As my training for the Orang Asli trip next month, I started to read the Malay bible. Alkitab Indonesia.
Some observations I got when reading the same bible in a different language:
Pada mulanya adalah Firman; Firman itu bersama-sama dengan Allah dan Firman itu adalah Allah. (Yohanes 1:1)
Is it correct to substitute the name of our Yahweh, Jehovah God with a Malay equivalent of Allah? Well, at least the Indonesian bible says so.
While it is true that the God of the Muslims is not the same as the God of Christianity, can it be acceptable for both “Gods” to be called by the same name, Allah?
One can say yes, because Allah is basically a term meant to describe a monotheistic understanding of a transcendent, divine, almighty God. The Malay word for a transcendent, divine, almighty being is Allah. Thus, Allah is an accurate Malay equivalent for our Yahweh, Jehovah God.
One can also say no, because since Islam and Christianity are different, therefore its “Gods” cannot have the same name. There is a school of thought that the Muslim’s Allah is named after a moon god, which explains why the crescent that is symbolic to Islam (Disclaimer: Not much research has been done on this piece of information, therefore the extent of its accuracy cannot be vouched personally as yet). So if that is true, then how can we call Jehovah God as Allah?
It has to be clearly understood, at the offset, that Islam’s God and Christianity’s God are two different personalities. Yes, Islam and Christianity have some connection in genealogy that can be traced back to Ishmael and Isaac. Yes, Islam and Christianity have the same Taurat (the Pentateuch). But the God of Islam is different from the God of Christianity.
Islam’s God is transcendent and unknowable. Christianity’s God is transcendent, but yet knowable:
Firman itu telah menjadi manusia, dan diam di antara kita, dan kita telah melihat kemuliaan-Nya, iaitu kemuliaan yang diberikan kepada-Nya sebagai Anak Tunggal Bapa, penuh kasih karunia dan kebenaran. (Yohanes 1:14)
Christianity’s God is transcendent like Islam’s God. But unlike Islam, Christianity's God became flesh and made His dwelling among us. Mankind has seen His glory, the glory of the Son of God.
Also, when God became flesh, he was the perfect representation of who God really is:
Ia adalah gambar Allah yang tidak kelihatan, yang sulung, lebih utama dari segala yang diciptakan (Kolose 1:15)
We see Jesus Christ as the image of the invisible God. Christ is the perfect representation of God – an invisible God, made visible in the flesh. Therefore, since Jesus Christ is the perfect representation of God… When we see Christ, we see God!
Barangsiapa telah melihat Aku, ia telah melihat Bapa; bagaimana engkau berkata: Tunjukkanlah Bapa itu kepada kami. Tidak percayakah engkau, bahawa Aku di dalam Bapa dan Bapa di dalam Aku? (Yohanes 14:9-10)
Here’s the great divide: Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. When we see Christ, we see God the Father. Because both God the Father and God the Son are one. We know God because we know Christ. We know Christ, therefore we know God!
However, Muslims say Jesus Christ is not God. So, who is the Muslim’s “God in heaven?”
Surely that “God” is a different one.
Here’s another great divide: Both Islam and Christianity believe that there is only one, true God. If the Muslim’s God is different from the Christian’s God, and if there can be only one God… then somebody’s God is not God. That is the only logical conclusion to make. Who says both Gods can be the same.
But we’re back at the same question. Is it accurate to say that a Malay equivalent of our Jehovah God is Allah?
I think it’s a debate between whether Allah is a name of God, or Allah is a term for a transcendent, divine, almighty God. If it is the former, then Allah cannot be used as a Malay equivalent for Jehovah God. If it is the latter, then Allah is an accurate translation for God.
Or, the other option is… Why not just use Tuhan and end the confusion.
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3 comments:
It's always interesting to try and work out what names to use when referring God, when to use them, and how suitable they are.
For instance, you have chain e-mails calling for all Christians to return to the King James version because the other versions systematically remove or hide the divinity of Jesus.
One example of the various arguments put forth: The King James uses the original name of Jehovah for the name of God, instead of the NIV's generic LORD which is a ploy leading to worship of false gods. The name of Jehovah is also seven letters long, representing perfection.
this struck me as ridiculous, as Jehovah is itself not the original name of our God, but merely a transliteration of YHWH created by inserting the vowels that are missing from the Hebrew spelling.
Other arguments I've come across are that we should return to the name Yeshu or Yeshua insead of Jesus, as 'Jesus' is a pagan creation based on the Greek pagan god Zeus (Zeus... Ie-zeus... Jesus). Another one says that 'God' comes from the German 'Gott', the name of a specific pagan god rather than a generic word for god.
Some parties say that by using the names of pagan gods to refer to our one-and-only true God, we are blaspheming. I'm not so sure that is the case, but consider the concept of 'reclaiming for God'. Just as we can reclaim the arts and music for God, we can reclaim names and formerly-pagan festival dates (such as the dates for Easter and Christmas). The cross was, after all, a pagan instrument of cruelty and death that we reclaimed for God as a symbol of hope and redemption.
I'm interested to know how the Malay/Indonesian Bible renders the three specific hebrew names for God - YHWH (translated in the NIV as LORD), Elohim (God) and Adonai (Lord). I've read that there is a specific meaning to each name, YHWH referring to the personal God of the Jews who is their lord and saviour, Elohim referring to God presiding over the world in general, and Adonai was used to avoid taking God's name in vain inadvertently.
Personally, I would like future versions of the Bible to use the orginial Hebrew names. The current English NIV restricts the usage to only relatively unknown names. And no one but the English speakers pronounce our Saviour's name with a 'J' sound instead of a 'Y' sound! I think the Malay/Indon Bible has much more accurate names in this respect.
Jesus = Yesus... haha thats all i do know.
But Joshua, you caught my attention. I was scolded back then my my fellow youth members when i told them about my "amazing discovery" while surfing at the chick publication website.
They actually mentioned a lot about Allah being a moon crecent idol of the pre-islamic days.
So i wouldn't think its wise to use it as a term for a god who is transcendent, divine, almighty God. Coz the definition only came about when the Arabians erased other names of God. When they installed Allah as their god, that is what they will stick with and thus, it became for them a term.
You are right in saying both are name and term. Naming affects the definition it brings.
And correct me if i am wrong but i disagree if you said we (Judaism, Christians, Catholics, Muslims) share the same Penteuch. I guess u r right when you say Christians and Jews share the same Penteuch but definitely not Islam.
For instance, We know that God did not forgive Adam as he did not beg for forgiveness. But in Islam, God forgave Adam and even made him a prophet...GASP!!!
As in for the Cats... the difference is not that stark. However if you remembered, our Ten Commandments include thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven images and bow before it. The Cats have none of that. They split the tenth commandment into 2 when they took away the first commandment above.
How different our penteuch to the Jews' ... i do not know. What i do know is that the difference is stark and we ned to be aware of it...
Thats my two hoots for today... reply a hoot if you got my hoot!
Blessings,
Alex
as i understand it, 'allah' is an arabic word meaning 'god'. in the polytheistic days before the coming of muhammad, the word was used for all deities that were worshipped (just as we would use the word 'gods'). therefore, i see no wrong in using this term; it's just 'God' in arabic.
i find that when i use Allah, it's equivalent to Lord, and when i use Tuhan, it's equivalent to God. for example, i would translate 'love the Lord your God' as 'kasihilah Allah Tuhanmu'. not sure if it's common practice or just me though.
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