Olympas

Olympas is a name appearing once in the New Testament, specifically in Romans 16:15, where Paul the Apostle sends greetings to a Roman Christian of this name. The name is considered a shortened form (or a derivative) of a longer Greek compound name such as Olympiodoros, meaning "gift of Olympus." The Greek Olympos refers to Mount Olympus, the legendary home of the gods in Greek mythology. The element doron means "gift." Olympas thus carries an indirect but profound connection to classical Greek divinity.

Biblical References

According to Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), Olympas was a Roman Christian saluted by Paul. The Eastern Orthodox tradition venerates Olympas as one of the Seventy Disciples — the early followers sent out by Jesus or recognized as evangelists. His feast day in the Orthodox calendar is November 10. The specific clause in Romans, part of Paul's personal greetings, underscores Olympas's membership in the early Christian community in Rome, possibly a household or small gathering of believers.

Etymological Context

The longer name Olympiodoros was a popular Hellenistic formation blending Olympus (the mountain abode of Zeus and other deities) with doron (gift). The shortened form Olympas follows a pattern of hypocorism, a contraction common in Ancient Greek for familiar or everyday use. The root Olympos itself is a mountain and a divine realm, and though the name's immediate sense is "heavenly" (per some translations), its literal descent draws from pagan religious geography.

In the Latin Vulgate and subsequent Bibles, the name is rendered as Olympas. Its usage as a masculine given name is primarily limited to Biblical contexts.

Cultural Significance

Olympas is a rare but respected name in Christian tradition for its connection to the Pauline epistles and the Seventy Disciples. Outside of Biblical and historical contexts, it is virtually absent from contemporary naming conventions. The survival of the name across educated / clerical traditions, from Greek to Latin to English Bibles, demonstrates how classical mythological elements were absorbed into Christian onomastics.

• Meaning: Probably "heavenly" or a shortened form of a longer name
• Origin: Ancient Greek via New Testament
• Type: Personal name (male)
• Usage Regions: Specifically Christian/Biblical; historically Greek, Latin, English