God’s Identity According to Ancient Hebrew Scholars
Tyche of Antioch, Vatican Inv 2672
By Larry and June Acheson
God’s Identity According to Ancient Hebrew Scholars
By Larry and June Acheson
Originally published under the title Do We Honor Yahweh By Referring to Him as “Our God”?
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance … it is the illusion of knowledge. -- Daniel J. Boorstein
First printing, July 4, 2001 Revised September 17, 2005 Revised January 2010
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Cover photo: Statue of Tyche of Antioch Tyche, Greek goddess of fortune, is considered to be the Greek equivalent of the Canaanite idol named Gad. This statue is actually a smaller copy of the original, which was the work of Eutychides of Sicyon. Eutychides of Sicyon was a Greek sculptor of the latter part of the 4th century BCE. His most noted work was a statue of Fortune (Tyche), which he made for the city of Antioch, then newly founded. The goddess, who embodied the idea of the city, was seated on a rock, crowned with towers, and having the river Orontes at her feet. The replica of Eutychides’ original statue resides in the Vatican. If you would like more information about this statue, please visit the following website: http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Bios/EutychidesOfSicyon.html. If you would like to know how Tyche is important in identifying who God really is, we suggest reading our chapter titled “If You Won’t Believe Us, Would You At Least Believe Ancient Hebrew Scholars?”
Preface: Answering Our Critics vi
Introduction: Like the Plot for a Thriller Movie, Very Few Can See the Truth x
Part I: Does the "Paganizing" of Yahweh’s Titles Give Us a License To Appropriate Already- 13 Corrupt Titles to Him?
Chapter 1: The Masking of Yahweh’s Name and the Masking of the Name “God” 13
Chapter 2: The Separation Created by Rejecting the Name "God": Deliberate Separation or a Quest for Truth? 17
Chapter 3: A New Teaching Emerges ... Or is it an Old One Resurfacing? 18
Chapter 4: Introduction to God 21
Chapter 5: Did Yahweh Refer to Himself as a "Baal"? 23
Chapter 6: Clearing Up Two Misunderstandings 29
A. Should Titles Be Translated? 29 B. If We Reject the Heathen “God,” Must We Reject Every “Unclean” Word? 32
Part II: Ten Objections Answered 35
Objection #1: Is God Connected to God? 35
Chapter 1: “I know Yahweh detests God, but Yahweh is my God!” 35
Objection #2: Is “God” an Inspired Title? 38
Chapter 1: Did Yahweh Inspire the Germanic Title Gott at Babel? 38
Chapter 2: The Etymology of GOD: A “Gheuy” Mess! 40
Chapter 3: What if Yahweh Had Not Spoken Against "God"? 43
Chapter 4: 50% Pure, 50% Rotten? 44
Chapter 5: Should We Be Like All the Other Heathen Nations? 45
Objection #3: Should a Culture Redefine a Word Borrowed From Another Language? 47
Chapter 1: Is There Such a Thing as a “Sinful Sound”? 47
Chapter 2: Points to Ponder About the Linguistic Incorporation and Redefinition of Words 52
Chapter 3: Whose “Intention” Really Matters, Anyway? 53
Chapter 4: Verbalizing GOD = Making GOD a Title? 56
Chapter 5: Whose “Culture” Matters Most: Man’s or Yahweh’s? 60
Chapter 6: How Did “God” become a “Culturally Acceptable” Title? 62
Chapter 7: What Makes a Word Unclean? 65
Objection #4: “If ‘God’ is Such a Bad Title, Then Why did Leah Give That Name to Jacob’s Son?” 71
Chapter 1: Religion in Laban’s Household 71
Chapter 2: If Jacob changed Ben-oni’s name to Benjamin, Why Didn’t He Change Gad’s Name, Too? 76
Chapter 3: Changing Names: What Was the Purpose? 78
Chapter 4: The Righteousness of Jacob 81 God’s Identity – According to Ancient Hebrew Scholars
iv Table of Contents
Chapter 5: Jacob’s Blessing 87
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