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Yahweh ( /ˈjɑːweɪ/ or /ˈjɑːhweɪ/; Hebrew: יהוה‎), often rendered Jehovah /dʒɨˈhoʊvə/ or the LORD (in small capitals), is the god of Israel in the Hebrew Bible. Yahweh is a modern scholarly vocalization of the name as it appears in Hebrew, where it is written without vowels as יהוה (YHWH), called the Tetragrammaton.

Yahweh was not a Canaanite god, and modern scholars see him originating in Edom, the region south of Judah.^[1][2] The goddess Asherah may have been Yahweh's consort in the earliest period, but this is not certain. Originally the main god of the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel and Judah, worship of Yahweh alone (monotheism) became entrenched in Judaism in the exilic and Persian periods.^[3]

The Bible describes Yahweh as the god who delivered Israel from Egypt and gave the Ten Commandments^[4] and says that Yahweh revealed himself to Israel as the LORD who would not permit his people to make idols or worship other gods^[5] "I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, or My praise to idols."^[6]

Name[link]

In Exodus 3:13–15 God, asked by Moses for his name, replies "I Am That I Am", followed by "I Am", and finally "YHWH":

... אהיה אשר אהיה ... כה תאמר לבני ישראל אהיה שלחני אליכם: ... יהוה אלהי אבתיכם ... זה־שמי לעלם ...

"I AM THAT I AM [...] Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. [...] YHWH, God of your fathers, [...] this is My name for ever"^{[Exod. 3:14–15]}

Biblical Hebrew was written with consonants only, meaning that the name of God is written YHWH. The original pronunciation of this word was lost many centuries ago, but the available evidence indicates that it was in all likelihood Yahweh.^[7] The evidence also suggests that it is the shortened form of a sentence used in worship, and meant "he causes to be" or "he creates".^[7] Most likely the original sentence was el du yahwi seba'ot, "el who creates the hosts", meaning the heavenly army accompanying the god El as he marched out beside the earthly armies of Israel.^[7].

As the origins of Yahweh seem to lie to the southeast of Israel, in Edom and Midian or even further, an alternative explanation looks for the source of the name in South Semitic languages like Arabic rather than in Hebrew, which is West Semitic. One of the meanings of HWY in Arabic is connected with falling or causing to fall, leading to an interpretation of Yahweh as a storm god whose name means "He who causes to fall" (meaning rain, lightning, and his enemies) or "He storms". This helps explain Yahweh's attributes as a storm god (he comes to rescue Israel surrounded by darkness and thick clouds, and the earth trembles, the clouds drop water, and the mountains quake at his appearance), and the way he appropriates attributes from the rival storm god Baal.^[8]

History[link]

The Kenite hypothesis[link]

The Bible tells a story in which the Israelites escaped from Egypt, met Yahweh on a mountain-top in the wilderness, agreed to become his chosen people, and conquered Canaan with his help. The view of modern scholarship is quite different: the archaeological evidence points to an Israelite community arising peacefully and internally in the highlands of Canaan.^[9]

If Yahweh was not a Canaanite god, this raises the question of where he originated and how he became the national god of Israel and Judah in Iron Age II (1000-586). The first probable record of his name is in two Egyptian inscriptions from the 14th and 13th centuries, as a place-name in the region of Edom associated with Shashu-Bedouins". According to a widely accepted theory (the "Kenite hypothesis"), this god could have been brought north to the Canaanite hill country and the early Israelites by migratory Edomite desert tribes, of whom the Kenites were one.^[10]

National god of Israel[link]

In Iron Age I the religious life of ordinary Israelites, like that of other peoples throughout the Ancient Near East, was organised around the family-based cult of the ancestors and devotion to a local god, the "god of the fathers".^[11] According to the Bible the first king, Saul, was a Gibeonite, a tribe with its roots in Edom, and in order to unify the new kingdom and cement his own authority Saul promoted his own god, Yahweh, as god of the kingdom;^[12] previously, each extended family or clan was the "people" of a particular god, but now the entire Israelite community became the "people of Yahweh".^[13]

Yahweh was the god of the northern kingdom of Israel by at least the early 9th century, and this is confirmed by an inscription from Kuntillet Ajrud which refers to Yahweh of Samaria, probably meaning the kingdom rather than the city.^[14]

More than forty inscriptions mentioning Yahweh, Yahu or Yah have been discovered, all tending to reinforce the centrality of Yahweh to Israelite religion. The inscriptions include blessings, oaths, salutations, votive offerings, seals and prayers. No other gods or goddesses are unambiguously recorded except for contentious references to Asherah, who might be a goddess and Yahweh's consort, or possibly some kind of cult object. A fragment from Kuntillet Ajrud (9th/8th centuries) mentions Baal in association with Yahweh, but in this case the word might simply mean "Lord" (the literal meaning of "baal").^[15]

A 10th century cult stand from Taanach (a town in Northern Israel, near Megiddo) shows, among other images, two winged sphinxes with an empty space between them, possibly meant to represent Yahweh between the cherubim. A horse or bull figure on the same stand, topped by a solar disk, may represent either Yahweh or Baal, and a stylised tree and female figures are testimony to the presence of goddesses (possibly Asherah) in the pantheon.^[16]

