Did the patriarchs know God's name?

All of us who blog know that Psychotoddler is a doctor who enjoys an outstanding professional reputation. Vagually, we're aware that he helps people, that he saves lives, that he's held in high regard by people who rely on his medical knowledge. On the blogs, though, none of that matters. Here PT isn't a doctor. He's a goofball who likes video games, imagines himself going one-on-one with super villians, (1) and records Jewish prayers to the theme from Star Trek. Those are the PT attributes that matter to the blogsphere.

I make this point (with PT's permission) to help illustrate what many consider the most important Rashi in all of Chumash.

Consider Exodus 6:3. When beginner bible critics(2) see this verse, their hearts race and they start to salivate. "Ah ha!" they cry. "This is proof positive that the Torah is made up of more than one literary tradition. Here God says "I never told the Patriarchs my name" but in Genesis, God's name is all over the place! Drool, drool."

Fortunately, hundreds of years before Wellhausen, Rashi wrote a comment on this verse that ought to put the spit right back in their mouths.

He writes:

It is not written 'lo hodati' (I did not make known [to them]) Rather [it says] 'lo nodati' (I was not known [to them].") [This means] they did not recognize my attribute of "loyalty" (ie the reason I am called YKVK:) and that I am faithful to keep my promise. For indeed I promised them but I have not [yet] fulfilled [my promise].

His point? There a difference between actively making someone aware of something (hodati) and something being known. (nodati) God made his name known to the Patriarches, telling it to them outright. Nonetheless, He was not known to them as someone who keeps His promises (which is what the Teteragamon itself suggests) because His main promise (ie: I will take your kids out of Egypt, make you a great nation, etc) went unfulfilled in their lifetimes.

In the same way, PT has told us his name. He's told us what he does for a living, and provided proof that he is both a husband and a father. Still, that isn't how the bloggers know him. Those aren't the attributes we celebrate, though we are aware of them. To us, its like he is someone else entirely.

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(1) And winning!

(2) *Advanced* bible critics are aware of what I am about to tell you, have ten reasons why Rashi is wrong, and 400 other ways(a) of attacking the Torah's divinity. We won't deal with that here. (b)

(a) at least
(b) today