Name Of God Research Articles

The Repose of the Spirits: A Sufi Commentary on the Divine Names (By A?mad Sam??n?, [Translator: William C. Chittick)

Reviewed by: The Repose of the Spirits: A Sufi Commentary on the Divine Names by William C. Chittick John Zaleski (bio) The Repose of the Spirits: A Sufi Commentary on the Divine Names William C. Chittick Albany: State University of New York Press, 2019. 708 Pages. William Chittick has brought to an English-speaking audience, in an attractive and fluid translation, an extensive medieval commentary on the divine names and divine love. The Repose of the Spirits (Rawḥ al-arwāḥ), written by Aḥmad Samʿānī (d. 1094/1140), is structured as an exposition of 102 names of God derived from the Qur’an, from Hū (“He”) to al-Ṣabūr (“the Patient”). It represents the earliest Persian example of this genre, numerous Arabic versions of which have been studied by Daniel Gimaret.1 Like the authors of these Arabic commentaries, Samʿānī typically begins his discussion of each divine name by providing a brief definition and by marshalling relevant Qur’anic passages. Yet unlike many of the Arabic commentators, Samʿānī is little concerned with unraveling the etymology of God’s names and unbothered by the theological problem of how creatures can name their transcendent creator. It is, rather, the spiritual significance of God’s names and what they say about the divine-human relationship that interests Samʿānī and has drawn the attention of his translator. The central theme of Samʿānī’s discussion is the mutual love of God and his friends. His discourse is allusive. He speaks in stories, mixes metaphors and images, and switches easily between Persian and Arabic (which constitutes roughly ten percent of the work and is indicated in the translation by being placed in italic font). To illustrate Samʿānī’s approach, the second divine name is Allāh itself, which Samʿānī defines as denoting him who has the power to “innovate and devise” (p. 4). Yet by the end of the chapter, Samʿānī has turned his focus to the love that God devises in the human heart: “Know that in reality, even if God were to send union’s tent and proximity’s dome into hell, the friends of the Garden of the Beginningless, who became drunk on the song of the nightingales of the unseen attraction, would make hellfire into their eyes’ collyrium” (p. 6). Chittick’s translation captures with an appealing rhythm this rush of Sufi technical terms (union, proximity) and imagery (intoxication, the song of the nightingale). The sense that emerges from these images is that of the all-enduring love for the Beloved that animates God’s friends. In many cases, it is easy enough to follow Samʿānī as he draws the strand of a given divine name through the chapter and intertwines it with the central [End Page 102] thread of God’s love. For example, in chapter 82 on the name al-Tawwāb (“the Ever-Turning”), the focus of Samʿānī’s remarks is repentance (tawba), that is, the turning of the human to God, and the prior turning of God to the human that enables this repentance. This mutual conversion, Samʿānī indicates, is the fruit of God’s love; the Qur’anic He turned toward them so that they would turn (Q 9:118) points toward He loves them and they love Him (Q 5:54). In other chapters, however, there does not appear to be a clear connection between the ideas and images invoked by Samʿānī and the meaning of the divine name that launches the chapter. In these cases, as Chittick notes, the discussion of God’s names serves merely as a “pretext for delving into the mysteries of the divine love that permeates the universe” (p. lxi). The primary significance of this work thus lies not in being the earliest Persian commentary on the divine names, but in providing an extended reflection in beautiful prose on the love of God, well before that of the more famous “lovers” of the Persian tradition, such as Rūmī (d. 672/1273) and Ḥāfeẓ (d. 792/1390). In spite of its significance, as well as its survival in several manuscript libraries, Samʿānī’s Repose of the Spirits...