Evidence increasingly suggests that many Israelites worshipped Asherah as the consort of Yahweh, and various biblical passages indicate that statues of the goddess were kept in Yahweh's temples in Jerusalem, Bethel, aned Samaria.^[17]

Yahwism[link]

Archaeologists and historical scholars use a variety of ways to organize and interpret the available iconographic and textual information. William G. Dever contrasts "official religion/state religion/book religion" of the elite with “folk religion” of the masses.^[18] Rainer Albertz contrasts "official religion" with "family religion", "personal piety", and "internal religious pluralism".^[19] Jacques Berlinerblau analyzes the evidence in terms of "official religion" and "popular religion" in ancient Israel.^[20]

Patrick D. Miller has distinguished three broad categories of Yahwism, orthodox, heterodox, and syncretistic.^[21] Orthodox Yahwism demanded the exclusive worship of Yahweh (although without denying the existence of other gods). The powers of blessing (health, wealth, continuity, fertility) and salvation (forgiveness, victory, deliverance from oppression and threat) resided fully in Yahweh, and his will was communicated via oracle and prophetic vision or audition. Divination, soothsaying, and necromancy were prohibited. The individual or community could cry out to Yahweh and would receive a divine response, mediated by priestly or prophetic figures.^[22]

Sanctuaries were erected in various places and were used to express devotion to Yahweh by means of sacrifice, festival meals and celebrations, prayer, and praise. Toward the end of the seventh century (BCE) in Judah, worship of Yahweh was restricted to the temple in Jerusalem, while the major sanctuaries in the northern kingdom were at Bethel (near the southern border) and Dan (in the north). Certain times were set for the gathering of the people to celebrate the gifts of Yahweh and the deity’s acts of deliverance and redemption.^[23]

Everything in the moral realm was understood as a part of relation to Yahweh as a manifestation of holiness. Family relationships and the welfare of the weaker members of society were protected by divine law, and purity of conduct, dress, food, etc. were regulated. Religious leadership resided in priests who were associated with sanctuaries, and also in prophets, who were bearers of divine oracles. In the political sphere the king was understood as the appointee and agent of Yahweh.^[24]

Heterodox Yahwism is described by Miller as a mixture of elements of orthodox Yahwism with particular practices that conflicted with orthodox Yahwism or were not customarily a part of it. For example, heterodox Yahwism included the presence of cult objects rejected in by orthodox expressions, such as the Asherah, figurines of various sorts (females, horses and riders, animals and birds, and the calves or bulls of the Northern Kingdom. The "high places" as centers of worship seems to have moved from an acceptable place within Yahwism to an increasingly condemned status in official and orthodox circles. Efforts to know the future or the will of the deity could also be understood as heterodox if they went outside the boundaries of orthodox Yahwism, and even commonly accepted revelatory mechanism such as dreams could be condemned if the resulting message was perceived as false. Consulting mediums, wizards, and diviners was often employed by heterodox Yahwists.^[25]

Syncretism covers the worship of Baal, the heavenly bodies (sun, moon, and stars), the "Queen of Heaven" and other deities as well as practices such as child sacrifice: "Other gods were invoked and serviced in time of need or blessing and provision for life when the worship of Yahweh seemed inadequate for those purposes."^[26]

Ancient Israel and Judah[link]

It has traditionally been believed that monotheism was part of Israel's original covenant with Yahweh on Mount Sinai, and the idolatry criticized by the prophets was due to Israel's backsliding.^[27] But during the 20th century it became increasingly recognised that the Bible's presentation raises a number of questions: Why do the Ten Commandments declare that there should be no other gods "before Me" (Yahweh), if there are no other gods at all? Why do the Israelites sing at the crossing of the Red Sea that "there is no god like you, O Yahweh",^[Ex 15:11] implying that other gods exist? These observations eventually overthrew the belief that Israel had always worshipped no other god but Yahweh.^[28]

Evidence of Israelite worship of Canaanite gods appears both in the Bible and the archaeological record. Respectful references to the goddess Asherah or her symbol, for example, as part of the worship of Yahweh, are found in the eighth century inscriptions from Kuntillet Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom, and references to the Canaanite gods Resheph and Deber appear without criticism in the original Jewish text of Habakkuk 3:5. While traditionally these words have been understood to be either Jewish words whose meaning has been derived from characteristics of these Canaanite deities^[29] or references to demons,^[30] some interpret these as evidence of Israelite recognition of these gods as part of the military retinue of Yahweh.^[31] The "host of heaven" is also mentioned without criticism in 1_Kings 22:19 and Zephaniah 1:5. Though the "host of heaven" has traditionally been interpreted as either the stars/heavenly bodies or the host of angels/heavenly spirits depending on the context,^[32] some again have interpreted this term to refer to a pantheon of Israelite gods.^[33] The god El is also continually identified with Yahweh.^[34]

Israel inherited polytheism from late first-millennium Canaan, and Canaanite religion in turn had its roots in the religion of second-millennium Ugarit.^[35] In the 2nd millennium, polytheism was expressed through the concepts of the divine council and the divine family, a single entity with four levels: the chief god and his wife (El and Asherah); the seventy divine children or "stars of El" (including Baal, Astarte, Anat, probably Resheph, as well as the sun-goddess Shapshu and the moon-god Yerak); the head helper of the divine household, Kothar wa-Hasis; and the servants of the divine household, including the messenger-gods who would later appear as the "angels" of the Hebrew Bible.^[36]

