The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - Pot-pourri

168 VII.viii.29–ix.5 Isidore of Seville
down to the earth, thinking about things that are at
the lowest depths, and putting their hope in transient
things. 29. Heman,“he who accepts” or “their dread.”
Ethan, “the tough one.” Berechiah, “blessed of the Lord”
or “blessed Lord.” Huldah, “distraction” or “diversion.”
Judith, “she who praises” or “she who proclaims.” Esther,
“the hidden one.”
30. Zechariah, [“memory of the Lord,” for what he
sings (Luke 1:72), “to remember his holy testament”].
31.John [the Baptist, “grace of the Lord,” because he was
the end of prophecy, the herald of grace, or the beginning
of baptism, through which grace is administered].
32. Thesearetheprophets of the Old and New Testament,
of whom the last is Christ, to whom it is said by
the Father (Jeremiah 1:5), “I made thee a prophet unto
the nations.”
33. Moreover, there are seven kinds of prophesy. The
first kind is ecstasy (ecstasis), which is a passing beyond
of the mind, as when Peter in a stunned state of mind saw
that vessel let down from heaven with various animals
(see Acts 10:11–12). 34.Thesecond kind is vision (visio),
as when Isaiah says (Isaiah 6:1), “I saw (videre,ppl. visus)
the Lord sitting upon a high throne.” The third kind is
dream (somnium), as Jacob while sleeping saw the ladder
reaching up to heaven. The fourth kind is through a
cloud, as God speaks to Moses and to Job after he was
stricken. 35. The fifth kind is a voice from heaven, like
that which sounded to Abraham saying (Genesis 22:12),
“Lay not thy hand upon the boy,” and to Saul on the
road (Acts 9:4), “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”
36. Thesixth kind occurs when an oracle (parabola) is
received, as with Solomon in Proverbs, and with Balaam
when he was called upon by Balak. The seventh kind is
being filled (repletio)withtheHoly Spirit, as with nearly
all the prophets.
37.Others have said that there are three kinds of visions
(visio). One, according to the eyes of the body, as Abraham
saw three men under the holm-oak of Mambre,
and Moses saw the fire in the bush, and the disciples
saw the transfigured Lord on the mountain between
Moses and Elijah, and others of this kind. 38. Asecond,
according to the spirit, in which we imagine what
we sense through the body, as Peter saw the dish sent
down from heaven with the various animals (Acts 10:11–
12), and as Isaiah saw God on the highest seat, not bodily
but spiritually (Isaiah 6:1). 39.For no bodily form limits
God, but in the same way that many things are said not
properly but figuratively, so also many things are shown
figuratively.
40.Thenthereisathird kind of vision, which is neither
by bodily senses nor by that part of the soul where images
of corporeal things are grasped, but by insight (intuitus)
of the mind where intellectual truth is contemplated,
as the gifted Daniel saw with his mind what Belshazzar
had seen with his body. Without this kind of vision the
other two are either fruitless or positively lead into error.
Still, the Holy Spirit governs all these kinds of vision.
41.Further, not only a good person, but also a bad person
can have prophecy, for we find that King Saul prophesied,
for he was persecuting the holy David, and filled with
the Holy Spirit he began to prophesy.
ix. The apostles (De apostolis) 1. Apostle (apostolus)
means “one who is sent,” for the name indicates this.
Just as in Greek means “messenger” (nuntius)
in Latin, so ‘one who is sent’ is called an ‘apostle’ in
Greek (i.e. ), for Christ sent them to spread
the gospel through the whole world, so that certain ones
would penetrate Persia and India teaching the nations
and working great and incredible miracles in the name of
Christ, in order that, from those corroborating signs and
prodigies, people might believe in what the Apostles were
saying and had seen. Most of them receive the rationale
for their names from these activities.
2. Peter(Petrus) tookhisnamefrom ‘rock’ (petra),
that is, from Christ, on whom the Church is founded.
Now petra is not given its name from Petrus, but Petrus
from petra, just as ‘Christ’ is so called not from ‘Christian,’
but ‘Christian’ from ‘Christ.’ Therefore the Lord
says (Matthew 16:18), “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock
(petra) Iwill build my church,” because Peter had said
(Matthew 16:16), “Thou art Christ, the Son of the living
God.” Then the Lord said to him, “Upon this rock”
which you have proclaimed “I will build my church,”
for (I Corinthians 10:4)“the rock was Christ,” on which
foundation even Peter himself was built. 3.Hewas called
Cephas because he was established as the head (caput)
of the apostles, for in Greek means ‘head,’ and
Cephas is the Syrian name for Peter. 4.Simon ‘Bar-Jonah’
in our tongue means “son of a dove,” and is both a
Syrian and a Hebrew name, for Bar in the Syrian language
is “son,” ‘Jonah’ in Hebrew is “dove,” and Bar-
Jonah is composed of both languages. 5. Somepeople
simply take it that Simon, that is Peter, is the son of