Pope Benedict XVI waves during the Wednesday general audience from his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome August 13, 2008.
Biography:
Cardinal Arinze, currently the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was born November 1, 1932 and ordained a priest on November 23, 1958. In August 1965 he became coadjutor archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria, and became Archbishop of Onitsha in June 1967. In March 1985 he was called to Rome to become president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. In October 2002 he was appointed prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in May 1985.
References:Cardinal Arinze, currently the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was born November 1, 1932 and ordained a priest on November 23, 1958. In August 1965 he became coadjutor archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria, and became Archbishop of Onitsha in June 1967. In March 1985 he was called to Rome to become president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. In October 2002 he was appointed prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in May 1985.
· Vatican approves new English translation for Mass
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Posted on Wed Aug 13 2008 Aug. 13, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has ruled that the Name of God, commonly rendered as "Yahweh," should not be pronounced in the Catholic liturgy.
The Vatican directive will not require any changes in the language of liturgy, since the Name of God is not spelled out in any authorized translation of the Roman Missal. However some hymns may be deemed inappropriate for liturgical use.
The Congregation for Divine Worship, in issuing the new directive, reminds bishops that in the Hebrew tradition, which the early Christians adopted, the faithful avoided pronouncing the Name of God. The Vatican directive explains that "as an expression of the infinite greatness and majesty of God, it was held to be unpronounceable."
In place of the Name of God, pious Hebrews used the four-letter tetragammaton YHWH, or substituted the terms "Adonai" or "the Lord." The first Christians continued this practice, the Vatican notes.
The Congregation for Divine Worship observes that the invocation of "the Lord" in Scriptural text follows this practice. Thus when St. Paul prays that "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord," the Vatican letter says that his statement "corresponds exactly to a proclamation of [Christ's] divinity."
The Bible reflects the Hebrew tradition, and the Name of God is not spelled out in authorized Catholic translations. The Vatican instruction says that liturgical language should adhere carefully to the Scriptural texts, so that the Word of God is "conserved and transmitted in an integral and faithful manner."
However, the instruction notes, "in recent years the practice has crept in" of using the Name of God and spelling out the tetragrammaton. That practice should be avoided in the Catholic liturgy, the Vatican says.
The effect of the Vatican directive should be evident in the selection of hymns, since some contemporary liturgical music violates the policy by pronouncing the Name of God. The policy will also call for some care in the preparation of variable elements in the liturgy, such as the Prayers of the Faithful.
The letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship, dated June 29, was signed by Cardinal Francis Arinze and Archbishop Malcom Ranjith, the prefect and secretary, respectively of that congregation.
In an August 8 letter to the bishops of the US hierarchy, relaying the Vatican directive, Bishop Arthur Serratelli-- the chairman of the US bishops' liturgy committee-- welcomed the instruction, saying that it "helps to emphasize the theological accuracy of our language and appropriate reverence for the name of God."
Discussion: Vatican directive: "Yahweh" inappropriate for liturgical use
Not 'in place of'
There appears to be an error in the Vatican's directive regarding the use of the name of God. YHWH (in Hebrew, yodh aleph vav aleph) WAS the name of God, not something used 'in place of the Name of God'. Ancient Hebrew was written with consonants only. The tradition of not pronouncing YHWH developed only hundreds of years after the first books of the Scriptures were written, similar to the custom that some Christians do not pronounce the name "Jesus". I always understood that Christians were not bound by Jewish customs. The Vatican directive sounds like an over-reaction.
Not 'in place of'
There is no error. The article clearly states "commonly rendered". Further you should check your information. The Jewish tradition is that the word's full pronunciation was lost through time and an oral tradition that may have caused its loss. I have heard things about numerology, loss of vowel marks in the Hebrew and/or a failure to pass along pronunciation between generations. As far as Jewish traditions. Like it or no many of us do not believe in "throwing out the baby with the bath water". In Paul's terms there may not be a actual physical circumcision but there is still the spirit of the circumcision. This not only binds us as Christians but as a new generation under a new covenant that still is bound to the lessons of its traditions/past. We should not forget the fate of a people who ignore their past and Judaism is the groundwork of our past. The foundations of monotheistic belief.
