Avvakum

[Olga Meerson]

Will is correct about this particular name. For the direct Hebrew borrowings in OR and OCS, and R, however, see the research on the Judaizers (zhidovstvuiushchie) and their texts and translations, e.g., the Psalter. The best work done so far, I believe, is by Andrey Arkhipov, the greatest scholar of the problem known to me, sadly and scandalously currently unemployed. I don't believe he is on SEELANGS but I can give his email to anyone interested in these etymological questions.
o.m.

----- Original Message -----
From: William Ryan <wfr at SAS.AC.UK>
Date: Thursday, November 1, 2007 9:18 pm
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Avvakum

> Not from Hebrew directly but from the late Greek Abbakoum, from the 
> Septuagint Ambakoum = Habacuc (the 8th minor prophet) in the 
> Vulgate and 
> Habbakuk in the King James version. Beta in Greek is regularly 
> rendered 
> as v in Church Slavonic. The phonetic progression of mb(mv) to 
> bb(vv) is 
> unproblematic. A direct borrowing of a biblical name from Hebrew in 
> Old 
> Russian or Church Slavonic would be very surprising since few if 
> any 
> Orthodox Slavs knew Hebrew but did of course know the Church 
> Slavonic 
> translations of the books of the Septuagint.
> Will Ryan
> 
> 
> Margarita Orlova wrote:
> >> Avvakum = AVVA + KUM
> >
> > cf. English ABBA: In the Old testament, 'Father',  In the New 
> > Testament, 'God'.
> >
> > [  from Late Latin "abb", from Greek; from Hebrew 'father', cf. 
> > English  "abbot"]
> >  However, in the Middle-Age Greek, the phonetic transformation 
> > happened: [b->v], thus, the word came into Slavic languages as 
> AVVA, 
> > [Old Slavonic = "Otche", Vocative of "Otetc" = 'Father']
> >
> > Hebrew root [qum] included in the word formations, which are 
> > signifying the act of 'bending' to somebody.
> >
> > Just my two cents.
> >
> > Margarita
> >
> >
> > On Thursday, November 1, 2007, at 10:42  AM, Katz, Michael wrote:
> >
> >> Dear colleagues:
> >>
> >> A student asked me about the origin/etymology of the name 
> Avvakum. Can
> >> anyone enlighten me so I can pass the information along?
> >>
> >> Michael Katz
> >> Middlebury College
> >> mkatz at middlebury.edu
> >>
> >> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> -------- 
> >>
> >>  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your 
> subscription>>   options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the 
> SEELANGS Web Interface at:
> >>                     http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> >> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> -------- 
> >>
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
> > Use your web browser to search the archives, control your 
> subscription>  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS 
> Web Interface at:
> >                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
> >
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----
> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your 
> subscription  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS 
> Web Interface at:
>                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------