The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - Pot-pourri

John, because of that question (John 21:15), “Simon of
John, lovest thou me?” – and they consider it corrupted
by an error of the scribes, so that Bar-Iona was written
for Bar-Iohannes, that is, ‘son of John,’ with one
syllable dropped. ‘Johanna’ means “grace of the Lord.”
6. SoPeterwasthree-named: Peter, Cephas, and Simon
Bar-Jonah; further ‘Simon’ in Hebrew means “he who
listens.”
7.Saul in Hebrew speech means “temptation,” because
he was atfirstinvolvedintemptationoftheChurch,for
he was a persecutor; hence he had that name when he
was persecuting Christians. 8.Afterwards, with the name
changed, from Saul was made Paul, which is interpreted
“the wonderful one” or “the chosen one.” Wonderful,
because he performed many signs or because from east
to west he preached the gospel of Christ to all the nations.
9. Chosen, as the Holy Spirit says in the Acts of the
Apostles (13:2), “Separate me Barnabas and Paul, for the
work whereunto Ihavechosenthem.”Further in Latin
speech Paul (Paulus;cf.paulus,“little”) is so called from
“little,” whence he himself says (I Corinthians 15:9), “For
Iamthe least of all the apostles.” Thus when he was
Saul he was proud and haughty; when Paul, humble and
little. 10. Therefore we speak thus, “after a little (paulo)
Iwill see you,” that is, after a short time. Now because
he became little, he himself says (cf. I Corinthians 15:8),
“For I am the last [of all] the apostles,” and (Ephesians
3:8), “To me, the least of all the saints.” Both Cephas and
Saul, then, were called by a changed name so that they
would indeed be new even in their names, like Abraham
and Sarah.
11. Andrew, the brother of Peter in the flesh, and his
co-heir in grace;accordingtoitsHebrewetymology
‘Andrew’ means “handsome one” or “he who answers,”
and further in Greek speech he is called “the manly
one” from the word for “man” (cf. Greek , gen.
, “man”). 12. John with a certain prophetic foresight
deservedly got his name, for it means “in whom is
grace” or “grace of the Lord.” Indeed, Jesus loved him
more fully than the other apostles. 13.James of Zebedee
has his surname from his father, and leaving his father
he with John followed the true Father. These are (Mark
3:17) the “Sons of Thunder” who were named ‘Boanerges’
from the strength and greatness of their faith. This
James is the son of Zebedee, the brother of John, who is
revealed to have been killed by Herod after the ascension
of the Lord.
The Etymologies VII.ix.6–ix.23 169
14. James of Alphaeus, surnamed so as to be distinguished
from the other James who is called the son
of Zebedee, as this second one is the son of Alphaeus.
Therefore both took their surnames from their fathers.
15.The latter is James the Less, who is called the brother
of the Lord in the Gospel, because Mary the wife of
Alphaeus was the sister of the mother of the Lord, and the
evangelist John surnamed the former Mary ‘of Clopas’
after her father, assigning her this name either from the
nobility of her family or for some other reason. Further,
‘Alphaeus’ in Hebrew speech means “the thousandth”
or “the learned one” in Latin. 16. Philip, “mouth of
lamps” or “mouth of hands.” Thomas, “the abyss” or
“the twin,” whence in Greek he is also called Didymus.
Bartholomew, “son of the one supporting the waters”
or “son of the one supporting me.” This is Syriac, not
Hebrew. 17. ‘Matthew’ in Hebrew expresses “the one
granted.” This same person was also called Levi after
the tribe from which he sprang. Further, in Latin he got
the name of ‘the publican’ from his work, for he was
chosen from among the publicans and brought into the
apostolate.
18.Simon the Cananean, as distinct from Simon Peter,
is named after the Galilean township Cana where the
Lord changed water into wine. It is this one who by
another evangelist is designated ‘the Zealot’; indeed
‘Cana’ means “zeal.” 19. Judas of James, who elsewhere
is called Lebbaeus, has his symbolic name from the word
for ‘heart,’ which we can call “little heart” in the diminutive.
Another Gospel writer (Matthew 10:3) calls this
Judas ‘Thaddaeus.’ Church history relates that he was
sent to Edessa to the king of the Abgars. 20.Judas Iscariot
got his name either from the township in which he
was born or from the tribe of Issachar, with a certain
omen of the future as to his own condemnation, for
‘Issachar’ means “payment,” to signify the traitor’s price
for which he sold the Lord, as it is written (cf. Matthew
27:9), “And they took” my payment, “the thirty pieces of
silver, the price that I was prized by them.”
21. Matthias, who is considered the only one among
the apostles to be without a surname, means “the one
granted,” so that it may be understood: “in place of
Judas,” for he was elected in Judas’s place by the apostles,
when lots were cast to decide between two people. 22.
Mark,“lofty in his mandate,” especially for the Gospel of
the Most High that he preached. 23.Luke, “the one who
rises” or “the one lifting up” [because he lifted up the