[B-Greek] IHS abbreviation
Maurice A. O'Sullivan
mauros at iol.ie
Mon Dec 15 12:15:59 EST 2003
At 16:15 15/12/2003, Jeff Cockrell wrote:
>I have read that IHS is an abbreviation for Jesus in Greek. However, I
>have also read that this is an abbreviation from Latin meaning "Jesus
>Savior of Men."
>
>Any conclusive evidence to the orgin of this abbreviation?
Well, the Encyclopaedia Britannica appears in two minds on the matter:
Its entry for " monogram " states:
>>The interlaced IHS, also called the sacred monogram, is an abbreviation
of the Latin phrase Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus, Saviour of Mankind).
This monogram apparently possesses no great antiquity and is said to have
been the creation of St. Bernard of Siena in the mid-15th century.<<
whereas the entry on "symbolic modes of expression" states;
>>The letters received a symbolic character in two ways: first, as
components of a word for which they stoode.g., the Hebrew tetragram
(four-letter) YHWH (Yahweh) for God, the Latin IOM for Jupiter Optimus
Maximus (Jupiter the Best and Greatest), and the Greek IHS for Jesusor,
second through their numerical value, as in >alpha< and >omega<, the
beginning and end of the Greek alphabet, signifying Christ. They then
became means of abbreviationsigns possessing a specific content and meaning.<<
Maurice A. O'Sullivan [ Bray, Ireland ]
mauros at iol.ie
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