The Trinity and the Old Testament

Confessing God as the triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is central to the Christian faith. A basic conviction is that the triune God is also the solitary God of the Old Testament. The problem that emanated from this conviction is how to relate the triune God with the one God of the Old Testament. It is argued that New Testament authors made use of Old Testament metaphors to conceptualise God as the triune God. The central question mentioned in this article may be formulated as follows: how do the Old Testament metaphors of God as Father, the Son of God and Holy Spirit contribute to a better understanding of the God that we confess to be the triune God? The revealing of God’s proper name in Exodus 3 and the meaning of Jesus’ name in Matthew 1 create a relationship between Jesus and God. The theological link between the name of God in the Old Testament and the name of Jesus in the New Testament functions as a firm indicator that God and Jesus are two persons in the Trinity. It is also argued that due cognisance should be taken of the fact that the Old Testament is also the Tanakh of Judaism. It is for this reason better to speak about the Trinity and the Old Testament rather than the Trinity in the Old Testament, as this would imply that the Christian concept of a triune God is read back into the Old Testament.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: These results serve as a challenge to the important and often neglected interdisciplinary debate between systematic theology and the study of the Old Testament. Insights gained from the side of Old Testament studies can enrich systemic theology in the study of theological themes. This investigation can also stimulate a debate between Old Testament studies and New Testament studies to gain a better understanding of how and why the New Testament made use of the theological vocabulary provided by the Old Testament.

The “Lord of the Sheep” and His House: An Intertextual Reading of the Animal Apocalypse (1 En. 85–90) with the Pentateuch

Abstract The name of God – the “Lord of the sheep” – and when he is first mentioned in the sketch of history, as well as the relationship of the so called “house” and “tower” are much debated points in the research on the Animal Apocalypse. This article takes a closer look at these two topics and compares them with the Pentateuch. A close intertextual reading will highlight striking similarities between their two narratives of history and show that in both compositions the time in the desert is constitutive for the characterization and perception of God and for the idea of his sanctuary.

The Symbolic Dimension of Mahfouz’s Novel, al-Ṭarīq, The Search (1964): From the Symbol of God/Spirituality to Social Problems

This article intends to examine whether al-Ṭarīq's novel, The Search is a philosophical symbolic novel, especially whether it contains symbols of God/spirituality and social symbols of contemporary Egyptian problems. The article builds on a qualitative research method based on a literature review and Roland Barthes' semiotic theory. The novel is also studied based on other scientific literature studies, not only literary, but religious and social. The article finds that al-Ṭarīq's novel, The Search is Mahfouz's philosophical symbolic novel. Saber's father figure is a symbol of God/spirituality, with much evidence in the novel that shows this. Among them, in Arabic, God is called sayyed, the name of Saber's father; moreover his father's name is Sayyed, which means the lord of the lords, and his last name is ar-Rahi>mi>, the name of God, meaning Most Merciful. In addition, the novel reflects/on and symbolizes Egypt's social problems, both politically, economically, and culturally. Saber, among other things, reflects a corrupt Egyptian character raised by his pimp mother and Karimah, the woman he loves who exploits Saber's innocence to do evil (kill), a symbol of Western colonialism and other local influences, the power of local capitalism and complicated bureaucracy. Other elements explored in the novel include contemporary Egyptian psychological problems, represented in dream material, and figures who have divided personalities.

The Phoenix and the Interlingual Dimensions of Early English Literary Culture

The Phoenix and the Interlingual Dimensions of Early English Literary Culture

Paul the Middle Platonist? Exegetical Traditions on Timaeus 28c and the Characterization of Paul in Acts 17:16–31

AbstractPaul’s speech to the Areopagus in Acts 17 places the apostle in philosophical dialogue with Stoics and Epicureans. This article identifies important points of contact between Paul’s speech and Middle Platonic exegesis of a famous Platonic phrase from Timaeus 28c. There, the philosopher declares that the maker and father of the world is hard to find, and even more difficult to talk about. Many later interpreters of Plato commented on the dictum. Middle Platonists such as Plutarch mused about the theological implications of naming god both “maker” and “father.” Jewish and Christian interpreters like Philo and Justin employed Plato’s phrase to describe their access to divine revelation. The first portion of this article argues that the Areopagus speech contains evidence of similar exegesis, both in its references to god’s roles as maker and father and in Paul’s claim to declare the unknown god. These resonances do more than clarify the author’s philosophical background; they also have previously unexplored implications for our understanding of Paul’s characterization in Acts 17. The second half of the article argues that in aligning Paul with the Platonic tradition, the author participates in an established Greco-Roman practice of depicting the Platonists, Stoics, and Epicureans in theological dialogue.