In the earliest stage Yahweh was one of the seventy children of El, each of whom was the patron deity of one of the seventy nations. This is illustrated by the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint texts of Deuteronomy 32:8–9, in which El, as the head of the divine assembly, gives each member of the divine family a nation of his own, "according to the number of the divine sons": Israel is the portion of Yahweh.^[37] The later Masoretic text, evidently uncomfortable with the polytheism expressed by the phrase, altered it to "according to the number of the children of Israel"^[38]

Between the eighth to the sixth centuries El became identified with Yahweh, Yahweh-El became the husband of the goddess Asherah, and the other gods and the divine messengers gradually became mere expressions of Yahweh's power.^[39] Yahweh is cast in the role of the Divine King ruling over all the other deities, as in Psalm 29:2, where the "sons of God" are called upon to worship Yahweh; and as Ezekiel 8-10 suggests, the Temple itself became Yahweh's palace, populated by those in his retinue.^[35]

It is in this period that the earliest clear monotheistic statements appear in the Bible, for example in the apparently seventh-century Deuteronomy 4:35, 39, 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 7:22, 2 Kings 19:15, 19 (= Isaiah 37:16, 20), and Jeremiah 16:19, 20 and the sixth-century portion of Isaiah 43:10–11, 44:6, 8, 45:5–7, 14, 18, 21, and 46:9.^[40] Because many of the passages involved appear in works associated with either Deuteronomy, the Deuteronomistic History (Joshua through Kings) or in Jeremiah, most recent scholarly treatments have suggested that a Deuteronomistic movement of this period developed the idea of monotheism as a response to the religious issues of the time.^[41]

The first factor behind this development involves changes in Israel's social structure. At Ugarit, social identity was strongest at the level of the family: legal documents, for example, were often made between the sons of one family and the sons of another. Ugarit's religion, with its divine family headed by El and Asherah, mirrored this human reality.^[42] The same was true in ancient Israel through most of the monarchy – for example, the story of Achan in Joshua 8 suggests an extended family as the major social unit. However, the family lineages went through traumatic changes beginning in the eighth century due to major social stratification, followed by Assyrian incursions. In the seventh and sixth centuries, we begin to see expressions of individual identity (Deuteronomy 26:16; Jeremiah 31:29–30; Ezekiel 18). A culture with a diminished lineage system, deteriorating over a long period from the ninth or eighth century onward, less embedded in traditional family patrimonies, might be more predisposed both to hold the individual accountable for his behavior, and to see an individual deity accountable for the cosmos. In short, the rise of the individual as the basic social unit led to the rise of a single god replacing a divine family.^[43]

The second major factor was the rise of the neo-Assyrian and neo-Babylonian empires. As long as Israel was, from its own perspective, part of a community of similar small nations, it made sense to see the Israelite pantheon on par with the other nations, each one with its own patron god – the picture described with Deuteronomy 32:8–9. The assumption behind this worldview was that each nation was as powerful as its patron god.^[44] However, the neo-Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom in ca. 722 challenged this, for if the neo-Assyrian empire were so powerful, so must be its god; and conversely, if Israel could be conquered (and later Judah, c. 586), it implied that Yahweh in turn was a minor divinity. The crisis was met by separating the heavenly power and earthly kingdoms. Even though Assyria and Babylon were so powerful, the new monotheistic thinking in Israel reasoned, this did not mean that the god of Israel and Judah was weak. Assyria had not succeeded because of the power of its god Marduk; it was Yahweh who was using Assyria to punish and purify the one nation which Yahweh had chosen.^[41]

By the post-Exilic period, full monotheism had emerged: Yahweh was the sole god, not just of Israel, but of the whole world. If the nations were tools of Yahweh, then the new king who would come to redeem Israel might not be a Judean as taught in older literature (e.g. Psalm 2). Now, even a foreigner such as Cyrus the Persian could serve as the Lord's anointed (Isaiah 44:28, 45:1). One god stood behind all the world's history.^[41]

Use in contemporary religion[link]

Modern Judaism[link]

In modern Judaism, the Tetragrammaton is conventionally substituted by Adonai ("my Lord") when reading the text of the Bible. Jews ceased to pronounce the name in the intertestamental period, replacing it with the common noun Elohim, “the God”, to demonstrate the universal sovereignty of Israel's deity over all others. At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered, and was replaced in spoken ritual by the word Adonai (“My Lord”), or with haShem (“the Name”) in everyday speech,^[45] see Names of God in Judaism for details.

