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The Sacred Name Movement (SNM) is a movement within Adventism concerned with emphasizing the use of the Hebrew name of God.^[1] Influenced by Clarence Orvil Dodd, the movement considers the use of God's name as important as the Jewish festivals. SNM believers also generally observe many of the Old Testament laws and ceremonies such as the Seventh-day Sabbath, Torah festivals, and kashrut food laws.^[2] The movement also rejects the doctrine of the Trinity as unbiblical.^[3]

History

The Sacred Name Movement arose in the early 20th century out of the Church of God (Seventh Day) movement. The movement was influenced by Joseph Franklin Rutherford after he changed the name of the main branch of the Bible Student movement to Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931.^[4] C. O. Dodd, a member of the Church of God (Seventh Day) who began to keep the Jewish festivals (including Passover) in 1928, adopted sacred name doctrines in the late 1930s.^[5] To promote his views, Dodd began to publish The Faith magazine in 1937.^[5] American religious scholar J. Gordon Melton wrote, "No single force in spreading the Sacred Name movement was as important as The Faith magazine."^[6] People who had dealings with the Sacred Name Movement in the 20th century, such as Herbert W. Armstrong, sharply criticized it saying that the Sacred Name Movement consisted of 'small', 'splintered' and 'divided' groups doctrinally. ^[7] After the death of C. O. Dodd (an early Sacred Name pioneer) in 1955, those using the Sacred Name are reported to have become even more confused in doctrine, since the shepherd had disappeared.

Little has amounted from the Sacred Name Movement. The Assemblies of Yahweh, which is not part of the Sacred Name Movement, came in to being because of the need to have a doctrinally sound, harmonious, organized and unified worship. The Preamble to the original Statement of Doctrine of the Assemblies of Yahweh produced in 1969 reads as follows:

The brethren in the faith who have united in organization to form the Assemblies of Yahweh, present this document as their statement of doctrine. These dedicated brethren have become concerned with the widespread disorganization which has been rampant during the past several years in the Sacred Name movement. This concern has led to the conclusion that a statement of doctrine such as this is necessary to define for the interested inquirers after Truth, the sound doctrines which are contained in the inspired Scriptures, the Word of Almighty Yahweh. We hereby present this document as the articles of faith on which we all can stand, and on which we can base a unity of purpose. We believe that this statement of doctrine clearly and concisely presents the faith which was once and for all time delivered to the sanctified believers. We believe that this statement of doctrine will be instrumental in uniting as all under one banner as the Body of the Messiah, and will enable us to give a ready testimony of our faith to all who seek truth, I Peter 3:15.
— Assemblies of Yahweh original Statement of Doctrine ^[8]

The Sacred Name Movement spurned the Assemblies of Yahweh. To this day, the Sacred Name Movement is very divided on doctrine despite holding 'unity conferences' every year. ^[9]

Sacred Name Movement

Below are a list of Sacred Name Movement groups:

Assembly of Yahweh (Michigan)
Shalom Assembly of Yahweh (Illinois)
Yahweh's Restoration Ministry (Missouri)
Assembly of Yahweh 7th Day (Texas)
Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah (Missouri)
Yahweh's Frystown Assembly (Pennsylvania)
Congregation of Yahweh (Florida)
Congregation of Yahweh Jerusalem (Jerusalem, Israel)
Yahweh's Assembly in Yahshua (Missouri)

Sacred Name Bibles

Angelo Traina, a disciple of Dodd, undertook the production of a Sacred Name edition of the Bible, publishing the Holy Name New Testament in 1950 and the Holy Name Bible in 1962, both based on the King James Version, but with some names and words changed to Hebraic forms, such as "God" to "Elohim", "LORD" to "Yahweh" and "Jesus" to "Yahshua".^[10] Other Sacred Name Bibles have since been produced, and most Sacred Name Movement denominations use a Sacred Name Bible.

References

^ Melton 82-83.
^ Frederickson 2004.
^ Clarke, Peter. Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. p. 543.
^ Melton 83.
^ ^a ^b Hughey, Sam, A History of the True Church, The Reformed Reader, archived from the original on 19 February 2009, retrieved 7 January 2009
^ Melton 476.
^ Armstrong, Herbert. "The Plain Truth About the "Sacred Name"". hwalibrary.com. So far as my personal experience and contact with this Hebrew names movement went, that telephone conversation with Elder Dodd ended it — except that I continued receiving copies of his Faith magazine for some little time, and there was one other contact, mentioned later in this article. So far as I had contact or knowledge of it, the movement had virtually died Current research shows that there have, indeed, existed a number of small splinter groups advocating the so-called "sacred names." They are divided among themselves in many ways, especially as to what the Hebrew names are.
^ Meyer, Jacob (April 2015). "Beware of Imitations" (PDF). The Sacred Name Broadcaster. XLVII, Number 1: 9. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
^ Meyer, Jacob (April 2015). "Beware of Imitations" (PDF). The Sacred Name Broadcaster. XLVII, Number 1: 8. Retrieved 24 June 2024. "The Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, Pennsylvania, came into existence in 1969 because of a sincere desire of the Directing Elder to maintain sound doctrine. Yahweh is not the author of confusion (Babylon), 1 Corinthians 14:33, but He is the author of peace (shalom—completeness and perfection). Therefore, it became our goal to provide an international organization where all who wish to be united in sound doctrine could affiliate. The Assemblies of Yahweh was designed as a medium for fulfilling the Great Commission. Those who did not wish to adhere to sound doctrine [i.e. the Sacred Name Movement] could continue as before (in confusion), outside the organization, without interference from the Assemblies of Yahweh. It is the opinion of the author (the Directing Elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh) that True Worship must fulfill the concept of ONE BODY (1 Corinthians 12:13)
^ Mink, Gary (28 December 2001). "The Holy Name Bible". SacredName.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.