stephan huller

Another curious thing. If you count the letters of the Greek alphabet without adding in the episemon (something the early Christians apparently did according to Irenaeus) then the name of the Christian god which appears in our earliest manuscripts (= IS) has a value of 99. The early Christian saw the parable of the lost sheep as adding 1 (= alpha) to the name. AIS would be a literal transliteration of the Hebrew אִישׁ which in Greek this way has a mystical value of 100

aa5874

What mystery are you talking about? The writings of Josephus are filled with the NAME Jesus.

1. What is the mystery about Jesus son of Ananus?

2. What is the mystery about Jesus son of Sapphias?

3. What is the mystery about Jesus the Son of Damneus?

4. What is the mystery about Jesus the Son of Gamala?

5. What is the mystery about Jesus son of Thebuthus?

6. What is the mystery about Jesus the brother of Onias?

7. What is the mystery about Jesus son of Sie?

8. What is the mystery about Jesus the kinsman of Chares?

It would appear that any "Tom", "Dick" or "Harry" was called Jesus in Galilee and Jerusalem in the 1st century.

From Robbers, murderers, mad men to high priests all were called Jesus. Whatever the name Jesus meant had no real significance in the 1st century based on Josephus.

stephan huller

This discussion is obviously above your reading and comprehension level. Perhaps the moderators could begin to assign grade level appropriate material for participants

Tommy

So His mum called him something like Eesho. There could have been more than one Eesho in Nazareth, how might other Nazareans have referred to Him? - maybe, Eesho ben Yosep?

outhouse

Thank you


But are you sure that is the Galilean variety of the West-Aramaic language?

Tommy

I think if you turned up in first century Nazareth and asked for Eesho ben Yosep they'd take you to Him. Only the French pretend not to understand you if you mispronounce a syllable or get a noun gender wrong.

andrewcriddle

FWIW I came across an odd reference to the use of 99 to represent Christ Pagan Monotheism...

Andrew Criddle

stephan huller

You are the greatest Andrew. Unfortunately I can't read this page. Maybe if I change browsers it will work (or use my Android smartphone). I really appreciate your openness to the silliness I bring up on this forum. In my experience, the smartest and wisest teachers are the most open to these sort of novelties precisely because they know it represents the actual tastes of the people of antiquity. Anyway I will try to see this another way. But thanks again.

stephan huller

Suddenly now it works (second attempt with Firefox):

The theological and cultural background of these rural Novatians has been brilliantly detected in one of the grandest of their epitaphs, the verse inscription compiled for a priest, Eugenius, which begins with the lines: 'First I shall sing a hymn for God, who oversees everything; second I shall sing a hymn for the first angel, who is Jesus Christ. Great is the remembrance on earth for the dead Eugenius.'140 The name of Christ is concealed in the formula τισαι τ(ι)σιν. This was a Greek transcription of the Aramaic number ninety- nine (tisa tisin), which by the device known as isopsephism rendered the word Amen, equivalent to Christ.

I see elsewhere that this is a grave inscription at Laodicea which is alternatively described as Cataphrygian. I am wondering if it might be Marcionite because of the Marcionite interest in the city.

stephan huller

τισαι τ(ι)σιν

The whole book is available here http://www.scribd.com/doc/131466547/...Late-Antiquity

and here http://www.serenitystreetnews.com/HE...IN%29%20BB.pdf