Roman Catholic church[link]

Traditionally in both Latin and vernacular worship "Lord" was used, following the Greek New Testament and Septuagint. Although the rendering of the Tetragrammaton as "Yahweh" is found in the Old Testament of versions such as the Roman Catholic Jerusalem Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible (1985), the liturgical use of Yahweh in vernarcular worship was reprobated by the Vatican in 2008.^[46] The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments direction that the word "Lord" be used instead of Yahweh in English-language worship, and that the local equivalent to the Latin dominus (Lord, Master) be used in all vernacular worship,^[47] was based on the understanding that Jews at the time of Christ (compare the Septuagint use of kurios, Greek for "Lord") and also early Christians substituted other words rather than pronounce the name.^[48]

Protestantism[link]

Bible scholar and author Charles Ryrie, author of the Ryrie Study Bible,^[49] says the name “Yahweh” appears 6,823 times in the Old Testament, and also many times in the New Testament when it directly quotes or paraphrases passages from the Old Testament containing God’s name. He writes that the name "Yahweh" is particularly associated with God's holiness,^{[Lev 11:44,45]} his hatred of sin ^{[Gen 6:3–7]} and his provision of redemption.^{[Isa 53:1,5,6,10]} It may be that the contemporary translations of the Bible do not use "Yahweh" out of respect for the traditional Jewish reverence for this name.^[50]

Almost all Bibles (KJV, DRC, RSV, ESV, NASB, NIV, NJPS, NRSV, NAB, NABRE, CCD, NEB, REB, NKJV, etc.), except for the Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, and a few uncommon translations such as the Rotherham Emphasized Bible, substitute the titles "Lord" and "God" in small caps (Lord, God) where the tetragrammaton appears in the Hebrew. The American Standard Version of 1901, a revision of the English Revised Version of 1881, derived from the King James Version, consistently used the rendering Jehovah. The name "Yahweh" does not appear in the text of most popular English Bible translations on the market today. Jewish Bible scholars introduced this tradition in the mid-2nd century BC Septuagint translation, and it has continued since that time. In 1611, the inaugural edition of the King James Bible editors did not include the name ”Yahweh,” not being aware of the rendering, though Jehovah does appear several times.

There are some contemporary instances where the spelling Yahweh has come into religious use. The Sacred Name Movement is a small Christian movement, active since the 1930s, which propagates the use of the name Yahweh in Bible translations and in liturgy. "Sacred Name Bibles" are Bibles which render the Tetragrammaton by transliteration (or iconographically by inserting Hebrew script in the translation). An early such Bible was Rotherham's Emphasized Bible of 1902. The Jehovah's Witness New World Translation consistently uses "Jehovah", and even incorrectly inserts it in to the New Testament in place of the Greek "kurios" in many places.^[51]

See also[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Yahweh

• God
• Ancient Semitic religion
• Canaanite religion
• Names of God in Judaism

References[link]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:  Jewish Encyclopedia. 1901–1906. 

Bibliography[link]

• Ackerman, Susan (2003). "Goddesses". In Richard. Near Eastern Archaeology:A Reader. Eisenbrauns. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=khR0apPid8gC&pg=PA394&dq=Near+Eastern+archaeology:+a+reader+Goddesses&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-l-3T8HoNOLbmAWS_pC6CQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Near%20Eastern%20archaeology%3A%20a%20reader%20Goddesses&f=false. 
• Albertz, Rainer (1994a) [Vanderhoek & Ruprecht 1992]. A History of Israelite Religion, Volume I: From the Beginnings to the End of the Monarchy. Westminster John Knox Press. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=yvZUWbTftSgC&pg=RA1-PA145&lpg=RA1-PA145&dq=History+of+Israelite+Religion,+Volume+1++Albertz#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Albertz, Rainer (1994b) [Vanderhoek & Ruprecht 1992]. A History of Israelite Religion, Volume II: From the Exile to the Maccabees. Westminster John Knox Press. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=exjyhvRy7YUC&dq=Albertz+a+history+of+israelite+religion&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Albertz, Rainer (2003a). Israel in Exile: The History and Literature of the Sixth Century B.C.E.. Society of Biblical Literature. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Xx9YzJq2B9wC&dq=Rainer+Albertz,+%22Israel+in+exile%22&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Albertz, Rainer; Becking, Bob, eds. (2003b). Yahwism After the Exile: Perspectives on Israelite Religion in the Persian Era. Koninklijke Van Gorcum. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=hwExATCqwvwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Yahwism+after+the+exile:+perspectives+on+Israelite+religion+in+the+Persian+era#v=onepage&q&f=false.  Becking, Bob. "Law as Expression of Religion (Ezra 7–10)". 

• Barton, John (2010). "Postscript: Reflection on religious diversity". In Francesca Stavrakopoulou, John Barton. Religious diversity in Ancient Israel and Judah. Continuum International Publishing Group. http://books.google.com/books?id=kG_9-vki4ocC&pg=PR5&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

