'Peregrinus'

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Joseph D. L.
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'Peregrinus'

Post by Joseph D. L. »

Continuing from a thread in which Stephan/Secret Alias mused over the significance of the figure Peregrinus Proteus and his role in shaping early Christianity, he pondered over the meaning and importance of him being identified as Peregrinus.

Everyone who seems to know and write about this man only refers to him as Peregrinus. So Lucian, Gellius, Athenagoras, Tatian, Philostratus, and Tertullian. The likelihood of this being his real name is almost certain. (I believe his real name was Marcus Pompeius). 'Peregrinus' denotes a foreigner, or outsider, and means stranger. This encapsulates Peregrinus's notoriety for travel and wandering, moving from place to place. But I suspect it may have a deeper meaning, and why Peregrinus chose this title for himself, because of his pretense of being an outsider from the world and humanity. This may have some bearing as to why Lucian stated that the Christians honoured him as a god, second only to the crucified one.

But Stephan also hit upon a snag in the naming of Peregrinus. "Why take the Latin word which means Wanderer? "

Could Peregrinus instead be related to the Hebrew ger toshav, which loosely means foreign resident?

The importance of this could reveal the underlying teachings of Peregrinus while leading the Community. A ger toshav is a gentile who practices the Noahide Laws as opposed to the Mosaic Laws. And from my point of view, Paul, and the Gospel of John both endorse certain features of the Noah story in Genesis.

I have also mused over Peregrinus seeing himself as like Odysseus, who famously once took on the name Nobody.

But that is my two pennies.
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