Pagan Names (Part 2)

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1. Esther (Est 2:7)
2. Esther – The Jewish maiden chosen by Ahasuerus to be queen. Esther was the new, and probably Persian, name given on her introduction to the royal harem. Her proper name was Hadassah, “Myrtle” (which see). As to the signification of Esther, it is “Ishtar,” the name of the great Babylonian goddess. Gesenius quotes from the second Targum on Esther: “She was called Esther from the name of the star Venus, which in Greek is Aster
   (i.e., astēr, English, ‘star’).” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
3. A book of the Bible is called Esther which is the name of Ishtar the Babylonian goddess of fertility.
4. Esther’s original Hebrew name, Hadassah was only used one time in the book of Esther before her name was changed to Esther (Est 2:7).
5. The Holy Spirit refers to her as Esther dozens of times in the book of Esther (Est 2:8, et al).
6. If it was a sin to refer to Hadassah as Esther which is the name of a pagan goddess, then the Holy Spirit would have called her Hadassah, not Esther.
7. If it’s not a sin for the scripture to call a woman by the name of a pagan goddess whom God raised up to be the queen of the Persian empire in order to save the Jews from annihilation, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.
   1. The name Friday “is based on the Latin diēs Veneris, “Day of Venus.”” (Names of the days of the week, Wikipedia, 2-17-2021)
   2. If a Jewish Queen of Persia and a book of the Bible can be called Venus (Esther) without it being sin, then the 6th day of the week certainly can be.

Apollonia (Act 17:1)

1. Apollonia – Gr. belonging to Apollo, the name of several towns in the Mediterranean world, so called in honor of the Greek sun god Apollo. (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
2. The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write the name of a city named after the Greek sun god Apollo.
3. If it was sinful to refer to a city by the name of a pagan god, the Holy Spirit would have inspired Luke to call the city by another name which is common in scripture (Gen 28:19; Jdg 19:10).
4. If it’s not a sin to call a city after the name of a pagan god, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.
   1. The name Sunday means “sun’s day” (Names of the days of the week, Wikipedia, 2-17-2021)
   2. If a Greek city can be called by the name of the sun god (Apollo) without it being sin, then the 1st day of the week certainly can be.

Apollos (Act 18:24)

1. Apollos – Etymology: from Apollo + -s. Plural of Apollo (wiktionary.org)
2. “Apollo is one of the Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman religion and Greek and Roman mythology. The national divinity of the Greeks, Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry, and more. One of the most important and complex of the Greek gods, he is the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Seen as the most beautiful god and the ideal of the kouros (ephebe, or a beardless, athletic youth), Apollo is considered to be the most Greek of all the gods.” (Apollo, Wikipedia, 2-17-2021)
3. Apollos, an eloquent preacher of the gospel (Act 18:24), was named after the pagan god Apollo.
4. It was commonplace for people in the Bible to be renamed after their conversion (Joh 1:42; Act 13:9; Gen 17:5; Gen 32:28).
5. If it was sinful for Christians to call a man by the name of a pagan god, then certainly the apostles would have renamed him.
6. Since they didn’t rename him, but continued to use his given pagan name (1Co 16:12; Tit 3:13), it is clear that it is not sinful to call a man after the name of a pagan god.
7. If it’s not a sin to call a preacher after the name of a pagan god, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.
   1. The name Sunday means “sun’s day” (Names of the days of the week, Wikipedia, 2-17-2021)
   2. If a Christian preacher can be called by the name of the sun god (Apollo) without it being sin, then the 1st day of the week certainly can be.

Artemas (Tit 3:12)

1. Artemas – contraction of Gr. Artemidoros; gift of Artemis, i. e., Diana. (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
2. “Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, and chastity. The goddess Diana is her Roman equivalent. Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the patron and protector of young girls, and was believed to bring disease upon women and relieve them of it. Artemis was worshipped as one of the primary goddesses of childbirth and midwifery along with Eileithyia. Much like Athena and Hestia, Artemis preferred to remain a maiden and is sworn never to marry.” (Artemis, Wikipedia, 2-17-2021)
3. Paul’s helper Artemas was named after a pagan Greek goddess, Artemis.
4. If it was sinful for a saint to go by the name of a pagan god, then Paul would not have called him (her?) that and would have renamed him.
5. If it’s not a sin to call a man after the name of a pagan god, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.

