Divine Names Research Articles

Note on the Fittingness of Negative Naming in Sacred Theology: The Corpus Dionysiacum and Father Bernard Lonergan, SJ1

AbstractWithin a broadly Thomistic frame, this paper shows how simple apophaticism in the theology of Pseudo‐Dionysius the Areopagite is the more fitting mode of knowing the triune God, beyond the use of all divine names. Specifically, we will proceed using the work of Father Bernard Lonergan, SJ on theological fittingness. After setting forth Father Lonergan's understanding of fittingness, the paper will proceed through Dionysius's cataphatic names, apophatic names, and apophatic silence. The cataphatic and apophatic names, while true, useful, and fittingly said of God, will be shown to be imperfectly applied to God. As such, their fittingness pales in comparison to the simple silence of the intellect orientated towards God, despite such pure apophaticism's dissimilarity to normal human intellectual operations.

Athanasius Kircher’s Cabala Saracenica: European Reception of the Islamic Science of Letters and Divine Names

Abstract This article introduces a significant case regarding the European reception of ʿilm al-ḥurūf wa-l-asmāʾ (the science of letters and divine names) in the Oedipus Aegyptiacus by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Classis V in Tomus II.1, Caps. I-X, and Classis VII, Cap. VI in Tomus II.2 contain Kircher’s most comprehensive engagement with the science of letters, referred to as the Cabala Saracenica in juxtaposition with the Cabala Hebraica. In addition to identifying crucial sources that influenced Kircher’s understanding of the science of letters, this article demonstrates how “Cabala” serves as a comparative tool in Kircher’s construction of a universal language for the Church. It encapsulates his approach to sacred oriental philology, revealing the Hermetic and Kabbalistic erudition absorbed by their native users. This exposure aims to demonstrate that wisdom ultimately reveals the truth of Christian doctrine.

The Doctrine of Memory in Origen of Alexandria: Intersecting the Theory of Divine Names, Platonic Recollection, and Feminine Perspectives

Abstract Posing as the first attempt to study systematically Origen’s doctrine of memory, this article pieces together the sparse references to memory in the Origenian literature. While no systematic attempt to investigate memory is traceable in Origen’s thought, the psychological function of memory does present itself as a minor but significant element in his theology. First, I clear the way from unnecessary connections to the Platonic doctrine of recollection suggested by the few scholars who have tackled the issue. Then, I frame Origen’s understanding of memory within his “doctrines of names.” Memory is shown as the result of the nature of names and their ontological capacity to evoke the power of the named object and make it present in the mind of the utterer even before reaching a full intellectual understanding of it. Secondly I analyse biblical characters, especially Zechariah, Mary, and Elizabeth, showing how Origen turned the function of memory into a step of the human ascensive path toward God. The act of seeking God in one’s memory is overcome when his presence occurs in contemplation, shifting from an economy of memory/imagination/manifestation to one of presence/contemplation. In the doctrines of divine names, the “memory” is opposed to the “voice,” which is the distinctive trait of the new economy. Thirdly I show that, not only men, but also women are presented by Origen as examples of how to overcome the economy of memory, thus becoming “voice” of God. In fact, women represent the shift from memory to voice even better than men. They embody literally the path from “memory” to “voice,” as the image that Origen uses to represent this shift is pregnancy, which thus metaphorically expresses the whole history of salvation as a process of spiritual transformation towards God.

“The Great Vindication of Our Translation of the Name”: Franz Rosenzweig on the Threefold Unity of Divine Pronouns

Abstract This paper reveals the original teaching from Sinai that Rosenzweig claims to have discovered while translating Exodus 3 with Martin Buber, and why he viewed this discovery as vindicating their decision to translate the Tetragrammaton in the way they did. A report of this discovery is to be found, I show, in the exchange between Buber and Rosenzweig during their translation of Exodus, as recorded in the Working Papers (Arbeitspapiere). The significance of Rosenzweig’s account of the divine name only becomes fully clear, however, when viewed against the background of the revelation of the divine name in The Star of Redemption.

