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Test Bank For Statistics For Business and Economics Revised 12th Edition Anderson Sweeney Williams Camm Cochran 128584632X 9781285846323
Test Bank For Statistics For Business and Economics Revised 12th Edition Anderson Sweeney Williams Camm Cochran 128584632X 9781285846323
Solution Manual:
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economics-revised-12th-edition-anderson-sweeney-williams-camm-cochran-
128584632x-9781285846323/
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2. A frequency distribution is
a. a tabular summary of a set of data showing the relative frequency
b. a graphical form of representing data
c. a tabular summary of a set of data showing the frequency of items in each of
several nonoverlapping classes
d. a graphical device for presenting categorical data
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
3. A tabular summary of a set of data showing the fraction of the total number of items in several
classes is a
a. frequency distribution
b. relative frequency distribution
c. frequency
d. cumulative frequency distribution
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
8. A researcher is gathering data from four geographical areas designated: South = 1; North = 2; East =
3; West = 4. The designated geographical regions represent
a. categorical data
b. quantitative data
c. label data
d. either quantitative or categorical data
ANS: A PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
11. If several frequency distributions are constructed from the same data set, the distribution with the
widest class width will have the
a. fewest classes
b. most classes
c. same number of classes as the other distributions since all are constructed from the
same data
ANS: A PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
12. The sum of the relative frequencies for all classes will always equal
a. the sample size
b. the number of classes
c. one
d. any value larger than one
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
13. The sum of the percent frequencies for all classes will always equal
a. one
b. the number of classes
c. the number of items in the study
d. 100
ANS: D PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
15. The total number of data items with a value less than the upper limit for the class is given by the
a. frequency distribution
b. relative frequency distribution
c. cumulative frequency distribution
d. cumulative relative frequency distribution
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
18. In constructing a frequency distribution, as the number of classes are decreased, the class width
a. decreases
b. remains unchanged
c. increases
d. can increase or decrease depending on the data values
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
19. The difference between the lower class limits of adjacent classes provides the
a. number of classes
b. class limits
c. class midpoint
d. class width
ANS: D PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
20. In a cumulative frequency distribution, the last class will always have a cumulative frequency equal to
a. one
b. 100%
c. the total number of elements in the data set
d. None of these alternatives is correct.
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
21. In a cumulative relative frequency distribution, the last class will have a cumulative relative
frequency equal to
a. one
b. zero
c. the total number of elements in the data set
d. None of these alternatives is correct.
ANS: A PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
22. In a cumulative percent frequency distribution, the last class will have a cumulative percent
frequency equal to
a. one
b. 100
c. the total number of elements in the data set
d. None of these alternatives is correct.
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
23. Data that provide labels or names for categories of like items are known as
a. categorical data
b. quantitative data
c. label data
d. category data
ANS: A PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
24. A tabular method that can be used to summarize the data on two variables simultaneously is called
a. simultaneous equations
b. crosstabulation
c. a histogram
d. an ogive
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
28. In a scatter diagram, a line that provides an approximation of the relationship between the variables
is known as
a. approximation line
b. trend line
c. line of zero intercept
d. line of zero slope
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
29. A histogram is
a. a graphical presentation of a frequency or relative frequency distribution
b. a graphical method of presenting a cumulative frequency or a cumulative
relative frequency distribution
c. the history of data elements
d. the same as a pie chart
ANS: A PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
30. A situation in which conclusions based upon aggregated crosstabulation are different
from unaggregated crosstabulation is known as
a. wrong crosstabulation
b. Simpson's rule
c. Simpson's paradox
d. aggregated crosstabulation
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
31. Which of the following is a graphical summary of a set of data in which each data value is
represented by a dot above the axis?
