"Heaven" (name for God)
From
the Encylopaedia Judia 7:682
| The Earliest
occurriences (except for Dan. 4:23 : "It is Heaven
that rules") of the substition of the word
"Heaven" (God's abode) for "God"
(Himself) are found in the Apcrypha : "In the site
of Heaven" (I Macc. 3:18), "Let us cry to
Heaven" ( I Macc. 4:10) "They were singing
hymns and glorifying Heaven" (I Macc. 4:24),
"All the people ... adored and praised Heaven"
(I Macc. 4:55), With the help of Heaven" (I Macc.
12:15) and "From these [sons]" II Macc. 7:11) In Christian Gospels this usage is especially common in the Judeo-Christian Gospel of Matthew, where e.g. "the Kingdom of Heaven" corresponds to the "Kingdom of God" in parallel passages of Mark and Luke (Matt. 3:22 = Mark 1:15 ; Matt. 5:3 = Luke 6:20 ; etal.) but also in Luke 15:18,21 : "I have sinned against Heaven." This usage still persist in such expressions as "Heaven help us". Netherworld|| Gehinnom || Paradise || God in vain |
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