Names given to the divine |
In monotheism, there are many names attributed to the personification of the
divine, supreme, entity. Different names may refer to the same "God", though be of different
languages, or be in varied ways different from other cultural meanings, as prescribed by religious doctrine, for example.
Some of the names are used in approximately the same sense (e.g., when a Catholic uses both "God" and "the Holy Trinity"), but
for the most part, the names mark important differences in meaning. Positivists (e.g., advocates of Logical empiricism) should take note that a robust theory of the
meaning of Religious
Language, however dismissive, ought to be able to account, in some fashion, for these differences in meaning. Among
the names used, or ways to refer to the divine, are the following; there are both generic words given for the divine being(s), as
well as specific names (used by analogy to names for particular individuals or things) for the divine used in particular
religions.
Generic names for the divine being(s)
God, Goddess, gods, Deity, deities.
Names for specific conceptions of God
Christianity
Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, the Holy
Trinity, the Godhead (Christianity), Heavenly Father, Elohim, Jah
Islam
See Ninety-nine names of Allah, Allah.
Judaism
See The name of God in Judaism.
Polytheism
In polytheistic religions, e.g., Zeus, Jupiter, Odin, and Siva.
Other
The Lokota [i.e., Sioux] of the Great Plains called their monotheistic deity "The Great Spirit".
Since the term "Buddha" does not correlate well with European definitions of the
divine, it may or may not be considered a "name given to the divine", depending on the specific sect and/or philosophy. See
Krishna, Axek.
Alternative names used to address or refer to deities
These are used for various reasons: tabuism, glorification, etc. Examples are
G*d (tabuistic ellipsis), The Almighty,
Pancrator(Pantocrator), Him, He who is called "I am".
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