Cristiani Cattolici Romani

Giovanni 19,19
Pilato compose anche l’iscrizione e la fece porre sulla croce; vi era scritto: Gesù il Nazareno, il re dei Giudei.

Giovanni è l’unico dei quattro evangelisti a riportare l’iscrizione: Gesù il Nazareno, il re dei Giudei. (Giovanni 19,19) Infatti Matteo riporta questa iscrizione: Questi è Gesù, il re dei Giudei (Matteo 27,37), mentre Marco e Luca riportano entrambi: Il re dei Giudei (Marco 15,26; Luca 23,38). Giovanni è anche l’unico dei quattro evangelisti a riportare la notizia secondo la quale l’iscrizione fu scritta in ebraico, in latino e in greco (Giovanni 19,20). L’iscrizione in ebraico היהודים (Hyhudim) ומכל (Vmlk) הנוצרי (Hnotsri) ישוע (Yshu) – che va letta da destra verso sinistra Yshu Hnotsri Vmlk Hyhudim – ha come acronimo יהוה (YHVH), il sacro nome che Dio ha rivelato al suo popolo. Quell’iscrizione riportata in tre lingue, solo da Giovanni, non ha valore storico, ma teologico. L’ebraico è la lingua con cui furono scritti i libri che fanno parte dell’Antico Testamento. Il greco è la lingua con cui fu predicato il Vangelo e furono scritti i libri che fanno parte del Nuovo Testamento. Il latino è la lingua dell’imperatore e della città imperiale nella quale l’apostolo Pietro ha fissato la sua sede episcopale come centro di governo della Chiesa, e nella quale il cristianesimo prese il posto del paganesimo, diventando l’unica religione dell’impero romano. L’iscrizione con il maggior valore storico è probabilmente quella riportata da Marco e Luca: Il re dei Giudei. Infatti i sommi sacerdoti obiettarono proprio questa iscrizione, dicendo al procuratore romano Ponzio Pilato: “Non scrivere: il re dei Giudei, ma che egli ha detto: Io sono il re dei Giudei” (Giovanni 19,21). L’iscrizione fu sicuramente scritta in latino: Rex Iudaeorum, poiché i romani non si sarebbero mai disturbati a mettere sul capo di quello che si riteneva essere un malfattore, un’iscrizione in tre lingue differenti. Riportando l’iscrizione in ebraico, Giovanni, seppur in modo velato, ci sta dicendo che su quella croce fu messo Dio stesso.

John 17:11
Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

John 17:21-23
That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Jesus prays for the unity of the Church, and the ideal model of this unity is the communion between Father and Son. Believers must be one, with each other, and this unity must be visible in their actions. This implies a united and fraternal ecclesial community. Jesus’ prayer concerns not only his first disciples, but also all future believers. As Jesus and the Father are one, so believers must be one, one body and one spirit, having one faith and one hope (Ephesians 4:4-5). Believers must be one Church (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13.14.27). However, that of believers is a unity in faith, hope and mutual love, while that between Jesus and the Father is an authentic divine unity. Father and Son and Holy Spirit, although distinct by their original relationship, fully participate in the same and indivisible divine nature and substance, and therefore the three are truly the same and indivisible God. Then Jesus can say: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), and: “All things that the Father has are Mine” (John 16:15). And of the Spirit of God it can be said that he is, at the same time, the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20) and the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:6-7; Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6; Philippians 1:19; 1 Peter 1:10-11).

Giovanni 17,11
Padre santo, custodisci nel tuo nome coloro che mi hai dato, perché siano una cosa sola, come noi.

Giovanni 17,21-23
Perché tutti siano una sola cosa. Come tu, Padre, sei in me e io in te, siano anch’essi in noi una cosa sola, perché il mondo creda che tu mi hai mandato. E la gloria che tu hai dato a me, io l’ho data a loro, perché siano come noi una cosa sola. Io in loro e tu in me, perché siano perfetti nell’unità e il mondo sappia che tu mi hai mandato e li hai amati come hai amato me.