EMOTIONAL WELLBEING THROUGH OM CHANTING

The present era is an age of speed, intensity, running, rush, and competition. In this age, human society has tried to touch the peak of material progress and has also achieved hopeful success in it. But in this bug, the process of development of various dimensions of personality got blocked, that is why human personality has been torn apart in the indulgent storm of the era. People left no moral-immoral way to get material comforts, due to which problems like anarchy, war hysteria, terrorism, violence, atrocities, women oppression are taking a mountainous form in the society. These are the external replicas of the internal disintegration of the human personality. Emotional health is the most important aspect towards meaningful life. Yoga has profound clarity about emotional wellbeing and related bhakti and mantra practices (Bhavna P. Harne, 2019). Om is regarded as name of God and ultimate mantra. In this research paper researcher would try to study scientific and philosophical background of om sound and its effects on emotional and physical health.

Decolonising African Divine Episteme

The goal of this paper is to decolonise Akan divine episteme from undue Euro-Christian influence. Since the 1920s, cultural anthropologists have argued that the Akan concept of Twereduampon Kwame is because God either revealed himself to the Akan on a Saturday or the Akan worshipped God on that day. Employing in-depth interviews and a secondary data research approach that incorporates analysis of extant literature, I challenge this assumption by arguing that the name of God as Twereduampon Kwame is based on the significance of day names. This is because the name intermeshes with the enigma of death and God’s positionality as the source of the answer to the disruption caused by death. Contrary to the assumption of revelation or Sabbath observance in the Akan religion, the name Twereduampon Kwame points to God’s appellation as the greatest herbalist.

Gereja Sehat: Kesehatian Sebagai Pemersatu Tubuh Kristus Berdasarkan Kisah Para Rasul 4:32

This study aims to analyze health as a unifying Body of Christ as a healthy church based on Acts 4:32. The method used is qualitative exegesis and data collection through Bible sources, books, and journals that discuss topics as needed. The Church is usually a community of people whom God has justified function as God's representative on earth. Because, as a divine organism, love should be the basis of all forms of activities and goals of the Church as a sign that the Church is in good health and carrying out her responsibilities correctly and maximally. Only at this time, it is suspected that many churches are not showing signs of health, so they experience internal conflicts and eventually split. The result: a healthy church has unity in the community together among its congregations. In conclusion, the Church as a spiritual institution and belongs to God must be fit by showing the characteristics of oneness and unity within the assembly, so God's name is glorified.

PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING GOD: RE-LINKS IN TIMES OF CRISIS

Investigating from God, for God and about God is an immense commitment, in which I go in the first person, with my sentiments and a transmethodical investigation with the transmethod of comprehensive, ecosophical and diatopic hermeneutics; going through the analytical, empirical and purposeful moments. It is a responsibility, as long as the insult to the name of God, the separation of the human being, the abuse in colonial solsyadoras religions has compromised the complex understanding of the human being: nature-body-mind-soul-spirit-God. Thus, we return with ecosophia, the wisdom in the art of inhabiting the planet, resorting to the ancient philosophy that dictates that reason is not only located in the mind; but in the soul and the spirit to analyze, in the needs of the planet, in the moral crisis, in the greatest urgency of inhumanity, the privilege of knowing God with re-ligations in times of crisis, this is the complex objective of the inquiry. Diatopia tends to unite topoi separated for convenience in the human being, such as: God-human being, nature-Human Being. In propositional moments, we help so that beyond man's arrogance he thinks of his transcendence. God opens doors for us, we cannot miss the opportunity to enter. Let's go ahead with Him. Praised be his name of love Jesus Christ always in my life, parting the Red Sea to enter through your wide door the door of God. The crisis of civilization will not improve significantly; we must think about changes that lead us to the salvation of our soul and spirit. If you acknowledge Jesus Christ our Lord, dying for us; you can know the Holy Spirit; that in the three divine persons they are inseparable. Science must return to the union with philosophy and this with theology, with cogitative re-linkages of a high level, decolonial and complex.

Robert Alter's New Translation of the Hebrew Bible: An Assessment for Translators

In the introduction to his new translation of the Hebrew Bible, Robert Alter is quite explicit about the task he set himself: “The present translation is an experiment in re-presenting the Bible in a language that conveys with some precision the semantic nuances and the lively orchestration of literary effects of the Hebrew and at the same time has stylistic and rhythmic integrity as literary English.” Alter explains this in more detail in the introduction and in his book, The Art of Bible Translation, with explicit criticisms of other English translations. In this paper I will explore Alter's own norms for translation and how he has applied them, paying special attention to parallel syntax, language level, repetition, wordplay, Hebrew and English word order, poetry in prose, rhythm, names of God, textual criticism, chapter division, and textual structure, as well as what Bible translators can learn from Alter’s translation.