Необходимая оборона, крайняя необходимость и принуждение в иудейском праве

The article concentrates on Jewish law approach to the notions of self-defence, necessity and duress. From this perspective the article turns to the permissibility of the surgical separation of conjoined twins when only one of the twins has the chance to survive. The parallel situations are: a birthing mother, when the lives of the child and the mother can not be saved together and terrorists claiming life of one member group, either chosen at the discretion of the group members or specifically named by the terrorists. The basic teaching which emerges as defining the criterion by which Jewish law resolves most problems is the obligation to “sanctify the divine name” that permeates all layers of Jewish legal culture.

God in Awe and Intimacy: Jewish and Muslim Perspectives on Understanding and Pronouncing the Name(s) of God and its Relation to the Humanitarian Crisis

The concept of God is essential for both Jews and Muslims. Instead of using the terms Judaism and Islam, this study considers the terms Jews/Jewish and Muslims as more proper to focus on human beings as the subject of religion who are open to dialogue and change. Loving God’s creations is a process of loving the Creator. Thus, this study tries to connect Jewish and Muslim understanding and belief in God’s Names and its implications for their actions concerning the humanitarian crisis, especially today’s Israel-Palestine relationship. This study applies the content and comparative analysis of the texts (documents, videos, and pictures) related to the issue, along with the teachings of Isaac Luria and Mulla Sadra. In addition, a phenomenological approach is also used as it leads to an effort to understand religious thought and behavior from the point of view of the religious person. This study revealed that how humans understand Divine Names is manifested in how they treat each other. As human beings are the best manifestation of God, how we see, treat, and interact with others reflects our understanding of God’s names and vice versa. God’s names are all beautiful. Therefore, those who believe in God will do good to themselves, others, and the universe.Contribution: This study provides insight into a correlation between one’s beliefs and actions among Jews and Muslims. One’s actions reflect one’s understanding of God and vice versa. Also, how we can try to stay physically, mentally and spiritually strong amidst the happening conflicts and chaos through the reflection on the topic.

Perceptual transformation in Ibn ‘Arabī’s philosophy: The night journey (isrā’) and ascension (mi‘rāj) of Prophet Muḥammad

ABSTRACT The night journey (isrā’) and ascension (mi‘rāj) represent arguably the most significant and unique events in the life of Prophet Muḥammad. However, the influential Sufi thinker Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) argues that the Prophet had thirty-four night journeys of which only one was physical. This physical night journey, and the ascension that took place with it, was the one in which he was given the five daily prayers. Ibn ‘Arabī thus employs the secondary night journeys and ascensions of Prophet Muḥammad to delineate a point of emulation between the Prophet’s spiritual experience and those of his nation. Muslims can also have their own ascensions, but their journeys cannot be physical, and, analogously, cannot have autonomous legislative authority. They can, nevertheless, cause a change in their perception that allows them to see the world as it truly is: a manifestation of the divine Names.

Divine Roots: The Etymology of Thoth

Summary The names of gods are an important expression of the Egyptian experience of the divine. Understanding the etymology of divine names can give us insights into the conceptions of the oldest adherents of religious cults, allowing us to appreciate of the essence of the original deity. This analysis will propose an etymology for the name of the god Thoth and situate the god’s name in its proper lexical and theological context, relating the divine name Ḏḥw.ty to an Old Egyptian root for ‘bright’ or ‘white’ and thus lunar concepts. This etymology not only satisfactorily explains the lexical root and theology of Thoth but is also consistent with other patterns in Egyptian divine epithets and names. Using cognates from Afroasiatic languages, the analysis proves that there once existed an ancient lexical root ḏḥ(w) in Old Egyptian or ‘Pre-Old Egyptian’. This root also explains various other nouns in Egyptian such as a type of linen (ḏḥ), the metallic substances of tin (ḏḥ) and lead (ḏḥ.ty), as well as a word for ‘teeth’ (nḏḥ.yt). This analysis demonstrates that some gods’ names are to be found in lexical roots which become unproductive in later stages of the Egyptian lexicon.

