"Upset" & other nomenological phenomena

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 11/19/2002 7:43:05 PM Eastern Standard Time,
laurence.horn at YALE.EDU writes:

>  while "Judas", the Greek version of the name, is (mostly) blocked by the
>  taboo avoidance we've been discussing, the Hebrew version Judah is
>  still alive and well.  (At least I assume these are the same
>  name--that's usually the way it works.)

Yes, "Judas" is the Greek version of "Judah", e.g. Judah the Maccabee is
frequently referred to as  "Judas Maccabeus".

"Iscariot" is more problematic.  It might be "man of Kariot", which is a town
mentioned in Joshua 15:25.  Or it might be an erroneous transcription of
"Judas Sicariot" = "Judah Ha-Sicarot" = "Judah the Terrorist".  The Sicarii
were an anti-Roman terrorist group within the Zealot party.

If Judas were indeed a Sicari, that offers some interesting possibilities
into his motives.  It also leads one to wonder why the Apostles should
include such a loose catapult.

The "Sicariot" emendation was in a book by Isaac Asimov.  I have no idea
whether the idea was original with Asimov.

       - Jim Landau