Corpus-Paul

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Richard Fellows wrote:

> Some time ago, some listers raised the question of the frequency of double
> names in the ancient world. Some statistics for Jews are provided by Tal
> Ilan (Lexicon of Jewish names in Late Antiquity, Palestine 330 BCE - 200
> CE). She classifies 10% of recorded male Jews as possessors of 'nicknames'
> or double names. This 10% comprises only the cases that we know about, so
> the true figure is sure to be much higher.
>
> There seems to have been an unusually high incidence of double names among
> the first century Christians associated with Antioch. We know of some 14
> Christians who lived in or visited Antioch at this time:
>
> Simeon-BarJohn-BarJonah-Cephas-Peter-Simon
> Joseph-Barnabas
> Mark-John
> Silvanus-Silas
> Paul-Saul
> Judas-Barsabbas
> Ignatius-Theophorus
> Rheus Agathopous
> Niger-Simon
> Agabus
> Manaen
> Lucius
> Evodius
> Titus
>
> It can be seen that at least 9 of these 14 individuals had double names. I
> see two reasons for this high proportion. Firstly, people were often given
> new names when they received a religious calling or were appointed to a new
> task in the believing community. Secondly, this Diaspora community straddled
> the cultural divide between Jew and Gentile, so it was natural to have both
> a Jewish name and a Gentile name.
>
> Now, the 9 cases given above should cause us to look with suspicion at the
> other 5.
>
> As I mentioned before, the name 'Agabus' means 'Locust' and is otherwise
> probably unattested. It is surely a nickname given to this OT-style prophet
> who warned of the famine.
>
> 'Manaen' means 'comforter', which is a very appropriate name for a
> teacher/prophet so this may well be a new name given to this individual
> because of this role in the church.
>
> Lucius of Cyrene had probably lived in Judea and was among those from Cyrene
> who came to Antioch (Acts 20). He probably adopted a Jewish name when he
> resided in Judea, because the name 'Lucius' is Roman and would have been too
> closely associated with the occupation forces.
>
> It is possible that Evodius took the name 'Theophilus'.
>
> Titus sounds, looks, and smells like Timothy.  The many cases of double
> names among the believers in Antioch, and their parallels with the
> hypothetical Titus-Timothy, should lay to rest any doubts about the
> plausibility of that name combination. Even though Titus's father had been a
> Gentile, his allegiance was to a Christ-believing community in which it was
> common to receive a name with religious or cultural significance. I see no
> reason to suppose that such a name would not be offered to Titus, or that he
> would refuse it.
>
> Some more detailed discussion of the double names of these 14 individuals is
> available on the web:
> http://members.shaw.ca/rfellows/index.htm
> I welcome thoughtful comment.
>  


HH: I find the idea highly unlikely. The NT would nowhere clarify this 
double name, and both the names are Greek. Also, Paul circumcised 
Timothy but refused to circumcise Titus. And Titus is mentioned as a 
third person in a letter to Timothy:

2Tim. 4:10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and 
has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to 
Dalmatia.


Yours,
Harold Holmyard