Athens (Act 18:1)

1. Athens – a city named after the patron goddess Athene and the capital of the important Greek state of Attica, which became the cultural center of the ancient pre-Christian world. (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
2. The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write the name of a city named after the Greek goddess Athene.
3. If it was sinful to refer to a city by the name of a pagan goddess, the Holy Spirit would have inspired Luke to call the city by another name.
4. If it’s not a sin to call a city after the name of a pagan goddess, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.

Castor and Pollux (Act 28:11)

1. Castor and Pollux – The Dioscuri, i. e., sons of Jupiter; Castor being a horse-tamer, and Pollux (Gr. Polydeuces), the master of the art of boxing. They were the ideal types of bravery and dexterity in fight, and thus became the tutelary gods of warlike youth.  They were supposed to lend their aid to the mariner, who, in case of a storm, prays to them, and vows to sacrifice a lamb to them as soon as the storm ceases.  The ship in which Paul sailed from Malta had for its sign Castor and Pollux (Act 28:11). (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
2. Paul and Luke sailed in a ship named after two pagan gods, Castor and Pollux.
3. Luke specifically mentions, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that the ship was named after these pagan gods.
4. If it is a sin to call a ship by the name of a pagan god, or to even utter the name of a pagan god, then the Holy Spirit and Luke are guilty of sin.
5. It was not necessary to give the sign of the ship, so Luke could have easily omitted it if it was sinful to utter.
6. If it’s not a sin to call a ship after the name of pagan gods, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.

Hermas and Hermes (Rom 16:14)

1. Hermas – Gr. Hermas, Mercury (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
2. Hermes – the Greek name of Mercury (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
3. “Mercury is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication (including divination), travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; he also serves as the guide of souls to the underworld.” (Mercury (mythology), Wikipedia, 2-17-2021)
4. Paul’s brethren in Christ, Hermas and Hermes, were named after the pagan Roman god, Mercury.
5. If it was sinful for saints to go by the name of a pagan god, then Paul would not have called them that and would have renamed them.
6. If it’s not a sin to call a man after the name of a pagan god, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.
   1. The name Wednesday “corresponds to the Latin counterpart diēs Mercuriī, “Day of Mercury.” (Names of the days of the week, Wikipedia, 2-17-2021)
   2. If a Christian saint can be called Mercury without it being sin, then a day of the week certainly can be.

Mars’ Hill (Act 17:22) and Areopagus (Act 17:19)

1. Mars’ Hill – Gr. Aries Pagos, hill of Aries, the Greek god of war, Roman Mars, Act 17:22), another name for the Areopagus (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
2. Areopagus – The Hill of Ares, the Greek god of war, equivalent
   to Roman Mars. Mars’ Hill is thus the Lat. form of Areopagus. It is the name of a bare rocky place, some 377 feet high, immediately NW of the acropolis of Athens and separated from it by a narrow declivity. Steps cut in the rock lead to the summit, where benches, rough and rock hewn, can still be seen. In ancient times the Areopagus court assembled at this spot. The word Areopagus in Acts 17:19, 22 may refer either to the hill or to the court that met there. In either case, Paul’s speech was in all likelihood on this hill as the customary meeting place of the court. This court was composed of city fathers and in early times exercised supreme authority in political as well as religious matters. Although largely a criminal court in the age of Pericles, in Roman times it had reverted once more to interest in educational and religious matters. It is quite understandable, therefore, that this court took hold of Paul and brought him to its judges in session, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming?” (Acts 17:19). The Areopagus court, it is true, met at intervals in the Stoa Basileios, or Royal Stoa. If this happened to be the case when Paul was in Athens, then the famous apostle gave his address (Acts 17:22–31) in the stoa. (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
3. The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write the name of a hill, Mars’ Hill, named after the Greek god Mars.
4. If it was sinful to refer to a hill by the name of a pagan god, the Holy Spirit would have inspired Luke to call the hill by another name.
5. If it’s not a sin to call a hill after the name of a pagan god, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.
   1. In fact, the month of March is named after Mars, as is the third day of the week, Tuesday (see above).
   2. If it was not a sin for the Holy Spirit and a Christian (Luke) to call a hill by the name of the Greek god Mars, then neither is it a sin for a Christian to call the third month of the year and the third day of the week a name that comes from Mars either.