a. histogram
b. box plot
c. dot plot
d. crosstabulation
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
32. An Ogive is constructed by plotting a point corresponding to the frequency of each class.
a. relative
b. cumulative
c. percent
d. octave
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
33. The can be used to show the rank order and shape of a data set simultaneously.
a. ogive
b. pie chart
c. stem-and-leaf display
d. bar chart
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
34. Which of the following graphical methods shows the relationship between two variables?
a. pie chart
b. ogive
c. crosstabulation
d. dot plot
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
35. The reversal of conclusions based on aggregate and unaggregated data is called:
a. Simpson’s paradox
b. Trim’s paradox
c. Poisson dilemma
d. Simon’s paradox
ANS: A PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
Exhibit 2-1
A sample of 15 children shows their favorite restaurants:
McDonalds Luppi's Mellow Mushroom
Friday's McDonalds McDonalds
Pizza Hut Taco Bell McDonalds
Mellow Mushroom Luppi's Pizza Hut
McDonalds Friday's McDonalds
36. Refer to Exhibit 2-1. Which of the following is the correct frequency distribution?
a. McDonalds 4, Friday’s 3, Pizza Hut 1, Mellow Mushroom 4, Luppi’s 3, Taco Bell 1
b. McDonalds 6, Friday’s 2, Pizza Hut 2, Mellow Mushroom 2, Luppi’s 2, Taco Bell 1
c. McDonalds 6, Friday’s 1, Pizza Hut 3, Mellow Mushroom 1, Luppi’s 2, Taco Bell 2
d. None of these alternatives is correct.
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
37. Refer to Exhibit 2-1. Which of the following is the correct relative frequency for McDonalds?
a. 0. 27
b. 0.5
c. 0.4
d. 6
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
38. Refer to Exhibit 2-1. Which of the following is the correct percent frequency for McDonalds?
a. 10%
b. 27%
c. 2%
d. 40%
ANS: D PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
Exhibit 2-2
The numbers of hours worked (per week) by 400 statistics students are shown below.
39. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The class width for this distribution
a. is 9
b. is 10
c. is 39, which is: the largest value minus the smallest value or 39 - 0 = 39
d. varies from class to class
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
40. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The number of students working 19 hours or less
a. is 80
b. is 100
c. is 180
d. is 300
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
41. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The relative frequency of students working 9 hours or less
a. is 20
b. is 100
c. is 0.95
d. 0.05
ANS: D PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
42. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The percentage of students working 19 hours or less is
a. 20%
b. 25%
c. 75%
d. 80%
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
43. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The cumulative relative frequency for the class of 20 - 29
a. is 300
b. is 0.25
c. is 0.75
d. is 0.5
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
44. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The cumulative percent frequency for the class of 30 - 39 is
a. 100%
b. 75%
c. 50%
d. 25%
ANS: A PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
45. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The cumulative frequency for the class of 20 - 29
a. is 200
b. is 300
c. is 0.75
d. is 0.5
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
46. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. If a cumulative frequency distribution is developed for the above data, the
last class will have a cumulative frequency of
a. 100
b. 1
c. 30-39
d. 400
ANS: D PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
47. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The percentage of students who work at least 10 hours per week is
a. 50%
b. 5%
c. 95%
d. 100%
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
48. Refer to Exhibit 2-2. The number of students who work 19 hours or less is
a. 80
b. 100
c. 200
d. 400
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
Exhibit 2-3
A survey of 800 college seniors resulted in the following crosstabulation regarding their
undergraduate major and whether or not they plan to go to graduate school.
Undergraduate Major
Graduate School Business Engineering Others Total
Yes 70 84 126 280
No 182 208 130 520
Total 252 292 256 800
50. Refer to Exhibit 2-3. What percentage of the students does not plan to go to graduate school?
a. 280
b. 520
c. 65
d. 32
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
51. Refer to Exhibit 2-3. What percentage of the students' undergraduate major is engineering?
a. 292
b. 520
c. 65
d. 36.5
ANS: D PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
52. Refer to Exhibit 2-3. Of those students who are majoring in business, what percentage plans to go
to graduate school?
a. 27.78
b. 8.75
c. 70
d. 72.22
ANS: A PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
53. Refer to Exhibit 2-3. Among the students who plan to go to graduate school, what percentage indicated
"Other" majors?
