Names for the (Biblical) nameless

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Recently came across an interesting item in Wikipedia: List of names for the Biblical nameless, which "compiles names given in Jewish or Christian mythology for characters who are unnamed in the Bible itself."

For example, the apocryphal book of Jubilees gives Noah's wife's name as Emzara.

2 Comments

Hm. I would have insisted on an upper case Apocryphal Book of Jubilees, although I think of Jubilees as being in the Pseudepigrapha, rather than the Apocrypha, although I see from Wikipedia that the distinction is a matter of some controversy, live everything else, it comes down to sects. Sects, sects, sects.

Also, I understand that Pontius Pilate has a vewwy good fwend in Wome named Bigus Dickus.

Thanks,
-V.

Interesting. I considered capitalizing Book but decided against it on the spur of the moment without looking into it; on checking a couple of other Biblical book names, that was clearly a mistake. (I got my capitalization from the "List of names" page, but I ought to have known better than to trust Wikipedia on capitalization.)

As for capitalizing Apocryphal, I was vaguely thinking of it (without looking into it) as "an apocryphal book" rather than as "a book that's part of the Apocrypha per se." But here, too, I clearly ought to have done more research. Wikipedia's article on the Apocrypha suggests that the term isn't always capitalized, but my dictionary suggests that it is (in this context), and anyway I trust your knowledge of this sort of thing more than I trust Wikipedia's.

Anyway, thanks for the corrections!

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This page contains a single entry by Jed published on November 27, 2009 11:58 PM.

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