Gesù prega per l’unità della Chiesa, e il modello ideale di questa unità è la comunione tra Padre e Figlio. I credenti devono essere una cosa sola l’un con l’altro, e questa unità dev’essere visibile nel loro agire. Ciò implica una comunità ecclesiale unita e fraterna. La preghiera di Gesù riguarda non soltanto i suoi primi discepoli, ma anche tutti i futuri credenti. Come Gesù e il Padre sono una cosa sola, così i credenti devono essere una cosa sola, un solo corpo e un solo spirito, avendo una sola fede e una sola speranza (Efesini 4,4-5). I credenti devono essere una sola Chiesa (Colossesi 1,18; 1Corinzi 12,13.14.27). Quella dei credenti è però un’unità nella fede, nella speranza e nell’amore vicendevole, mentre quella tra Gesù e il Padre è un’autentica unità divina. Padre e Figlio e Spirito Santo, pur essendo distinti per le loro relazioni d’origine, partecipano pienamente della medesima e indivisibile natura e sostanza divina, e perciò i tre sono veramente il medesimo e indivisibile Dio. Allora Gesù può dire: “Io e il Padre siamo Uno” (Giovanni 10,30), e: “Tutto ciò che il Padre possiede è mio” (Giovanni 16,15). E dello Spirito di Dio si può dire che egli è, ad un tempo, lo Spirito del Padre (Matteo 10,20) e lo Spirito di Gesù (Atti 16,6-7; Romani 8,9; Galati 4,6; Filippesi 1,19; 1Pietro 1,10-11).

According to anti-Trinitarians, when Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30), it must mean a unity of purpose, not of divine nature or substance, between Father and Son. But the same discussion between Jesus and the Jews demonstrates the truth of the Trinitarian faith: After those words of Jesus, the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father, for which of those works do ye stone me? (John 10:31-32) Attention, the Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not, BUT FOR BLASPHEMY, AND BECAUSE THAT THOU, being a man, MAKEST THYSELF GOD. (John 10:33) It is evident that the Jews had understood the words of Jesus as a violation of the oneness of God, therefore a very serious blasphemy. These accused Jesus of making himself God. This shows that those words of Jesus are to be understood according to the divine unity between Father and Son, and not only according to a unity of purpose.

Secondo i testimoni di Geova quando Gesù disse: “Io e il Padre siamo Uno” (Giovanni 10,30) si deve intendere un’unità di intenti, non di natura o sostanza divina. Ma la medesima discussione tra Gesù e i giudei dimostra la verità della fede trinitaria: Dopo quelle parole di Gesù i giudei portarono di nuovo delle pietre per lapidarlo, e Gesù disse loro: “Vi ho fatto vedere molte opere buone da parte del Padre mio, per quale di esse mi volete lapidare?” (Giovanni 10,31-32) Attenzione, i Giudei gli risposero: “Non ti lapidiamo per un’opera buona, MA PER LA BESTEMMIA E PERCHÉ TU, che sei uomo, TI FAI DIO.” (Giovanni 10,33) È evidente che i giudei avevano inteso le parole di Gesù come una violazione dell’unicità di Dio, quindi una gravissima bestemmia. Questi accusavano Gesù di farsi Dio. Ciò dimostra che quelle parole di Gesù si devono intendere secondo l’unità divina tra Padre e Figlio, e non soltanto secondo un’unità di intenti.

Protestants reject the book of Tobit as divinely inspired. They state six reasons why they consider him to be among the apocryphals:

1) The angel Raphael hides his true identity from old Tobi, lying to him and presenting himself as Azariah son of Hananiah and grandson of Nathan (Tobit 5:13-14).

2) Old Tobit regains his sight after fish gall is applied to his eyes (Tobit 11:1-14).

3) The devil who tormented the young Sarah is chased away by the smell of incense coming from the embers on which the liver and heart of a fish have been placed (Tobit 8:1-3).

4) Jesus and the apostles never referred to it.

5) Never recognized by the Jews, never by the Christians of the first centuries.

