Ab

AB. - Fifth month of the Hebrew calendar, of 30 days. It began with the new moon of July. The name, corresponding to the Assyrian abu, does not occur in the Bible. It is mentioned by the Mishnah (Pesahîm IV, 5) and by the lexicographer Hesychius (Ed. Schmidt, Jena 1848, p. 1). In Flavius Josephus it is said to correspond to Αῶος. After the exile the fast of the 5th month was observed (Zach. 7, 2, 5; 8, 19) for the destruction of the Temple (II Reg. 25, 8; Ier. 52, 12), on the 9th day of 'a.

The Mishnah attributes four other mournful commemorations to the 9th of 'a.: "Quinque res luctuosae acciderunt patribus nostris die XVII mensis tammuz et totidem die IX ab" (Taanith, tr. Surenhusius, II, p. 385). In the synagogues on that day the Meghillah (v.) of Lamentations is read. Another mourning is celebrated on the 1st of 'a. for the death of Aaron, whose anniversary falls "at the beginning of the month which is called Hecatombaeon by the Athenians, Loos by the Macedonians and Abba (Aramaic form) by the Hebrews" (Flavius Josephus, Ant. Iud. IV, 4, 7). The 15th of 'a., on the other hand, was a day of popular rejoicing; in ancient times the maidens sang and danced in the vineyards; wood was offered for the fire on the altar (Taanith, IV, 5, 8; Meghillath Taanith, V): it was the feast of the Xylophoria (Fl. Josephus, Bell. Iud. II, 17, 6). The "corvée" of the wood, however, was distributed over 9 days, by families. The Syrians and Christian Arabs, with the exception of the Copts, now call the month of August 'a.

Antonino Romeo

'AB. - Hebrew and Aramaic term (v. 'ABBA), a root common to all the Semitic languages, meaning "father."

In the Old Testament 'ab (plural 'abbôth, in the el-Amarna texts abûti) takes on many derived meanings, based on the notions of origin, nurture and authority, semantically connected with fatherhood: 1) Grandfather (Gen. 28, 13), ancestor (I Reg. 15, 11, 24; in the plural it is frequent: Gen. 15, 15; Num. 14, 18; etc.), whence 'abbôthêm' "our fathers" (Eccli. 44, 1), frequent in the prayers of the Jews (cf. Berachoth, IX, 1), is equivalent to "Israel." 2) Progenitor of a people (Gen. 10, 21; 17, 5; 19, 37; 36, 9, 43), originator of a craft or art (Gen. 4, 20 ff.). 3) Creator (Iob 38, 28; cf. Jer. 2, 27), hence God (Deut. 32, 6; Is. 63, 16; Eccli. 51, 10). 4) Benefactor (Iob 29, 16), one who takes care of others (Is. 9, 5; 22, 21). 5) Teacher ('a. is an honorary title, given to priests and prophets even by kings: II Reg. 6, 21; 8, 9; 13, 14; Iudc. 17, 10; 18, 19), as in the title of the treatise Aboth (v.); whence the teacher often calls the disciple "son" (Prov. 4, 10, 20; 5, 1, 20; 6, 1, 3; 7, 1, 24; Ps. 44 [45], 11; Eccli. [Hebr. 3, 8, 12, 17; 4, 1, 20; etc.). 6) Counselor (Gen. 45, 8: Egyptian usage according to H. K. Brugsch), as in Esth. 3, 13 ἑσύτερος πατὴρ (addition of the Septuagint); in Ahiqar 55 (ed. Nau) the king's counselor is called "father of all Assyria." 7) More generically: head, superior, master (II Reg. 5, 13); whence the titles: 'ab beth-dîn ("president of the tribunal"), πατὴρ συναγωγῆς (= 'ab hak-kôniset) which occurs 10 times in the Jewish inscriptions of Rome.

'A. enters into the composition of many Hebrew proper names, mostly in the construct state 'âbî with the connecting i (Abram and Abiram, Abner and Abiner, Abîai and Abišai, Abišalom and Abišalom; but 'âbî = "my father," whence uncertainty of meaning: Abimèlech "father of the king" or "my father is king"), or at the beginning as subject (Abiel, Abia and Abiu "my father is God, Yahweh"), or at the end as predicate (Eliab, Ioab "God, Yahweh is father") or determination (Ohôtiâb "tent of the father"). In such compounds 'a. can indicate the possession of a quality (Abinoam "father of beauty" or "handsome"; Abišail "father of valor" or "valiant"; Abinadab "father of nobility" or "noble"; Abi'ezer "father of help" or "helper"). But one often remains perplexed: Abner "the father is light" or "father of light (luminous)," Abigail, Abišag, Abišai, etc.

Such names are often theophoric: as in Abirâm (Abramo) "my father is exalted," "father" is equivalent to God (Abimelech, el-Amarna Abi-milki and Milkili; Abner, Abi'ezer, etc.), and indicates (like ah "brother") kinship with God; the newborn is thus designated as belonging to a family that has God as its origin, patron and protector.

This use of 'a. in theophoric names, established among the most ancient Assyro-Babylonians (abu-ilum = Abiel), prevails among all Semites from the beginnings of the 2nd millennium B.C., as appears from the names of Asiatic princes in the Egyptian texts (ib = 'ab) of proscription of the XIIth dynasty and in the texts of Ras Samra. The use persists among the ancient Arabs (Sabaean inscriptions: Abijada'a "my father [God] knows" alongside Ilijada'a "my God knows"). In the various Semitic languages, the proper names with 'a. are matched by those with ben (son) referring to God (Aramaic bar, e.g.: Bar-Rekub; Assyro-Babylonian apil, e.g.: Apil-Sin).

Antonino Romeo