• Dever, William G (2003). "religion and cult in the levant: the archaeological data". In Suzanne Richard. Near Eastern archaeology: a reader. Eisenbrauns. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=khR0apPid8gC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Near+Eastern+archaeology:+a+reader#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Gnuse, Robert Karl (1997). No Other Gods: Emergent Monotheism in Israel. Sheffield Academic Press. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=0Kf1ZwDifdAC&dq=Robert+Karl+Gnuse,+%22No+Other+Gods:+Emergent+Monotheism+in+Israel%22&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Grabbe, Lester (2010). "'Many nations will be joined to YHWH in that day': The question of YHWH outside Judah". In Francesca Stavrakopoulou, John Barton. Religious diversity in Ancient Israel and Judah. Continuum International Publishing Group. http://books.google.com/books?id=kG_9-vki4ocC&pg=PR5&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Miller, Patrick D (2000). The religion of ancient Israel. Westminster John Knox Press. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=JBhY9BQ7hIQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+religion+of+ancient+Israel+Patrick+D.+Miller#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Niehr, Herbert (2010). "'Israelite' religion and 'Canaanite' religion". In Stavrakopoulou, Francesca; Barton, John. Religious Diversity in Ancient Israel and Judah. Continuum International Publishing Group. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=kG_9-vki4ocC&pg=PA23&dq=chapter+3+Israelite+religion+and+canaanite+religion&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gVC8T631J4PimAXDouRQ&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=chapter%203%20Israelite%20religion%20and%20canaanite%20religion&f=false. 
• Paas, Stefan (2003). Creation and judgement: creation texts in some eighth century prophets. Brill. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=lfF31IAuBtAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Creation+Prophets#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Rendsberg, Gary (2003). "Semitic languages (with special reference to the Levant)". In Suzanne Richard. Near Eastern archaeology: a reader. Eisenbrauns. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=khR0apPid8gC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Near+Eastern+archaeology:+a+reader#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Smith, Mark S (2002). The early history of God. Eerdmans. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=1yM3AuBh4AsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Smith+The+Early+History+of+God&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8rm1T6HoJIrnmAXPlaDECQ&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Smith%20The%20Early%20History%20of%20God&f=false. 
• Van der Toorn, Karel (1996). Family religion in Babylonia, Syria, and Israel. Brill. http://books.google.com/books?id=VSJWkrXfbLQC&pg=PR5&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
• Van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; van der Horst, Pieter Willem (1999). Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible DDD. Eerdmans. http://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&pg=PR5&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

External links[link]

• "Yahweh." Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

David S. Ware
David S. Ware photo by Corentin Lamy
Background information
Birth name	David Spencer Ware
Born	(1949-11-07) November 7, 1949 (age 62) Plainfield, New Jersey United States
Genres	Jazz, Free jazz, Avant-garde jazz
Occupations	Musician, Bandleader
Instruments	Saxophone
Labels	Silkheart, DIW, Homestead, AUM Fidelity, Columbia, Thirsty Ear
Associated acts	Cecil Taylor, Andrew Cyrille
Website	davidsware.com

David Spencer Ware (born November 7, 1949 in Plainfield, New Jersey), is an American jazz saxophonist working mostly in free jazz.^[1]

In 2001 critic Gary Giddins described Ware's quartet as "the best small band in jazz today."^[2]

Biography[link]

Ware grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey and graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. He attended the Berklee College of Music. He lived in New York City and worked as a cab driver for 14 years, but later relocated to Scotch Plains.

Ware's recorded debut was in 1971, on a privately-produced LP recorded by Abdul Hannah, an alto saxophonist from Boston. He went on to record with drummer Andrew Cyrille and pianist Cecil Taylor. In the late 1970s and early '80s Ware recorded more regularly as a bandleader, and formed his acclaimed quartet in the early 1990s. The quartet was originally composed of Ware, pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker and drummer Marc Edwards. The drum chair was later occupied by Whit Dickey, Susie Ibarra, and Guillermo E. Brown. The quartet released a string of well-reviewed albums mostly on small record labels, but saxophonist Branford Marsalis signed Ware to two-album deal with Columbia Records in the late '90s.^[2] Ware dissolved the quartet in about 2007, after the release of the album Renunciation. He has since recorded albums for solo saxophone, and with several different supporting bands.

Suffering from kidney disease, Ware was able to undergo a successful kidney transplantation at the age of 60, after receiving a kidney donated in response to an email message sent out to nearly 1,000 of Ware's fans.^[3][4]

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• Third World Awareness (Abdul Hannah, 1971)
• Passage to Music (Silkheart, 1988)
• Great Bliss, vol. 1 (Silkheart, 1990)
• Great Bliss, vol. 2 (Silkheart, 1990)
• Flight of I (DIW, 1991)
• Third Ear Recitation (DIW, 1993)
• Earthquation (DIW, 1994)
• Cryptology (Homestead, 1994)
• Oblations and Blessings (Silkheart, 1995)
• Dao (Homestead, 1995)
• Godspelized (DIW, 1996)
• Wisdom of Uncertainty (AUM Fidelity, 1996)
• Live in the Netherlands (Splasc(H), 1997)
• Go See the World (Columbia, 1997)
• Surrendered (Columbia, 1999)
• Corridors & Parallels (AUM Fidelity, 2001)
• Freedom Suite (AUM Fidelity, 2002)
• The David S Ware Quartet Live in the World (Thirsty Ear, 1998/2003)
• Threads (CD Thirsty Ear, 2003)
• BalladWare (CD Thirsty Ear, 2005)
• Renunciation (AUM Fidelity, 2007)
• Shakti (Aum Fidelity, 2008) with Joe Morris g, William Parker b, Warren Smith dr
• David S Ware Quartet Live in Vilnius (2 LP, NO BUSINESS 2008)
• Saturnian (solo saxophones volume 1) (Aum Fidelity, 2009)
• Onecept (Aum Fidelity, 2010) with William Parker b, Warren Smith dr

