Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

ONOMASTICON

A list of proper names, usually personal but sometimes geographical sites. In the first instance the list of names may be derived from a given document (e.g., David’s Mighty Men, 2 Sam. 23:8-39; cf. 1 Chr. 11:26-47) or compiled from various sources with a common point of reference (e.g., onomasticon of names in Jerusalem ossuary inscriptions). Onomastic study of personal names not only contributes understanding of their meaning, but also provides insight into the ethnic and linguistic background of those named. This can be valuable in evaluating population movement, social intercourse, and acculturation (e.g., the presence of Greek names in 1st-century synagogue inscriptions provides significant insight into the hellenization of Jewish society).

When the term is used in a geographical sense it usually indicates a gazetteer of place names. Eusebius’ Onomasticon of biblical sites includes almost 1000 entries ranging in length from a few words to as much as a page. The entries are categorized by the first letter of the alphabet, then by their order of occurrence in the biblical text. They include such information as location, distance from other places, events that occurred at the site, contemporary (4th-century) name, and state of the site (inhabited or ruined, and if inhabited the religious orientation of inhabitants).

Bibliography. T. D. Barnes, “Composition of Eusebius’ Onomasticon,” JTS n.s. 26 (1975): 412-15; N. G. Cohen, “The Names of the Translators in the Letter of Aristeas,” JSJ 15 (1984): 32-64; D. E. Groh, “The Onomasticon of Eusebius and the Rise of Christian Palestine,” in Studia Patristica 18/1, ed. E. A. Livingstone (Kalamazoo, 1985), 23-31; J. P. Kane, “The Ossuary Inscriptions of Jerusalem,” JSS 23 (1978): 268-82; M. P. O’Connor, “The Ammonite Onomasticon: Semantic Problems,” AUSS 25 (1987): 51-64; A. B. Tataki, Macedonian Edessa: Prosopography and Onomasticon (Athens, 1994); C. U. Wolf, “Eusebius of Caesarea and the Onomasticon,” BA 27 (1964): 66-96.

Charles Guth

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

ONOMASTICON

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)