a. 15.75
b. 45
c. 54
d. 35
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
Exhibit 2-4
Michael's Compute-All, a national computer retailer, has kept a record of the number of
laptop computers they have sold for a period of 80 days. Their sales records are shown below:
0-19 5
20-39 15
40-59 30
60-79 20
80-99 10
Total 80
54. Refer to Exhibit 2-4. The class width of the above distribution is
a. 0 to 100
b. 20
c. 80
d. 5
ANS: B PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
55. Refer to Exhibit 2-4. The lower limit of the first class is
a. 5
b. 80
c. 0
d. 20
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
56. Refer to Exhibit 2-4. If one develops a cumulative frequency distribution for the above data, the last
class will have a frequency of
a. 10
b. 100
c. 0 to 100
d. 80
ANS: D PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
57. Refer to Exhibit 2-4. The percentage of days in which the company sold at least 40 laptops is
a. 37.5%
b. 62.5%
c. 90.0%
d. 75.0%
ANS: D PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
58. Refer to Exhibit 2-4. The number of days in which the company sold less than 60 laptops is
a. 20
b. 30
c. 50
d. 60
ANS: C PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
PROBLEM
1. Thirty students in the School of Business were asked what their majors were. The following
represents their responses (M = Management; A = Accounting; E = Economics; O = Others).
A M M A M M E M O A
E E M A O E M A M A
M A O A M E E M A M
ANS:
(a) (b)
Relative
Major Frequency Frequency
M 12 0.4
A 9 0.3
E 6 0.2
O 3 0.1
Total 30 1.0
PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
2. Twenty employees of the Ahmadi Corporation were asked if they liked or disliked the new district
manager. Below you are given their responses. Let L represent liked and D represent disliked.
L L D L D
D D L L D
D L D D L
D D L D L
ANS:
a and b
Relative
Preferences Frequency Frequency
L 9 0.45
D 11 0.55
Total 20 1.00
PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
3. Forty shoppers were asked if they preferred the weight of a can of soup to be 6 ounces, 8 ounces, or
10 ounces. Below you are given their responses.
6 6 6 10 8 8 8 10 6 6
10 10 8 8 6 6 6 8 6 6
8 8 8 10 8 8 6 10 8 6
6 8 8 8 10 10 8 10 8 6
ANS:
a and b
Relative
Preferences Frequency Frequency
6 ounces 14 0.350
8 ounces 17 0.425
10 ounces 9 0.225
Total 40 1.000
PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
4. A student has completed 20 courses in the School of Arts and Sciences. Her grades in the 20
courses are shown below.
A B A B C
C C B B B
B A B B B
C B C B A
ANS:
a and b
Relative
Grade Frequency Frequency
A 4 0.20
B 11 0.55
C 5 0.25
Total 20 1.00
PTS: 1 TOP: Descriptive Statistics
5. A sample of 50 TV viewers were asked, "Should TV sponsors pull their sponsorship from programs
that draw numerous viewer complaints?" Below are the results of the survey. (Y = Yes; N = No; W =
Without Opinion)
N W N N Y N N N Y N
N Y N N N N N Y N N
Y N Y W N Y W W N Y
W W N W Y W N W Y W
N Y N Y N W Y Y N Y
ANS:
a and b
Relative
Frequency Frequency
No 24 0.48
Yes 15 0.30
Without Opinion 11 0.22
Total 50 1.00
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divine prerogatives of Jesus. But John deals very little in those
pointed and apt references to the testimony of the Hebrew
scriptures, which so distinguish the writings of Matthew; he evidently
apprehends that those to whom he writes, will be less affected by
appeals of that kind, than by proofs drawn from his actions and
discourses, and by the testimony of the great, the good, and the
inspired, among those who saw and heard him. The work of Matthew
was, on the other hand, plainly designed to bring to the faith of
Jesus, those who were already fully and correctly instructed in all
that related to the divinely exalted character of the Messiah, and only
needed proof that the person proposed to them as the Redeemer
thus foretold, was in all particulars such as the unerring word of
ancient prophecy required. Besides this object of converting the
unbelieving Jews, its tendency was also manifestly to strengthen and
preserve those who were already professors of the faith of Jesus;
and such, through all ages, has been its mighty scope, enlightening
the nations with the clearest historical testimony ever borne to the
whole life and actions of Jesus Christ, and rejoicing the millions of
the faithful with the plainest record of the events that secured their
salvation.