As sideman[link]

With Andrew Cyrille

• Metamusicians' Stomp (Black Saint, 1978)
• Special People (Soul Note, 1980)

With Cecil Taylor

• Dark to Themselves (Enja, 1976)

References[link]

External links[link]

• David S. Ware official site
• David S. Ware Sessionography

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Kari Jobe
Kari at 4th Annual Love Your Neighbor Benefit
Background information
Birth name	Kari Brooke Jobe
Born	(1981-04-06) April 6, 1981 (age 31) Waco, Texas, United States
Origin	Southlake, Texas, United States
Genres	Contemporary Christian music, worship music
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, associate worship pastor
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2003–present
Labels	EMI
Associated acts	Gateway Worship, Klaus Kuehn, Desperation Band
Website	www.karijobe.com

Kari Brooke Jobe (April 6, 1981) is an American Christian singer and songwriter.

Biography[link]

Kari Jobe was born in Waco, Texas^[1] to parents Mark Douglas and Caroline "Sandy" (Nee Bragg). Jobe and was raised in Watauga, Texas and Hurst, Texas; she has two other siblings, Kristen and Caleb. Jobe first began singing at the age of three, [3] and became a Christian at the age of 5. As she grew older, she attended Oral Roberts University, Christ for the Nations Institute and Dallas Baptist University and got her degree in pastoral studies and psychology.

After graduation, Jobe was asked to work as an associate worship pastor for Gateway Church in Southlake, TX, Jobe’s church of six years, which she accepted. She works alongside her father, Mark, in the church^[2] and has traveled internationally on mission trips to lead worship.^[3] Jobe is also a member of Gateway Worship, a Christian worship band associated with Gateway Church. Their live album, Wake Up the World, debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart in 2008.

Aside from being a worship leader and pastor, Jobe released her first major-label self-titled debut album in February 2009 by Integrity Music/Columbia Records/Gateway Create. The album shot to No. 67 on the Billboard 200 list,^[4] and No. 1 on iTunes' Christian music chart.^[5] and No. 3 on Billboard's Christian music chart. Alongside Kari Jobe is the album Le Canto, a Spanish-language version of the album. Prior to releasing Kari Jobe, Jobe has released a compilation album titled Kari Jobe, a live concert album titled Throneroom Worship: Live Acoustic Worship and a Christmas album titled Bethlehem.

From her self-titled album, "I'm Singing" debuted at No. 13 on Billboard's Christian singles chart.^[6] Jobe's second single, "Healer" was released in 2009 and debuted at No. 33 on Billboard's Soft A/C chart.^[7] She released the single "Adore Him" in 2009, the song appearing as part of Integrity Music's compilation album Worship and Adore: A Christmas Offering.

Kari Jobe won two Dove Awards for Special Event Album of the Year and Spanish Language album and was nominated for New Artist of the Year.^[8][9]

In 2011, Jobe signed with EMI CMG Sparrow Records.

Jobe released her second recording project, "Where I Find You" on January 24, 2012. The album reached No. 1 on iTunes upon release.^[10] The album debuted at No. 75 on the Canadian Albums Chart.^[11] The album also debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Bethlehem (2007)
• Kari Jobe (2009)
• Le Canto (2009)
• Where I Find You (2012)
• Donde Te Encuentro (2012)

Live albums[link]

• Throneroom Worship: Live Acoustic Worship (2004)

Compilation albums[link]

• Kari Jobe (2005)

Singles[link]

• "I'm Singing" (2008)
• "Adore Him" (2009)
• "You Are For Me" (2010)
• "Healer" (2010)
• "We Are" (2011)

Albums with Gateway Worship[link]

• Unbreakable (2003)
• Masterpiece (2004)
• Drawing Closer: Songs from Gateway Devotions (2006)
• The Battle: Songs from Gateway Devotions (2007)
• First: Songs from Gateway Devotions (2008)
• My Beloved (2009)

(Songs Inspired By) Conversations With God (2009)

• Let's Go: Songs from Gateway Devotions (2010)
• The More I Seek You (2010)

Live Albums with Gateway Worship[link]

• Living for You (2006)
• Wake Up the World (2008)
• The More I Seek You (2010)
• God Be Praised (2010)
• Great Great God (2011)

Featured vocals[link]

• Glory with Klaus Kuehn and Elizabeth Clark
• "Revelation Song (Spanish Version)" with Danilo Montero
• Glory Revealed II The Word Of God In Worship: "To You Be the Glory" with Matt Maher
• "Whom Shall I Fear" with Lincoln Brewster
• Prepare The Way with Klaus Kuehn
• Worship and Adore: A Christmas Offering (2009)
• WOW Worship: Purple (2010)
• You are For Me with C3 Church (2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Kari Jobe's Gateway Church biography
• Kari Jobe's Revelife page

Chris Tomlin
Chris Tomlin
Background information
Birth name	Christopher Dwayne Tomlin
Born	(1972-05-04) May 4, 1972 (age 40)
Origin	Grand Saline, Texas U.S.
Genres	Contemporary worship music, CCM
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, instrumentalist worship leader
Instruments	Guitar, piano
Years active	1998–present
Labels	sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records
Website	Official website

Christopher Dwayne "Chris" Tomlin (born May 4, 1972) is an American Christian Contemporary Music artist, worship leader, and songwriter from Grand Saline, Texas, United States. He was a staff member at Austin Stone Community Church and is signed to EMI's sixstepsrecords. Tomlin leads worship at many Passion events. Some of his most well-known songs are "How Great Is Our God", "Jesus Messiah", "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)", and the recent song "Our God" which he co-wrote with Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves and Jonas Myrin. He is currently a worship leader at Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia with Louie Giglio and Christy Nockels.