6) The Holy Spirit does not at all testify in us children of God that it is the word of God, on the contrary, it makes us feel unequivocally that we must reject its content.

I answer point by point to the aforementioned disputes:

1) In the First Book of Kings it is written that God sends an angel to deceive Ahab:

1 Kings 22:19-22
And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

How come Protestants do not contest this episode of the First Book of Kings in the same way as the one in which Raphael hides his true identity? The angel had hidden his true identity to reveal it only at the end of his mission (Tobit 12:15). This does not take away from the sacred text the authority of the word of God. Tobit story is a parable, longer than the ones we are used to reading in the Gospel. The parable is a narration of an imaginary fact but belonging to real life, with which to illustrate a moral teaching. In this great parable the mysterious and saving action of God through his envoy is shown. It is no coincidence that Raphael (God heals) presents himself as Azariah (YaHVeH helps) son of Hananiah (YaHVeH shows his favor) and grandson of Nathan (God gives).

2) In the book of Tobit, Raphael heals old Tobit of blindness, telling young Tobias to apply fish gall on his father’s eyes. In the Gospel, Jesus Christ, in healing a man blind from birth, applied mud over his eyes and sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam:

John 9:1-7
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

3) In the book of Tobit the demon Asmodeus was cast out by the smell of incense coming from the embers on which the liver and heart of a fish were placed. In the Second Book of Samuel, however, David drives away the devil who tormented Saul by playing the lyre:

1 Samuel 16:23
And it came to pass, when the evil spirit was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

Why do Protestants not contest this episode in the First Book of Samuel in the same way that they contest the one in the Book of Tobit?

4) It is absolutely not true that neither Jesus nor his disciples ever referred to the book of Tobit during their preaching. The books of the New Testament contain quotations also taken from the book of Tobit. Let’s see some examples:

For the golden rule, Matteo uses the reverse quotation from Tobit

Matthew 7:12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.

Tobit 4:15
Never do to anyone else anything that you would not want someone to do to you.

Regarding the seven brothers who took the same woman as wives, the synoptic gospels refer to the book of Tobias

Matthew 22:25-27
Now, there were seven brothers who used to live here. The oldest got married and died without having children, so he left his widow to his brother. The same thing happened to the second brother, to the third, and finally to all seven. Last of all, the woman died.

Mark 12:20-22
Once there were seven brothers; the oldest got married and died without having children. Then the second one married the woman, and he also died without having children. The same thing happened to the third brother, and then to the rest: all seven brothers married the woman and died without having children. Last of all, the woman died.

Luke 20:29-31
Once there were seven brothers; the oldest got married and died without having children. Then the second one married the woman, and then the third. The same thing happened to all seven—they died without having children.

Tobit 3:8
Sarah had been married seven times, but the evil demon, Asmodeus, killed each husband before the marriage could be consummated. The servant woman said to Sarah, You husband killer! Look at you! You’ve already had seven husbands, but not one of them lived long enough to give you a son.

Tobit 7:11
I have already given her to seven men, all of them relatives. Each one died on his wedding night, as soon as he entered the bedroom. But now, my son, have something to eat and drink. The Lord will take care of you both. Tobias replied, I won’t eat or drink until you give me your word.

Regarding the seven angels who stand in the presence of the Lord, John of Patmos refers to the book of Tobit

Revelation 1:4
From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace be yours from God, who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits in front of his throne.

Revelation 8:2
Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

Tobit 12:15
I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand in the glorious presence of the Lord, ready to serve him.

For the description of the new Jerusalem, John of Patmos refers to the book of Tobit

Revelation 21:18-21
The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself was made of pure gold, as clear as glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh yellow quartz, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chalcedony, the eleventh turquoise, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each gate was made from a single pearl. The street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass.

Tobit 13:16-17
Jerusalem will be rebuilt and will be his home forever. Jerusalem, how happy I will be when my descendants can see your splendor and give thanks to the King of heaven. Your gates will be built with sapphires and emeralds, and all your walls with precious stones. Your towers will be made of gold, and their fortifications of pure gold. Your streets will be paved with rubies and precious jewels.