Developing Christ as Consolatory Example in the Christ Encomium

While Paul Holloway’s scholarship on Philippians has been important, his classification of Philippians as a letter of consolation has gained relatively little traction. Interestingly, however, Holloway follows Karl Barth in labelling a large section of the letter, Phil 1:27–2:16, a ‘hortatory digression’, which could be seen to diminish the extent of consolation in this part of the letter. In this article, I seek to develop Holloway’s work to argue that the Christ encomium in Phil 2:6–11 has elements of consolatory discourse that relates to other parts of the letter. Phil 2:6–11 illustrates and exemplifies how comfort (παράκλησις), consolation (παραμύθιον), and joy (χαρά) can be derived by individuals and communities in the face of opposition or destitution (cf. Phil 1:27–2:4). I propose that Christ undergoes a form of voluntary desolation in 2:6–8 but then receives something different from consolation in his glorious exaltation and the bestowal of the divine name. Although Paul and the Philippians will not receive universal worship like Christ, they can imitate him by following in this trajectory of becoming like God, thus receiving divine consolation and transformation.

The Divine Names: A Mystical Theology of the Names of God in the Qurʾan ed. by Yousef Casewit (review)

The Divine Names: A Mystical Theology of the Names of God in the Qurʾan ed. by Yousef Casewit (review)

İbn ‘Acîbe’nin Kur’ân Tefsirinde Kozmik Öznellik

In his autobiography the Moroccan Sufi Aḥmad Ibn ‘Ajība cites an incident in which his saintly grandmother gives a command to a snake and the reptile fulfils the lady’s order. Undoubtedly, the story demonstrates the special powers granted to the saintly woman, but is the snake she interacts with also special? Or do natural entities in general understand and know more than we ordinarily think? Whereas the Qur’ān repeatedly emphasises the “animated quality of nature,” portraying the conscious, knowing and even wise cosmos, the works of exegesis often interpret such verses metaphorically (majāz) as eloquent expressions of God’s power and universal submission to it. How to reconcile this widespread figurative understanding with the numerous Sufi accounts of the alive, knowing, and understanding cosmos (similar to the incident mentioned by Ibn ‘Ajība)? To answer this question and more broadly, to reflect upon the understudied issue of cosmic subjectivity in the Sufi works of tafsīr, this article looks into Ibn ‘Ajība’s Qur’ānic commentary al-Baḥr al-Madīd (The Immense Ocean), which masterfully blends exoteric and esoteric approaches to the scripture and which is aimed at general public (rather than the initiates on the Sufi path). Whereas the Sufi master himself clearly perceives everything in creation as an understanding subject, he also succeeds in seamlessly bringing together various interpretations (including purely metaphorical readings), recognising their validity and suitability for different audiences. The highest level, however, is to realise that the literal meaning of the Qur’ānic description of the cosmos accurately captures the aspects of reality hidden from senses: the spiritually enlightened actually “see” with the eye of baṣīra that the cosmos is alive, conscious, and knowledgeable, and that everything in it is ultimately a vessel manifesting Divine names.

Opposition Is True Friendship: C.G Jung, Ibn ‘Arabi & the Answer to Job

This essay examines the intriguing connections between Carl G. Jung, the Sufi mystic Ibn ‘Arabi, and Jung’s engagement with the Biblical “Answer to Job,” bridging vast cultural and temporal gaps. It explores Jung’s transformative dialogue with Pueblo spirituality and his introspective challenges with Islamic concepts of divine submission, culminating in an analysis of “Answer to Job” through the lens of Ibn ‘Arabi’s Divine Names. The discussion highlights the paradoxes within divine attributes and the human perception of God, offering a unique interpretation of Jung’s confrontation with the God image. By integrating Jung’s psychological insights with Sufi mysticism, the manuscript provides a nuanced perspective on divine justice, mercy, and the quest for spiritual understanding. Keywords: Carl Jung, Ibn ‘Arabi, Answer to Job, Psychological theology, Sufi mysticism.