Olympas (Rom 16:15)

1. “The name Olympas obviously comes from Olympus, the actual mountain in Greece where Greek mythology situated its pantheon of Twelve Olympian Gods, headed by Zeus.” (Olympas meaning, Abarim Publications)
2. Olympus – A mountain in the north of Thessaly, the fabled abode of the greater gods of ancient Greek mythology; hence applied to heaven as the divine abode; rarely, to the sky. (OED)
3. One of the saints in the church of Rome, Olympas, was named after the mountain where the Greek gods supposedly abode.
4. If it was sinful for a saint to go by the name of a dwelling place of pagan gods, then Paul would not have called him (or her) that and would have renamed him.
5. If it’s not a sin to call a man after the name of a pagan god, then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god.

Zenas (Tit 3:13)

1. Zenas – shortened form of Zenadorus, gift of Zeus (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
2. Zeus – 1. Myth. Name of the supreme deity of the ancient Greeks; cf. Jupiter. (OED)
3. Paul’s helper, Zenas, was named after the supreme Greek god, Zeus.
4. If it was sinful to be named after a pagan god, then it would be the most sinful to be named after the supreme god of the Greeks.
5. If anyone would have needed a name change it would have been Zenas, but Paul never did so, and the Holy Spirit recorded his name in the scriptures.
6. If it’s not a sin to call a man after the name of a pagan god (especially Zeus), then it follows that it is not a sin to call a day of the week or a month of the year after a pagan god as long as using that name is not an act of worship of a false God.
   1. The name Thursday “corresponds to Latin diēs Iovis, “day of Jupiter” (Names of the days of the week, Wikipedia, 2-17-2021)
   2. If a Christian can be called by the name of the supreme Greek god Jupiter (Zeus) without it being sin, then the 5th day of the week certainly can be.

Five out of seven days of the week which are named after pagan gods share those same (or equivalent) names with Christians or places in the Bible.

1. Sunday
   1. Sunday is named after the sun god (see Section II, 4)
   2. Apollos and Apollonia are named after Apollo the sun God (see above).
2. Tuesday
   1. Tuesday is named after the god Mars (see Section II, 4)
   2. Mars’ Hill and Areopagus are named after Mars (see above).
3. Wednesday
   1. Wednesday is named after the god Mercury (see Section II, 4)
   2. Hermas and Hermes are named after Mercury (see above).
4. Thursday
   1. Thursday is named after the god Jupiter (see Section II, 4)
   2. Zenas is named after Jupiter (Zeus) (see above).
5. Friday
   1. Friday is named after the god Venus (see Section II, 4)
   2. Esther is named after Venus (see above).
6. If it was not sinful for the apostles and the Holy Spirit to call people and places by the names of pagan gods, then it is not sinful for Christians to call the days of the week by those same names.

3.      If pagan names are used as an act of worship, then it is sinful to use them.

1. For example, when pagans saw Paul heal a crippled man they thought Barnabas and Paul were gods (Act 14:8-11).
2. They therefore named Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercurius which were the names of pagan gods (Act 14:12).
   1. Jupiter – 1. a. The supreme deity of the ancient Romans, corresponding to the Greek Zeus; the ruler of gods and men, and the god of the heavens, whose weapon was the thunderbolt. (OED)
   2. Mercury – 1. A Roman divinity, identified from an early period with the Greek Hermes (son of Jupiter and Maia), the god of eloquence and feats of skill, the protector of traders and thieves, the presider over roads, the conductor of departed souls to the Lower World, and the messenger of the gods; represented in art as a young man with winged sandals and a winged hat, and bearing the caduceus. (OED)
3. They then tried to worship them which Paul and Barnabas would not allow (Act 14:13-18).
4. In this case since the names were used to worship pagan gods, it was not acceptable for Paul and Barnabas to be called Mercurius and Jupiter.
5. But in the numerous cases cited above, when pagan names were not used in the worship of pagan gods, it was fine call those people and places by those names.
6. In fact, Christians were called by these very names (Jupiter and Mercury) by Paul himself:
   1. Zenas (Zeus or Jupiter) (Tit 3:13)
   2. Hermes and Hermas (Mercury) (Rom 16:14)