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Краткое содержание
- Katherine is not in the Bible, and its origin is genuinely unknown. The Greek Aikaterine may come from hekateros, the goddess Hecate, a word meaning torture, or a Coptic phrase.
- The meaning “pure” came later from Greek katharos. Early Christians adopted the resemblance and changed the Latin spelling from Katerina to Katharina to reflect it.
- Catherine of Alexandria is not mentioned anywhere before the ninth century and her historicity is doubted; she was removed from the universal calendar in the 1969 revision for lack of reliable evidence.
- The uncertainty concerns the biography rather than the faith. Hebrews 11 ends by refusing to name its martyrs at all — “the world was not worthy of them.”
- Scripture’s purity is asked for rather than established: “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10), using the verb for making from nothing.
Библиография (нажмите, чтобы показать)
Sources: Behind the Name entry for Katherine (Greek Aikaterine of uncertain origin; the early Christian association with katharos and the Katerina-to-Katharina respelling); Britannica and the Catholic Encyclopedia on Catherine of Alexandria (not attested before the ninth century, historicity doubtful); the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar; Scripture from the NIV via BibleGateway (Hebrews 11:35-38; Psalm 51:10).
