Tell Me Your Name: Images of God in the Bible

by Arthur E. Zannoni

All of us who treat religion and faith as a serious part of our lives are constantly wrestling with the meaning of God. Our existence is derived from God and destined for God. And, in between, we long... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568541678
• ISBN13: 9781568541679
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Liturgy Training Publications
• Length: 100 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.0" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

A concise, readable survey of God's names

Tell Me Your Name is precisely what the title says it is: a survey of the images of God in both testaments. It is not a theological work, not a history, not an apologetic. It is a brief (85 pages) work in which Dr. Zannoni identifies the similar and dissimilar names and images of God. He does not look at the entire body of either Jewish or Christian literature. He does not examine the liturgy of both religions. He identifies and examines most of the occasions in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament where some hint of God's nature is revealed though the words which stand for God--and in Hebrew there are perhaps three score different names for God. The use of "Hebrew Bible" and "New Testament" suggest that Dr. Zannoni is sensitive to the theological and historical differences between the two religions. He is aware that what Christians refer to as the Old Testament is not the Jewish choice of words. Indeed, he is extremely knowledgeable about and sensitive to Judaism, the chief source of Christianity. He denies the theological belief that the Torah (the five books of Moses) is but a prologue to Christianity. He regrets the tendency of Christians over the past two millennia to insist that Judaism and Jewish sacred scripture has value only insofar as it "predicts" the coming of the messiah . Judaism, as far as Dr. Zannoni is concerned, has value in and of itself; as an authentic religion. In the author's words, "Throughout its history, Christianity's attitude and behavior toward Judaism and the Jews has been painful and shameful, marked by ignorance, blame and persecution. " Zannoni works mightily to demonstrate the intimate association between the two religions. The work is divided into five chapters and an epilogue. This two paragraph epilogue does what one hopes epilogues do: it summarizes the essential point of the entire work. It ends with a hope--almost a prayer--that readers will have broadened their understanding of the metaphors and images of God. And it expresses the wish that the work "has rekindled the intimacy, awe, wonder and humility in your relationship with God, so that, like the prophet Amos and the people in the Bible, you can better `prepare to meet your God.'" A brief introduction to Chapter One reveals the origin of the phrase, "Tell me your names," in Genesis 32:22-30. Chapter One covers much ground, and like all the other chapters, does it succinctly. It tackles the problem of language-- in both testaments--head on. It frankly admits the impossibility of ever finding the definitive name, description, or, in Aristotelian terms, essence of God. We are left with only suggestive and imperfect metaphors. It deals with metaphor in such a way that even a neophyte to religious thought can grasp the problem. Chapter II surveys the Hebrew words for God, e.g., Elohim, El Elyon, El Roi, El Olam, El Shaddai, and of course the name that Jews never utter aloud, Y