lord," replaced with the Sacred Names. These include:
- The Word of Yahweh
- The Scriptures
- Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible
- Angelo Traina's Holy Name Bible, Sacred Name King James Bible
- Sacred Scriptures, Family of Yah Edition
- Sacred Scriptures Bethel EditionSacred Scriptures Bethel EditionThe Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is a Sacred Name Bible which uses the names Yahweh and Yahshua in both the Old and New Testaments . It was produced by Jacob O. Meyer, based on the American Standard Version of 1901 and it contains over 977 pages. The Assemblies of Yahweh printed 5,500 copies...
- Restoration Study Bible (RSB) RSB online
Adherents
The Sacred Name Movement has few adherents and includes the following groups:- Assembly of YahwehAssembly of YahwehThe Assembly of Yahweh was the first religious organization in the Sacred Name Movement. It was formed in Holt, Michigan, in the 1930s.-Description:...
(Michigan) - Yahweh's Restoration Ministry (Missouri)
- Assembly of Yahweh 7th Day (TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
). - Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah (Missouri)
- Assemblies of YahwehAssemblies of YahwehThe 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...
(Pennsylvania) - Yahweh's Frystown Assembly (Pennsylvania)