Jehovah God and Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses originated in the 19th century in America. A young businessman, Charles Russell, at the age of 18, along with a small group of like-minded people, began to read the Bible, seeking to understand what it really teaches. After a while, he felt compelled to share his findings with other people. Russell sold his business and dedicated his life to preaching. He wrote books, published a magazine, and delivered sermons in various countries. At first, people who shared this pastor's point of view called themselves Bible Students. Subsequently, they adopted the name Jehovah's Witnesses, by which they are known throughout the world today. This religion did not bypass Russia either.

Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia

The first attempt to find followers among the Russian people was made by the Bible Students back in the days of the Russian Empire. In 1881, Semion Kozlitsky, a graduate of an Orthodox theological seminary, met Charles Russell. What he heard from the overseas preacher delighted Kozlitsky. Therefore, after his return to his homeland, Kozlitsky began to talk quite boldly about new ideas. Without further ado, representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate accuse him of insulting the Metropolitan, and Semion is sent for deportation to Siberia.

In the same year, Russell comes to Russia. But he was dissatisfied with the trip, commenting on his impressions as follows: "Russia is not open to the truth, it is not ready for it." In subsequent years, preaching to the Russian-speaking population continued outside the country. Jehovah's Witnesses officially appeared in Russia only in 1991, when this religion was registered. But at that time there were already 16,000 active members in its ranks, as the preachers acted in spite of prohibitions, exiles and prison sentences.

Why is this name

By making the decision to change their name, the Bible Students wanted to distinguish themselves from thousands of different sects. Since it is an important requirement for every active member to preach about Jehovah God and God's Kingdom, they chose the name "Jehovah's Witnesses" to emphasize the nature of their activities and proclaim the name of God, which they consider very important.

Many criticize them for this decision. The fact is that, despite the fact that in the sacred texts the name of God occurs literally thousands of times, no one today knows how it should be pronounced - Yahweh, Jehovah, or something else. Indeed, in the Hebrew language (in which the first part of the Bible was written) there are no vowels. Words are written only with consonantslit. And vowels are substituted by native speakers automatically. Something remotely similar in Russian occurs with the letter "e". Even in those places where it is printed as "e" (for example, in the word "still"), a Russian-speaking person will read this letter correctly without hesitation.

And the Jews around the III century BC. e. due to superstition, they stopped pronouncing the phrase "Jehovah God", replacing it with "Lord God". Gradually, the correct pronunciation was simply erased from people's memory.

Where did the modern pronunciation come from

Why, initially, to the available four consonants, were substituted precisely those that form the form of the word familiar to most today - Jehovah? The fact is that in the VI century A. D. e. Jewish scholars began to develop and implement a vowel system. But by that time, the use of the personal name Jehovah was already taboo. And meeting the Tetragrammaton (as it is customary to call the four letters that make up the name of God), the readers on the go replaced it with the title Adonai (Lord). Therefore, when the scribes met the Tetragrammaton, they put the vocalization from the word "Adonai" there. And later, the translators, who decided that this was a vocalization to the Tetragramatton, wrote “God Jehovah” in their translations.

Relationship to the name Jehovah

The name Jehovah in Christian theology is not new or unknown. But its use is not encouraged, and in some cases even prohibited at the highest level. So, in 2008, the Vatican issued directives on the use of the nameGod during Catholic worship. It was said there that it is forbidden to use the name of God Yahweh (or Jehovah) in prayers and chants.

Also, readers of the Synodal translation of the Bible (namely, it is the most common and familiar for Russian-speaking people), starting to read the Bible, may notice that in many places the words “God” and “Lord” are typed in capital letters. In early editions, the preface indicated that this was done in those places where the name of Jehovah God is written in the Bible. However, later editions were reprinted without a preface. And soon this style of writing simply began to be perceived as a tradition.

The name Jehovah in the official translation of the Bible

But even in the Synodal translation of the Bible you can find the name Jehovah. Translators have preserved it on several occasions. All of them are in the Old Testament. The first mention is connected with the story of Abraham. After the test, during which Abraham showed that he completely trusted God, he decided to name the mountain on which this test took place. He named the mountain Jehovah-jira. A footnote to these words explains that this means "The Lord will provide."

The next five times the name Jehovah occurs in the second book of the Bible - Exodus. It tells how God led the people of Israel out of Egypt. With the help of miracles, God freed the Israelites from heavy slavery and led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land.

Another mention is saved in the book of Judges. This is the part of history when the Israelites won back their land. And the last time inThe synodal translation of the name Jehovah is found in the book of the prophet Hosea.

Professor Pavsky's contribution

It is interesting that the Synodal Translation (so named because it was recognized and consecrated by the Church Synod) is largely based on the writings and translation of Gerasim of Pavsky. He was a professor of Hebrew. The textbooks compiled by Pavsky were used in the study of this language. His translation of part of the Bible was in great demand and popularity. It has been reprinted 12 times. It is worth noting that Professor Pavsky used the name of God Jehovah in his work. A total of 100,000 copies of his translation were printed.

