02-07-2013, 02:43 AM
labanino Wrote:So, does Keepa has anything to do with Petra or Rock? <!-- s:biggrin: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/biggrin.gif" alt=":biggrin:" title="Big Grin" /><!-- s:biggrin: -->Yes, it is of the Hebrew/Aramaic word for small rock, perhaps - that was part of a bigger rock. So Keefa(Aramaic) & Kepha (Hebrew) mean rock as well as the Greek word Petros means rock.
So the Greek nickname retained the meaning form it's original Hebrew, Aramaic origin. By this pattern his English nickname would be either Rock or perhaps Pebble(?). So in English translations it would be just as proper to call Shimon by Rock as it was for the Greeks to translate Kepha/Keepa as Petros.
I do not know what the word for rock is in other languages, but in what ever language one would translate the Peshitta into they could use their word for rock (and capitalize the first letter to denote a name) and that would be more proper than for an English translation to use Petros being it is not the original Hebrew/Aramaic nickname. As Petros was to help the Greek speaking people understand the intent of the nickname, so we in English should either call him by his birth name Shimon or his nickname in the original language (i.e.-Kepha/Keepa), or as Rock opposed to Petros unless we are translating from the Greek texts, in which then it would be fine to transliterate Petros (but the intent of the nickname could be lost to those whom do not know the Greek language).
On that note I personally feel as the nickname should either be translated instead of transliterated in order for the target audience to get the intent rather than be left wondering "what's up with the different names?", or transliterated from the original language. What I am saying is - if you are an English speaking person just think Rock when you see Petros unless you are in a Greek state of mind - then by all means think Petros. Remember the nickname is not a proper name in which would be improper to translate, and was intended to convey the definition. So when it comes to English speaking/thinking people we should be reading/thinking "Shimon who was called 'Rock/Pebble' ".