posted 07-16-2001 09:11 PM            

Regardless of where one stands on the controversial issue of when, if or how the Sacred Name should actually be used, the issue of where it does or does not occur in the NT is an important issue to Messianic Jews of all persuasions. In his Jewish New Testament David Stern makes note that this is an important issue. Stern writes:

In the New Testament the Greek word kurios is
frequently ambiguous. It can mean “sir”, “lord”
(as in “lord of the manor”), “Lord” (with divine overtones),
and “Y-H-V-H” (“Jehovah”, God’s personal name,
for which Judaism substitutes the word “Adonai”
and many translations substitute “LORD”).
Most translations, by always rendering kurios “Lord”,
finesse the issue of when it means “YHWH”.)
The Jewish New Testament does not… translators
should decide the true meaning clearly, rather
than transfer vagueness from one language to another.
In several places this approach brings into bold relief
a key theological issue…namely, whether the concept
of Adonai can include Yeshua the Messiah and/or the
Holy Spirit.
(JNT p. xxiv-xxv)

...the word “Adonai” is used in the B’rit Hadashsah
wherever I as the translator, believe “kurios” is the Greek
representation of the tetragrammaton.
(CJB p. xxxiv)

Stern makes the important observation that the Greek NT uses Greek KURIOS to mean either Hebrew ADONAI or Hebrew YHWH. Stern also makes the important observation that distinguishing between these words in the NT has an important impact on key theological issues. Unfortunately by working from the Greek text Stern can only rely on his opinion as to whether the ambiguous Greek word KURIOS is intended to mean ADONAI or YHWH. Moreover Stern’s translation introduces confusion to the issue in that wherever Stern believes KURIOS means ADONAI he translates it as “Lord” and wherever he believes KURIOS means YHWH he translates it “Adonai”. In recent years, however it has become acceptable for Jewish versions to transliterate the Sacred Name in Bible translations with YHVH or YHWH. In fact the Jewish Fox translation of the Torah uses YHWH and does the Original Bible Project Version which is widely advocated by Jewish authorities. Certainly there is no reason therefore that a Messianic edition should not do the same.

In the past, sacred name versions of the New Testament have depended largely on guesswork to determine where Greek KURIOS means YHWH and where it means ADON/ADONAI. This is because as Stern stated, the Greek New Testament (at least as we have it today) does not distinguish between the two, having Greek KURIOS for
both YHWH and ADON/ADONAI.

However we know from both the Tosefta and Talmuds (ancient Jewish writings) that certain New Testament manuscripts contained the name of YHWH in their text (t.Shab. 13:5; b.Shab. 116a; j.Shab. 15c).

Now our Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts preserve for us knowledge of where KUIOS in the Greek NT was YHWH and where it was ADON/ADONAI. The DuTillet Hebrew manuscript of Matthew repeats the Hebrew letter YUD two or three times encircled as to mark places where the name of YHWH should go. The Shem Tob Hebrew version of Matthew has the Hebrew letter HEY standing alone (and in one place the word HASHEM spelled out) to mark places where the name of YHWH belongs. The Munster Hebrew text of Matthew actually contains the name of YHWH spelled out where it belongs.

The Old Syriac, Peshitta and Crawford Aramaic manuscripts of NT books also distinguish between YHWH and ADON/ADONAI. As a rule the Aramaic Peshitta Tanak (Old Testament) renders EL/ELOAH/ELOHIM with ALAHA; ADONAI/ADON with MAR and YHWH with MARYA. For Example:

Psalm 110:1a Hebrew: ADANAI said to my ADON…

Psalm 110:1a Aramaic: MARYA said to my MAR…

This pattern continues through the Aramaic NT as well. These Aramaic manuscripts have Aramaic MARYA for YHWH and Aramaic MAR (or MARI or MARAN) for ADON/ADONAI. Now we have objective manuscript evidence to support placement of the sacred name into the NT text, the era of guesswork is over.

The Hebraic Roots Version is the first "Sacred Name" NT to use such objective manuscript evidence to place the sacred name to the New Testament.

Wherever the Sacred Name is indicated the HRV has YHWH. Wherever ADONAI is indicated the HRV has ADONAI. Wherever ADON is indicated the HRV had “Master”. Wherever EL is indicated the HRV has EL. Wherever ELOAH is indicated (or where the Aramaic has ALAHA) the HRV has ELOAH. Wherever ELOHIM is indicated the HRV has ELOHIM.

James Trimm
Hebraic Roots Version Messianic Sacred Name Version from the Hebrew and Aramaic http://www.nazarene.net/hrv