For the beatitudes, Matthew also refers to Tobit

Matthew 5:4
Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!

Tobit 13:16 (Vatican and Alexandrine Codex)
Blessed are those who have wept for your misfortunes: they will rejoice for you and will see all your joy forever.

5) It is not at all true that the book of Tobit was never recognized by the Jews and early Christians. First of all, in the previous point it was shown that the New Testament writers also referred to the book of Tobit for their teachings. Tobit is part of the deuterocanonical books. Until the coming of Jesus Christ, the Jews possessed two canons of Sacred Scripture, the Hebrew and the Alexandrian. The latter was written in Greek by the Jews of the diaspora. This translation of their Old Testament is called “Septuagint” (referring to the seventy elders Israelites who accompanied Moses [Exodus 24:9]), and also contains the seven deuterocanonical books: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, First Maccabees, Second Maccabees, Baruch and Sirach. The Alexandrian biblical canon was accepted by the Jews until the second half of the first century AD. In their teachings Christ and his disciples also referred to the Septuagint. Suffice it to note that in the New Testament there are three hundred quotations taken from those texts. For a few centuries the Jews had welcomed the Septuagint, but they moved away from it towards the end of the first century AD, mainly because of their disagreements with the Christians who also used those texts for their doctrines. Thus, towards the end of the second century AD, the rabbis officially fixed the Jewish canon excluding the Alexandrian one. The New Testament writers also referred to the Deuterocanonical books, as has already been shown in the fourth point with some examples concerning the book of Tobit. And if doubts were shown by some Fathers regarding the Deuterocanonical books, doubts were also shown towards some New Testament letters. In fact, before the fourth century AD, not even the letter to the Hebrews, the letter of James, the second letter of Peter, the second and third letters of John, the letter of Judas and the Apocalypse of John of Patmos. The Christian writer Eusebius of Caesarea (265-339) stated that among the books discussed were the letter of James, the Second letter of Peter, the Second and Third letters of John, the letter of Judas and the Apocalypse of John of Patmos (Ecclesiastical History III, 25, 3-4). The fragment of Muratori (II-III century AD) omits the letter to the Hebrews, the letter of James, the First and Second letters of Peter. Origen (185-253), mentioned by Eusebius, considered the Second Letter of Peter and the First and Second Letters of John to be doubtful (Ecclesiastical History VI, 25, 8.10). In 382 it was the Bishop of Rome, Damasus (366-384), who established the biblical canon and included Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Baruch, Sirach, First Maccabees, Second Maccabees, Hebrews, James, Second Peter, Second John, Third John, Judas and Apocalypse. The current biblical canon in use in the Catholic Church became official in 1546, during the Council of Trent, with the decree De Canonicis Scripturis. It was the Catholic Church that established which books were to be part of the Biblical Canon, not the Protestants, born fifteen centuries after Christ, under Luther, who even tried to pass for apocryphal the letter of James which he called the “straw epistle” (Martin Luther, Preface to the New Testament, year 1522 and year 1546). James’s letter is opposed to the Protestant doctrine of “sola fide” (James 2: 14-26), and was therefore considered dangerous by the former Augustinian monk.

6) Evidently it is not the Holy Spirit who suggests to them that they should reject the content of the book of Tobit, which is the word of God. But it is another spirit.

The book of Tobit was written in the second century BC. It is a great parable, in which the main protagonist, God, already emerges from the names of the characters: Tobias (YaHVeH is good), Raguel (God is a friend), Raphael (God heals), Azariah (YaHVeH helps), Hananiah (YaHVeH shows his favor), Nathan (God gives), Gabael (God raises). The message of this story is an invitation to recognize that the providence of the merciful God never fails, and here he works discreetly and effectively through his envoy (Tobit 4:1.2.20.21; 5:1-22). The Lord knows how to give birth to great joy even from situations that were unhappy (Tobit 3:8.17; 8:1-3; 11:1-4). It is an uplifting story in which a high conception of marriage emerges (Tobit 6:12.19; 7:9.10.13; 10:10), expresses the sense of family with great vitality (Tobit 7:2; 9:6) and stands out the practice of almsgiving (Tobit 1:3.17) and duties towards the dead (Tobit 1:17-19; 2:4.8).