Beyond the history of this gospel, the Fathers have hardly given
the least account, either fanciful or real, of the succeeding life of
Matthew. A fragment of tradition, of no very ancient date, specifies
that he wrote his gospel when he was about to leave Palestine to go
to other lands; but neither the region nor the period is mentioned.
Probably, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, he followed the
eastward course of the Jewish Christians; but beyond this, even
conjecture is lost. But where all historical grounds fail, monkish
invention comes in with its tedious details of fabulous nonsense; and
in this case, as in others already alluded to, the writings of the monks
of the fourteenth century, produce long accounts of Matthew’s labors
in Ethiopia, where he is carried through a long series of fabled
miracles, to the usual crowning glory of martyrdom.
Ethiopia.――The earliest testimony on this point by any ecclesiastical history, is that of
Socrates, (A. D. 425,) a Greek writer, who says only, that “when the apostles divided the
heathen world, by lot, among themselves,――to Matthew was allotted Ethiopia.” This is
commonly supposed to mean Nubia, or the country directly south of Egypt. The other
Fathers of the fifth and following centuries, generally assign him the same country; but it is
quite uncertain what region is designated by this name. Ethiopia was a name applied by the
Greeks to such a variety of regions, that it is quite in vain to define the particular one meant,
without more information about the locality.
But no such idle inventions can add anything to the interest which
this apostolic writer has secured for himself by his noble Christian
record. Not even an authentic history of miracles and martyrdom,
could increase his enduring greatness. The tax-gatherer of Galilee
has left a monument, on which cluster the combined honors of a
literary and a holy fame,――a monument which insures him a wider,
more lasting, and far higher glory, than the noblest ♦achievements of
the Grecian or the Latin writers, in his or any age could acquire for
them. Not Herodotus nor Livy,――not Demosthenes nor
Cicero,――not Homer nor Virgil,――can find a reader to whom the
despised Matthew’s simple work is not familiar; nor did the highest
hope or the proudest conception of the brilliant Horace, when
exulting in the extent and durability of his fame, equal the boundless
and eternal range of Matthew’s honors. What would Horace have
said, if he had been told that among the most despised of these
superstitious and barbarian Jews, whom his own writings show to
have been proverbially scorned, would arise one, within thirty or forty
years, who, degraded by his avocation, even below his own
countrymen’s standard of respectability, would, by a simple record in
humble prose, in an uncultivated and soon-forgotten dialect,
“complete a monument more enduring than brass,――more lofty
than the pyramids,――outlasting all the storms of revolution and of
disaster,――all the course of ages and the flight of time?” Yet such
was the result of the unpretending effort of Matthew; and it is not the
least among the miracles of the religion whose foundation he
commemorated and secured, that such a wonder in fame should
have been achieved by it.
♦ “achievments” replaced with “achievements”
THOMAS, DIDYMUS.
The second name of this apostle is only the Greek translation of
the former, which is the Syriac and Hebrew word for a “twin-brother,”
from which, therefore, one important circumstance may be safely
inferred about the birth of Thomas, though unfortunately, beyond
this, antiquity bears no record whatever of his circumstances
previous to his admission into the apostolic fraternity.
The view here taken differs from the common interpretation of the passage, but it is the
view which has seemed best supported by the whole tenor of the context, as may be
decided by a reference to the passage in its place, (John xi. 16.) The evidence on both
views can not be better presented than in Bloomfield’s note on this passage, which is here
extracted entire.
