Interpretations of the Name Israel in Ancient Judaism and Some Early Christian Writings

Ancient peoples regarded names as indicative of character and destiny. The Jews were no exception. All Jews descended from Jacob, who was given the name Israel. The Bible seemed to explain this name as having to do with struggle. But generations following the Bible found in Israel references to seeing God, singing, ruling, being upright, angelic qualities, and much more besides. This book examines those explanations, and attempts to show how they came to be adopted and. why. - ;Ancient peoples regarded names as indicative of character and destiny. The Jews were no exception. This is a critical study of ancient exegesis of the title `Israel' and the meanings attributed to it among Jews down to Talmudic times, along with some early Christian materials. C. T. R. Hayward explores ancient etymologies of `Israel', and the utilization of these very varied explanations of the name in sustained works of exegesis like Jubilees; the writings of Ben Sira, Philo, and. Josephus; and selected Rabbinic texts including Aramaic Targumim. He also examines translational works like the Septuagint, to illuminate those writings' sense of what it meant to be a Jew. - ;...an erudite and well-researched book. - Edward Kessler, Journal of Theological Studies