Catholics/The Name Jehova

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Expert: - 4/11/2009


Question
Where did the name Jehovah come from?  A friend of mine keeps telling me that when I pray I must call God by His name, which is Jehovah. I do not think the word Jehovah is in the Catholic Bible.

Answer
"Jehovah" is actually a non-existent word.  It is made up from the consonants of God's Holy Name in Hebrew and the vowel points of Adonai (Lord), which the Hebrews used instead of the Holy Name, which could be uttered only by the High Priest in the Sancta Sanctorum of the Temple on Passover.  Thus, there is no such word in Hebrew.

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Fr. Michael

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A traditional Catholic priest, who provides forthright answers to questions FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TRADITIONAL CATHOLICISM (not the New Order) on topics pertaining to TRADITIONAL Roman Catholicism, including theology, the Bible, Church history, the Latin language, liturgy (especially the Traditional Latin Mass), and music (especially Gregorian chant), and current events in the Catholic Church.

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