Xenokrateia Relief left. This is the god Apollo, sitting on a tripod, resting his legs on an Omphalos, near to which stands an eagle. The figure to his right is usually identified as Apollo’s mother, Leto, or as his sister, Artemis. Some scholars identify Artemis as the third figure from the left, while others identify it as Hermes, Leto, Rhapso, or an unidentified youth. The two figures of a smaller scale are almost unanimously identified as Xenokrateia and her son, Xeniades, since Greek art usually depict humans as smaller than deities. The figure who interacts with Xenokrateia and her son is usually
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain referred to this as "motzi shem shamayim lavatalah", "uttering the Name of Heaven uselessly." To avoid guilt associated with accidentally breaking the commandment, Jewish scholars applied the prohibition to all seven biblical titles of God in addition to the proper name, and established the safeguard of circumlocution when referring to the Name of God. In writing names of God, a common practice includes substituting letters or syllables so that the written word is not exactly the name, or writing the name in an abbreviated manner. Orthodox Jews will not even pronounce a name of God unless it is said in