Name of God Restored

“IT HAS taken almost 60 years for the name of God, ‘JHWH,’ who is God not only of Jews but also of Christians, to be put back where a painter originally placed it.” That is how the German newspaper Schwarzwälder Bote comments on the restoration of the name of God on the facade of the town hall in Horb, southern Germany. But why had the name been removed?

The newspaper reports that the town hall exterior was painted ornamentally with pictorial scenes decorating the facade. Included was the Tetragrammaton, four Hebrew letters that spell out the name of God.

“This name, which occurs over 6,000 times in the Bible,” the newspaper goes on, “is ‘Jehova’ or something similar in German. The exact pronunciation is unclear because written Hebrew consisted of consonants only. Vowels were added by the reader.”

However, in 1934 representatives of the Nazi Party decided that the Tetragrammaton was “not compatible with current ideology” and hence should be painted over. Happily, the Tetragrammaton has now been restored. The newspaper comments: “Today [the town hall] facade, decorated with historic scenes, coats of arms, and portraits, is ‘the’ sight to see in Horb.”