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Names of the apostles...
by FloydWright (guest)
8/29/2004, 10:22 PM
I was wondering if anybody familiar with the origins of Biblical names knows the original forms of some of the names we encounter in the Bible, such as Paul, Thomas, and so on.In the case of Paul, for instance, was the Latin "Paulus" actually what he would've gone by? Or something else?(Incidentally, what would have been the correct way to pronounce "Paulus"?)
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- Andy (guest)   +4
8/29/2004, 10:36 PM
St. Paul's name in the NT is Paulos. (He was also called Saulos. The names were probabkly chosen, ebcause they sounded alike.)
Thomas is the Greek version of the Hebrew/Aramaic name The'om.
And so on?Andy ;—)
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- Anneza (guest)   +3
8/30/2004, 1:00 AM
As a Jew, he had a Hebrew name - Saul. As a Roman (a citizen of no mean city ...) he had a Latin name - Paul. They look and no doubt sounded pretty similar so would have been an easy choice.Paul could equally have been a nickname, based on his Hebrew name and very relevant for a physically small man.My Jewish friends today usually go for a Hebrew name with the same initial as their English names - Denis is David for liturgical purposes, Jackie is Yael, Penny is Pnina. But, Anne and Myrna are Chana and Miriam, using the original forms! It seems to be a pleasantly relaxed system.
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- FloydWright (guest)
9/2/2004, 10:41 PM
Hey, I just read this...I'm not sure what custom is with taking a second name...what exactly is it, and is that normal in the Jewish community? Please pardon my ignorance; I've just never looked into this before.Would it have been a custom in the Apostles' time?
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- Miss Claire
8/30/2004, 9:32 AM
Yup. The Jewish name can also be a name with the same meaning (Benedict -> Asher), or the name of a grandparent with no relation with the first name, like me (Claire -> Rahel).
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- Andy (guest)
8/30/2004, 3:31 AM
Thank you for the nice examples you give!PAUL, I believe, was his "real name" (besides Saulos / Sha'ul), not a nickname. But obviously Paul was small and probably his name was chosen, because he was a small baby, too. What would the Hebrew equivalent to Andreas be? Geber? Gabriel? Andy ;—)
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