* Martini and Yohoua

The claim persists that Martini invented the form "Jehovah" in 1270. Actually, the English forms of God's Holy Name as Jehovah, Iehouah, Yehowah, etc., are all transliterations of one of the forms of God's Holy Name as found in the Masoretic text. The Masoretes had the vowel points in the Holy Name long before Martini was born. 

Many, however, do not realize that the form that Martini used in his manuscript in 1270 was "Yohoua." Martini rejected the Masoretic vowel points from which the forms "Jehovah", "Iehouah," "Yehowah," etc., are derived.  The Masoretic text had the vowel points at least three centuries before Martini was born.

Martini wrote his manuscript in 1270; the original manuscript was never published. Several centuries after Martini died (in 1651), Joseph de Voisin edited Martini's work and published it under the name Pugio Fidei Raymundi Martini Ordinis Prædicatorum Adversus Mauros et Judæos. In the published edition, Voisin changed the Holy Name from Martini's form as "Yohoua" to "Jehova", thus making it conform to the vowels of the most common form of the Holy Name as found in the Masoretic text. Martini, himself, rejected the vowel points of the Masoretic text.  Gerard Gertoux, in his book, "The Name of God," pages 152,153, shows that Martini actually used the form "Yohoua." Gertoux states:

Raymond Martini used the spelling Yohoua for God's name in his Pugio Fidei (III:II) It is clear that this scholar who knew the Hebrew form (YeHoWaH) did not transcribe it Yehouah in Latin as might be expected, but Yohoua. Martini explained at length the reasons for his choice. He quoted the Talmulci references from Rabbi Mosch Ben Maymon in his *Guide of the Perplexed*, especially those of chapters 60-64 of part I, which concern the Name.... Raymond Martini did not claim that this was the exact pronunciation, but insisted on the necessity of using it, quoting Isaiah 52:6.

Many, not aware that Voisin made later made a change, have assumed that it was Martini himself who used the form "Jehova," and many, evidently ignoring the earlier work of the Masoretes, even make the false claim that Martini took vowel points from ADONAI and/or ELOHIM to create "Jehova." In fact, the Masoretes came up with the vowel points over 300 years before Martini was born. Nevertheless, there is no real evidence that the Masoretes or Martini took vowel points from other words to use in the forms they used for the Holy Name.

The general supposition held by most scholars is that the Masoretes took the vowel points they supplied to form the word ADONAI to create the form from which "Jehovah" is transliterated. Despite the fact that many accept this hypothesis as being fact, in reality, there is no real evidence that they did such. The Masoretes themselves never made such a claim. This assumption appears to have been created centuries after the Masoretes completed their work. The Masoretic form transliterated as Jehovah conforms with other names, as that rendered as Jehosophat, Jehoram, Jehoada, Jehoiachin, Jehonadab, and others that begin the same.

Nevertheless, God has made no decree to the effect that his Holy Name has to be pronounced in every language exactly as it was pronounced in ancient Hebrew. This decree comes from man, not from God. 

Of course, no one invented Jehovah Himself, whether one refers to Him as "Jehovah," "Yahweh," "Yohoua," etc. These are linguistic variations of the same one Holy Name.

Regardless, we can be certain that God's Holy Name is not "Lord," "the Lord,", "God," "Adonai," "HaShem," etc. 

Research Related Raymandus Martini