Talk:Elias

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For other persons named Elias, see Elias (disambiguation).

[edit] Helios > Elias

Can you cite a source for the Helios > Elias etymology? It's pretty well established that Elias is simply the Greek version of Elijah. The Hebrew suffix -yahu, rendered -iah or -jah in English is consistently replaced with -ias in Greek, as seen in Isaiah/Esaias, Jeremiah/Jeremias, etc. Pterodactyler 17:17, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

Yes, I'd like a source for this too. I didn't add the Helios part. EliasAlucard|Talk 19:43, 30 Aug, 2005 (UTC)
Please be aware, the Greeks long had a civilisation before Elijah, and so the name may have already existed as a pagan name. The prophet Elijah practiced his ministry in Israel during the reigns of King Ahab (874-853 BC). By that stage the Minion civilisation, one of the earliest, had already come and gone a good 1000 years before. The beginning of the rise of the polis (city-state), is believed to be 900 BC.
The argument that Elias is just a reworded version of Elijah is part truth. I believe both names existed, however the pagan Greek name was christianised and linked to Elijah according to the Old Testement, because of the similarity. To me, it makes perfect sense, given that old pagan names were incorporated into the christian religion, when Constantine made Christiananity the official religion of the Roman empire (of which the Greeks were subjects). Pagan feasts, names, and practices were incorporated into the new religion to ease the transition - and that fact is well documented if you doubt it.
Elijah was linked to the sun, which suggests why Hebrew 'Elijah' was linked to Greek 'Elias:
"Sometimes the sun was associated with immortality by a quirk of early Christian etymology - the prophet Elijah, Elias, who did not die, was linked with the sun, helios, as in the Cemetery of Peter and Marcellinus, where a nimbed sun, representing the prophet, guides a chariot to the heavens." (Source: http://www.pythagorean.org/Renaissance/fried.htm)
The following paragraph, perfectly describes my view on the issue, as I have always known it (source: http://www.ctlibrary.com/9342)
"The Chapel of St. Elias is at the top of one of the highest hills in the area. In pagan times, these spots were reserved for temples to Helios, the sun god; the closer one got to the clouds, the closer one was to his presence. When Greece began to adopt Christian traditions, St. Elias naturally emerged as the completion of this originally pagan idea; his vanishing into the clouds on a chariot of fiery horses made the perfect image of a saint whose province is the sun and sky. It is one of many ways in which the Greeks have reconciled their pagan beliefs with Christian truths, not watering down the Scriptures in any ..."
For anyone visiting Greece, look at the highest peak of any island, or region, and it is ALWAYS "Profitis Elias". Does any other culture do that?

Elias Bizannes 14:30, 31 August 2005 (UTC)

Certainly Elias was later identified with Helios, and the similarity of the two names undoubtedly played a role, but that's not the origin of the name Elias. The name entered the Greek language as a translation of the name Elijah. That it "may have already existed as a pagan name" is pure conjecture unless you can cite evidence. The evidence you've given so far only shows that after Elijah was introduced to the Greeks he was conflated somewhat with Helios. Pterodactyler 16:20, 31 August 2005 (UTC)j
What Pterodactyler says is true. The Greeks did this with many names. For example, the Aramaic phonetic pronounciation of Jesus' disciples names changed. Anyway, that's all I have to say. EliasAlucard|Talk 18:43, 31 Aug, 2005 (UTC)
Fair enough, point taken. It'd be good if we could add some more information on the page, because it is fairly bland at the moment.Elias Bizannes 18:34, 31 August 2005 (UTC)
Yes. Checking other encyclopedias is a good start :) EliasAlucard|Talk 21:30, 31 Aug, 2005 (UTC)

Don't wan't to seem immature here, but my middle name is Elisas, YAY! 13:22. 20 June 2006 (est)

The use of "Elias" as a translation of "Elijah" is not of Christian origin; it goes back to the Septuagint, which was the Greek translation of the Old Testament made by Alexandrian Jews, prior to the birth of Jesus. MishaPan (talk) 18:38, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Persian meaning?

I have been told - my name being "Elias" (read my username backwards...) - that "Elias" is a persian word, meaning something along the lines of "Wisee man". Can anyone verify this? Saile 22:39, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Page not fully showing

I made some edits - mostly adding a blockquote from Fermor's book "Mani" - but it appears that content after this blockquote no longer shows. It's in the actual page if you edit it, so I am thinking it has someting to do with the template perhaps? 58.110.150.171 11:15, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

Elias Bizannes is correct. To say that Elias came from Ἥλιος is silly. It's the kind of paretymology that's quite understandable (even charming) among the folk or in the middle ages, but really indefensible nowadays. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tzetzes (talk • contribs) 03:15, 2 March 2008 (UTC)