In the Bible the office of “archangel” is attributed only to Michael (Jude 9). However, the Catholic Church also recognizes Gabriel and Raphael as archangels. An archangel is an angel who is in command of other angels. The Bible attributes the office of angel (which means “messenger”) to Gabriel and Raphael, because this office can also be performed by the superior spirits, the archangels. Daniel notes that Michael is “one of the first princes” (Daniel 10:13). In Daniel the “princes” are the angels (Daniel 10:13.20; 12.1). Therefore the “first princes” are higher angels, archangels. So Michael, while being the only one in the Bible to be called archangel, is not the only one belonging to this hierarchy. In the book of Revelation we read of seven angels who stand upright before God and who were given seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2). In the East there were seven assistants to the throne (Esther 1:10). These seven angels standing before God can only be superior spirits, archangels. The Bible lists Gabriel and Raphael among these seven angels (Luke 1:19; Tobit 12:15). In addition to Michael, the Bible attributes a proper name only to the angels Gabriel and Raphael. A name given to an angel indicates a particular assignment. Michael means “Who is like God?”. Michael is in charge of the defense of the dominion of the Almighty (Daniel 12:1), to which no one is equal (1 Samuel 2:2; Job 40:9; Isaiah 42:8; Psalms 34:10; 70:19; 144:3 ; Micah 7:18). Michael opposed Satan when the latter turned against God, and cast him out of heaven (Revelation 12:7-9; Luke 10:18). He went to the aid of the angel of the Lord when he was hindered for twenty-one days by the prince of the kingdom of Persia (Daniel 10:12-14). And when the Lord Jesus comes from heaven in his glory, the archangel Michael will come with him and with all the heavenly host (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Matthew 24:30-31; 25:31-32). Gabriel means “God is Strong”. Gabriel was sent to Daniel to instruct him and make him understand the vision received from God (Daniel 8:1-26; 9:20-27). He was sent to the priest Zechariah to announce that his wife Elizabeth, despite her advanced age, would conceive and give birth to the forerunner of the Messiah (Luke 1:5-20). He was sent by the Virgin Mary to announce that she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God – the Messiah – by the work of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-38). Probably the angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream was always Gabriel (Matthew 1:20-21). Raphael means “God heals”. Raphael was sent to the young Tobias to accompany him and guard him on his journey (Tobit 4:1.2.20.21; 5:1-22), and to make him marry the young Sarah (Tobit 6:12.19; 7:9.10.13; 10:10) and free her from the devil Asmodeus (Tobit 3:8.17; 8:1-3), and to heal his father Tobit from blindness (Tobit 3:17; 11:1-14). The holy archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are venerated by all Christian churches that admit the cult of saints. In the Catholic liturgy, the solemnity of the three holy archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is celebrated on 29 September. In the Orthodox liturgy it is celebrated on November 8th. Places of worship are dedicated to the three holy archangels. In Christian art, St. Michael the Archangel is almost always represented as a young man with eagle wings and wearing a helmet and breastplate, and a sword (sometimes replaced by a spear or cross) in his hand, which are references to the word of God (1 Thessalonians 5:8; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16), and in the other hand a balance (according to some interpretations it indicates the weighing of souls, therefore it is a call to divine judgment). Often in the act of casting out the devil (sometimes in the form of a dragon). St. Gabriel the Archangel is always represented as a young man with eagle wings and with a sprig of white lily in his hand, a symbol of purity, chastity and goodness. We often see him with the Virgin Mary in the act of announcing the conception of the Son of God. St. Raphael the archangel is always represented as a beautiful young man with eagle wings, often together with the young Tobias while they are traveling. In some paintings the three holy archangels are represented together.

