Edit William H. Sanford and Chuck Missler spread the idea that behind the Hebrew Aleph-Tav symbol there is a reference to Jesus. The combination Aleph-Tav includes Y’shua haMashiach (Jesus the Messiah). They come to this conclusion because Jesus says in Revelation 1: 8 that he is the alpha and the omega (the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet). In Revelation 21: 6 this is also combined with the statement that he is the beginning and the end. In the Hebrew alphabet, the aleph and the tav are the first and last letters.

Behind this interpretation stands a kabbalistic interpretation of the Bible. Kabbalah is searching for secret messages behind the written text. It is a search for something that the text does not say. But the focus should be on the content of the text.

An example אמת `EMeT means truth. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Tav is the last letter. The Meme is the middle letter. Thus, according to the Kabbalistic interpretation, the truth is in the middle. We could also claim that if we take away the core of the truth, then we receives the aleph-tav sign.

Many hidden combinations can be found with the computer. But such players miss the real meaning of the text and have their origin rather in the fact that we want to receive “divine” knowledge.

The real meaning of the Aleph-Tav sign is a grammatical function. In many languages ​​the accusative is formed with the sentence order. Not so in Hebrew. There you need the Alef-Tav symbol in certain cases. The accusative is formed by the preceding syllable את ET in the following two cases: • when a noun is a name • if the noun has a specific article, it starts with a preceding ה Ha. In all other cases there are no changes in the accusative case. The accusative sign is also left out in poetry. As in many languages, certain verbs require the accusative.

The Jewish Bible also says that God is the beginning and the end. In Isaiah 44: 6 it says: “Thus says the Lord (YHWH), the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”

And in Isaiah 48:12: “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.”

In Revelation 21: 6 it says: “And he (who seated on the throne) said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”

Obviously, the statement here is referring to the Greek alphabet because Alpha and Omega are Greek letters. What did Jesus really tell John? Did he speak Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew? Did John translate Jesus’ statement into his target language, Greek? We do not know it. But to form new theological statements from speculation misses the real meaning that we meet in Jesus who is the beginning and the end.

We can and will discover the two letters Aleph and Tav everywhere.

Let us focus much more on the real meaning of the biblical statements instead of looking for a holy grail (1) in Scripture, as it is in the subtitle of the English edition.

(1) The Holy Grail is the cup from which Jesus Christ is said to have drunk. It is the best known of all relics: the Holy Grail promises redemption and eternal life. Joseph is said to have held a bowl, which was later called the “Holy Grail”, under Jesus’ wound and filled it with his blood.