Approved for distribution by the Publishing Board of the Russian Orthodox Church PB 13-314-2075 48 pp. Priest Daniel Sysoev. The Divine Names. Daniel Sysoev Inc, New Jersey, 2018. ISBN: 978-5-4279-0074-7
The essence of God is fully known to three alone: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All others know only what God reveals to them about Himself, diminishing His power, as it were, in order to become accessible to us. We address Him by the names “He That Is,” “Ancient of Days,” “Life,” “Most Wise,” “Good,” and others, each of which emphasizes a particular facet of divine perfection. Through learning the names of the Most High, Whose existence is beyond comparison with anything in the universe, a person enters the crucible of meaning, and his understanding is enabled to enrich the whole world by supernatural revelations.
Booklet 2 of 12 from a series of talks given by Priest Daniel Sysoev entitled “How to Inherit Eternal Life.”
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CONTENT
THE DIVINE NAMES The Meaning and Significance of Names �������� 4 Heretical and Irreligious Understandings of Names ������������������������������������������������������������������ 5 The Biblical Meaning of Names �������������������������� 6 How Can a Person Learn the Names of God? ������������������������������������������������ 8 We Learn to Know God by Grace ���������������������� 15 The Names of God Who Gives Life ������������������ 18 The Names of God Most Wise ��������������������������22 Other Names of God ������������������������������������������24 Anthropomorphism in Holy Scripture ������������ 27 Prayerful Contemplation of the Divine Names �������������������������������������������� 31
THE DIVINE NAMES
The Meaning and Significance of Names
Each
time at the services we hear various names of God, such as “Sabaoth,” “Adonai” (Holy), and when we say, “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.” Thus, we know, particularly from Holy Scripture, the divine names that the Lord Himself has given men, revealing His own nature, but we do not know how to make proper use of these riches. In order to discuss the names of God it is first important to state what a name is. How does it differ from other words, and where do names come from? Ordinarily names are given by those in authority. For example, parents give their children names, exercising their authority over them. The abbot of a monastery, when performing the monastic tonsure, gives the monk a new name as a sign that the former man who had lived in the ways of the world has died, and a new man has been born, to a new life, and 4
with a new name. Thus, on the one hand the name signifies personal contact, and on the other—a subordinate status. Hence, strictly speaking, our God is a nameless God. If we ask what God’s sole, absolute name is, the answer is that there is none! For there is no one greater than He. There is no one who has greater authority than He Himself who could assign Him a name by right of authority. For this reason one of the greatest saints of the Orthodox Church, Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, says that God is called the Nameless One that is above every Name. He has a multitude of names, but there is no one name that could confine Him. Heretical and Irreligious Understandings of Names
There have been various heresies, false teachings, that have given a distorted interpretation to the concept of the name. This is because in various teachings, in magic, sorcery, and various pagan religions, the name signifies the very essence of the individual. In certain tribes it is believed that one’s name must never be revealed to anyone, to avoid evil spells or the evil eye, since by knowing a person’s real name one 5
Priest Daniel Sysoev
THE DIVINE NAMES Translator and Editor in Chief Priest Nathan Williams Layout and design Kyrill Zubchenko Daniel Sysoev Inc was founded as a USA-based subsidiary of the Rev. Daniel Sysoev Missionary Center Benevolent Fund in 2014. The company offers a wide assortment of Orthodox literature in Russian and English, liturgical items, and jewelry. We distribute our products throughout the USA and Canada, on attractive terms and with significant discounts for wholesalers, Orthodox church bookstores, and monasteries. Detailed descriptions of our products may be found at mission-shop.com, with e-book editions of our titles available at danielsysoev.com mission-shop.com danielsysoev.com mission379@gmail.com +1(609)605-70-76