The Loss of God’s Name Between Judaism and Christianity : From Distortion to the Invention of Titles  

 1. The Beginning : The Name YHWH


Four Hebrew letters known as the Tetragrammaton .  

The name YHWH appeared in the texts of the Old Testament, but its pronunciation was lost because the letters were written without vowels (matres lectionis), leaving the name written but unspoken by humans. The original pronunciation could no longer be known.  

This name was a symbol of divine identity, meant to distinguish the true God from the pagan deities like Baal , El , and Ashtoreth.  

Yet, surprisingly, the pronunciation of the name was never preserved. No original Hebrew text contains its vowels, as the scriptures were written only with consonants.  

2. The Invention of " Yahweh " by the Masoretes  


After centuries of lost pronunciation, the Masoretes (6th–10th century CE) added vowel markings to the Hebrew texts.  

Since Jews had developed the custom of replacing YHWH with the title " Adonai " (The Lord) when reading the Torah, the Masoretes applied the vowels of " Adonai " to the letters YHWH, resulting in the new form : יְהוָה  (  Yehovah  /  Jehovah ).  

Thus :  

-  " Yahweh " ( or " Jehovah " ) is not  the original name of God, but an artificial construct invented by the Masoretes.  


- The true pronunciation has been lost forever .  

3. The Absence of Texts Forbidding the Pronunciation of the Name  


A common belief is that the Torah prohibited pronouncing God’s name, but this is incorrect. On the contrary, Hebrew scriptures emphasize the necessity of declaring and praising the name :  

- " From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised !"  


  ( Psalm 113 : 3 )  


- " Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."


  ( Joel 2 : 32 )  

Thus, there is not a single text forbidding the pronunciation of the name . The prohibition was a later tradition imposed by rabbis — not a command from God .

4. The Contradiction in Genesis and Exodus  

In Genesis 4 : 26, we find :  


" At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord ." This implies that humans knew God's name from the beginning.  

However, in Exodus 6 : 3, God says to Moses :  


" I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name Yahweh I did not make myself known to them."  

This is a clear contradiction :  


Was God’s name known since the time of Adam ?  


Or did it remain unknown until Moses ?  

Conclusion :  


The text does not confirm that people knew God’s true name from the beginning. Instead, it reveals a mix of conflicting narratives: sometimes claiming the name was known from early humanity, and other times stating it was only revealed to Moses.  

This is evidence that the Torah is not a single, coherent text but rather a compilation of different and contradictory accounts assembled by human hands.  

5. Moses Asks : " What is Your Name, Lord ?"  


…But Why Doesn’t He Reveal It ?  

If Moses stood before God in the holy valley and asked for His name, how is it possible that God’s true name remains unknown to this day ?  


When Moses asked God to reveal His name so he could tell the Israelites, the response was:  


،"וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה"


 (Exodus 3 : 14)  

Translated : " Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh "—meaning " I Am Who I Am " or  " I Will Be What I Will Be."


This is a vague expression, not a specific name for God.  

This contradicts other passages :  

- In Genesis 4 : 26 , we read : " At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord," meaning the name was known since the days of Seth.  

- Yet in Exodus 3 : 14, it appears Moses did not know the name and had to settle for an ambiguous answer.  

- Even more strikingly, God Himself says in Ezekiel 39:7 :  


  "I will make known my holy name among my people Israel… and the nations will know that I am the Lord."  


  This suggests God intends to proclaim His name among the nations, not conceal it.  

Thus, there is a fundamental contradiction :  

- Sometimes it is said that people knew God’s name from the beginning (Genesis).  

- Other times, it is said that Moses did not know it and received a vague reply (Exodus).  

- And yet again, it is said that God will make His name known among the nations (Ezekiel).  

This inconsistency further proves that the Bible contains divergent traditions rather than a unified divine revelation.

 

 6. Names Borrowed from Canaanite and Phoenician Paganism  


Many divine names in the Torah are taken from pagan environments :  

- El / Elohim : This was a general term for


 " god " in Canaan and Phoenicia. The Hebrews adopted it and attributed it to God.  