Yahweh innapropriate?
Next they're going to have to take "Hallelujah" out of their worship. Translated it means "praise Jah you people", Jah being a shortened form of Yahweh.
In the Grand Scheme of Things...
When this was first brought up to me, my first reaction was "In the grand scheme of things, doesn't the Vatican have far more important issues to discuss?" Then, I wondered "If, in fact, the practice of pronouncing the tetragammaton YHWH offends Jews, wouldn't pronounciation of the Name of God used by any other religion be equally offensive to them if, like the Jews, they feel that their name is reflective of the "infinite greatness"? Is coming up with a name even as simple as "God" appropriate in this case? If we are so sensitized to referring to the Creator by another name, is there any name that is more appropriate? Finally, use of the pronounceable "Yahweh" is hardly new; why hqas it taken so long to be offensive? Have previous pontiffs simply ignored the requests to remove this word from our liturgical texts and music? There are many unanswered questions that I wish the Vatican, and the Congregation for Divine Worship, would address. I believe that the faithful are entitled to a better explanation than "it's going to be this way".
In the Grand Scheme of Things...
When I came across a reference to this directive today in the hymn book for the new year, my reaction was similar to your first sentence: the Pope has too much time on his hands.
[No Subject]
The directive insist " Christians, too, from the beginning never pronounced the divine tetragrammaton." This statement, however, ignores clear evidence to the contrary. Early copies of the Septuagint contained, not Ky'ri-os, but the divine name in the form of tetragrammaton. Christ's first century followers knew and pronounced God's name. Jesus himself said in prayer to this Father: "I have made your name Known." (John 17:26)
[No Subject]
Hi est, I just today read the same article you just quoted and I agree, WT April 1 2008 pg 30.
Agape
Agape
YHWH
What ever Happened to the good old Christian habit of following Jesus? Jesus himself said, in the well known prayer commonly called the "our father prayer." "Our father in the heavens, Let your name be sanctified."- Matthew 6:9.
Early fragments of the Septuagint dating back to the first century C.E contain the divine name or tetragrammaton (YHWH) In Exodus 3:15 our all mighty God inspires Moses to write "This is my name for all time."
Also what about the scripture that says "And everyone that calls on the name of YHWH will be saved." How, does one call on the name of God if he is not told what is it is or is not permitted to say it? If one does not permitted the calling on the name of God can he say he represents God?
Early fragments of the Septuagint dating back to the first century C.E contain the divine name or tetragrammaton (YHWH) In Exodus 3:15 our all mighty God inspires Moses to write "This is my name for all time."
Also what about the scripture that says "And everyone that calls on the name of YHWH will be saved." How, does one call on the name of God if he is not told what is it is or is not permitted to say it? If one does not permitted the calling on the name of God can he say he represents God?
YHWH
Psalms 79:6: Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
......The time will soon come when HIS NAME will be sanctified, and no one will be able to prevent Psalms 83:18: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH (YHWH), art the most high over all the earth.....no vatican, no political nation, nobody.
YHWH
Jehovah is not YHWH. It is a mistranslation at best Just like Yahoshua does not equal Jesus. Nor does it equal Jehovah. YHWH is YHWH no other name can it be translated into. It is his name for all time it can never change in translation nor can it change to Allah. If you try to translate you are not calling YHWH's name. Nor are you calling Jahoshua's if you call him Jesus or Jehovah.
Yahweh
I only learned of this nonsense from my Swiss translator: I refer to God as Yahweh more than once in my book on silent prayer - Echoing the Silence.
Studying the Old Testament as a Jesuit one learned of the two OT sources Elohim and Yahweh. My Jerusalem Bible spells out Yahweh throughout Genesis.
Why lean back to the Jewish tradition when Christ invited us to pray his very own prayer to his Father?
Cardinals should lead wisely not hand out idiotic dictats.
Studying the Old Testament as a Jesuit one learned of the two OT sources Elohim and Yahweh. My Jerusalem Bible spells out Yahweh throughout Genesis.
Why lean back to the Jewish tradition when Christ invited us to pray his very own prayer to his Father?
Cardinals should lead wisely not hand out idiotic dictats.
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