Blackwell Reference Online

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In eastern christian tradition, children are normally named after saints from the church's calendar , giving the child a name-day and a personal patron saint. Baptism is not of itself a naming service: a separate service to claim the person for Christ and give a new name exists in Byzantine and other service books. The Byzantine rite service of ‘Naming’ is specified as being held on the ‘eighth day’, on the analogy of Christ's circumcision under the Old Law (cf. Luke 2: 21). Adult converts normally receive a new Christian name if baptized, frequently even when received by chrismation. Since converts often continue to be known by their original names, many saints are venerated under their pre-baptismal names, e.g. Vladimir and Olga, the passion bearers Boris and Gleb, Hasan and Ahmet the new martyrs . Names can be derived from a saint's title, e.g. Chrysostom, Damaskenos, Theologos or Chrysobalantini. Men named may use a masculine derivative of a female saint's name, e.g. Paraskevas for paraskeve , just as a woman would be Demetra if Demetrios of Thessaloniki were her patron saint. A difference in accentuation applied to sacred names, like Stavros, makes them acceptable as personal names. There are names derived from Christian feasts (Natalie, Paschal), sacred places (Gethsemane, Bethlehem), attributes of Christ and the theotokos , and icons (Odegetriani). Christians used ... log in or subscribe to read full text