The Earliest Non-Mystical Jewish Use of Iao

By Frank Shaw

The finding of the pronounced divine name Ιαω freely used in a LXX MS fromQumran "has left many scholars baffled" (Kristin De Troyer). This name isbest known from gnostic and magical sources, but till now no one hasprovided a history of its background prior to its move into these genres, necessary for placing it in the LXX's textual tradition and understandingthe chronology of the gradual disuse of God's name in non-mysticalcontexts. This book presents new evidence (especially onomastic andclassical) for, and reveals problems with prior scholarship's positionson, the continued non-mystical pronunciation of the divine name among somewithin second temple period Judaism, and precisely when the name Iao movedinto the mystical sphere. Key matters addressed include the divine name'sforms in the LXX and NT. The work also contains the first Englishtranslation and commentary of Byzantine polymath John Lydus' chapter onthe Jewish God from De mensibus 4.53.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9042929782
• ISBN13: 9789042929784
• Release Date: November 2014
• Publisher: Peeters
• Length: 451 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 9.2"