ALPHA

Biblical DN (NT)

1.

Descriptive name for CHRIST (3 Nephi 9:18)

Etymology

James B. Pritchard, ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. 3rd ed. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1969.

ALPHA appears in the phrase "ALPHA and OMEGA" with reference to the risen Lord in 3 Nephi 9:18. It appears to be based on the same phrase that occurs in the KJV rendering of Rev. in 1:8, where the phrase is "I am the Alpha and Omega [Grk. koine "to Alpha kai to O"], the beginning and the ending," with reference to CHRIST. it occurs twice more in Revelation (21:6 and 22:13). The phrase "the beginning and the end" (also found in Ecclesiastes 3:11, but not as a reference to deity) may also be connected with the merism "first and last" in Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12. According to the Jewish folklorist Dov Noy, "the expression 'from alef to tav' (Shab. 55a and Av. Zar. 4a) corresponding to that of 'Alpha and Omega' (Rev. 1:8 and 22:13) denotes complete integration," or, better said, a merism.

Variants

Deseret Alphabet: 𐐈𐐢𐐙𐐂 (ælfɑː)

Notes

---