YeHoWaH is not the real name of God, but it was coined by Raimondo Martini for a misreading of the Masoretic Hebrew text. Due to the prohibition in Judaism to pronounce God’s name (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11), the Jews read הַשֵּׁם (transliterated: haShem) which means “the Name”, or אֲדֹנָי (transliterated: Ădōnāy) which means “Lord,” the tetragrammaton יהוה (transliterated: YHWH), originally written only with the four letters ה (he) ו (waw) ה (he) י (yod), to be read from right to left (yod, he, waw, he), as in this way the Hebrew text must be read. Thus in the 6th-10th centuries AD the Masoretes – who, in copying the Hebrew Bible, added vowel signs (in fact the vowel signs in the Hebrew text preceding the Masoretic one were missing) – instead of adding the correct vowel signs known to the Jews to the tetragrammaton, they added the signs vowels of Ădōnāy. To the consonant י (yod) has been added ְ (shwà) which corresponds to “e”, instead of ֲ (hatèf-patah) which corresponds to “ă”, and therefore as transliteration we have YeHoWaH, not YaHoWaH. The Jewish reader, encountering the tetragrammaton with the vowels of Ădōnāy instead of the correct ones, knew that he had to read Ădōnāy. If, on the other hand, the tetragrammaton was already preceded by Ădōnāy, it had to be read יֱהֹוִה (ie with the vowels of אֱלֹהִים [transliterated: Elohim] which means “God”). Then the Jewish reader read the YHWH tetragram as Ădōnāy, or as Elohim if the tetragram was already preceded by Ădōnāy. In 1270 the Spanish Catholic Raimondo Martini, encountering the tetragrammaton YHWH with the vowels of Ădōnāy added by the Masoretes, namely יְהֹוָה, made the mistake of reading it and transliterating it as YeHoWaH (see “Pugio Fidei”). Unfortunately Martini, not being a Jewish reader, was unaware that being in front of יְהֹוָה, Ădōnāy had to read it, not YeHoWaH. Martini’s mistake influenced some Catholic communities which impressed YeHoWaH in some Churches. However, the Catholic Church never adopted the YeHoWaH form in official worship and catechisms. Later, when the error was discovered, the form YeHoWaH was abandoned. In 1530 the Lutheran William Tyndale published his English translation of the first five books of the Bible, in which he inserted the form YeHoWaH. In the wake of Tyndale, others too, including the authors of the New World Translation, who have added the form YeHoWaH nearly seven thousand times in the Old Testament, and more than two hundred times in the New Testament. Jesus, who knew God’s name very well, taught us that we must call God “Father” (Matthew 6:9). But already in Jeremiah we see God saying to his people: “I said, Thou shalt call me ‘My father’, and shalt not turn away from me.” (Jeremiah 3:19) Today, many scholars believe that YaHWeH is the most correct form of the tetragrammaton. However, most translations prefer to render YHWH with “Lord”, or with “Eternal”, or capitalized “LORD”. The tetragrammaton YHWH is missing in the New Testament, but there is Kyrios which means Lord, almost always attributed to Jesus. In the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, Kyrios translates the Hebrew Ădōnāy used by the Jews instead of the tetragrammaton. The writers of the first century also read the Greek version of the Old Testament, and therefore were well aware of the meaning of the Kyrios that they attributed as much to God as to Jesus. In the Watchtower writings it is said that today the correct vowels to insert in the tetragrammaton and therefore the original pronunciation of the sacred name are not known, and that YeHoWaH is used by their congregation only by tradition (see “The Truth That Leads to Life eternal” page 127, or “Reasoning” pages 158-159, or “The Divine Name” page 6 and page 23). And yet, Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to hold that YeHoWaH is the divine name. They also insist on Jesus’ words about sanctifying God’s name (Luke 11:2). But the name is here a sign of presence and power, and is confused with God himself. For example, a proverb says that “the name of the Lord is a strong tower” (Proverbs 18:10), while a psalm says that God himself is “a strong tower” (Psalms 61:3). The most important name for Christians is that of Jesus, “the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9), and “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10).