Qur’anic Understandings of the Divine Name Yhwh

ABSTRACT Although the Qur’an never explicitly mentions the name yhwh, this study demonstrates that it reveals cognizance not only of the divine name but also of the elaboration of its meaning by paralleling interpretations found in some of the earliest rabbinic traditions, evidently building on traditions that were circulating amongst Jewish communities of Late Antiquity. I propose that the absence of an explicit mention of yhwh in the Qur’an points to the Qur’an’s oral rather than literary genesis. This study analyses Pharaoh’s inquiries about who and what the Lord is (in Q 20.49–55; 26.23–28). The Qur’an responds to these questions, whereas in the Exodus account, Pharaoh’s questioning about yhwh remains unanswered. The Qur’an appears to interpret the meaning of yhwh as God’s continuous generative action, the originating cause of every thing, and God’s existence, transcendence and omnipresence, echoing some explanations of the divine name in the earliest rabbinic traditions. Thus, the Qur’an engages with some of its audience by referencing Jewish understandings of the divine name. By reframing and reinterpreting some biblical stories, the Qur’an provides exegetical contributions to these narratives, highlighting its unique and critical role in the broader religious discourse during Late Antiquity.

Analytic patristics

AbstractGeorges Florovsky, in 1936, called for a revival of the teaching of the Church Fathers. At the same time, Fr. Joseph Bocheński formulated the program for the renewal of Thomism by means of formal logic. In this paper, I propose to integrate these two projects. Analytic Patristics aims at expressing and developing patristic thought with the tools of analytic philosophy. The broad program of the logic of religion formulated by Bocheński included semiotics, methodology, and the formal logic of religion. I present here three examples of the integration of analytic philosophy and patristics in these three areas. I discuss first Basil Lourié’s paraconsistent interpretation of Dionysius the Areopagite’s theory of the divine names, then Richard Swinburne’s efforts to revive Orthodox natural theology, and finally Beau Branson’s reconstruction of Gregory of Nyssa’s metaphysics of the Trinity. These examples perfectly illustrate how analytic philosophy can contribute to the development of patristics, and how the tradition of the Church Fathers can inspire contemporary analytic philosophy of religion.

Ibn ‘Arabī on Divine Atemporality and Temporal Presentism

Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) is arguably the most influential philosophical mystic in Islam. He is also a presentist. This paper responds to the arguments of contemporary philosophers, Norman Kretzmann, William Lane Craig, Garrett DeWeese, and Alan Padgett, who argue that divine atemporality and temporal presentism are incompatible, through the temporal ontology of Ibn ‘Arabī. Ibn ‘Arabī asserts that all entities in the universe are loci of manifestation of God’s most beautiful Names. These divine Names constitute sensible reality. The principal response of Ibn ‘Arabī to the arguments of contemporary scholars is that the divine Names as they are manifested in the cosmos cannot be conflated with the divine Names as they are in themselves, which, in turn, cannot be conflated with God in His numinous essence. This allows him to simultaneously maintain the atemporality of God and temporal presentism.

Comparing the Roots of the Faculty of Imagination and Analyzing the Concepts of the Divine Names (Asma’ Allah al-Husna) in the Degrees of Human Existence from the Perspective of Ibn Arabi

This research examines and analyzes the roots of the faculty of imagination and the concepts of the Divine Names (Asma’ Allah al-Husna) in the degrees of human existence from the perspective of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi. The transformations of theological and mystical concepts, from the advent of Islam to the medieval periods, especially in the realm of Sufism, have been accompanied by depth and evolution. From the 8th century CE, Islamic mystics in both the eastern and western parts of the Islamic world solidified and developed the theoretical foundations of Sufism. In the 12th century CE, Ibn Arabi, considering the cultural and intellectual context of his time, revisited mystical teachings and, utilizing the concepts of the faculty of imagination and the Divine Names, reinterpreted ideas such as the Perfect Man (Insan Kamil) and the unity of existence in a novel way. This research demonstrates that Ibn Arabi, by blending previous mystical concepts and employing the power of imagination, restructured and expanded the language of Sufism and the meaning of the Perfect Man. He succeeded in deeply analyzing the Divine Names, interpreting the existential ranks of humans, and presenting a new understanding of humanity’s place in the cosmic order. The goal of this article is to provide a comprehensive view of the impact of the faculty of imagination and the analysis of the Divine Names on the structure of mystical anthropology and to explain the key concepts of Sufism from Ibn Arabi’s perspective.

