De decem Dei nominibus capitulum

ON THE TEN NAMES OF GOD. PRELIMINARY EXPLANATION. I do not deny that I derive the greatest pleasure of mind from this last part of the Colbertinus Greek codex, which has opened a path for us to attain a perfect understanding of the letter of Saint Jerome to Marcella, whose words, although manifestly clear in themselves, could have been interpreted differently by different persons; especially in that passage where he says that the tetragrammaton name of God, on account of the similarity of the letters, when it was found in Greek books, was customarily read by some as PIPI. For who knew for certain in which books that ineffable name was found? Was it in the context of the divine Scriptures? Or in the commentaries of Greek writers? Or, finally, was it customarily read in both? We know indeed that the tetragrammaton name of the Lord was found in certain Greek volumes, even down to the age of Jerome himself, expressed in ancient letters, that is, Samaritan, as the same holy Doctor has left testimony in the Great Prologue to the Scriptures, or Preface to the Books of Kings.

Which without doubt are Samaritan, or those ancient Hebrew letters, distinguished by shapes and strokes from the modern ones, read and written only in certain Greek volumes of the Bible, and believed not to be expressed in other books. Hence an easy conjecture and sufficient basis existed for us to think that what they read as Πιπι was the same thing; namely, that it was written only in those copies which are called the Holy Scriptures. But from the Greek codex of Colbert, although very corrupt, we have clearly learned that the tetragrammaton name of God was written in Hebrew letters in the Greek Commentaries, and because of the similarity of these four elements to Greek characters, it was customarily read as Πιπι by some. I have said that the Greek exemplar is utterly corrupt, because due to the inexperience of the scribes, some of the names of God, and especially the tetragrammaton name of God, are read in it in a very corrupt manner. To make these matters clearer, let us proceed in order to the explanation of such corruptions.

The first copyist’s slip, or scribe’s error—if indeed it is an error—appears in the cited passage of the Law, that is, of Exodus, chapters 28 and 37, where we read written concerning the tetragrammaton name of God: “And you shall make a pure golden plate, and you shall form on it the engraving of a seal, the sanctification of the Lord.” For some words of this testimony have been omitted, as you see from comparing it with the Colbert manuscript, in which also, for “scriptum” is read “scriptum,” and indeed equally or better: for in Hebrew it is “קֹדֶשׁ,” which some read “Codes Laihova,” others “Codes Ladonai,” and is interpreted as “sanctity of the Lord,” or according to Jerome, “holy to the Lord.” After the words already mentioned, the name was immediately written in the Greek books and was read aloud. The one who copied the Colbert manuscript, understanding this very poorly, suspected the name to be Greek and to be read as such. But however corruptly he wrote it, Greek letters still survive in the manuscript, with a peculiar form that closely approaches the Hebrew, whose more customary reading is sufficiently clear in the manuscript codex.

Thus the first syllable of the word *tetarton* was itself the Hebrew *he*; the shape of the following letter indicates *vau*; then, joined with it, the form represents the second, or the first, if we read from right to left in the manner of the Hebrews; finally, the last place is held by *iod*; from these elements written together arises the name so often mentioned and always to be adored, which the more learned Greeks used to read, but others, wholly unskilled and ignorant of the Hebrew language, were accustomed to read as if it were Greek, whenever they found it in Greek books. But so great is the confusion of the names of God in the manuscript after that word that, with no ordinal number thereafter designated, they are placed indiscriminately in this manner: Yet from the letter of Jerome I would note that three names of God have been omitted here, namely *El*, and *Elion*, and *Eloe*, of which the first means Strong, the second High, and the third and last God. Also the name *At* is found written among the rest, although the same Greek codex had previously listed it as the first of all. And hence it happens that we have no more than six names of God assigned by the Greeks, namely *Adonai*, *Ja*, *Jao* or *Jehova*, *Eloim*, *Sabbaoth*, and *Saddai*. For the last, which the ignorance of the Greeks split into two, writing it as such, is a single name among the Hebrews, and placed sixth in order by Jerome, (??) (??); which in Hebrew is *chje ascher ehje*, and in Latin is expressed as *Ero qui ero*.

This name of God consists of these three words, whose reading, completely corrupted among the Greeks, must be restored from the very traces of the Greek letters, unless someone wishes with me to borrow from Jerome the genuine and customary reading among the ancient Greeks. From this we understand that the ancients were not accustomed to read the vowel e under the future characteristic, but the vowel i; whence Die for ehie today. But in refuting the errors of the Greeks, let us also imitate their praiseworthy practice, describing the names of God at the end of these observations in a fitting order and pure style: 1. El, strong or God. 2. Eloim, God. 3. Eloe, God. 4. Sabaoth, of hosts. 5. Elion, most high. 6. Ieie eser Ieie, I am who I am. 7. Adonai, Lord. 8. Ia, Lord. 9. Iao, Lord. 10. Saddai, Almighty. We have here followed the custom of ancient writers; although the matter itself suggested it, I nevertheless thought it not idle to have said this, on account of some Hebraizers of this time, whom I see are more easily offended if anything is read differently in the Hebrew volumes than they themselves are accustomed to read. Moreover, the tetragrammaton name, in Theodoret's Questions on Exodus, was considered corrupted. Drusius in his Tetragrammaton. But from the Greek manuscript codex of Colbert and from the Latin exemplars of Saint Jerome it appears most clearly that the ancients read with Theodoret; and therefore Drusius's restoration, or correction, is invalid.

That the said little work is a pure corruption, if one reads it in Theodoret at the passage cited above. CHAPTER. Latin Interpretation. Concerning the Hebrew designation of the Lord, these things must be said. God is called by ten names among the Hebrews. For one is Adonai, which is Lord. Another is Ia, which itself is translated into Greek as Lord. Besides these there is the name Tetragrammaton, which is ineffable, and which among the Hebrews is called Adonai, but among us Lord. This, they say, was written on a golden plate placed upon the forehead of the high priest, according to what is said in the Law: "The formation of the seal, the sanctification of the Lord." The fourth is Jao, Eloi, Adonai, Sabaoth, Sedai, legi-eccheai. Codex C other tinus. Jerome. The first name of God is El, which the Septuagint translates as God, but Aquila, expressing its etymology, interprets as "strong." Next, Eloim and Eloe, which themselves are called God. The fourth is Sabaoth, which the Septuagint translated as "of Hosts," Aquila as "of Armies." The fifth is Elion, which we call "the Highest." The sixth is Eserieie, which is read in Exodus: "Who is, sent me" (Exod. 3:14). The seventh is Adonai, whom we generally call Lord. The eighth is that which is placed only in God, and also sounds in the final syllable of Alleluia. The ninth is the Tetragrammaton, which, that is, they considered ineffable, and which is written with these letters: (??) e, vav, e.

Some, not understanding because of the similarity of the letters, when they have found it in Greek books, have been accustomed to read it. The tenth is Saddai, and it is not placed in Ezekiel, etc.