The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - Pot-pourri

that some use a particular name to distinguish the powers
that they have received individually. 9. Patriarch,
“father of chiefs,” for is ‘chief.’ 10. Archbishop,
“chief of bishops.” Metropolitan...11.Further, the term
‘episcopacy’ (episcopatus) issocalled because he who
is placed over it has oversight (superintendere), exercising
pastoral care, that is, over his subjects, for the
term in Latin means “watch over” (intendere).
12. ‘Bishop,’ then, in Greek, means “overseer” (speculator)inLatin,forheissetoverthe
Church as an overseer.
He is so called because he keeps watch (speculari), and
oversees (praespicere) the behavior and lives of the people
placed under him.
13.The ‘pontifex’ is the chief of priests, as if the word
were ‘the way’ of his followers. 9 And he is also named
the ‘highest priest’ and the pontifex maximus,forhecreates
priests and levites (i.e. deacons); he himself disposes
all the ecclesiastical orders; he indicates what each one
should do. 14. Indeed,informer times pontifexes were
also kings, for this was the custom of our ancestors, that
the king was himself a priest or pontifex – hence the
Roman emperors were also called pontifexes.
15. Vates are so called from ‘force of mind’ (vis mentis),
and the meaning of the word is manifold, for now it
means “priest,” now “prophet,” now “poet.” 16.A‘high
priest’ (antistes sacerdos) issocalled because he ‘stands
before’ (ante stare), for he is first in the hierarchy of the
Church, and he has no one above him.
17. Apriest (sacerdos) has a name compounded of
Greek and Latin, as it were ‘one who gives a holy thing’
(sacrum dans), for as king (rex) isnamed from ‘ruling’
(regere), so priest from ‘making sacrifice’ (sacrificare) –
for he consecrates (consecrare) andsanctifies (sanctificare).
18. Further, priests of the gentiles were called
flamens. They wore on their heads a felt cap (pilleus),
and on top of this there was a short stick holding a piece
of wool. Because they could not bear it in the heat, they
began to bind their heads with a fillet only, 19.foritwas
an abomination for them to go about with a completely
bare head. Hence from the fillet (filum) thatthey used
they were called flamens (flamen, pluralflamines), as if
it were filamines. But on feast days, with the fillet laid
aside they would put on the pilleus out of respect for the
eminence of their priesthood.
9 Isidore alludes to the presumed etymology of pontifex from pons,
‘bridge,’ hence ‘way.’
The Etymologies VII.xii.9–xii.28 171
20. ‘Priest’ (presbyter) inGreekisinterpreted“elder”
(senior) inLatin. They are named elders not because of
their age, or their exhausted senility, but rather for the
honor and status that they have received. 21. Elders (presbyter)are
also called priests (sacerdos), because they perform
the sacraments (sacrum dare), as do bishops; but
although they are priests (sacerdos)theydonothave the
highest honor of the pontificate, for they neither mark
the brow with chrism nor give the Spirit, the Comforter,
which a reading of the Acts of the Apostles shows may be
done by bishops only. Whence, among the ancients, bishops
and priests (presbyter)were the same, for the former
name is associated with rank, the latter with seniority.
22. Levites were named after their originator, for the
levites descended from Levi, and by them the ministries
of the mystic sacraments were performed in the Temple
of God. In Greek these are called deacons (diaconus), in
Latin ministers (minister), for just as sacerdos is related
to ‘consecration (consecratio), diaconus (cf. ,
“minister,” “do service”) is related to ‘dispensing of service’
(ministerii dispensatio). 23. Hypodiacones in Greek
are what we call subdeacons (subdiaconus), who are so
called because they are subject to the regulations and
offices of levites. They receive offerings from the faithful
in the Temple of God, and bring them to the levites for
placing on the altars. In Hebrew they are called Nathanians
(Nathaneus).
24. Readers (lector) arenamedfrom‘reading’(legere,
ppl. lectus) and psalmists (psalmista) fromsinging
psalms, for the former pronounce to the people what
they should follow, and the latter sing to kindle the spirits
of their audience to compunction – although some
readers also declaim in so heart-rending a way that they
drive some people to sorrow and lamentation. 25.These
same people are also called ‘announcers’ (pronuntiator)
because they announce from far away (porro adnuntiare),
for their voice will be so loud and clear that they
fill the ears even of those placed far away.
26. Further, a chanter (cantor) issocalledbecause he
modulates his voice in singing (cantus). There are said
to be two types of chanter in the art of music, corresponding
with the names learned people have been able
to give them in Latin, the precentor (praecentor) and
the succentor (succentor). 27. Theprecentor is so called,
naturally, because he leads the singing; the succentor
because he follows in response. 28. Wealsospeak of a
co-chanter (concentor), one who ‘sings at the same time’