“Here again the commentators differ in opinion. Some, as Grotius, Poole, Hammond,
Whitby, and others, apply the αὐτου to Lazarus, and take it as equivalent to ‘let us go and
die together with him.’ But it is objected by Maldonati and Lampe, that Lazarus was already
dead; and die like him they could not, because a violent death was the one in Thomas’s
contemplation. But these arguments seem inconclusive. It may with more justice be
objected that the sense seems scarcely natural. I prefer, with many ancient and modern
interpreters, to refer the αὐτου to Jesus, ‘let us go and die with him.’ Maldonati and
Doddridge regard the words as indicative of the most affectionate attachment to our Lord’s
person. But this is going into the other extreme. It seems prudent to hold a middle course,
with Calvin, Tarnovius, Lyser, Bucer, Lampe, and (as it should appear) Tittman. Thomas
could not dismiss the idea of the imminent danger to which both Jesus and they would be
exposed, by going into Judea; and, with characteristic bluntness, and some portion of ill
humor, (though with substantial attachment to his Master’s person,) he exclaims: ‘Since our
Master will expose himself to such imminent, and, as it seems, unnecessary danger, let us
accompany him, if it be only to share his fate.’ Thus there is no occasion, with Markland and
Forster, apud Bowyer, to read the words interrogatively.” (Bloomfield’s Annotations, vol. III.
p. 426, 427.)
“Put thy finger here.”――This phrase seems to express the graphic force of the original,
much more justly than the common translation. The adverb of place, ὧδε, gives the idea of
the very place where the wounds had been made, and brings to the reader’s mind the
attitude and gesture of Jesus, with great distinctness. The adverb “here,” refers to the print
of the nails; and Jesus holds out his hand to Thomas, as he says these words, telling him to
put his finger into the wound.
Not seeing, yet believe.――This is the form of expression best justified by the
indefiniteness of the Greek aorists, whose very name implies this unlimitedness in respect
to time. The limitation to the past, implied in the common translation, is by no means
required by the original; but it is left so vague, that the action may be referred to the present
and the future also.
Beyond this, the writings of the New Testament give not the least
account of Thomas; and his subsequent history can only be
uncertainly traced in the dim and dark stories of tradition, or in the
contradictory records of the Fathers. Different accounts state that he
preached the gospel in
Parthia,――Media,――Persia,――Ethiopia,――and at last, India. A
great range of territories is thus spread out before the investigator,
but the traces of the apostle’s course and labors are both few and
doubtful. Those of the Fathers who mention his journeys into these
countries, give no particulars whatever of his labors; and all that is
now believed respecting these things, is derived from other, and
perhaps still more uncertain sources.
The earliest evidence among the Fathers that has ever been quoted on this point, is that
of Pantaenus, of Alexandria, whose visit to what was then called India, has been mentioned
above; (page 363;) but as has there been observed, the investigations of Michaelis and
others, have made it probable that Arabia-Felix was the country there intended by that
name. The first distinct mention made of any eastward movement of Thomas, that can be
found, is by Origen, who is quoted by Eusebius, (Church History, III. 1,) as testifying, that
when the apostles separated to go into all the world, and preach the gospel, Parthia was
assigned to Thomas; and Origen is represented as appealing to the common tradition, for
the proof of this particular fact. Jerome speaks of Thomas, as preaching the gospel in
Media and Persia. In another passage he specifies India, as his field; and in this he is
followed by most of the later writers,――Ambrose, Nicephorus, Baronius, Natalis, &c.
Chrysostom (Oration on the 12 Apostles) says that Thomas preached the gospel in
Ethiopia. As the geography of all these good Fathers seems to have been somewhat
confused, all these accounts may be considered very consistent with each other. Media and
Persia were both in the Parthian Empire; and all very distant countries, east and south,
were, by the Greeks, vaguely denominated India and Ethiopia; just ♦ as all the northern
unknown regions were generally called Scythia.
