In Judaism, the the name of God is more than a distinguishing title. It represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relation of God to the Jewish people. The various Jewish names of God represent God as he is known, and represents divine attributes. Awe at the sacredness of the names of God and as manner to show respect and reverence for them, made the scribes of sacred texts pause before copying them. The numerous names of God have been a source of debate amongst biblical scholars. Some have advanced it as proof that the Torah has many authors, while others affirm that the different aspects of God have different names, depending on the role God is playing, the context in which he is referred to and the specific attributes highlighted. Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_Judaism _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1738: George Frideric Handel's opera Serse, loosely based on Xerxes I of Persia, was performed for the first time. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serse) 1755: A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson was first published. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language) 1947: African American Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers broke the color line in baseball. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson) 1985: Marvin Hagler defeated Thomas Hearns to retain the boxing championship. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Hagler) 1989: The Hillsborough disaster, one of the biggest tragedies of European football, occurred. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_disaster) _____________________ Wikiquote of the day: "Here forms, here colours, here the character of every part of the universe are concentrated to a point; and that point is so marvellous a thing ... Oh! marvellous, O stupendous Necessity— by thy laws thou dost compel every effect to be the direct result of its cause, by the shortest path. These are miracles..." -- Leonardo da Vinci (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci)