Matthew and Levi

WHY MATTHEW IS (probably) LEVI

#matthew #levi

While some scholars argue that Matthew is NOT Levi others do. Why?

The gospel of Matthew calls the tax collector commanded by Jesus to follow me Matthew but the gospels of Mark and Luke call him Levi.

There's a simple explanation. Matthai or Maththai was easier for Greek speakers to pronounce than Levi. If you have a Greek New Testament you'll see in the textual notes at the bottom of page that while the only difference in various early manuscripts in how Matthew is written in Greek is whether it has a tth or thth in the middle word.

Whereas LEVI is written as Leui Leuei Leuin Leuis and Leuee in various manuscripts.

WHY? Hebrew and Aramaic had a sound scholars call Waw or Vau pronounced W or U or V.

KOINE GREEK didn't have that sound.

Mark and Luke were probably trying to show they knew some "proper" Hebrew whereas Matthew ...well if matthew comes from a phrase meaning gift of god/yahu perhaps Matthew was his name at work or he was known by both names but preferred Matthew? The actual form seems to have been Mattai but there was another similar name Mattathias. The Greek text renders it as Maththaion.
Latin changed it to Mattheus and

This could be pronounced by Greek and Aramaic speakers but Levi?

A Greek or Latin speakerwould normally use ou to represent w or v in other languages.

Spelling it as Leui is Luke trying to get closer to the actual Hebrew!

More on the Story of Matthew Levi son of Alphaeus next week.

BREAD more than Artos

Some Names for Various Types of Bread

BREAD is Usually Ἄρτος in Classical Greek.

This word refers to loafs of wheat and bread in general if PLURAL.

However Bread was not made of wheat alone.

Bread baked from Barley was called μάζα and also Ἄλφιτον a word also used to refer to groats and porridge made from barley meal.

Unleavened bread was Ἄζυμον the opposite of leavened bread raised by yeast ζυμίτης

χονδρίτης was a kind of very coarse bread probably similar to our “wholegrain” very rough and coarse which the Greeks would have regarded as being low quality.

Hearth or Brasier Bread was something like Turkish gozleme a thick soft pancake cooked on a hot surface.

The Greeks also had a kind of bread baked in an oven or on hot coals in an earthenware covered vessel called κριβανίτης.

Fine white bread rolls were κόλλαβος possibly shaped like “knot” rolls.

Some Greek Girls' Names

Some Greek Female Names

φιλαινίς Philainis χρύσιλλα Khrusilla Ἑρμιόνη Hermionee Εὐδοκία Eudokia

Χαριτω Kharitoo Μοιρω Moiroo Ἤριννα Erinna Νοσσίς Nossis

Κρέουσα Kreousa Μέλισσα Melissa Εὐρυδίκη Eurudikee Σοφία Sophia

Titanic Names

A speculative  look at the names of some of the Titans.

Maia mother of Hermes.

Possibly a local Arcadian form of the great mother goddess as her name has several meanings, mother, midwife, good mother, dame, lady,

Themis T aspirated emis  possibly connected to the verb Titheemi?

Iapetus the only similar greek word is the Verb Iaptoo

Leto is Leetoo in Attic Ionic but Laatoo in Doric.

Graves links this toa Semitic goddess but another overlooked possiblity is the obscure verb law meaning Watch. Leto as the goddess who watches?

Koios The Ionic dialect has a verb Koeoo that has the same meaning as Noeoo so Koios may have been the Mindful One?

His Consort Phoibee Yes its aspirate p in greek not Fibee! The radiant one.

Hyperion father of the Sun Moon and Dawn Overlord ?

Kreios Kreion Lord master

Names have meanings but the meanings of these names predate the Olympian gods and it may well that given how words can change of the centuries that the names meant something different thousands of years ago.

Probably about 3500 years ago or older since some people think the myths about  Battle of the Titans or the gods fleeing Typhon reflect dim memories of the eruption of Thera?  Did religion in Greece change after Thera's eruption?

Something to to think about and google the concept of earthstorms?