the name "Paul"

[spin]

Is it true that Paulus is a previously unknown name ?

Mea culpa. Please forgive me. I have found examples in Plutarch. Paul is not a previously unknown name.



It appears in Plutarch as a Latin "gens" name; presumably as a regular name elsewhere, I am not sure. I made the mistake on analogy with the assertions that I've seen regarding the name Cephas without stopping to check. I hate misinformation, and for that I am sorry.

With a single "l"?

[Peter Kirby]

Is it true that Paulus is a previously unknown name ?

Mea culpa. Please forgive me. I have found examples in Plutarch. Paul is not a previously unknown name.



It appears in Plutarch as a Latin "gens" name; presumably as a regular name elsewhere, I am not sure. I made the mistake on analogy with the assertions that I've seen regarding the name Cephas without stopping to check. I hate misinformation, and for that I am sorry.

With a single "l"?

Παύλου
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... ection%3D2

[dewitness]

Is it true that Paulus is a previously unknown name ?

It seems to be a standard Roman name.

I think Peter's point was that it isn't his real name - even by the standards of Acts. It's an appellation or an adopted name but it is not the apostle's actual name. It's a nom de plume, nom de guerre etc.

Forgeries and false attributed writings do suffer from the same problem. We do not know the name of the actual authors. If a writing is forged under the name of 1st century writer then it may be erroneously believed that the writing was composed in the 1st century.

We have an anonymous writing called Acts of the Apostles where the author gave the impression that he was an acquaintance of Saul/Paul since before c 70 CE. For hundreds of years it was believed that Epistles found under the name Paul were all authentic until it was deduced that the Pauline Corpus is a compilation of forgeries and false attribution.


It is clear human beings wrote the Pauline Corpus but we do not exactly who and exactly when. Only that the persons who composed the Epistles were most likely not named Paul and did not write them before c 180 CE.

[dewitness]

Is it true that Paulus is a previously unknown name ?

Mea culpa. Please forgive me. I have found examples in Plutarch. Paul is not a previously unknown name.



It appears in Plutarch as a Latin "gens" name; presumably as a regular name elsewhere, I am not sure. I made the mistake on analogy with the assertions that I've seen regarding the name Cephas without stopping to check. I hate misinformation, and for that I am sorry.

Paulus is also found in the writings of Josephus.

Antiquities of the Jews 19.1.14

....Now Claudius, his uncle, was gone out before, and Marcus Vinicius his sister's husband, as also Valellus of Asia; whom though they had had such a mind to put out of their places, the reverence to their dignity hindered them so to do; then followed Caius, with Paulus Arruntius...

[spin]

Παύλου

Interesting that the Greek lost the doubling here. Obviously the name is Paullus, as it appears in Latin.

[dewitness]

Is it true that Paulus is a previously unknown name ?

Mea culpa. Please forgive me. I have found examples in Plutarch. Paul is not a previously unknown name.

Your admission that Paul is not a previously unknown name now means that you will have to review your earlier statement that the name of the historical Paul cannot be retrieved with any certainty.

[Peter Kirby]

I admit nothing without my lawyer present.

As to my earlier statement, it is plausible that a historical Paul was named Paul, not that I am certain about it.

[dewitness]

I admit nothing without my lawyer present.

As to my earlier statement, it is plausible that a historical Paul was named Paul, not that I am certain about it.

Events and characters in fiction stories may be plausible.

Even if there was an historical Paul it has already been deduced that the Pauline Corpus is a compilation of multiple authors.

Based on the Acts of the Apostles, Saul/Paul did not write the Pauline Corpus up to the time of Festus, procurator of Judea or up to at least c 62 CE.

Acts 28 NAS

21 They said to him, "We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you.

[stephan happy huller]

And because Christian-talk is usually entirely disconnected from Jewish culture I think its possible that Παῦλος comes from פָּעֳלוֹ (Deut 32:4). In other words, its a title. The concept of God's perfect work is very important in early Christianity and Samaritanism. It comes up (not surprisingly) in any exegetical treatment of the Great Song in Deuteronomy chapter 32. Also Sirach 11:4

Don't take pride in the way you dress, and don't promote yourself when you are being honored, because the Lord's works are wonderful, and his works are hidden from humans

[stephan happy huller]

The key would be to find evidence of paolo being used as a title or an identity of someone in antiquity. If you can do that we have our 'Paulos '