“Jehovah: a mispronunciation of the Hebrew YaHWeH, the name of God. The pronunciation of Jehovah is grammatically impossible.” (The Jewish Encyclopedia, volume 7, 1904 states)

“It is clear that the word Jehovah is an artificial composite.” (The New Jewish Encyclopedia, 1962 states)

“The true pronunciation of the name YHWH was never lost. Several early Greek writers of the Christian Church testify that the name was pronounced YaHWeH.” (Encyclopedia Judaica, page 680, The Macmillan Co., New York, 1971)

“Jehovah: erroneous form of the name of the God of Israel.” (Encyclopedia Americana, volume 16, 1972 ed.)

“Jehovah is a False reading of the Hebrew YaHWeH.” (New Collegiate Dictionary, 1973 ed. states)

“The Masoretes who from the 6th to the 10th century worked to reproduce the original text of the Hebrew Bible replaced the vowels of the Name YHWH with the vowel signs of Ădōnāy or Elohim. Thus the artificial name Jehovah came into being.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 12, 1993 states)

“The true pronunciation of the tetragrammaton, YHWH, was never lost. The Name was pronounced YHWH. It was regularly pronounced this way at least until 586 B.C., as is clear from the Lachish Letters written shortly before this date.” (The Encyclopedia Judaica, page 680, volume 7)

The paradise is the state of ultimate and ultimate happiness. It is perfect communion of life and love with God and among the blessed. It is to be forever with Christ, perfectly incorporated in him. It is in Christ that we find our true identity, that of children of God. It is through Christ’s death and resurrection that men have access to paradise (John 14:2-3; 17:24). In paradise the blessed see God face to face as He is (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2). Since Scripture speaks of spiritual things using images, this state of supreme happiness and perfect communion of life and love with God is presented as God’s garden (Revelation 2:7), heaven (Philippians 3:20), kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 8:11), house of the Father (John 14:2), wedding banquet (Matthew 22:8), light (1 Timothy 6:16), heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2.10). Man enters paradise through Christ as though through a door (John 10:9), since only through Christ and through his universal sacrifice (active and retroactive) can salvation and eternal life be found. In paradise, the blessed reign with Christ (Revelation 22:5), continuing to serve God with joy, and interceding for men still travelers on earth (Sirach 48:14; 2 Maccabees 15:6-16), offering the merits acquired on earth through Jesus Christ. We often refer to paradise as a place, and the very meaning of this word gives the idea of a place. In fact, paradise means “garden”. The Magisterium, however, has never declared that paradise is a place. Entering paradise means living in God, who cannot be confined to one place. Dante wrote in his Divine Comedy: “Our Father, what are you in heaven, not written down, but for more love than you” (Purgatory, Song XI). The Catechism, for example, refers to paradise not as a “place”, but as a “communion” with God and with the blessed (Catechism 1024). In one of his general audience, the then Pope John Paul II said: “The paradise is not a physical place in the clouds, but a living and personal relationship with the Holy Trinity. It is the encounter with the Father that takes place in Risen Christ thanks to the communion of the Holy Spirit.” (General Audience, July 21, 1999) It is true that Jesus and Mary are in heaven with their bodies, and that at the resurrection from the dead we too, if in this life we have practiced love and justice towards God and towards our neighbor, we will be assumed to heaven, that is, to heaven, with our own bodies. But it is equally true that, just as it was for Jesus and his mother, our bodies will be transformed, according to the apostle’s words: “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) And again: “Who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:21) This body of ours will rise again, but it will be different in glory, since, as it is written: “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:50) By “flesh and blood” we mean this corruptible body. Then we will enter heaven with a spiritual body. Recounting her vision of heaven, Sister Faustina Kowalska said: “Today in spirit I was in heaven and I saw the inconceivable beauty and happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures ceaselessly render honor and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, pouring out on all creatures, making them happy. Then all glory and honor that made creatures happy returns to the source and they enter into the depth of God, contemplate the inner life of God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, who will never be able to understand or dissect. This source of happiness is immutable in its essence, but always new and springs up for the beatitude of all creatures.” (Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska, pages 194-195)