Leningrad Codex carpet page, 1010 CE · public domain

Judaism

Tradition·Founded c. 1000 BCE·est. ~15 million worldwide

Judaism → 8 branches

Branch
H Figure of Judaism

HaShem — the Name.

The one God, whose four-letter name is not pronounced: creator, covenant-partner, and the only being to whom prayer is directed.

Names & titlesThe four-letter Name, never pronounced; HaShem, Adonai, Elohim
DomainCreator and covenant-partner
Depicted asNever — no image, by commandment
StandingThe only being to whom prayer is directed
Understanding it — context, not catechism: how this passage is held

Judaism's reticence about the divine name is practical theology: the four-letter Name is not pronounced, substitutes are used in prayer (Adonai) and in speech (HaShem, literally "the Name"), and even written substitutes are treated as unerasable. The practice keeps God grammatically present and semantically out of reach. It also has a doctrinal edge — a God who cannot be named cannot be captured, invoked as a formula, or made into a possession, which is the same instinct that forbids images.

The same ground, other faiths

claims that share this one's ideas
I Ibrahim — the friend of God. Islam Meet them →
God is one being in three persons. Christianity · core tenet Go deeper →
God is one, beyond form. Sikhism · core tenet Go deeper →
Continuity is the argument. Orthodox Judaism · core tenet Go deeper →

The conversation

argument stays attached to the claim it is about All discussion →

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