IS GOD'S NAME JAH? OR IS GOD'S NAME "THE LORD"?
Christafari is a Gospel Reggae band who is both Pentacostal and Protestant. Though I myself am neither Pentacostal nor Protestant I think they have written an outstanding article on their offical web site answering the question of why they use the name "Jah." I believe that the truely reasoning minded person, whether they be of Protestant, Catholic, Rasta or Bible Student background would find many of their points both simply factual as well as bibical. The article starts off by a question made from someone who displays much ignorance in knowing their own church roots in Judeo-Christianity by asking Christafari: "Why do you use the name Jah as a substitute for God in your songs?"...As if to imply that the word "God" IS a "name"...Yet 1 Corthians 8:5 says clearly that, "There are MANY gods and MANY Lords"....but that, "There is ONE God Jah and One Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things came into being."
This is the Name of God as Shown on this picture of a stain glass window of a church in France.
WHICH LORD AND WHICH GOD?
Again, WHO is God "The Father"? Isaiah 12:2 and Matthew 6:9 confirms: "Jah Jahweh" (Jehovah). And WHO is "The Lord and Savior"? and "God's Son"? 1 Peter 1:3 confirms that it is "Jesus Christ." So "Lord" and "God" are 'titles' that both Jah and Jesus use. Unforuantly, a majority of Christian churches who claim to be "orthodox" and Bibical are ignorant of the Fact that it is not just God's son who actually has a name but also that the Father God also has a name.
JAH...A FALSE GOD? OR THE GOD OF THE BIBLE?
This lack of wisdom was made very clear in the example of the story Christafari tells of how when they first tried to get there Gospel reggae songs played on the Christian radio station in Jamaica. When the 'Christian' disk jockey heard the name "Jah" sung he imediently yanked Christafari's album off the air. The lead singer Mark Mohr expressed being shocked and puzzled at the Christian radio station's reaction. But a fellow band member who was used to the Christians on the Island said it was well known that the name "Jah" was dispised by all the Protestant churches through the Carribean. Though Mark speaks of being shocked at their reaction, he also admit remembering how when he first joined the Pentacostal church after previously having been Rasta he himself, "Thought of "Jah" as a false god." And that he, "through the name "Jah" out WITH the name "Ras Tafari!"..He then says, "It was SOME time till a fellow Christian reggae artists reminded me and pointed out to me that the name "Jah" WAS BIBICAL"...He explained that this fellow Christian Reggae artists SHOWED HIM FROM THE BIBLE WHERE the NAME Jah was and that after this is dedicated himslef to using it and educating fellow Christians about it. I am most glad that Mark and Christafari saw this Bibical wisdom, but at the same time I am puzzled how it is that Mark could have converted to Born Again Christianity through the Pentacostal church..which claims to be Bibical..and yet be left uneducated "for SOME TIME" about Jah's name actually being IN the BIBLE.
MAJORITY OF CHURCHES THAT 'CLAIM' TO BE 'ORTHODOX' CHRISTIAN LACK BIBICAL WISDOM ABOUT GOD'S NAME
Also, why it is that SO many churches that claim to be "Orthodox Christian" dislike Jah's name and are uneducated on it's Bibical truth when the name JAH IS IN their Bibles? Why is it that the majoroty of these churches honor the Son's name..but do NOT honor the Father's name? "Hallowed by thy name", remember? Why do SO many who claim to be "Christian" hate Jah's name?
THE NAME JAH WAS GOD'S NAME BEFORE RAS TAFARI/HAILE SELASSIE WALKED THE EARTH!
Mark Morh admits: "Many parishioners still do not feel comfortable using the term [name]Jah due to it's present day reference to Rastafari." But then Mark brings out an OUTSTANDING POINT! saying: "However, we must remember that it was GOD's NAME FIRST, LONG BEFORE Haile Selassie ever walked the earth." Mark contiunes with even more great reasonings asking, "Should we strike out Jah's name simply because Rastas use it? Should we strike out using the name "Jehovah" simply because Jehovah's Witnesses use it? Should we stop using the name of our savior Jesus Christ because The Mormons use the name in title of their church, "The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints? Positively not! Rather we should stand up for truth!"
JAH'S NAME VERIFIED TO GOD'S 'BIBICAL' NAME!
Indeed! Mark concludes: "After some study of this name of God, I have concluded that it IS a legitmate BIBICAL word. "Jah" (Hebrew for Yah) is a contraction of Jahweh. Today we either pronounce it as Jehovah or Yahweh. In addiction to the name Jah being used by Rastas, it is also a common name used within Jamaican culture. Do to its regular use in their diatect of Patios, this name is by no means limited to the Rastfarian culture, but raher it encompasses the majority of Jamaican culture, and other areas of the Carribean."
From the first part of God's name Jah-hov-ah.
THE NAME JAH OCCURES IN THE ORIGINAL BIBLE MANUSCRIPTS 50 TIMES!..WHY HAVE THE CHURCHES & BIBLE TRANSLATORS REMOVED JAH'S NAME?!
The name JAH occures 50 times in the original Hebrew scriptures, 26 times alone, and 24 times in the expression, "HallaeluJah", which literally means: "Praise Jah!"...The presence of the word "JAH" is completely REMOVED in MOST popular translations. The King James and The American Translation only have it ONCE as "JAH or "YAH" at Psalm 68:4. The German made Rotherham's Bible emphasized Bile restores the name as "Yah" 49 times and The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures restores it all 50 times as "Jah"...This includes Revaltion 19:1,3,and 4 where it reads: Praise Jah!" But what do how do MOST Bibles read this? As, "Praise the LORD!" Again..WHICH "lord"??? See Psalm 146:1 and Psalm 68:4 for the answer!
JESUS CHRIST CONSTANTLY MADE GOD'S NAME KNOWN & HOLY..SO WHY DON'T THOSE WHO 'CLAIM' TO FOLLOW HIM DO THE SAME?
Jesus Christ, God's Only Begotten Son and Savior for the whole world mentions making His ,"Father's Name Made Holy", and making it, "Known" ,many times. Mathhew 9:6; John 17:26. Infact, Jesus' own name means literally, "Jah-hovah is salvation!"...It is said in the Bible of Jesus, "How can they call upon Him of whom they do not know?"..Likewise how can you called upon the Name of God when you don't even know what it is?
Jesus spoke many times of Making His Father's name Known. Infact he prayed this the night before He died! -John 17:26
WHERE CAN 'I' FIND THE NAME OF GOD IN MY BIBLE?
Unforuantly, as pointed out in this, article, MOST popular translations of the Bible have REMOVED the NAME of GOD and REPLACED IT with the TITLES "LORD" and "GOD"...However The New World Transaltion RESTORES the name JAH ALL 50 times! Including the Book of Revelation! And RESTORES the long version of the name JEHOVAH to ALL of it's some 2000+ times! Also The Rotherham's Bible RESTORES the NAME YAH 49 times! And RESTORES the long verison YAHWEH all 2000+ times! Also The Assembly of Yahweh has their own Bible that does this!
JAH SCRIPTURES
Exodus 15:2
Psalm 146:1
Isaiah 12:2
Psalm 68:4
Song of Soloman 8:6
Revelations 19:1
JEHOVAH
Exodus 6:3
Psalm 83:18
Isaih 12:2; 26:4
