Is Isodore Demonstrating a Variant Interpretation of the Nomen Sacrum IS?

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Secret Alias
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Is Isodore Demonstrating a Variant Interpretation of the Nomen Sacrum IS?

Post by Secret Alias »

In his work On Righteousness (Περὶ δικαιοσύνης) he says:
God’s righteousness (δικαιοσύνην τοῦ θεοῦ) is a kind of fellowship with equity (κοινωνίαν τινὰ εἶναι μετ' ἰσότητος). There is equity (ἴσος) in the way the sky is stretched out in all directions and embraces the whole earth in a circle. The night is equitable in displaying all the stars (καὶ πάντας ἡ νὺξ ἐπ' ἴσης ἐπιδείκνυται τοὺς ἀστέρας). From above, God pours out the light of the sun equally over the earth (ὁ θεὸς ἐξέχεεν ἄνωθεν ἴσον ἐπὶ γῆς), which is responsible for the day and father of the light for all those with the power of sight. The gift of sight is common to all. There is no distinction between rich and poor, ruler and ruled, fools and wise, female and male, slave and free. He treats even the irrational animals no differently; on all the beasts he pours out his sunlight equally from above (πᾶσι δὲ ἐπ' ἴσης τοῖς ζῴοις κοινὸν αὐτὸν ἐκχέας ἄνωθεν); he ratifies his righteousness to good and bad, so that none can have more than their share or deprive their neighbors so as to have twice as much light as they. The sun draws up from the ground food for all animals alike; his righteousness is shared by all and given to all equally (δικαιοσύνης τε τῆς κοινῆς ἅπασιν ἐπ' ἴσης δοθείσης). In this respect it is exactly the same for individual cows and cattle as a whole, individual pigs and pigs as a whole, individual sheep and sheep as a whole, and so on. It is this common shared quality which is revealed as righteousness among them. The same principle of commonality applies to all the species of plants alike in their seeding. Food is available in common to all animals that pasture on the land, and to all equally (καὶ πᾶσιν ἐπ' ἴσης). It is not regulated by any law, but is there for all, as it were, in unison, by the generous provision of the giver, the one who has authorized it so. This, is his righteousness.

Matters concerning the production of offspring do not involve any written law either (or it would have been handed down in writing). All beings sow their seeds and produce their offspring equally (καὶ γεννῶσιν ἐπ' ἴσης), possessing an innate common disposition from the hands of righteousness. The author and Father of all gave to all alike equally (κοινῇ πᾶσιν ἐπ' ἴσης) an eye to enable them to see. He made this dispensation out of his righteousness. He made no distinction between male and female, rational and irrational, no distinction of any kind. He dispensed sight by his grace to all alike by a single ordinance in accordance with the principle of equal sharing (ἰσότητι δὲ καὶ κοινότητι). The laws, by their incapacity to punish human ignorance, actually taught illegal behavior. The individualism allowed by the laws cut damagingly at the roots of the universalism of God’s Law.
I have pioneered research into the idea that ΙΣ wasn't a cipher for 'Jesus' but read as a word in its own right. I have argued that Justin clearly states that it meant 'man' from the Hebrew ish. But now I am wondering if there were other interpretations - still reading the nomen sacrum as a word rather than a cipher. To this end, I wonder whether Isodore (look at his name carefully) added the nominative singular suffix to the Hebrew word to develop 'Jesus' as we would call him as a universal principal which governed the universe. Clearly for Isodore 'Jesus' is a divine principal of communism which would explain why the Romans feared Christianity so much. This could have been a variation or sprung from the original Hebrew understanding of his as the ideal of heavenly Man.

But it should be noted that scholars have traditionally struggled to make sense of how Isodore was Christian. There seems to be no mention of 'Jesus' or Christ or anything Christian in his writings.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
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Re: Is Isodore Demonstrating a Variant Interpretation of the Nomen Sacrum IS?

Post by Secret Alias »

And is the original play on words (i.e. taking IS as a word in its own right) already present in Paul
In your relationships with one another, have the same mind as IS

Who, existing in God-form (μορφῇ θεοῦ)
did not consider God-equality (ἴσα Θεῷ) something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father
I can't help but see there being a play on words here between the god IS and Isa-thew. This is why the hymn ends with a discussion of "the name above all names." IS is taken to mean equality.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
andrewcriddle
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Re: Is Isodore Demonstrating a Variant Interpretation of the Nomen Sacrum IS?

Post by andrewcriddle »

I think On Righteousness is attributed to Epiphanes not Isidore.

Andrew Criddle
Secret Alias
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Re: Is Isodore Demonstrating a Variant Interpretation of the Nomen Sacrum IS?

Post by Secret Alias »

Ok.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
lsayre
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Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2015 3:39 pm

Re: Is Isodore Demonstrating a Variant Interpretation of the Nomen Sacrum IS?

Post by lsayre »

Wikipedia suggests that 'On Righteousness' may have been authored by Marcus, the founder of the Marcosian gnostic sect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphanes_(gnostic)
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