He was awarded Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2006, 2007, 2008 GMA Dove Awards, and Grammy Award Winner for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2012. He was named Artist of the Year in 2007. Tomlin released his seventh studio album, And If Our God Is for Us..., on November 16, 2010. He is one of the members of CompassionArt, a charity founded by Martin Smith (and Smith's wife, Anna) of the band Delirious?.

His newest album is How Great Is Our God: The Essential Collection. released on November 15, 2011.

Early life[link]

Tomlin was born in Grand Saline, Texas in 1972 to Connie and Donna Tomlin. He has two younger brothers, Ryan and Cory.^[1] Chris Tomlin first learned how to play the guitar by playing along side Willie Nelson records.^[2]

Tomlin wrote his first worship song at age fourteen. He entered college planning to study physical therapy, but says he felt God's calling to something else.^{[citation needed]}

In the mid-1990s Tomlin was a worship leader at the Dawson McAllister Youth Conferences, as well as at various church camps in Texas.

After attending Tyler Junior College and Texas A&M University, Tomlin continued to play and write songs, and in 1997, youth speaker Louie Giglio asked if he would be interested in working with the Passion Conferences. Tomlin has been in that movement ever since.

Musical career[link]

Chris performing at a concert in Johnson City, Tennessee

His first nationally released solo project, titled The Noise We Make, was released in 2001, featuring the songs "Forever," "Be Glorified", and "Kindness", each of which made the top 200 in the CCLI 2005 top 500 worship songs.^[3] He released the live EP 545 in 2002, and the studio album Not to Us (2002).

Although he is a solo artist, Tomlin uses a consistent band lineup. He writes many of his songs with the band members. The band includes of Daniel Carson (electric guitar, backup vocals), Jesse Reeves (bass guitar, backup vocals), Travis Nunn (drums), and Matt Gilder (piano, keys). He plays guitar and piano.

According to Christian Copyright Licensing International's list of the top 25 worship songs in the US in August 2007, Tomlin held 5 spots with songs he has either written or co-written: "How Great Is Our God" (No. 1), "Forever" (No. 5), "Holy Is the Lord" (No. 7), "We Fall Down" (No. 12), and "Indescribable" (No. 22). In 2008, Tomlin held 6 spots on 20 The Countdown Magazine's top 20 praise and worship songs: "We Fall Down" (No. 14), "Forever" (No. 10), "Holy is the Lord" (No. 8), "Indescribable" (No. 6), "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" (No. 3), and "How Great is our God" (No. 1).^[4]

Tomlin has toured with contemporary Christian music artists, such as Delirious? during his first tour, and as a supporting act of Steven Curtis Chapman during his All Things New Tour. Tomlin has headlined several tours, such as the Chris Tomlin Indescribable Tour, which featured worship artist Matt Redman, and speaker Louie Giglio,^[5] and headlining the See the Morning Tour. From April to October 2007, Tomlin toured with Louie Giglio and Matt Redman on his "How Great Is Our God" tour.^[3] In 2008, Tomlin toured with Passion Conferences on its world tour. In early 2009, he was in the Hello Love tour with Israel Houghton and New Breed. In summer of 2010, he was in the "Hello Tonight" tour with TobyMac.

Tomlin has been featured at conferences and music festivals. Among these, he played at Grand Saline's annual Salt Festival.^[6] Hillsong's 2007 conference, and the 2008 Compassionart International Songwriting retreat, which was dedicated to writing songs whose revenue would support charities serving the poorest of the world's poor. Other prominent songwriters included were Matt Redman, Martin Smith, Stuart Garrard, and Steven Curtis Chapman. In 2009, Tomlin played at the Harvest Crusade at Anaheim Angels Stadium.

On June 14, 2007, Tomlin's version of the song "Indescribable" was used as the official wake-up call for Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester on Space Shuttle mission STS-117.

In May 2008, Tomlin announced a move from The Austin Stone Community Church, to start a new church with Louie Giglio in Atlanta, Georgia.^[7][8]

In 2009, Tomlin released a Christmas album, Glory in the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship.^[9] It includes three original Christmas songs and features duets with Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, and Audrey Assad. The album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 list and at No. 1 for Holiday albums.

