[B-Greek] YHWH into Greek
Rolf Furuli
furuli at online.no
Tue Dec 6 04:10:55 EST 2005
Dear Gene,
Your question is difficult, since different languages have different stocks
of phonemes. We therefore see many "strange" results when names are
transcribed from one language to another. Another reason for this is that a
language often has different dialects which use vowels differently. For
example, the Norwegian word for "snow" is written "sne" in one part of the
country, "snö" in another part, and "sny" in a third.
Your question regarding why the renderings of the early writers differ has
four sides, 1) the Vorlage, 2) pronunciation, 3) the number of syllables,
and 4) the value of the vowels, 4)
1) Vorlage: I am not aware of any direct link between the early Greek
writers you mention and the Hebrews of old. So, it is likely that Greek
manuscripts similar to the ones mentioned in my last post were used as
sources in some cases. and Hebrew manuscripts (causing the translitteration
PIPI) in others. One Greek writer may also have copied the form used by
another.
2) Pronunciation: We have no knowledge of the pronunciation of the name by
Hebrew-speaking people in the centuries B.C.E. Sometimes Epiphanus and
Theodoret are used as witnesses for an old Hebrew pronunciation JABE. But
you correctly ascribe this to the Samaritans. It is interesting that when
Theodoret ascribes JABE to the Samaritans, he contrasts this with the Hebrew
pronunciation IA. (The Hebrew form IAH (long vowel) evidently is a shortened
form of YHWH often used in poetic contexts.) One list-member wroteto me
off-list and said that the Samaritans still pronounce the name as `AYEV.
3) As already mentioned, there is good evidence that the Hebrew vowels and
consonants of YHWH constituted three syllables. The Greek forms you mention
have two syllables and in one case one syllable. Since the early Greek
writers, as far as we know, had no knowledge of the Hebrew pronunciation of
the name, it is likely that their point of departure was the phonetic
transcription IAW from old LXX manuscripts. Phonetic transcription means
pronunciation, and IAW has two syllables. But would not the transcription
IAW in the LXX suggest that the Hebrew word YHWH had only two syllables? Not
necessarily. The Elephantine evidence shows the form YHW (since the last H
probably is a vowel). And the knowledge of the LXX translators of similar
Hebrew forms could have caused them the write IAW with two syllables, even
though the people at Elephantine and other places may have used three
syllables in their pronunciation. I will also mention that the form YHW is
found in the Amun temple of Amenhoteph III in Soleb in Sudan from the 14the
century B.C.E. This also suggests three syllables, but the vowels are
unknown,
4) Vowels: We do not know, but the theophoric names in the Hebrew Bible may
suggest that the vowel of the second syllable was O or U and that the vowel
of the first syllable was A or E.
An interesting discussion is found in G. W. Buchanan, "Some Unfinished
Business with the Dead Sea Scrolls" Revue de Qumran 1988, 13:49-52.
Best regards
Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gene Gardner" <g_gardner1234 at yahoo.com>
To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2005 12:02 AM
Subject: [B-Greek] YHWH into Greek
> Rolf,
>
>
> Thanks for your input. I found this list of early writers, and their
> understanding of the name from the Greek.
>
>
>
> Diodorus Siculus writes Jao (I, 94);
>
> Origin ("in Joh.", II, 1, in P.G., XIV, col. 105), Jao;
>
> the Valentinian heretics (Ir., "Adv. Haer.", I, iv, 1, in P.G., VII,
> col. 481), Jao;
>
> Irenaeus ("Adv. Haer.", II, xxxv, 3, in P. G., VII, col. 840), Jaoth;
>
> Clement of Alexandria ("Strom.", V, 6, in P.G., IX, col. 60), Jaou;
>
> Epiphanius ("Adv. Haer.", I, iii, 40, in P.G., XLI, col. 685), Ja or
> Jabe;
>
> the Samaritans (Theodoret, in "Ex. quaest.", xv, in P. G., LXXX, col.
> 244), Jabe;
>
> Pseudo-Jerome ("Breviarium in Pss.", in P.L., XXVI, 828), Jaho;
>
> James of Edessa (cf.. Lamy, "La science catholique", 1891, p. 196),
> Jehjeh;
>
> Porphyry (Eus., "Praep. evang", I, ix, in P.G., XXI, col. 72), Jeuo;
>
> Jerome ("Ep. xxv ad Marcell.", in P. L., XXII, col. 429) speaks
> of certain ignorant Greek writers who transcribed the Hebrew Divine name
> II I II I.
>
>
> It appears that their renderings vary a bit according to the above list.
> Do you have any understanding of why this might be?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Gene
>
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