Saturday, June 13, 2009
On Polycarp's original name (in the Acts of Polycarp) Pangratius
The name in this form is not a Greek name or a Greek word. Given the very bad typing, I suppose it could be a mistake for Pankratia, or otherwise the form could have changed slightly within transmission in Coptic. As I don’t know any Coptic, I can’t say anything about the second suggestion. There is something wrong with the ending, though this ending does occur on other Greek words. The form Pankratos would be expected. This is a real but very rare name meaning “most excellent”. It is from the same stem as the word kratistos used in the vocative form kratiste at the start of Luke in the phrase kratiste Theophile.
Email stephan.h.huller@gmail.com with comments or questions.