Open Hermeneutics: André Scrima’s «éclatement de la parole “en moi”» (I)

Towards the end of the 1960s, in the well-known Enrico Castelli (1900-1977) colloquia, while intensively discussing the topic of demythologization, scholars concluded that theological language is fundamental in exploring it. Thus, the topic of the analysis of theological language: the Name of God, became prevalent for them and they began to think that a distinction between the terms religious and theological would be desirable, avoiding scandalous formulas for the field of theology. According to Karl Jasper, God is just a chest of something indicible. André Scrima presents himself in the debate with an original proposal, namely to think of theological language, in the broadest sense of this concept, as enclosing religious discourse. In the beginning, speaking theologically should happen in the Name of God, Scrima asserts; at Jasper’s antipodes, he places the Name of God as the origin and mystery that generates speaking theologically. This article aims first of all to bring the question of theological language back into the academic space that is more interested in the phenomenological issues promoted in Enrico Castelli’s thought laboratory in Rome.

Doxology of God in Prayers by the Lake of Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich

Abstract: In this paper, the author investigates the question of the units by which God is named in Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich’s Prayers by the Lake. The choice of the units by which God is named in the Prayers by the Lake is usually determined by the subject of the prayer itself. Bishop Nicholai expresses his creativity by using names for God of biblical origin. And even more, he enriches already established, common expressions with God as denotation with new meaning dimensions, which is also an expression of his authentic creativity. With such a procedure, he realizes the fullness of meaning and highlights the expediency, stylistic functionality, and beauty of the chosen expression. In Prayers by the Lake, metaphorical representations form a semantic-symbolic base from which a rich series of metaphorical and comparative nominative constructions will be born, with which Bishop Nicholai addresses God in prayerful ecstasy. The analysis of the nominative units with God as the denotation used in the Prayers by the Lake only somewhat illustrated the poetic prayer soarings of Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich, which reach the psalmistic ecstasy. Although prayers are characterized by a high degree of formality in the form of the existence of established linguistic structures, Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich’s Prayers by the Lake are to a significant extent a reflection of the individual style of high literary-artistic and authentic theological value. Key words: Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich, Prayers by the Lake, theolinguistics, prayer.

Doxology of God in Prayers by the Lake of Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich

Abstract: In this paper, the author investigates the question of the units by which God is named in Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich’s Prayers by the Lake. The choice of the units by which God is named in the Prayers by the Lake is usually determined by the subject of the prayer itself. Bishop Nicholai expresses his creativity by using names for God of biblical origin. And even more, he enriches already established, common expressions with God as denotation with new meaning dimensions, which is also an expression of his authentic creativity. With such a procedure, he realizes the fullness of meaning and highlights the expediency, stylistic functionality, and beauty of the chosen expression. In Prayers by the Lake, metaphorical representations form a semantic-symbolic base from which a rich series of metaphorical and comparative nominative constructions will be born, with which Bishop Nicholai addresses God in prayerful ecstasy. The analysis of the nominative units with God as the denotation used in the Prayers by the Lake only somewhat illustrated the poetic prayer soarings of Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich, which reach the psalmistic ecstasy. Although prayers are characterized by a high degree of formality in the form of the existence of established linguistic structures, Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich’s Prayers by the Lake are to a significant extent a reflection of the individual style of high literary-artistic and authentic theological value. Key words: Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich, Prayers by the Lake, theolinguistics, prayer.

Analysis of the Concept of a Healthy Church Based on Acts 4:32

This study aims to analyze the concept of a healthy church based on Acts 4:32 and its relevance to the Church today. The method used is qualitative exegesis and data collection through Bible sources, books, and journals that discuss topics as needed. This topic is necessary because many unhealthy churches are now full of divisions. The result: First, a healthy church has unity and unity among its congregations. The Church, in conclusion, is a spiritual institution and belongs to God in essence; it must be fit by showing the characteristics of oneness and unity in the community so that in this way, the Church can glorify the name of God.

