Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition

The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition (SSBE) is a Sacred Name Bible which uses the names Yahweh and Yahshua in both the Old and New Testaments (Chamberlin p. 51-3). It was produced by Jacob O. Meyer, based on the American Standard Version of 1901 and it contains over 977 pages. The Assemblies of Yahweh printed 5,500 copies of the first edition in 1981. It is also used by some members of the Sacred Name Movement.

Use
In the early years of the ministry, Jacob O. Meyer, the Directing Elder of the Assemblies of Yahweh, would preach using a King James Version (KJV) Bible, simply replacing Lord, Jesus and God by Yahweh and Yahshua. "Throughout this time, Elder Meyer longed for the opportunity to produce a scholarly version of the Bible, with correct use of the Sacred Names and with translation errors corrected to give a good representation of the historically accepted Hebrew and Greek base texts"

The KJV presented a problem in that as pointed out by Bible scholars, there are numerous errors in the text. During the late 19th century and into the early 20th century, a number of notable Bible translations came about which were more accurate than their predecessor, the KJV. These include the American Standard Version, the New International Version and the New American Standard Bible. The year 1966 saw the significant progressive step of a Bible produced by the Roman Catholic Church, the Jerusalem Bible. In their effort to be literal with their translation they retained the Sacred Name Yahweh in the Old Testament texts, but as a limited Sacred Name Bible did not include it in the New Testament texts. Other limited Sacred Name Bibles were produced such as the Anchor Bible, but none which seamlessly retained Yahweh (or indeed Yahshua) throughout the texts. This was one of the main reasons why the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition came in to being.

Based on the ASV
As Meyer studied Hebrew and Greek and the original texts, Meyer came to believe that most false doctrines found in modern religious teaching originated from the translation of the text into modern language, not from the original texts. For example, the SSBE does not use the term "cross" but rather "stake" or "pole" in reference to the death fixture used on the Messiah because in the underlying text, the term stauros or xulon is used, which does not mean a cross but rather an upright stake. As a basis for the SSBE translation, Meyer chose the ASV as a basis, as he noticed that professors would often comment that it was the English translation that would provide the best approximation of the original. Meyer wrote in the preface of the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition: "The American Standard Version published in 1901 was probably the most accurate translation work ever put in to print. It maintains the delicate balance of providing a very literal translation while simultaneously preserving a fair amount of ethnic idiom evident in the text."

Joint effort
As Meyer wished the Assemblies of Yahweh to be in complete unity, with all reading from the same Bible, rather than different people reading different versions, Meyer put out an annual report around the Feast of Tabernacles in 1980. "When the assembled brethren would read from the Bible, in unison, there was anything but a unified sound. Some would be reading from the KJV, some from the Holy Name Bible, and several from other available translations. Rather than a unified voice of praise reading from Yahweh's Psalms, what was heard could almost be described as cacophony"

In the annual report, he announced that the project of producing an accurate Bible translation would go forth for the glory of Almighty Yahweh. Firstly, the funds had to be acquired for typesetting, printing and binding expenses, as well as the cost of time spent reviewing, editing and making corrections. Donations came in from all over the world to complete the project. That, with securing a loan from the bank, made it possible to advance this project. In the Spring – Summer of 1981, editing was done to the text, assisted by office staff and Obadiah School of the Bible students. Because the editing work was being done in a time before the computer technology became common, editorial changes were all done by hand by Meyer. Yahweh and Yahshua were put back in the text to replace LORD and Jesus, and the Hebrew titles Elohim, Eloah and El were also restored to the texts. Further, the Shakespearean English was updated to reflect the usage of language in the 20th century.

"Indeed this was an ambitious undertaking for a small organization with limited resources, but Elder Meyer assured all that were present that Yahweh would provide and the work would press forward in faith."

Published and distributed
The manuscripts were completed by in 1981. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition went to press and was delivered to the International Headquarters between December 1981 and January 1982. The Assemblies of Yahweh have continuously put the SSBE open at Psalm 101 to Psalm 103 on display at the altar table of the Bethel Meeting Hall.

"The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition has been the standard and accepted Bible used in all Assemblies of Yahweh worship services and publications since its release in 1982. Now, when passages are read aloud by the congregation, the joyful sound of a unified voice is heard and an inspiring moment is enjoyed by all."

Yahweh
Sacred Name supporters often cite from passages such as where, in the original Hebrew texts, Yahweh (יהוה) is found. The name is found approximately 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Some claim that the pronunciation was lost, or unknown. However, most prominent, authoritative reference works today support the view that the Name Yahweh was known, and is the most accurate spelling in to the English language. The Encyclopedia Judaica makes the following statement:

"The true pronunciation of the name YHWH was never lost. Several early Greek writers of the Christian Church testify that the name was pronounced Yahweh."

