Chaldean is who? The meaning and origin of the word

Many people heard the expression "the face of the Chaldean". But very few people understand where it came from and what has to do with the history of this mysterious people. In this article, we will talk about the importance of the name of this nation in the appearance of Russian phraseology.

The Biblical Parable

The name of this nationality has a rather mythical character. Those who are familiar with even a little with the Holy Scripture, most likely heard about such a tribe as the Chaldeans. Who are they really? According to the Bible, the Chaldeans are a tribe of magicians and kings originating in the eastern countries, who, by the guiding star, reached Bethlehem. He went a long way for the sake of one goal - to see, finally, the newborn Messiah and bring him the sacrificial offerings.

Historical reference

Science proves that such a nationality existed in reality. The researchers decided to divide the Chaldeans into a people and priests. In the notion of historians, the Chaldeans are an armed nomadic people. Initially, he lived in Mesopotamia, where he had previously come from other Asian countries. Because of their aggressive nature, the Chaldeans entered the service of many Assyrian kings. In due time this people even took Babylon and founded a Chaldean dynasty there. Consequently, this country in some sources, in addition to the name of Babylonia, carries another - Chaldea. Its capital was Babylon. Later representatives of this people settled on the lands of Ancient Rome and Greece, where they engaged in divination and other rituals.

Chaldeans in Christianity

In addition to world history, this people left their mark on the religious world. So, according to many European denominations, the Chaldeans are Christians living in the territory of modern Iraq and Iran. The church of these parishioners has a corresponding name - Chaldean. According to legend, many Chaldean Christians flee from persecution in Babylon, where they founded the same name in religion. Many researchers believe that the specific cults of representatives of this people had their influence on the formation of Judaism. So, these believers had their own system of amulets and amulets. However, such a course of Christianity completely contradicts the idea of the ancient Chaldeans as magicians who came from Central Asia.

Occupation

Due to the fact that the Chaldeans are, first of all, the concept, which is used to call the ancient priests, it is necessary to tell in more detail about this estate.

The above magicians came from dynasties with a long history. As a rule, the title of the priest was inherited. The Chaldean priests were the most literate representatives of their people. They had knowledge in astronomy, numerology, medicine, mathematics, agriculture and other branches of social sciences. In most cases, the priests acted in the service of monasteries, where they studied the stars, their influence on politics, religion, calendars and horoscopes. Already at that time the Chaldeans knew that the year consisted of 365 days, and also knew how to calculate the time of the onset of eclipses in the starry sky. Moreover, the magicians were credited with magical knowledge. Based on the remaining sources, they could predict the fate of people and entire states, cast spells and treat. According to legend, the priests were aware of the art of trance that they used during military operations and natural disasters.

The semantics of the name

However, no matter who the Chaldeans are and whatever they do, it is interesting from the philological point of view what meaning the name of this ancient people has in modern Russian.

Most Russian speakers often heard such a word as the Chaldean. Is it a jargon?

According to the explanatory dictionaries published on the territory of the Russian Federation devoted to jargon, this concept really applies to specific vocabulary. Thus, the "Chaldean" is the jargon derived from the thieves' lexicon. In the language of criminals, this concept means a teacher or mentor. In a more negative sense, this word means a man running errands. However, such a word was fixed not only in thieves' jargon. Nowadays it occurs in ordinary conversational speech. Its meaning remains the same: it is the teacher and the teacher. There is also an interpretation of this word, as a designation of a buffoon, a rascal, an impudent person, that is, a person who is not shy in expressions and behavior.

Fiction

The concept of "Chaldea" is found not only in scientific or religious literature, but also in the artistic. Thus, in the works of Panteleyev, known for his narrative "The Republic of ShKID", a similar name is frequently found in the designation of teachers. Even the author himself was difficult to explain to his readers who understood the term "Chaldea". The writer himself treats this jargon in the foreword of his work, as a Soviet disrespectful address to a teacher-crook. In other words, the Chaldeans are the failed teachers, charlatans. Such is the opinion of the author of the teachers of the initial Soviet stage, just after the accomplishment of the revolution. As a rule, these are natives of churches, former servicemen, servants. Such teachers did not have sufficient knowledge and basic pedagogical skills for teaching children. Basically, most of these rascals came to teach in orphanages, since there was simply no other work. Thus, behind such unimportant teachers, the meaning of the word "Chaldean" was fixed.