“Titles, Appellation, and the Epithet of God”
argument from the Bible/the Truth in Scriptures, or B. argument from Ignorance.
What’s in a NAME?. a name is 1. a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known. which can be an appellation, title, or epithet, applied descriptively, in honor, positive, or in the negative. example Catherine the Great, Ivan the terrible, Baby face Nelson. a name can be a title, a descriptive Epithet, or distinctive appellation, especially one belonging to a person by right of rank, office, attainment, Example, the title, Lord Jesus, Pastor Paul, or Evangelist Helen, Clerk Doe.
Appellation,
1. an identifying name or title.
2. the act of naming or giving a title to.
3. a common name, in distinction from a proper name. A common name, or appellative, stands for a whole class, genus, or species of beings, or for universal ideas. Thus, tree is the name of all plants of a particular class; plant and vegetable are names of things that grow out of the earth.
Definition #1. States an “identifying” name or title but the Appellation is not the proper or personal name.
A proper noun is a noun that in its primary application refers to a unique entity, such as Rome, Washington, Lake Erie, or Microsoft, as distinguished from a common noun, which usually refers to a class of entities
Epithet,
any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality.
Holy is an Epithet of the Eternal Spirit, whom we call God. "Holy" is his Character and Spirit is his nature, thus Holy Spirit. for God is "HOLY", and he is a Spirit.
Title, is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name in certain contexts. It may signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification
Lets put this in layman’s terms so that everyone can understand. Appellation, Epithet, and Title, are names to identify what something, or someone is. notice I said “WHAT”, and not “WHO” someone or thing is. understand this, Appellation, Epithet, and Title, are common. these nouns identify “WHAT” someone or thing is. there is a noun that is called the PROPER, or PERSONAL noun that identify “WHO” a person or thing is. that’s the difference. A proper noun usually denotes a single unique entity, but the term proper noun pertains to a word's grammatical properties rather than to its meaning”. example “Eve” means mother of all living. Eve is a proper noun, but the meaning, “mother of all living” is a Personal identity. now also note these, Nouns, and proper nouns as well, have many different functions in a sentence. They can act as a subject, an adjective, an adverb, as a direct or indirect object, an appositive, or a subject or object complement. so a name, be common, or proper and can Identify another name.
Lets see this in action, “
WHAT” vs “Who” in God name. Exodus 3:13 "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,
I AM hath sent me unto you". notice Moses asked, "
what is your name", that is very important. because God Gave Moses exactly what he asked for, no more and nothing less. so what do I AM means. according to Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries, "I AM", is a verb, and not a noun, that alone should wake one up. but this verb is emphatic?.
H1961 הָיָה hayah (haw-yaw) v.
1. to exist
2. to be or become
3. to come into being, i.e. to happen, to occur (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary). what is emphatic: positive, energetic, forcible, pronounced, decided, unequivocal, definite.
So we see that, "I AM", is a description of what he is. and only one person carry that description, so it's emphatic, hence our subject. but, "I AM" , and lets be clear, is not a proper, or Personal name, or EVEN a NOUN. "I AM" or "hayah", is an action verb in description of “
WHAT” God is. in this case a title, or appellation, which describe what he, (GOD), is, "I AM". I Exist, the Eternal ONE. God is a God of Action.
so the action here is WHAT God is?, and not WHO God is in name. understand, Moses asked "
WHAT" is your name, and God gave to Moses just exactly what he asked for. nothing more or nothing less.
Now, the million dollar question, how to understand this name?. WHAT is his name, vs WHO his Name is, that is the question. again, notice the question Moses asked God, "WHAT IS YOUR NAME". Moses asked, "WHAT", not, "WHO", are you in name. I AM THAT I AM, EHEYEH asher EHEYEH, God replied. this is not God personal name, as to WHO he is, but, I AM THAT I AM, or I AM, is definitely “WHAT” he is. now, understanding our definition of what a noun, especially a proper noun, once again, nouns, and proper nouns have many different functions in a sentence. They can act as a subject, an adjective, an adverb, as a direct or indirect object, an appositive, or a subject or object complement. so what do COMPLEMENT means? .in grammar, a word or group of words that completes a grammatical construction in the predicate and that describes or is identified with the subject or object. and Predicate means, 1. to proclaim; declare; affirm; assert. 2. to connote; imply.
let see this in an Example, so that we can understand, as to the “WHO”, vs the “WHAT” God is. lets use the proper name, Eve. If I would to ask you what the first woman name is, just about everyone would say, "EVE". yes, Eve, it’s a proper, and personal name, but you would be wrong. why?, because I asked “WHAT” is her name, not “WHO” she is in name. lets get the answer from the bible. Genesis 5:1 & 2 "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them,
and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created". When I ask, WHAT is her name, what she is, a, "ADAM", because Adam identify
WHAT she is, and not WHO she is. ADAM is a TITLE, or common name for mankind, and not a personal name. Listen closely. if I would have ask you, WHO was the first woman by name?. then the correct answer would be, "EVE", because EVE identify WHO she is instead of WHAT she is, because WHAT she is in name, is a "ADAM". WHO she is in name is Eve.
Now Back to God name, when Moses asked God WHAT his name is. notice, WHAT his name is and not WHO his name is, God told Moses exactly what Moses asked, no more, no less. Now knowing that , if we say God, that's not his Personal name, as to WHO he is. the name GOD is what he is, I AM THAT I AM, YHWH, that identify WHAT he is. when we say KING, that's not his personal name, but KING identify WHAT he is, when we say FATHER, that's not his personal name, but FATHER identify WHAT he is. He's the Father of spirits, when we say, SAVIOUR, that's not his personal name, that identify WHAT he is, he's Saviour of the world. but When we say JESUS, now we are saying, WHO he is in name. just like, "EVE", that name identify WHO she is, and the name ADAM identify WHAT she is. so YHWH is not God PERSONAL NAME. JESUS is God PERSONAL NAME.
PICJAG.