Natalis Alexander (Church History, IV. p. 32,) sums up all these accounts by saying, that
Thomas preached the gospel to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Brachmans, Indians, and
the other neighboring nations, subject to the empire of the Parthians. He quotes as his
authorities, besides the above-mentioned Fathers, Sophronius, (A. D. 390,) Gregory
Nazianzen, (A. D. 370,) Ambrose, (370,) Gaudentius, (A. D. 387.) The author of the
imperfect work on Matthew, (A. D. 560,) says, that Thomas found in his travels, the three
Magi, who adored the infant Jesus, and having baptized them, associated them with him, in
his apostolic labors. Theodoret, (A. D. 423,) Gaudentius, Asterius, (A. D. 320,) and others,
declare Thomas to have died by martyrdom. Sophronius (390,) testifies that Thomas died at
Calamina, in India. This Calamina is now called Malipur, and in commemoration of a
tradition, preserved, as we are told, on the spot, to this effect, the Portuguese, when they
set up their dominion in India, gave it the name of the city of St. Thomas. The story reported
by the Portuguese travelers and historians is, that there was a tradition current among the
people of the place, that Thomas was there martyred, by being thrust through with a lance.
(Natalis Alexander, Church History, vol. IV. pp. 32, 33.)
A new weight of testimony has been added to all this, by the statements of Dr. Claudius
Buchanan, who, in modern times, has traced out all these traditions on the spot referred to,
and has given a very full account of the “Christians of St. Thomas,” in his “Christian
researches in India.”
his name.
James, the Little.――This adjective is here applied to him in the positive degree,
because it is so in the original Greek, [Ιακωβος ὁ μικρος, Mark xv. 40,] and this expression
too, is in accordance with English forms of expression. The comparative form, “James, the
Less,” seems to have originated in the Latin Vulgate, “Jacobus Minor,” which may be well
enough in that language; but in English, there is no reason why the original word should not
be literally and faithfully expressed. The Greek original of Mark, calls him “James, the Little,”
which implies simply, that he was a little man; whether little in size, or age, or dignity, every
one is left to guess for himself;――but it is more accordant with usage, in respect to such
nicknames, in those times, to suppose that he was a short man, and was thus named to
distinguish him from the son of Zebedee, who was probably taller. The term thus applied by
Mark, would be understood by all to whom he wrote, and implied no disparagement to his
mental eminence. But the term applied, in the sense of a smaller dignity, is so slighting to
the character of James, who to the last day of his life, maintained, according to both
Christian and Jewish history, the most exalted fame for religion and intellectual
worth,――that it must have struck all who heard it thus used, as a term altogether unjust to
his true eminence. His weight of character in the councils of the apostles, soon after the
ascension, and the manner in which he is alluded to in the accounts of his death, make it
very improbable that he was younger than the other James.
First: Was James the son of Alpheus the same person as James
the son of Clopas? The main argument for the identification of these
names, rests upon the similarity of the consonants in the original
Hebrew word which represents them both, and which, according to
the fancy of a writer, might be represented in Greek, either by the
letters of Alpheus or of Clopas. This proof, of course, can be fully
appreciated only by those who are familiar with the power of the
letters of the oriental languages, and know the variety of modes in
which they are frequently given in the Greek, and other European
languages. The convertibility of certain harsh sounds of the dialects
of southwestern Asia, into either hard consonants, or smooth vowel
utterances, is sufficiently well-known to Biblical scholars, to make the
change here supposed appear perfectly probable and natural to
them. It will be observed by common readers, that all the consonants
in the two words are exactly the same, except that Clopas has a
hard C, or K, in the beginning, and that Alpheus has the letter P
aspirated by an H, following it. Now, both of these differences can,
by a reference to the original Hebrew word, be shown to be only the
results of the different modes of expressing the same Hebrew letters;
and the words thus expressed may, by the established rules of
etymology, be referred to the same oriental root. These two names,
then, Alpheus and Clopas, may be safely assigned to the same
person; and Mary the wife of Clopas and the mother of James the
Little, and of Joses, was, no doubt, the mother of him who is called
“James the son of Alpheus.”
