' f ‘ TH E O R I G I N AND I NTER P R E TA TI O N OF T H E TE TR A G R A MMA TO N SUBMI T T ED I N P A R T I A L FULFILM E NT O F T H E R E Q UI R E M E N T S F O R T H E DE G R E E O F DOCT O R O F PHILOSOPHY T O T H E FA CULT Y O F PH L S P N E W R K N IVE R SI T 1 8 I O O HY , YO U Y , 9 9 HA N S H . SP O R K - PR I N T E D B Y ' ‘ C bc mntvczétt of Chica o p t eas w g . g CH I CA G O O R I G I N A N D I NT E R P R E TA T I O N O F T H E TE T R A G R A NI IVI A TO N S U B M I T T E D I N PA R T I A L FULFIL M E N T O F T H E R E Q UI R E M E N T S F O R T H E DE G R E E O F DO C T O R O F P H ux BO P H Y T O T H E F A CUL T Y (M? P I O S P N E W R K N I VE R S I T 1 8 H L O HY , YO U Y , 9 9 H A N H E S . S P O R I\ PR I N T E D B Y (t he m niv e t s it g o f Chi ca go D re ss CHICA G O R E F E P A C . T H E problem wh ic h the question after the origin and inter pr e t a ti o n o f the T etragrammaton Offers to the historical student Of the Old T estament is o n e of the most fascinating ones o f the U many which the Jewish Scriptures present . nfortunately the n material from which t o work is o t very large . As the sources O T outside Of the ld estament are of a rather doubtful value , we are compelled to base o ur investigations mainly upon the few statements contained in the Jewish writings and the study of the 1 o f historical development Of ( ) the political status the Hebrews , 2 f and ( ) the religious belief o the Hebrews . I count myself happy that my teacher , Professor Prince , has permitted me to choose this subject for my dissertation . My most hearty thanks are due to him fo r the kind interest which he has f r always taken in my work and o his suggestive instruction . I t o also gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness my teacher , F T o I o we Professor . Brown . his inspiring teaching my love O T for the historical study of the ld estament . His kind interest I has never been wanting , and to him owe many valuable sug gestions . O fo r My thanks are also due to my teacher , Professor sborn , his teaching and the kind interest he has taken in my work . di i T his s s e r t o n was completed in the summer of 1899 . Cir c um s t a n c e s prevented me from referring t o the latest literature O n the subject . H H ANS H . SPO R . W Y K N E R O e r 1901 . O , ctob , , : 1 . t 5 “ 2 9 6 a G « $ D T H E OR IGIN A N D IN T E R PR E T AT ION OF T H E T E T R R T ON AG AMMA . T h e most primitive name o f G o d found in the Old T estament T h e o f is T h e root o f the word is doubtful . question the etymology is very intricate and the conclusions are dubious . 1 Some derive the word from the stem 5m ; others derive it from ‘ I 5 IER t o the stem T , with reference aJI , though the meaning they T give to this root varies . his name is very rarely used in prose . t o E SI G o d According S was the Of the patriarch Jacob , whose — 3 . center Of worship was Bethel , Gen . In early poetry 5x seems to have become a proper name . It is used 2 1 7 times . ’ ‘ T h ‘ lur i m tz u e divine name D TIBN is a p a l s aje s ta c s . It is fl O f E . characteristic phraimitic writers J uses it chie y in poetry , D 39 . 6 . 3 5 . g , Gen , ; eut ‘ ‘ P employs it in Genesis 7 8 times . D TIBN is used to signify the f 6 o 170 . God Israel times ; it designates rulers times , g “ ” ‘ ‘ I ” “ E . D I I DR TI 33 J o b xod angels , ( divine beings “ ” E T h e e . Gen . gods , g , xod question arises r - n o w E E 1 ? T h e E rtbs , Is lohim connected with probability that 2 o f T is a plural SN is very strong . here exists in biblical Aramaic a number o f words with two consonants which insert a T1 in form “ ” 25“ ” 6 . g b D 1 ing the plural form , g , father , plur Tfi j ; name , 3 - “ . HE I a ls o . 2 . plur T R; Syriac L ] father , plur mother , “ . éfih m . 2m . plur If ] 1 ] female servant , plur 1 ] We have also a H ebrew word which forms the plural in this manner : “ ” ' ' m h II mN female servant , plural for 1 d k G e s e n i us T h a i i Z i h if a r wi se . T h l . T . N ol e e , es urus F . H tz g , e tsc r t f eo , Vol XVIII ; , M B A W. , 1880, p . 774. 18 a i i i t e e i ee ZA W. Vo l . 181 . Ag nst th s n rpr tat on s , XI , pp sq 2 G r a m m a 7 Cf. Marti , t . d . bi bl . A ram . , £3 6. 3 B r k l m n n Cf. o c e a , S yri sche G ram m ati k, 118 . 5 ( N 6 O R I G I N ‘ A N R INT ERPRET A T ION OF T H E TETRAGRAMMATON fo r ‘ In this way we may also account the TI in D TIBN . T h e 6 is due to the fact that the primitive Semitic d has per e tua t e d p itself only in rare instances , having usually changed into N Olde ke thinks that there may be a possible connection ‘ between 5N and D TISN . T s 2 Another name given to God is E bbg. his name occur 5 O T O it 42 times in the ld estament . f these is found times in the - book Of Job . In pre exilic times this name is employed only D 17 - twice , eut . , provided this poem is not post exilic . 11 35319 7 1 59 3 O f In fact , such words as 73 , and , which are a to D e n 3 2 t . very late origin , would forbid us regard , chap , as 5 “ - Oo r n ill : being pre exilic . says We scarcely dare take an fo r earlier date the poem than the end Of the Babylonian exile , if t o P 18 s . we have not to assign it a much later date . , in which r n o t this name occu s , I believe belongs to a period prior to that o f E N D i n zra and ehemiah , perhaps to a very late period . uhm , “ ” lo co d , regar s the psalm as sehr jung , and assigns it to the second o f k century , to the times the Hasmoneans . It is remar able , how ’ F‘ I DN ever , that is employed only once in the whole psalm , while he d in all the ot r cases the ordinary term for G o is used . In 2 . 5x the parallel passage , Sam we have it leaves , there ‘ T h n o IB . e fore , doubt that E PS is an insertion by a later editor other passages wh ere the word BEN occurs as a designation Of 1 14 z 7 the God of Israel are Pss . ; Prov . N h e . N Isa . Hab . one of these passages is - 3 pre exilic . Hab . , chap . , does not belong to the genuine e T TI . ER prophecy , but is a much lat r addition his shows that has not been used in the Old T estament previous to the times Of T h . HEN the exile nor during the exile erefore , if is the singular form O f the very curious fact presents itself to us that the plural form has been in use centuries before even anyone o f . thought using the singular form It is much easier , however , to account for the form TIBN as being an artificial poetic singular E I Obtained by inference from lohim .