However, representatives of the church did not like such popularity. In 1843, the Synod decided to seize and destroy all copies of this translation. Several decades passed, and in 1876 an official translation finally appeared, approved by the Orthodox Church. Working on it, the translators relied on the work of Pavsky and Archimandrite Macarius.

New World Translation

Jehovah's Witnesses decided to restore the name of God in the places where it is written in the ancient manuscripts of the Bible. Therefore, a team of translators has been working for 12 years on a new modern and accurate translation that would be easy to read. The basis for the translation was the ancient manuscripts available by that time in the original languages. And the translation itself was decided to be called "The Holy Scripture - New World Translation".

Jehovah God, according to the Holy Scriptures of the New World, is not only the Creator, but also a loving Father who wants to bethe children knew his name and used it. In their teachings, Jehovah's Witnesses generally attach great importance to the name of God. They believe that through the use of a personal name, a closer and more trusting relationship can be developed with God.

Jehovah's Witnesses banned

However, at the moment, the "Holy Scripture - New World Translation" does not apply to the territory of the Russian Federation. By the decision of the city court of Vyborg, it is classified as extremist literature and banned.

Also, on April 20, 2017, the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses was banned by the Supreme Court. The real estate of the organization is confiscated in favor of the state, and individual members of the organization who continue to worship God according to their beliefs are taken into custody. As of June 2018, several members of this religion were already awaiting trial in different regions of Russia.

The name of Jehovah God in world literature

Because of the missionary and preaching activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in modern society, the idea has developed that the name Jehovah is just some newfangled trend of a young religion. However, many internationally recognized writers freely and naturally used the personal name of God in their works.

Here are some examples:

“Woe to your daughter, if she forgot about your gray hair, looking at the golden curls of youth! Was it not for this that Jehovah punished the unworthy daughter who thinks of a captive stranger more than ofhis father "(W alter Scott, "Ivanhoe").

“The anthropomorphism of Jehovah was expressed in the fact that he could appear to the Jews only in a form accessible to their perception” (Jack London, “The Sea Wolf”).

“And if Jehovah is really all-seeing in his high position, then Otoo, the only pagan from the island of Bora Bora (Jack London, “The Pagan”), will not be the last in his kingdom.

“Belshazzar would have remained an ordinary gourmet if Jehovah had not intervened. Gourmet and wicked - it seemed to God unthinkable" (Alexandre Dumas, "Great Dictionary of Culinary")

God of what nation?

It is generally accepted that Jehovah is the Jewish God. And in a sense, it really is. After all, Jehovah God in the Old Testament acts as the protector and patron of the Jewish people. According to the Bible, this people came into being through the intervention of God. And the purpose of its existence is the fulfillment of the will of the Creator, expressed in the Law (a set of decrees transmitted to Moses on Mount Sinai).

But at the same time, the Bible says that Jehovah God is the creator and ruler of the whole earth and everything on it. This means that all people are accountable to him. And the only question is, for which people Jehovah God himself decides to be a patron. At least those who wrote the Bible believed so.

Jehovah. What are its distinguishing features?

Jehovah's Witnesses pay a lot of attention to meditating on the personality of God, which he revealed in the Bible. They strive to share the acquired knowledge with everyone around them. Often individual members of this religionthey even change their place of residence just to be able to talk about their faith in places where Jehovah's Witnesses rarely preach. What do they teach about God?

According to Jehovah's Witnesses, the main quality of God is love. It was she who prompted him to start creating the spiritual world, the material universe and everything that fills it. However, this love, although all-encompassing, is not all-forgiving. Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the day will come when all who refuse to obey the Creator will be destroyed.

Because God is love, Jehovah's Witnesses reject the doctrine of hellfire. They are convinced that a loving God cannot condemn his creatures to eternal torment. Thus, in their view, God's love is perfectly balanced by justice and wisdom.

What is the future of religion in Russia?

What can Jehovah's Witnesses look forward to in the future? In the Russian Federation, this religion is outlawed. Some have already been taken into custody. It is possible that the number of such people will grow. History knows many examples of this. After all, under Soviet rule in our country, this organization was also banned. Time will tell if the attitude of the authorities on this issue will change. So far, all courts have come out against Jehovah's Witnesses.

There is an interesting example of this in the Bible itself. The Sanhedrin (the supreme religious court of the Jews) perceived the early Christians as sectarians and a threat to the official religion of that time. During the hearing, one of the respected members of the Sanhedrin, teacher Gamaliel, said:

"And now I tell you,stay away from these people and leave them: for if this enterprise and this business are from men, then it will be destroyed, but if from God, then you cannot destroy it; beware lest you turn out to be opposers to God"

(Bible, Acts of the Apostles, chapter 5, verses 38, 39). This approach will probably work with Jehovah's Witnesses as well.