Understanding YHWH

This book unlocks the Jewish theology of YHWH in three central stages of Jewish thought: the Hebrew bible, rabbinic literature, and medieval philosophy and mysticism. Providing a single conceptual key adapted from the philosophical debate on proper names, the book paints a dynamic picture of YHWH's meanings over a spectrum of periods and genres, portraying an evolving interaction between two theological motivations: the wish to speak about God and the wish to speak to Him. Through this investigation, the book shows how Jews interpreted God's name in attempt to map the human-God relation, and to determine the measure of possibility for believers to realize a divine presence in their midst, through language.

Chapter 1: Introduction. - Chapter 2: Compassionate Presence: Hwh And The Measure Of Mercy. - Chapter 3: Omnipresence: Invoking The Divine Name Yhwh In Rabbinic Blessing. - Chapter 4: Personal And Non-Personal Divine Presence: The Name Yhwh In The Thought Of R. Abraham Ibn Ezra And R. Judah Halevi. - Chapter 5: " Silence Is Praise To Thee : The Name Yhwh In The Negative Theology Of Medieval Judaism. - Chapter 6: A Dynamic Linguistic Picture - The Name Yhwh In Sefer Ha-Bahir And In Early Provencal And Geronese Kabbalah.