'Yahweh' in Catholic liturgy

[mcb]

At the Summer School composers' forum there was some discussion about the propriety of using the name 'Yahweh' in sacred song. Right on cue, Roma locuta est: here's news of an announcement banning use of the word.

If it wasn't for the fact that Rome seems to have got there just before we did, I'd be wondering if it's a good thing or a very bad thing indeed that they're keeping such a close eye on Summer School in high places.

M.

[docmattc]

The Jerusalem Bible is responsible for this creeping into Catholic liturgy. It uses Yahweh when the Hebrew original uses the Tetragrammaton, fine in print, but not when this is carried forward into the lectionary for proclamation. Later versions of the lectionary substitute Lord (Adonai).

This ruling (which is not before time) is a clarification of what was already said in Liturgiam Authenticam 41c:

in accordance with immemorial tradition, which indeed is already evident in the above-mentioned “Septuagint” version, the name of almighty God expressed by the Hebrew tetragrammaton (YHWH) and rendered in Latin by the word Dominus, is to be rendered into any given vernacular by a word equivalent in meaning.

[SOP]

It reminds of when I was much younger and the first time I experienced someone challenging me because I was a Catholic.

A colleague had become a JW but used to be a Catholic and he would argue and argue how wrong the Roman Catholic church was and so on. I was only about 19 or 20 at the time and had never come across anyone like him before.

He was saying how all the other religions had it wrong, Jehovah was God's real name and it said so in the bible. He quoted a reference which I went home and looked up in the bible we had at home. My bible did not say God's name was Jehovah but gave another name which had a footnote saying out of respect that name was never said out loud. Back to work to say he was wrong. He then brought in his bible which said Jehovah.

That was probably the first time I realised there were many different versions!!! The one at home was Douai and as we are talking 1970 or 1971 then the bible was on the bookshelf and rarely read.

I do now that any emails I get from a Jewish friend that have anything to do with religion, usually have G-d and I have always assumed it the respect aspect again.

For now, I must get "Yahweh, I Know You Are Near" out of my head.

[contrabordun]

Excellent. Next stop: can we get them to ban entire phrases, such as "Colours of Day"?

[asb]

For now, I must get "Yahweh, I Know You Are Near" out of my head.

A previous PP here hated using "Yahweh" but liked this hymn. We had to sing "Dear Lord I know you are near"

[Peter]

For now, I must get "Yahweh, I Know You Are Near" out of my head.

On the rare occasions when we have used this hymn in my church (about 25 years ago!) my then PP substituted "Father" for the forbidden word. At least it is a form of address we have Biblical authority to use and it also fits the stresses of the music better than "Dear Lord". I'm afraid, however, that I don't share asb's former PP's enthusiasm for it, largely on musical grounds, and so have never picked it, although having read SOP's comment it took me a while to get the tune out of my head, so maybe it has something going for it after all.

[VML]

I have just altered the chorus of 'This is what...' so we can use it on our Live Simply day on Sunday 5th Oct.
Instead of a minim in the first bar it will come in the second, and we will sing, 'This is what then Lord asks of you..'

Has anyone else been asked to use the hymns that 'need changing' yet?

[Anne]

Instead of Yahweh I know you are near, I would sing Lord I know you are near (a long Lord) or O Lord I know you are near....

I happened to be in Walsingham this summer and at one of the Masses I went to we sang Yahweh is the God of my Salvation. I hadn't sung this for about 25 years, but I seemed to remember all the words. For the refrain I would change it to the second person instead of the third person :-
Lord you are the God of my salvation,
in you I trust and have no fear,
I sing of the joy which your love gives to me
and I draw deeply from the springs of your great kindness.

This seems to work as the verses are already in the second person. I don't know if anyone sings this these days, I learnt it at school a long time ago, and haven't sung it since, so it may have died a naturaly death.

[docmattc]

Two years ago when we used Chris O'Hara's setting of the Exodus canticle at the Easter Vigil I changed the tetragrammaton simply to 'God' split over two notes. None of the usual YHWH hymns come up in my music planning because for years I've been unhappy using this word. They seem to have fallen off the radar and no-one asks for them.

[johnquinn39]

I've always thought that 'Yahweh' was a rather silly name for God.

[docmattc]

I've always thought that 'Yahweh' was a rather silly name for God.

God probably thinks John is a silly name for you Its a name full of richness, complexity and meaning if you understand Hebrew. Its both a noun and a verb, having its root in the verb to be. Hence when God says to Moses "I am who I am" and "This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
Maybe Anne (who does understand Hebrew) will give us a brief summary.

[johnquinn39]

I stand corrected!

[Anne]

I agree with docmattc that YHWH is both a noun and a verb.. It is made of three Hebrew letters Yod, He and Vav which are consonants but can also act or sound like vowels as well (a bit like h or y in our alphabet). So Yahweh is both nown and verb, but more correctly, not quite a noun and not quite a verb, and it is made up of letters which can be one thing or another. Just like God, whom we think we can know well, but who is also beyond our knowledge and understanding.

In the Hebrew Scriptures whenever YHWH is used it potrays God as a loving and forgiving God, full of mercy and compassion. The other name for God often used is Elohim (another enigmatic name for God as it is a plural word) is used when God is portrayed as being an all powerful creator. In the line 'Hear O Israel, the Lord (YHWH) our God (Elohim), the Lord (YHWH) is one' (Deuteronomy 6:4) the word YHWH appears twice when once would be adequate. The tradition has it that humankind needs to be reminded again and again of the loving mercy and forgiveness of God so YHWH appears twice instead of once.

End of sermon.

[docmattc]

OCP have published revisions to their texts which include the tetragrammaton. Also on that page you'll find links to a reflection by Dan Schutte and the original text from the CDW.

Instead of Yahweh I know you are near, I would sing Lord I know you are near (a long Lord) or O Lord I know you are near ....we sang Yahweh is the God of my Salvation. ...For the refrain I would change it to the second person instead of the third person

Gregory Norbert agrees with you, and DS has gone for your second suggestion, but I have to say I prefer the first. I think the roughly equal stresses of syllables in "O Lord" are odd to a British ear, but could see they might work to an American one. What say you Vox Americana?

[mcb]

But DS has changed the rhythm - the "O" is on the upbeat and "Lord" is a dotted minim. It'll never catch on!