The Name of God and the Divine Energy in S. Bulgakov’s Philosophy of Language

The Name of God and the Divine Energy in S. Bulgakov’s Philosophy of Language

Il modello fondativo-contestuale di teologia fondamentale in un’epoca visiva

In this article we intend to find some ideas for an iconic thought in the context of contemporary “visual” culture. Starting from the distinction between the idol and the icon made by Marion and from her perspective on the iconic function of the concepts and the name of God, we will present some traits and gains of the iconic thought, following the orientations of the foundational-contextual model of the School Lateran. The method followed in this path places us within the Lateran School of Fundamental Theology. This model affirms that today is also the opportune moment to put the message of Revelation (the founding moment) in relation to the contemporary context (the contextual moment) in a sacramental horizon. The positive moment, the auditus fidei, is combined with the interpretative-contextual one, auditus temporis, on the way to a reliable intellectus Revelationis in today’s visual culture.

Beyond Literal Idolatry: Translating Theo-Logos from Judgment to Love

This article explores the capacity for narrating the name of God as a way to liberate the suffering of the world. The first section of this article offers a brief overview of Walter Benjamin’s linguistic theory as it relates to the issue of literal idolatry. In the second section, the content of exploring Ricoeur’s movement toward a poetic faith creates a formal anomaly in which his “byway” is something that may be crucial for readers or may be unnecessary: it speaks to the discontinuity and rupture enabled by incorporating silence into speech. The third section flows from the first and third, discussing the difficulty and importance of naming God as an embodied speech act. This looks at the particular situation of parables, including perspectives from Thomas Altizer and J. Hillis Miller. The fourth section focuses on the psychodynamic work of Jessica Benjamin as it models a way of bringing an embodied witness to the world in a performance of divine love.

Konsep Ketuhanan Perspektif Ibn Arabi

One of the main themes that have always received attention in the history of human thought is the problem of divinity. This theme is discussed not only in the world of philosophy and theology, but also in the mystical world. This theme is never dryly discussed in order to find concepts and efforts that should be suitable for carrying out various approaches to religious concepts. Philosophy, which starts from the ratio with its enrichment, is rooted in the deepest depths of the nature of things. In this article, we will discuss a brief biography of Ibn Arabi, the method of Ibn Arabi's approach, makrifat about worry and istiqra ', an ontological review of the nature of the names of God, Ibn Arabi's concept of divinity.
 The approach taken by Ibn Arabi is not much different from the approach of other mystics, namely both emphasizing the kasyf approach. However, Ibn Arabi was able to use his basic philosophy to describe his mystical experiences. Attempting to describe mystical experiences is not an easy thing without the help of active reasoning. It is not surprising that Ibn Arabi's theosophical school always tries to turn on the imagination in describing mystical experiences, especially about God in a sense that simultaneously leads to his transcendence and immanence. The mystical-style approach taken by Ibn Arabi is nothing but a form of transferring the "image" of divinity in the inner vision (witness) as a way to get closer to God, which does not only rely on thought alone, but is far from the depths of the infinite inner ocean.

Pseudo-Dionysius’ Concept of Hierarchy and the Imperial Cult in the Early Roman Empire

This article focuses on the relationship between the imperial cult in pagan Rome and the heavenly hierarchy taught by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. The latter’s thought played a significant role in the construction of the medieval image of the world. Medieval reflection on the state and law drew from it as well. Therefore, possible analogies between the imperial cult and the philosophy of Corpus Dionysiacum would indicate an indirect influence that the imperial cult of the emperor had on certain later ideas about state power, on the legitimacy of certain forms of social and constitutional organization, and on prophetic visions inspiring social and political movements. Against this background, the article compares the emperor’s genius (as well as the imperial virtues and the emperor’s numen) with the immaterial beings described by the Areopagite. It reveals clear parallels regarding the hierarchical construction of geniuses in the imperial cult of ancient Rome and Pseudo-Dionysius’ Angels, Names of God, and divine providences. The similarities in mediation between the human world and the divine reality regarding the granting of creative power and supernatural knowledge are also associated with this structure. In both cases, the divine element (genius and heavenly beings) has a historiosophical aspect, consisting of justification of belief about care that the deity exercises over the universal history of mankind. The conducted research constitutes an impulse for further research in the field of political aspects of medieval angelology.