Student Choice #3; Blog # 6

Significance of Names

As a narrative goes on, and characters begin to develop personalities and stories, there is more than just what meets the eye. Within the Bible, there are many characters with names that signify certain aspects of their life. A few examples of this are: Daniel, Elijah, Abraham, and Peter. Relating this to the class, there are names that Lewis uses in the Chronicles of Narnia that are significant to the story of their lives as well. There's Peter, Lucy, and Aslan. Names have always had significance. A name in most circumstances may help communicate a person's individual story. Now to explain the significance of these few names that represent so much more than just an individual.

Daniel means "God is my judge". In the Bible, Daniel faces many obstacles, one including being put to death by being placed in a lion's den for political reasons. Daniel was delivered from the lion's den unharmed, helping signify that no man can judge Daniel nor put him to death for any reasons outside of God's will for Him. The Lord protected him.

Elijah means "Jehovah is God". Everyone knows of Elijah being taken up into Heaven on a chariot. Earlier, he was sent to King Ahab by God in order to propose a test. This is when the two altars were built and the Lord and Baal were put to the test. Elijah helped represent Jehovah and did as His God commanded Him to.

Abraham means "father of many". In Genesis 17, the Lord changes Abram's name to Abraham, which has this new meaning. He is no longer called by Abram, but Abraham, due to the fact that God made him the father of many -- his name reflected the story that God had created for his life.

Peter means "stone". In Matthew 16, this meaning comes to fruition in Peter's life. He is told that he is the rock upon which Christ's church will be built. 

In the Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis uses Peter as well. In this series, Peter is the Most High King of the land. The royal family is built off of him.

Lucy stems from "Lucia" who was a martyr in the 4th century. In the Chronicles, she is The Valiant. This means that she is worthy, strong, and courageous. I would say that the significance of her name resembles the story of "Lucia" from the 4th century. 

Aslan means "brave Lion". This was the name given to many Turkic rulers, which helped give their names and stories significance. Further, by Lewis using this name, he was able to create the lion's story through his name. "Aslan" helped signify who the lion was without even knowing much about him.

Simply by looking at these names, one can learn much about them without even reading or understanding their actual stories. These names hold significance, and some of them (like Saul--> Paul, and Abram--> Abraham) were changed to help represent their story given to them by God.