Does Cephas mean a "pointed rock"?

[neilgodfrey]

I have come across this in Karel Hanhart's The Open Tomb, p. 441:

(1) The original nickname Cephas means "pointed rock"; it may go back to Jesus himself calling Simon this in good humor. (2) But Mark prepared the readers of his post-70 Haggadah for his parting phrase in 16:7 by consistently using from 3:16 on the Greek, Petros, thus alluding to the rock of Zion (15:46, petras; cf. LXX Isa 22:16, petrai). In this way "Simon called Cephas" became "Simon called Petros," . . . .

Can anyone give further insight into the specific type of rock Cephas apparently meant?

Thanks,
Neil

[stephan happy huller]

Kefa means a pebble or a stone, not a rock or boulder

[stephan happy huller]

My explanation for Peter = the 'interpreter.'

[andrewcriddle]

In A Christian Theology of the Old Testament by George Knight p.171 discussing Kephas in Aramaic and related languages. It is claimed that the word is rendered by Beaussier's Dictionnaire as 'pointed rock'.

I think this refers to the Dictionnaire pratique arabe-français If so it probably is talking about the meaning of the word in Algerian (Libyan ?) Arabic. This may not be good evidence for the meaning of the word in the Aramaic of the time of Jesus.

Andrew Criddle

[neilgodfrey]

Do you think I should check the meaning in Jesus' day with Maurice Casey? I hear he knows a little Aramaic.

[Garon]

Rocco Errico writes that the apostle's name, Shimon, from the root shma, means "to hear." As a proper name it means "he who hears," one who is keen, sharp, and perceptive." Simon was nicknamed "kepa" because he was slow in comprehension of matters and situations.

Aramaic Light on the Gospel of Matthew. pp 219.

[JoeWallack]

I have come across this in Karel Hanhart's The Open Tomb, p. 441:

(1) The original nickname Cephas means "pointed rock"; it may go back to Jesus himself calling Simon this in good humor. (2) But Mark prepared the readers of his post-70 Haggadah for his parting phrase in 16:7 by consistently using from 3:16 on the Greek, Petros, thus alluding to the rock of Zion (15:46, petras; cf. LXX Isa 22:16, petrai). In this way "Simon called Cephas" became "Simon called Petros," . . . .

Can anyone give further insight into the specific type of rock Cephas apparently meant?

Thanks,
Neil

JW:
[Emphasis mine] This is wrong. Jesus reverts back to Peter's old name at Mark 14

14:37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour?

Regarding the question of whether this is coincidence or (bad) intent, it's All in the Timing. On the one hand, as my Award winning Thread:

"The Simontic Problem". "Mark's" Negative Casting of Peter demonstrates and than some, all of "Mark" is one long dissing of Peter. So is any specific strange language of Peter significant because of placement? As usual, Kelber is spot on that it is here:

Mark's Story of Jesus

Page 76

On his first return to the three disciples Jesus singles out Peter and criticizes him for his inability to stay awake (14:37). Significantly, this last time Jesus speaks to Peter, in the wake of their disagreement (14:29-31) and after finding him asleep, Jesus reverts to Peter's old name. Jesus' reproach is addressed to Simon, not to Peter. As the bestowal of the new name at the appointment of the Twelve had signaled Peter's ascendancy to leadership position, so the one and only recurrence of the old name signifies his demotion.

Too bad as Carr would say that Peter could not even remember what Jesus told him in the previous chapter regarding negative formula for disciple behavior:

13:35 Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning;

36 lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Regarding the relationship of Paul's Cephas and "Mark's" Peter we have a familiar situation. CBS assumes that "Mark's" Peter has a historical source even though there is no extant support for it while the parallel of Paul's Cephas to "Mark's" Peter as a literary source is the only known extant support.


Joseph

ErrancyWiki

[neilgodfrey]

Thanks for the feedbacks. I raised the same question on the biblical-studies group but was given the brush off (by Jack Kilmon) and the shut down (by Jim West) -- I'm evidently not welcome there. But one source did come up, Sokoloff’s Dictionary of Judean Aramaic.

Does anyone have easy access to that and if so, wonder if they'd be kind enough to tell us what its entry says for Kephas.

Thanks,
Neil

I have also learned that a form of kephas was a term used for a hunch-backed person. Now there's a theory I haven't heard before -- Jesus was mocking Simon's deformity!

[stephan happy huller]

Here is the entry:

כיף n.m. stone, rock (CPA ܟܝܧ LSp 92, SA כיף Ham 575:152) sg. ארון דכיף a stone coffin VR 116:5 [expl. בסלע משכן לו Is 22:16]; חד כיף דשייש a rock of marble Hag 78d(26); כיף שמיר טנרה rock of flint-stone TN Dt 8:15; ib. 32:13; והוה ידע היי דין כיף מקורר מיא והיי דין כיף אית בי שרברובי he knew which rock cools and which rock has ... Seq 48d(29); Er 24b(33)[!]; כיפה FPT Num 20:8[23; H הסלע ]; ib. 10; 11; TN ib.; ib. Dt 32:13; כיפה מיזרוק בתריה (Bab)וטען and he lifted a stone to throw after him Hor 46d(15); EstR 11d(4); כיפא מסמרא the nail-studded rock Hag 78d(27); pl. ויהב תלתא כיפין ורמי עליהון he took three rocks and placed (the pot) on them Sab 5c(57); ib. 58; d(55); דאין הוה בני דכיפין בני לה דכיפין if he constructed (the first three fences) out of stones, he has to build (the fourth) out of stones BB 12d(50); ib. 51; וההן דנקר כיפין one who hews out stones Sab 13c(11); אילין כיפייא AZ 43d(36); הוה רגים להון בכיפייה he stoned them (i.e. the bastards) with rocks VRQ 353:3

[stephan happy huller]

They have no Sprachgefühl. Why don't they look at what Sokoloff's book is called - A dictionary of Jewish Palestinian Aramaic of the Byzantine period. I would not be surprised if over the course of time terminology changes. It means a stone that can fit in your hand.

Look at some of the fucking references. The HaMelis is a fourteenth century Samaritan dictionary written in Arabic. VR = Leviticus Rabba is the seventh century. But what is the context? Context is key. My guess is that 'stone coffin' is something that is consistently referenced in earlier treatises i.e. the taking of a big stone (i.e. a big stone you could put in your hand) and placed on top of a grave. Look at the ambiguity that is inherent in this terminology from another (earlier) passage in the rabbinic literature from Tract Ebel Rabati:

One who, was under the ban and died in such a state, the Beth Din stone his coffin. Said R. Jehudah: "It does not mean a heap of stones, as was the case with Achan [Josh. vii. 26], but it means that the Beth Din places a big stone on his coffin, to teach that whoever dies while under the ban, his coffin is stoned.

Here is the same idea from another early text - http://books.google.com/books?id=58Qp4K ... 22&f=false We've got to be careful how we use this glossaries and get at the original text.