Friday 10 June 2016

Inherited Name

The more I think about Christology - which has been quite a bit in the last couple of years - and the divine name, translated by LORD (Kyrios) in Greek, the more I am convinced that Hebrews 1:4 has a vital role to play. Here it is again in the NIV:
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
And check out the Aramaic Bible in Plain English version:
And This One is altogether greater than the Angels, according to how much more excellent than theirs is The Name which he possesses.

Weymouth also capitalizes Name.

One thing that had escaped my notice until recently is the angels' name. We know that the angels were at times identified by various names. But here we are talking about some sort of collective "name". The name constitutes some sort of comparable "excellence" or rank. Here is another insightful translation, Holman Christian Standard Bible:

So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs. 

And then in verse 5 we flow straight into Christ's begetting, or at least the most apt OT picture of such a begetting, and reason for such superior greatness.

But the point is the angels haven't had that experience. They have not inherited a name like that. But if any had done so, then the angel Gabriel, for instance, would hardly have stopped being called "Gabriel", etc. In Jesus' affiliated name is a rank of excellence and required reverence, inherited from his Father.

He is the Son of Yahweh himself, and he rightly bears the Greek translated name of His Father, Kyrios.

THIS is the name (and rank) that is referred to when it says "at THE NAME of Jesus every knee shall bow".

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