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choice of names: "Salvadorcito" or Tiny Salvador (savior), and "'Font," fromthe Spanish tonto (fool) combined with the friar's name 'Pont"'The main character of the Noli is Juan Crisostomo Eibarramendia(Ibarra), obviously named after Saint John Chrysostom martyred in A.D. 389.John is a common name in Christian history, obviously used in honor of theharbinger of the Good News of Christ's coming. Chrysostom means "goldenmouth"from the Greek CHRYSOS = gold, STOMA = mouth, the appellationof the eloquent preacher of the fourth century. What name more apt for thenovel's hem, whose words and deeds were a source of hope for the downtroddenFilipino? True to his namesake, Ibarra's words reveal a noble mindand, even in anger, he never descends to vulgarities.1.Ie comes from San Diego, a town whose name reminds one of Spain'sSand* de Compostela, the city that had grown around the famous shrine ofthe Apostle James (in Spanish, "Santiago") and center of pilgrimage that hadunited all of western medieval Christendom. As everyone knows, the LatinJocobus is translated into Spanish as Jacobo, Santiago, Diego (English,Iago). So, too, in the novel, people flock to San Diego on the town's pationalsaint's day.Don Santiago de los Santos, Capitan Tiago, or in English, James of theSaints, is a perfect foil to the saint. In the Apostle's case, one man was thesource of help for practically all of western medieval Europe, but in the novel,help is sought from many for only one man, Capitan Tiago. In keeping withthe latter's character, heaven is called upon—more exactly, he bribes thosewhom he calls his friends in heaven to keep himself safe and sound. At thestart of the uprising, he vows more candles, more masses, and bigger fireworks.Religion to him is a question of how much to pay for the favors fromheaven.Fray Damaso Verdolagas recalls the first of two Popes Damasus whoreigned in 366-384, the perceptive Vicar of Christ who commissioned hissecretary, St. Jerome (ca. 345-419/420), to revise the Latin translation of theNew Testament basing it on the original Greek text. He reorganized the papalchancery, and was the first to call Rome the "Apostolic. See." Because of hisliturgical reforms, Latin became the language of the Roman Catholic Church.The second Pope Damasus was pope from 17 July to 9 August 1047, andpractically nothing can be said about him. Unlike his namesake, however,Fray Damaso of the Noll is an anti-intellectual. His modus operandi is tocrack the whip, lash out against ambitious young men who pursue higherstudies abroad, calling them "daft;" "subversive," insolent imps for whometernal fire and brimstone are ready. Interestingly, while Pope Damasus I was187