Clopas and Alpheus.――It should be noticed, that in the common translation of the New
Testament, the former of these two words is very unjustifiably expressed by Cleophas,
whereas the original (John xix. 25,) is simply Κλωπας. (Clopas.) This is a totally different
name from Cleopas, (Luke xxiv. 18, Κλεοπας,) which is probably Greek in its origin, and
abridged from Cleopater, (Κλεοπατρος,) just as Antipas from Antipater, and many other
similar instances, in which the Hellenizing Jews abridged the terminations of Greek and
Roman words, to suit the genius of the Hebrew tongue. But Clopas, being very differently
spelt in the Greek, must be traced to another source; and the circumstances which connect
it with the name Alpheus, suggesting that, like that, it might have a Hebrew origin, directs
the inquirer to the original form of that word. The Hebrew ( חלפאhhalpha) may be taken as
the word from which both are derived; each being such an expression of the original, as the
different writers might choose for its fair representation. The first letter in the word, ח,
(hhaith,) has in Hebrew two entirely distinct sounds; one a strong guttural H, and the other a
deeply aspirated KH. These are represented in Arabic by two different letters, but in
Hebrew, a single character is used to designate both; consequently the names which
contain this letter, may be represented in Greek and other languages, by two different
letters, according as they were pronounced; and where the original word which contained it,
was sounded differently, by different persons, under different circumstances, varying its
pronunciation with the times and the fashion, even in the same word, it would be differently
expressed in Greek. Any person familiar with the peculiar changes made in those Old
Testament names which are quoted in the New, will easily apprehend the possibility of such
a variation in this. Thus, in Stephen’s speech, (Acts vii.) Haran is called Charran; and other
changes of the same sort occur in the same chapter. The name Anna, (Luke ii. 36,) is the
same with Hannah, (1 Samuel i. 2,) which in the Hebrew has this same strongly aspirated
H, that begins the word in question,――and the same too, which in Acts vii. 2, 4, is changed
into the strong Greek Ch; while all its harshness is lost, and the whole aspiration removed,
in Anna. These instances, taken out of many similar ones, may justify to common readers,
the seemingly great change of letters in the beginning of Alpheus and Clopas. The other
changes of vowels are of no account, since in the oriental languages particularly, these are
not fixed parts of the word, but mere modes of uttering the consonants, and vary throughout
the verbs and nouns, in almost every inflexion these parts of speech undergo. These
therefore, are not considered radical or essential parts of the word, and are never taken into
consideration in tracing a word from one language to another,――the consonants being the
fixed parts on which etymology depends. The change also from the aspirate Ph, to the
smooth mute P, is also so very common in the oriental languages, and even in the Greek,
that it need not be regarded in identifying the word.
Taking into consideration then, the striking and perfect affinities of the two words, and
adding to these the great body of presumptive proofs, drawn from the other circumstances
that show or suggest the identity of persons,――and noticing moreover, the circumstance,
that while Matthew, Mark, and Luke speak of Alpheus, they never speak of Clopas,――and
that John, who alone uses the name Clopas, never mentions Alpheus,――it seems very
reasonable to adopt the conclusion, that the last evangelist means the same person as the
former.
The third question which has been originated from these various
statements,――whether James, the brother of Jesus and the author
of the epistle, was an apostle,――must, of course, be answered in
the affirmative, if the two former points have been correctly settled.
All the opinions on these points are fully given and discussed by Michaelis, in his
Introduction to the epistle of James. He states five different suppositions which have been
advanced respecting the relationship borne to Jesus by those who are in the New
Testament called his brothers. 1. That they were the sons of Joseph, by a former wife.
2. That they were the sons of Joseph, by Mary the mother of Jesus. 3. That they were the
sons of Joseph by the widow of a brother, to whom he was obliged to raise up children
according to the laws of Moses. 4. That this deceased brother of Joseph, to whom the laws
required him to raise up issue, was Alpheus. 5. That they were brothers of Christ, not in the
strict sense of the word, but in a more lax sense, namely, in that of cousin, or relation in
general, agreeably to the usage of this word in the Hebrew language. (Genesis xiv. 16: xiii.
8: xxix. 12, 15: 2 Samuel xix. 13: Numbers viii. 26: xvi. 10: Nehemiah iii. 1.) This opinion
which has been here adopted, was first advanced by Jerome, and has been very generally
received since his time; though the first of the five was supported by the most ancient of the
Fathers. Michaelis very clearly refutes all, except the first and the fifth, between which he
does not decide; mentioning, however, that though he had been early taught to respect the
latter, as the right one, he had since become more favorable to the first.