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 Nathaniel: Possibly Hebrew already, but I'm doubtful. Help me please!!!!

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).

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.   Exqueze me.  Patronymics ?  The tracing of fathers of children is incredibly difficult.  Establishing the father of anyone except royalty earlier than the nineteenth centure is a highly risky business. The incidence of casual bastardy is too high to make suppositions about who did what to whom and when. If our surnames were _base_d on our mother's name, instead of our father's name, it might be more sucessful. Maybe if we had DNA samples or medical histories ... Simon.

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 Nathaniel: Possibly Hebrew already, but I'm doubtful. Help me please!!!! Well, I'm not quite sure what this poster's project is, but there seems a lack of awareness that Greek was a _very_ common language throughout Palestine at the time in question, especially in towns and cities, and that Hebrew was a dead language, except for liturgy, and had been replaced long since by Aramaic.  This is, at least, what I remember from what I have read about the time. Consequently, there is no reason to suppose that Andrew, Philip, or Thomas had Hebrew names, even if Jews. Andrew and Philip are without a doubt Greek, I don't know about Thomas.  Nathaniel, though, has to be Hebrew/Aramamic.  Nathan, plus -iel, of god, in Hebrew.  Can't remember what Nathan means. Dan _script_ure UC Santa Cruz

Tajpis lastatempe Daniel von Brighoff jene: I must admit that Philip has me totally baffled, though.  Its usage predates the New Testament by centuries (e.g. Philip of Macedon).  It's Greek:  phil-ippos = lover of horses .  ( hippos loses its H when it's not at the beginning of a word.) The lines I wrote above become quite ambiguous out of the context of the preceding posts.  I'm quite aware of the etymology of Philip ; what has me baffled is why a Jew from the beginning of the Common Era should bear this name.  As far as I know, there are no Hebrew or Aramaic names which have a meaning anything like horse-lover , so I can't imagine what it could be a translation of.  As another poster pointed out, it's not impossible that the person in question actually bore some [presumably Aramaicised] version of the Greek name, but that strikes me as odd.  So, ignorant of the details of Jewish naming customs of the time, I throw up my hands at trying to explain this further.

Turns out this is exactly what I discovered with a Bible Dictionary. Phillip and Andrew were indeed named just that.  Thomas, it turns out, is a hebrew nickname meaning The twin