Christian Texts and History • Re: Simon, Simon Peter, Peter, Cephas ...

On the topic of stones: Mark 12, Matthew 21:42, Luke 20, Acts 4, 1 Peter 2, and Psalm 118. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Any relationship?

Could the name have ever been a claim for Cephas/Peter to have importance at least secondary to Jesus (the 'cornerstone')?

• I think that's noteworthy
  
  (I think it's likely that more than one meaning ought to be considered, even if by way of acknowledging different people might have had different meanings in mind)

... and why Simon? just common? just real? ...

• Possibly because it was common
  
  • Simon said to have been the most popular male name for Jews in Roman Judea

• Possibly to subsume Simon the Samarian (or other deified, divinized or perhaps leading Jewish Simons) as a lesser figure
  • which may also be why one of the twelve disciples was Simon the Cananaean (as per Mark 3:18 & Matthew 10:4; Luke 6:15 has 'Simon the Zealot' instead, as does Acts 1:13)
    • eta
      Apparently, for Mark 3:18 & Matthew 10:4, the Byzantine texts have Σίμων ὁ Κανανίτης (Kananites) while the Alexandrian texts have Kananaios
      
      And apparently both Kananaios and Kananites derive from the Hebrew word קנאי, qanai, meaning zealous
      
      And Simon the Cananite is not identified with Simon the brother of Jesus mentioned in Mark 6:3

The Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן Šimʻôn meant (+/- still means) "listen" or "hearing".

In Hebrew, the name Simon is derived from the word “shim’on,” whiich means “he has heard” or “hearkening.” This name appears frequently in the Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of Jacob.

Old Aramaic also had Šimʻōn (Shim'on)

The Greek name Simon is said to be derived from the Greek word “simos,” meaning “someone with a hollow face and a wide, flat nose.” The name appears in Greek mythology as the name of one of the Telchines, the original inhabitants of the island of Rhodes; and also known in Crete and Cyprus. Their parents were said to be either Pontus and Gaia; or Tartarus and Nemesis; or else they were said to have been born from the blood of castrated Uranus. By some accounts, their children were highly worshiped as gods.

And, possibly more significant than a Greek origin for the name, especially one purported to have been based on facial features, the Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן, Šimʻôn, would have been Hellenised as Συμεών, Symeon, as we see in the Septuagint.

Statistics: Posted by MrMacSon — Tue Dec 03, 2024 12:01 am

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