Is John and Jonah the same name - different language?

[NotWorthy]

I’m confused. Is John simply a different rendering of the name Jonah? Sort of like Kepha and Cephas?

 

[Nita]

Hi Notworthy,

Not according to the etymology given on this website.

cyberspacei.com/englishwiz/library/names/etymology_of_first_names.htm

JOHN “the Lord has favored” (Hebrew). John is the name of two important New Testament characters. The first was John the Baptist. The second was the apostle John, brother of the apostle James, who was also supposedly the author of the fourth Gospel and Revelation in the New Testament. The name was borne by 23 popes. Also, the name of rulers of Hungary, Poland, Portugal and France. This has been the most popular of male Christian names.

…

JONAH “a dove” from Hebrew yonah. A prophet swallowed by a whale in the Old Testament. He emerged from the whale three days later.

JONAS Greek form of JONAH

Nita

 

[NotWorthy]

Then, if Simon is the son of John, as evidenced in John 1, why does Jesus call him Simon Bar (son of) Jonah in Matthew 16?

Is it coincidental that Jesus, just moments before earlier in Matthew 16, tells the Pharisees that the only sign they will see is the sign of Jonah?

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I have seen it suggested that Jesus is referring to Himself as Jonah, and Peter as His spiritual son in this instance. I don’t know how valid that is, but the author was clear that John and Jonah were different.

 

[Nita]

Hmmmm.

There’s some discussion on this website:
jimmyakin.typepad.com/defensor_fidei/2005/04/mr_peter.html

And some Bible versions translate John 21:17 as “Simon son of John” and others as “Simon son of Jonah”!
bible.cc/john/21-17.htm

Nita

 

[COPLAND_3]

This is a matter of different readings in the ancient manuscripts. I am looking at the variant apparatus in my Greek NT, here is the comparison. The son of Jonah is most likely the original reading.

**The oldest Manuscripts that read son of John: **

Greek
P66- about 200AD
P75-3rd century
Codex Sinaiticus-4th Century
Codex L- 8th century
Freer-5th Century
minuscule 33- 9th century

**Old Latin **
Vercellensis- 4th century
Veronensis- 5th century
Brixianus- 6th century
Corbeiensis 2- 5th century
Rehdigeranus- 7th century
Usserianus1- 7th century

Coptic
sadhedric and Boharic

Ethiopic (Rome)

early church writer
Nonnus-431

Manuscripts that read son of Jonah:

These manuscripts are much more plentiful, so I will give only some of the most important or I will be taking all night.

Greek
Alexandrinus-5th century
Vaticanus-4th century
Paris K-9th century
Athos-8th century
063-9th century
etc etc etc…

Old Latin
Aureus-7th century

Latin
Vulgate clementine and W&W

Aramaic
Sinaitic
Philoxenian
Peshitta
Palestinian

Coptic

Armenian

ethiopic

Georgian

Early Fathers
Diatessaron- 2nd century
Epiphanius- 403
Chrysostom-407
Cyril-386

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Then, if Simon is the son of John, as evidenced in John 1, why does Jesus call him Simon Bar (son of) Jonah in Matthew 16?

Is it coincidental that Jesus, just moments before earlier in Matthew 16, tells the Pharisees that the only sign they will see is the sign of Jonah?

**That’s quite possible The gospel is essentially a series of episodes connected by catchwords, & the unit mentioning Jonah precedes the unit preceding unit about events at Caesarea Philippi. To see what words the gospel uses as catchwords to connect the units about the sign of Jonah, about the leaven, & at Caesarea Philippi, one will have to see the text. **​

 

[Evan]

In Hebrew John comes out as

Yohannan

and Jonah as

Yonah

John was one of the most popular names in Palestine (not nearly as popular as Simon) so if it was Jonah, many people would have heard John. (like when I am intoduced as ‘Evan’, 20 years ago everybody responded with ‘hi kevin’ or ‘hi evans’ since kevin and evans were both popular names (first or last). Now it rarely happens).