An Exposition of The Divine Names, The Book of Blessed Dionysius by St. Thomas Aquinas

An Exposition of The Divine Names, The Book of Blessed Dionysius by St. Thomas Aquinas

Soldiers from Lower Germany as Worshipers of Gallo-Roman Gods

The present paper deals with the dedications made by the soldiers from Germania Inferior to Celtic deities. The most frequently worshipped deities by soldiers of all ranks are Hercules Magusanus and Rhenus. Differences in the preference of Celtic to Germanic or Mediterranean divine names cannot be postulated. Since most of the inscriptions can be dated to the end of the 2nd or the 1st half of the 3rd century CE, it is not possible to speak of a Celtic worship of gods of any kind.

Celto-Venetica: Indo-European Names from North-Eastern Italy and the Dialectal Classification of Venetic

This work tries to cast some light on a number of indigenous names of north-eastern Italy. It specifically addresses a selected number of names from Brixia and its environment, which lies in the west of Venetia et Histria, and close to the border of the Gallia Transpadana, covering an area that runs from the Oglio to the Adige rivers, around the Garda Lake. Most of these names have one thing in common: they are hardly ever found anywhere else, and, as a consequence, they have obtained a label: Jürgen Untermann called them Brescianisch, thus tacitly paving the way for considering them as a trace of an independent, unknown and unclassified dialect. That these names are not attested outside this area is not necessarily diagnostic of their not being Celtic or Italic, though the path leading to their classification may prove winding and indirect. Their etymology and attribution to either Celtic or Venetic will be thoroughly discussed. The study of the Venetic name fersimo comes to confirm the evolution of the complex superlative suffix *-is-m̥(H)o- > -izʊmo- > -īmo- is common to Sabellic and Venetic, where only the name meitima provided evidence for this change. Some misidentified or overlooked derivational and compositional patterns are addressed, such as the superlatives in -umus, the Celtic compounds in -gassi- and the probably both Italic and Celtic compounds whose first member is an Indo-European root-noun *ḱlu- ‘hearing.’ The personal names qverra, dievpala, endvbro, rvtvba, rvtvmanne, barbarvtae, aprofennivs are Venetic and decidedly bely the widespread notion that Italic did not preserve Indo-European compounds as personal names. The Celtic personal name vorvodisivs and the personal or divine name boxarvae are considered as belonging to a very ancient layer of Indo-European composition and, when possible, are connected to other compounds belonging to the same “semantic paradigms.” The analysis shows that it is premature to label these forms as Brescianisch — a new Indo-European dialect not attested in indigenous sources, which is in fact little more than a label for an onomastic landscape whose members are otherwise unattested but can be unproblematically linked to Continental Celtic and Italic.

Divine Names as the Standard of Ethics: A Translation of Ibn al-‘Arabī’s Concise Explanation of al-Asmā’ al-Ḥusnā

The article submits that one of the most interesting notions in Islām is that the Names and Attributes of Allāh, also function as the standard of ethical manners and praiseworthy deeds. In order to clarify this notion—wherein there is an inevitable continuity of theology, worship and ethics—this article presents a translation of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s (560/1165—638/1240) concise explanation of the Divine Names (al-asmāʾul-ḥusnā). Given the fact that by his own claim, Ibn al-ʿArabī is ‘the seal of Muḥammadan sainthood’ (Khātim al-Awliyāʾ al-Muḥammadiyyah), and by his followers’ estimation ‘the supreme preceptor’ (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), the annotated translation’s contribution to present-day knowledge includes his notion of the oneness of the Divinity, list of some of the Divine Names, and understanding of their realities and meanings. At that ontological plane of the Divine Oneness, the Essence describes Himself according to His Beautiful Names and Sublime Attributes, all of which require recognition and acknowledgement by His servants for their own well-being in relation to takhallaqū bi-akhlāqillāh.