Good to see the Church is being true to form when repressing innovation and progress then.
Perhaps. However, my primary intention was to point out that it is entirely impossible to come up with something entirely unique. We are incapable of creation
ex nihilo. We must start with something to make something else. The tradition is inescapable
What is this Ecclesiastes? I know of מגילת קהלת, (Megilat Kohelet), but Ecclesiastes? Who comes up with these names that have nothing to do with the actual original name?
Actually, Ecclesiastes is directly translated from the Hebrew. If I am not mistaken, Kohelet has a connotation of gathering or calling. The Greek ekklesiastes has the connotation of gathering or calling. In short, if you are going to pick a book to dislike, don't pick this one. It is closest to the meaning of the Hebrew. Or, at least, as close as the translators thought they could get.
The books of the torah take their names from an important aspect of the first lines of the book.
Bereshit:Genesis makes sense.
Shmot:Exodus does not. Shmot means names. Exodus means leaving.
Actually, Exodus means literally "the out-road," but thats just me being nit-picky about names. And, in any case, while the Hebrew title for the book makes sense given the first-sentence theme, the central plot of the book itself is the exodus from Egypt, is it not? While it is not a translation of the Hebrew name, I do not see why the name itself is so unreasonable.
Vayikra:Leviticus doesnt really. Vayikra means 'and he called'. Leviticus means Law.
Leviticus deals a great deal with the Law and items related to the priesthood. The word Leviticus appears to be derived from the Greek word for the Levites, or the priests. Therefore, calling it, in short, "The Book of Things Related to Priests and Priestly Law" doesn't seem that unreasonable.
Bamidbar (in the desert) vs Numbers. ???
The first part of Numbers is a rather long list of, well, numbers, that is, of a census of the Israelites. It makes about as much sense as "In the desert" to me.
Dvarim (things) vs Deuteronomy (second).
Actually, Deuteronomy doesn't just mean second. -nomy comes from Greek nomos, which means customs or, in this context, laws. It is so-called because it appears related to Leviticus insofar as it has Moses relating things important to the Israelites, particularly as regards the Law. Therefore, it is the Second (Book of) Law. (I recognize Wikipedia claims it just means second. They are, to best of my knowledge, wrong.)
SERIOUSLY, WHO COMES UP WITH THESE THINGS?
If I had to hazard a guess, it would be second century BC Jews in Alexandria speaking Hellenistic Greek and translating the Old Testament into the same. So... they're who you have to blame.
Is there anything else?
