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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Hebrew names of Twelve Apostles
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Date: Thu, 19 Oct 1995 04:05:48 GMT
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In article <462gb8$eih@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
Fresh816 <fresh816@aol.com> wrote:
>Unfortunately, we're not any closer to establishing the Hebrew names of
>Andrew, Philip, Thomas, and Nathaniel, much less their surnames and/or
>patronymics of nearly all the apostles.  
>
>On this newsgroup, I'd settle for just the first names.
>My guesses:
>Andrew (Greek: manly) : Adam (man)
>Philip (Greek: Horse lover): No idea
>Thomas (my dictionary says this name is Hebrew in derivation...doesn't
>seem so, though

"Thomas (the name means "twin")."  This is a cite from the St. Joseph
Edition of my youth and I can't find this passage in the King James I have
handy.  No matter:  my Hebrew dictionary lists T'om (tau, alef, waw, mem)
"twin", doubtless from the root ThAM "similar, symmetrical, co-ordinate."
-as is just a Greek inflectional ending.

>Nathaniel: Possibly Hebrew already, but I'm doubtful.

*Possibly* Hebrew?  What other language do you know of where proper names
commonly end in -el?  It's usually translated as "gift of G-d."  cf. 
nathan "give, permit, yield, appoint" and 'el "G-d".

>Help me please!!!!

I'll see what I can dig up on the other two.  Personally, I doubt that
Andreas = Adam.  "Adam" is not translated as "Andreas" in the Old Testament
(although the fact that the King James translates Ya'akov as "Jacob" in the
Old Testament and "James" in the New weakens the importance of this fact
somewhat) and "Andreas" is not the closest Greek equivalent of "Adam" any-
way.

I must admit that "Philip" has me totally baffled, though.  Its usage 
predates the New Testament by centuries (e.g. Philip of Macedon).
-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