- Adonai is not an original name for God but a title meaning " Lord. " Its use was common in Canaanite and Phoenician pagan rituals before Judaism. The Jews adopted Adonai as a title to avoid pronouncing the name YHWH .  

- Hashem (הַשֵּׁם) is the most commonly used substitute. This name emerged later in Jewish tradition as a replacement for the lost original pronunciation of Yahweh, used when referring to God without uttering YHWH .  

Thus, the loss of the original name led to mixing God’s names with pagan titles and designations.  

 7. From the Name to Generic Titles  


When the true name was lost, it was replaced with mere generic titles :  

- " The Lord " ( Adonai / Κύριος ) : A title that could be applied to humans and kings.  


- " The Holy One " : An attribute, not a proper name.  


- " The Master " : A worldly title forauthority.  

This caused God’s identity to be lost amid words that did not distinguish between the true God and human-invented deities.  

 8. Christianity : Inventing a New Name for God  


Christianity introduced a new title for God that did not exist in Judaism :  


" The Father ."


The Jews never used this name.  

Is there any text in the Old or New Testament that states God’s name is "The Father "?  


Answer : No, there is no such text in either testament.  

In Judaism, God was never known as


 " The Father ," and this name is entirely absent from Hebrew scriptures. However, the Church established " The Father " as an official name for God and, along with it, invented " The Son " and " The Holy Spirit "


—thus forming the Trinity.  

So, we moved from a lost original name to generic titles, then to a new name


(" The Father ") that had no place in the religion of Moses and the prophets.  

9. Hidden Details Many Are Unaware Of  

- The Septuagint (3rd century BCE) :


The earliest Greek translation of the Torah never mentioned YHWH , replacing it with


 " Κύριος " (Kyrios = Lord) . This translation was the one used by the New Testament writers.  

- New Testament writers : All of them used " Kyrios " instead of the original name, causing God’s name to disappear entirely from Christianity.  

- The greatest shock : Jesus himself never uttered " Yahweh " in the Gospels. There is not a single instance of this name.  

- Paul : Never mentioned YHWH even once. Instead, he emphasized " Lord Jesus Christ ," shifting the title from God to Jesus.  

- Christian manuscripts : None of them contain God’s true name, proving that Christianity emerged without a name for God—only human-invented titles and conventions.  

10. The True Name Preserved in Islam  

Unlike what happened in Judaism and Christianity, Islam preserved the true name of God :  

The true name is " Allah "—it was not derived from pagan deities, nor was it concealed from humanity.  

The Quran explicitly confirms this name :  

Allah the Almighty says :  


" 1) Say, " He is Allah, [who is] One,'"  


(The Holy Quran 112 : 1 )  

Allah the Almighty says :  


" 180) And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. ."  


(The Holy Quran 7 : 180 )  

Allah the Almighty says :  


". 22) He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, "


(The Holy Quran 59 : 22 )  

Allah the Almighty says :  


" 110) Say, "Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful  [arRahman].  Whichever [name] you call – to Him belong the best names."."


( The Holy Quran 17 : 110 )  


→ Allah Himself informs us of His name, and we are to remember and glorify Him by it.  

With this name, humans can know Allah directly and worship Him without the mediation of a title or description.  

 Conclusion  

The loss of God’s name in Judaism and Christianity resulted from a series of distortions :  

- The original pronunciation " YHWH " was lost.  


- The Masoretes invented " Yahweh."  


- Generic titles replaced the name


( e.g., Lord, Holy One, Master ).  


- Christ never pronounced the name Yahweh .  


- Christianity invented the title " Father ," which was unknown in Judaism.  

In contrast, Islam preserved the true name " Allah ," making it accessible to every believer while maintaining His identity and oneness—just as God intended for humanity.  

This difference clearly illustrates the contrast between human distortions in the scriptures of the Jews and Christians and Islam’s preservation of divine revelation and the true name of God.