Capituli Graeci De decem Dei nominibus. Aliud et melius exemplar

Greek Chapters on the Ten Names of God. Another and Better Copy. PRELIMINARY EXPLANATION. I had been boasting somewhat of having first published these matters concerning the names of God and the Tetragrammaton from a Greek manuscript codex, when suddenly, in the course of my daily reading, I stumbled upon a Fragment of Evagrius, which the most distinguished man Joannes Baptista Cotelerius had long ago published from four royal manuscript copies, in the third volume of the Monuments of the Greek Church. What exultation and wonder then seized my mind is witnessed both by my own conscience, which rejoiced, and by that of my companions, who shared life with me; and I give thanks to the Lord that from this Fragment, or chapter of Evagrius, I discern that my conjectures concerning the corrupted name IIIIII by the scribe of the Colbertinus codex were most true. For where the Greek copyist, who transcribed the aforementioned exemplar, placed it corruptly and unskillfully, that is, the royal manuscript codices retain the name, distinct and uncorrupted, in the same place. But they do not add it consequently, yet it is retained in the Colbertinus codex, as we noted before, when I discussed the reading used among the Greeks. Hence it must be clear to all that the greatest utility emerges from a large supply of manuscript books: while they mutually support one another in restoring genuine readings, and what seemed to be lacking in one is immediately supplied from others.

Thus the Royal manuscripts in the Greek fragment in question exhibit the name which others either corrupt or omit; on the contrary, the Colbertinus codex, in many places corrupted by the writer’s lack of skill, nevertheless supplies the reading of the name of the Tetragrammaton, namely, omitted in the other manuscripts. Moreover, from the Royal codices many things seem to need correction and supplementation in the Colbertinus which we have edited, which, when I had obtained it as the sole copy in the chapter on the Ten Names of God, I did not then wish to indulge too much in correction, and I left some things untouched which today I have recognized should be changed, and I desire that they be restored in this manner. The name, which at the end I interpreted, because it is called end or limit, is understood in Aristotle as finite or limited, as I found it written in the Colbertinus codex; thus I edited it as if it were an adverb. But with the name taken adverbially, I thought it necessary to understand a noun implicitly, so that the Greek phrase might enjoy a complement of sense, that is: by the grace of the Hebrew language. Otherwise, even the more learned could have elicited no sense that was not false or discordant with the faith of the Greek words. But from the four Royal codices cited and expounded by the distinguished and most learned Cotelerius, a manifest error appears in the Colbertinus exemplar, which reads for. Hence a sense arises altogether different from that which I rendered in Latin from the completely corrupt Greek.

Moreover, the name Tetragrammaton is most appropriately used, because in Hebrew volumes it always designates Almighty God, as a token of divinity and immutable essence. Therefore, the Hebrew annotation, for the sake of which Evagrius, or whoever else, explained the rest that is set down in the following chapter, is to be understood concerning this name, which the Hebrews were accustomed to use for God alone. Another notable distinction among the manuscript codices appears in these words concerning the Tetragrammaton; for the Colbertinus reads: [mss.]. The Royal manuscripts, however, read thus: [mss.]. Here you see expressed many things that are omitted in the Colbertinus, especially that which signifies among the Hebrews the name Tetragrammaton and the ineffable name, is said and read abusively as Adonai. Modern Jews and Hebrew grammarians do not agree with this annotation; for they teach that the proper name of God, existing in itself, is never read among Jews as it is written, because of the utmost reverence with which they regard that name, applying to it foreign vowel points: and almost always the vowel points of the word Adonai, that is, Lord. Therefore, if there is an abuse in the appellation of the Tetragrammaton among the Hebrews, it is none other than an abuse of reverence, or rather an indication of reverence and religion.

Beyond the assigned discrepancies of the manuscript codices, there still remain in them many and serious ones: for example, the name last noted in the Colbertinus codex is extremely corrupt; in place of it the Royal copies read, and indeed better, but not without some very notable depravation. That name, as I said in the preceding observations, is one of the ten names of God, set forth in Exodus 3:14, *ehie ascher ehie*; or, according to the Hieronymian reading, *Ieie eser Ieie*. But since this is a single name of God composed of three vowels, the Greek codices wrongly divide it into two distinct names; and in this all of them err. Next, the Royal copies have very well placed *Iaie* and *Eser*; but for the perfect restoration of the genuine reading, *Eser* must be separated from the last syllable *je*; and to this another syllable must be prefixed conjunctively, namely *Ia*, so that the Greeks may read in conformity with the Hebrew: that is, *I will be who I will be*. And according to the norm of this restored reading, the Colbertinus codex can be emended from the Royal copies.

The same Colbertine copy also omitted these necessary words, which are read in the Royal copies: etc.; that is: The remaining names, however, are these: El, etc. I had noted above that in the Colbertine codex the name of God El, together with two others, Elion and Eloe, had been omitted; and that in it only six or seven names by which God is called among the Hebrews had been enumerated. The same thing is now to be observed concerning the Royal Greek codices, because in them there is no mention of Elion, nor of Eloe. But to make the matter more accurate, we are submitting the entire Greek chapter of Evagrius on the Ten Names of God from beginning to end to the press, together with the notes of the man John Baptist Cotelier, at whose name I greatly rejoice to congratulate myself anew; although I have decided that some things are to be supplied, which seem to have escaped the diligence of that most learned writer. Therefore, the distinguished man of blessed memory now praised published this notable Fragment of Evagrius for us in volume III of the Monuments of the Greek Church, page 555.

EVAGRIUS On. On account of the Hebrew designation of the Lord, these things must be said. God is called by ten names among the Hebrews. One of these is pronounced, Adonai, that is, Lord; another, however, Ia, which itself is rendered in our language as Lord. Another besides these is the tetragrammaton, or of four letters, ineffable among the Hebrews, which by catachresis, or abuse, is called Adonai by them, but by us Lord. Moreover, they say this was written on a golden plate, which the High Priest wore on his forehead, according to what is said in the law, "The formation of the seal, the sanctification of the Lord" (Exod. 28:36). The remaining names, however, are these: El, Eloim, Adon, Sabaoth, Saddai, Iae, Eserie. And the three written above, among which is the tetragrammaton, which they write with these elements, Joth, Hep, Vau, Hiep, God. That the ineffable name is placed for the Lord is written with four elements, namely, Ioth, Hep, Vau, and Hheth, with an element interposed in the middle among these, or after the two prior ones, which the Hebrews call Sen, and it signifies teeth. So that five letters, translated, produce this series or meaning: Beginning this, teeth in him, he who lives. For the four elements have an interpretation: Ioth, beginning; Hep, this; Vau, in him; Heth, he who lives.

f is interpreted as the ineffable name; the third is Elohim, which means God; the fourth is El, that is, strong; the fifth is Eloah, which is also God; the sixth is Elohi, that is, my God; the seventh is Shaddai, meaning the Almighty; the eighth is Zebaoth, that is, of hosts; the ninth is Ehyeh, which means I am; the tenth is Yod, which is the first letter of the ineffable name.