Saturday, June 15, 2013

Minim from Ma'amin

I've long argued for this and now I see it appears in the latest Oxford Dictionary of Judaism:

Although the etymology of minim is unknown, it may derive from Mani (founder of Manichaeism) or by way of abbreviation from ma'amin Yeshu notseri (believer in Jesus the Nazarene).

It is always easier to argue for an idea if it has already been published.  The traditional idea that it means 'species' always struck me as ridiculous.  


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