Personal life[link]

Tomlin married Lauren Bricken,^[10] on November 9, 2010.^[11][12][13]

In May 2011, Tomlin announced that he and Lauren are expecting their first child.^[14][15] He announced on Twitter that the couple's daughter, Ashlyn Alexandra Tomlin, was born in September 2011.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

• Inside Your Love (1995)
• Authentic (1998)
• Too Much Free Time (1998) with Ross King
• The Noise We Make (2001)
• Not to Us (2002)
• Arriving (2004)
• See the Morning (2006)
• Hello Love (2008)
• Glory in the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship (2009)
• And If Our God Is for Us... (2010)
• How Great Is Our God: The Essential Collection (2011)

Passion event albums

• Better Is One Day (1999)
• The Road To One Day (2000)
• One Day: Live (2000)
• Our Love is Loud (2002)
• Sacred Revolution: Songs From OneDay 03 (2003)
• Hymns: Ancient and Modern (2004)
• How Great Is Our God (2005)
• Everything Glorious (2006)
• The Best of Passion (So Far) (2006)
• Live From Passion 07 Pts. 1 & 3 (2007)
• God of This City (2008)
• Awakening (2010)
• Here for You (2011)
• White Flag (2012)

Non-album songs

• "Whisper My Name" [Forefront] - Eterne: Never Be the Same (2000)
• "Salvation" - Pour Over Me - Worship Together Live 2001 (2001)
• "Give Us Clean Hands" - Pour Over Me - Worship Together Live 2001 (2001)
• "Satisfied" [Forefront] - Secrets Of The Vine: Music... A Worship Experience (2002)
• "Lord, I'm Gonna Love You" [Sparrow] - Your Love Broke Through (2002)
• "Expressions of Your Love" (duet w/ Rebecca St. James) [Sparrow] - It Takes Two: 15 Collaborations & Duets (2003)
• "Where the Streets Have No Name" [Sparrow/EMI CMG] - In the Name of Love: Artists United for Africa (2004)
• "You're The One" [Disney/EMI CMG] - Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
• "Angels We Have Heard On High" [Word] - WOW Christmas: Green (2005)
• "Mighty to Save" [Integrity] - Bonus disc included with Fruitcake and Ice Cream DVD (2008)
• "Your Heart [David] - Music Inspired by The Story (2011)

Charts[link]

Albums - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)

¹ Currently active on the charts

Music videos[link]

• "Expressions of Your Love" (With Rebecca St. James) (2004)
• "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)" (2007)
• "I Lift My Hands" (2011)

Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

GMA Dove Awards[link]

Throughout his career, Chris Tomlin has been nominated to 32 Dove Awards (6 of them, collaborative efforts) and won 17 of them.

• *Denotes a collaborative effort or a song contribution to a "Various artists" album.
• ¹ The song was performed by Tomlin, but written and produced by Laura Story.
• ² The song was performed by LaRue Howard, but written by Tomlin.

[edit] Billboard Music Awards

Others[link]

Tomlin was nominated for two 2009 Visionary Award: Male Entertainer of the Year and Song of the Year for "Jesus Messiah".^[17]

Bibliography[link]

• Chris Tomlin, The Way I Was Made: Words and Music for an Unusual Life, Multnomah, 2004. ISBN 978-1-59052-327-8

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Austin Stone Community Church
• Article in Time Magazine
• One Million Can

Philip David "Phil" Wickham^[1] (born April 5, 1984)^[5][6] is a Contemporary Christian vocalist/songwriter and guitarist from San Diego, California. Wickham has released five CDs, Give You My World in 2003, a self-titled album in 2006, Cannons in 2007, singalong in 2008, and Heaven & Earth in 2009.^[4] His upcoming album "Response" is slated to be released October 4, 2011. Through his website "Response" CDs can be pre-ordered and a digital download is for sale for immediate download. He has also led worship at Soul Survivor.^[7]

Biography[link]

Early Years[link]

Wickham was raised in a Christian home, the second of three children (brother Evan, sister Jillian), and after feeling the need to "make his faith his own" he began leading worship for his youth group at 12 years old. He graduated from Calvary Christian School in Vista, California in 2002.^[8][9] Wickham's father is currently a worship leader, and both of his parents were at one time members of Jesus movement band Parable.^[10] His older brother Evan Wickham is also a musician who used to serve at Calvary Chapel Vista, and now currently serves at Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, CA. His parents, John and Lisa, encouraged Wickham to learn popular praise songs and to write his own.^[10] Wickham began his full-time music career by touring California and recording his first album.^[9] On November 2, 2008, Wickham married his long time girlfriend, Mallory Plotnik.

Albums[link]

After releasing his independent album, Give You My World in 2003,^[4] Wickham signed with Simple Records. Wickham released his self-titled label debut in 2006.^[4][9] Wickham's second release with Simple/INO Records, Cannons, was released in 2007.^[4] Cannons was inspired by cannon explosions and C.S. Lewis's book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from The Chronicles of Narnia series. Wickham stated in an interview with ChristianityToday.com that the album is "about how the universe is exploding with the glory of God, and how we are compelled to join in with its song."^[6] The 10th track from Cannons, "Jesus Lord of Heaven",^[11] has been translated into seven different languages.^[6] On August 8, 2008 Wickham released a live worship album titled singalong, recorded at Solid Rock Church Portland, Oregon with 3000 fans present. The album was released as a free download, only available from his website, and received over 8,000 downloads within a week of being released. After the release of his singalong album, his self-titled debut climbed to No. 25 on iTunes Top Christian Albums chart (2 years after its initial release).^[12]