SACRED NAME MOVEMENT

WHAT IS THE SACRED NAME MOVEMENT?
The sacred name movement is a religious movement which began in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It grew out of division within the Church of God, Seventh Day.
The primary and therefore the namesake concern of this movement is both the written and the oral use of the name Yahweh, or one of the other many English forms of the Hebrew name of God. From this emphasis derives the name, Sacred Name Movement.
While the most popular English form of the Name comes to us as Yahweh (Yahshua for Jesus), in Hebrew Bibles it is hwhy and in early Hebrew manuscripts and engravings, hwhy. By most scholars, it is represented in English as YHWH. By some YHVH.
For many sacred name people, a secondary concern is the disparagement, in varying degrees, of the name of Jesus. This disparagement extends to Chr_stians and Chr_stianity (sic) for refusing to use the Hebrew only sacred names and for being full of pagan practices.
ERROR # 1
THE ORIGINAL PRONUNCIATION OF THE
TETRAGRAMMATON CAN BE DETERMINED
WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY.
Many sacred name teachers believe and very vocally teach that unless one uses the Hebrew name and only the Hebrew name for God, he or she will be eternally damned. It should be noted that not all sacred name teachers are so dogmatic.
While this exclusive view is taken by most SN teachers, they themselves do not know the original Hebrew pronunciation of God's name. They admit as much by the variety of names used within the movement and by individuals repeatedly changing the name they hold sacred.
By some sacred name people, our Creator is called Yah Veh, Yahh, Yahweh, Iahueh, Yahwah, and Yaohu. By others he is spoken of as Yahuwah, Yahuah, and more than a score of even less likely names.
Jesus is called Yahshua by most sacred name folks. But, more and more are beginning to use Yahushua. By some he is called Yasha, by some Yeshua, by some Yaohushua, by some Y'shua, by some Iahushua, by others Yehoshua, YAHVAHSHUA, and even Yhwhhoshua.
Confusion! Error!
ERROR # 2
THE BIBLE, AS WE HAVE IT, IS A CORRUPTED
DOCUMENT AND SACRED NAME TEACHERS
ARE ABLE TO REPAIR IT.
A Bible revision made by any religious group is certainly one of the more interesting aspects for study of that movement.
Mormons have their Holy Scriptures, Inspired Version made by Joseph Smith. Jehovah's Witnesses have The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, a Watch Tower publication.
That people within the sacred name movement, in spite of its small size, have made nearly a dozen Bible revisions is cause for an especially deep concern. Perhaps the concern is more an inverse awe.
What mental processes have their leaders gone through as they came to the point of willingness to make their own bible? Is their teaching sufficiently different that it cannot be found in the more conventional Bible translations?
Have they concluded that they are already isolated from other groups to such an extent that the stigma attached to revising their own Bible will not isolate them further? Is the purpose perhaps to exacerbate such isolation? How have they come to believe that God has singled them out to give to the world the corrected Word of God?
ERROR #3
THE NEW TESTAMENT WAS ORIGINALLY
WRITTEN IN HEBREW
One of the most absurd of the claims made by sacred name movement teachers is that the complete New Testament was originally written in the Hebrew language. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This claim is made without so much as a shred of empirical evidence. Even so, such an untenable position is thrust upon these teachers as necessary to support the primary doctrine of the movement.
In truth, the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Paul, Peter, James, John, Luke, and others wrote the name of our Savior in a language not Hebrew. If these men were permitted, inspired even, to write the name in Greek, we are also permitted to write and speak the name in our native language.
The historical fact is this: the New Testament was written in Greek. Therefore, the doctrine of the Hebrew only sacred name is made invalid. This conclusion will be reached by even the most casual thinker who has the facts at his or her disposal.
Therefore, sacred name movement teachers are compelled to fight a futile battle against an obviously original Greek New Testament.
ERROR # 4
JESUS SPOKE THE NAME YAHWEH
One of the keystone doctrines of the sacred name movement is that our Savior preached and taught the name Yahweh to the Jewish people of his time. One or another sacred name group may say Jesus taught one or another of the numerous possible English transliterations of hwhy. Numbers of sacred name people believe the primary mission of Jesus was bringing the name Yahweh to the world.
It is supposed that the Messiah spoke this name often to the Jewish people, taught the importance and pronunciation of this name to his followers, said it and read it when he referred to the Old Testament, and used this name when he addressed God. Sacred name teachers boldly assert that Jesus was arrested, tried, and killed because he said the name Yahweh.
Are these claims true? Did Jesus ever once utter the name Yahweh? Sacred name teachers gamely admit that according to what is written in the Holy Scriptures he did not. However, they believe the Scriptures are wrong.
Welcome to the sacred name movement.
ERROR # 5
THE NAME JESUS ETYMOLOGICALLY
DERIVES FROM THE NAME ZEUS.
A long held and regularly used false teaching among more than half of sacred name movement assemblies and individuals is that the Greek word for Jesus means son of Zeus or has a meaning otherwise connected with or derived from the word Zeus. There are a number of variations on this fanciful teaching, a favorite being that Jesus means Healing Zeus.
It is especially sad to see sacred name converts, who have no idea of the source of their information, promoting this error.
In spite of the fact that the teaching cannot be backed by research, many in the movement believe it simply has to be true.
The teaching is purely and simply a lie, a fabrication. This falsehood began in the teachings of some of the pioneer preachers of the movement. It continues among preachers and teachers who are movers and shakers in the movement today.
This doctrine and its continued propagation epitomize other false teachings of the sacred name movement. Even after it has time and again been proven false, many still cling to it.