Prominent religious leaders have agreed that Yahweh cannot be translated into any word exactly (Herbert Armstrong, pp. 128 – 129). The Assemblies of Yahweh transliterate the Name. Some Bible translators point out that the reason for not pronouncing Yahweh and producing the form Jehovah, was due to a misunderstanding of Jewish tradition (Anchor Bible, page XIV). Bible translations such as the Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, the Anchor Bible, and the Jerusalem Bible have retained the name Yahweh in the Old Testament. The SSBE is one of the few English Bible translations that uses Yahweh in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

"We have restored the Sacred Name and the Sacred titles to the English texts."

The Assemblies of Yahweh point out that Yahweh's Word and Law prohibits the usage of other names to address Yahweh in scriptures like Exodus 23:13, Joshua 23:7, Psalm 16:4 and Psalm 44:20-21.

Yahshua
The term Yeshua is the most popular choice to the proper transliteration of Jesus' name, however, the Assemblies of Yahweh point out that 'Ye' was used as a substitute for 'Yah' by the Jews to prevent the Name of Yahweh (Yah) appearing in proper nouns largely owing to a misunderstanding of the third commandment. The explanation of the name of Yahshua appears in where it tells us that 'he shall save his people from their sins'. The AOY explain that the 'he' relates to Yahweh, while the 'save his people' element relates to one of the four Hebrew verbs meaning salvation, most likely 'Yahsha'. Here is reflected the name of the Messiah. The attempted transliteration of the Hebrew name into English by most Bible translations give the variation "Jehoshua". However, the form Jehoshua is questionable in that firstly, the vowel points which dictate this form of transliteration are less ancient than the letters of the word having been introduced between 600 and 900 C.E.

The Assemblies of Yahweh consistently treat both Sacred Names the same, rejecting the vowel points later added to the Name Yahweh, and the name Yahshua , as it produces a hybrid word i.e. Jehoshua. According to Josephus, in The Jewish War, Book 5, Chapter 5, Section 7, as well as Hebrew grammar books, the first three letters of the Sacred Name are actually vowels. When the Name Yahweh appears in the name of a person, it was always intended to be abbreviated by using the form 'Yah'. The whole Tetragrammaton is never applied to the name of a mortal in the Sacred Scriptures, only the abbreviated form.

Since these letters are vowels and not consonants, Meyer explains it is impossible to pronounce them as YEHU. They must be pronounced YAHW as they are equivalent to the English vowels IAU. Jacob O. Meyer writes:

The last two letters of the savior's name is. It is pronounced "shua" as according to the Strong's Concordance #8668. Hence you have the name Yahshua.

In explaining the reason for the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition, Meyer writes:

"However, the text of this volume was maintained in strict majesty of expression as befits the Word of our Heavenly Father Yahweh and His Son, Yahshua the Messiah. We have not resorted to the modern corrupt slang common in American English. While striving to make the text of the Bible more understandable for the modern reader, the majesty with which the Bible should be comprehended was not sacrificed; therefore, this text emphasizes our need to think of our Heavenly Father and Messiah on a higher level. We hope you will enjoy The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition. Read and accept it as the very Word of our Heavenly Father Yahweh. May Almighty Yahweh by His Holy Spirit bless all who read His Word and come to love it more deeply with each passing day. In Yahshua the Messiah's Name, HalleluYah."

Preface section
The SSBE is distinguishable by its preface section, which describes the setting, language and name of the Bible. Evidence is offered to show how the rendering Jehovah is a serious mispronunciation of the Tetragrammaton. Among some of the terms used by scholars to describe the name Jehovah are "morphological monstrosity" and a "mispronunciation".

Meyer wrote in the Sacred Name Broadcaster: ""

Also, "the best transliteration of this name into English is spelled Yahweh, and is so pronounced". They therefore reject the English titles for God's name, claiming to trace such titles etymologically to the worship of other deities.

Corrected terms and glossary
The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is a Bible which attempts to restore the original words, which would have appeared in the original texts, by restoring the names Yahweh and Yahshua to the text and other words. In a Pure Religious Vocabulary section, Meyer   explains that changes have occurred in the usages of the English words themselves over the centuries, and that we should return to the original texts as closely as we can. Meyer admonishes the reader of the Pure Religious Glossary section of the Bible to be like the noble Bereans and prove these scholarly items relating to the origin of some of the words for themselves.

Here are just some of the corrected terms used along with their definitions:

The glossary of terms briefly traces and presents the etymology of words used frequently by Christian theologians that the translator and scholar Meyer claims are pagan in origin.

Editions
The Assemblies of Yahweh continue to use the SSBE as their preferred text. , it has undergone seven printings: 1981, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2008. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is available at at least one library in England and at least one in the United States and is used at Dalet School and Obadiah School of the Bible, both in Bethel, Pennsylvania.. The Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition is also available on the Kindle, which can be downloaded to smartphones or used on tablets. It has a 4.7 / 5 star rating on Amazon.