Many have heard the expression "the face of a Chaldean". But few people understand where it came from and what it has to do with the history of this mysterious people. This article will discuss the importance of the name of this nation in the emergence of Russian phraseology.
Bible parable
The name of this nationality is rather mythical. Those who are at least a little familiar with the Holy Scriptures have most likely heard of such a tribe as the Chaldeans. Who are they really? According to the Bible, the Chaldeans are a tribe of magicians and kings, originating from eastern countries, who, at the call of a guiding star, reached Bethlehem. They traveled a long way for the sake of one goal - to finally see the newborn Messiah and bring him gift offerings.
Historical background
Science proves that such a nation really existed. It is customary for researchers to divide the Chaldeans into people and priests. In the concept of historians, the Chaldeans are an armed nomadic people. Initially, he lived in Mesopotamia, where he had previously come from other Asian countries. Due to their aggressive nature, the Chaldeans entered the service ofmany Assyrian kings. At one time, this people even captured Babylon and founded the Chaldean dynasty there. As a result, this country in some sources, in addition to the name Babylonia, also has another name - Chaldea. Babylon was considered its capital. Later, representatives of this people settled in the lands of Ancient Rome and Greece, where they were mainly engaged in fortune-telling and other rituals.
Chaldeans in Christianity
In addition to world history, this nation has left its mark in the religious world. So, according to many European denominations, the Chaldeans are Christians living on the territory of modern Iraq and Iran. The church of these parishioners bears the corresponding name - Chaldean. According to legend, many Chaldean Christians fled persecution in Babylon, where they founded the eponymous current in religion. Many researchers believe that the specific cults of the 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 is completely contrary to 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 by which the ancient priests are usually called, it is necessary to tell about this estate in more detail.
The above magicians came from dynasties with a long history. As a rule, the title of priest was inherited. Chaldean priests were the most literaterepresentatives of their people. They had knowledge in astronomy, numerology, medicine, mathematics, agriculture and other branches of social sciences. In most cases, the priests entered the service at the monasteries, where they studied the stars, their influence on politics, religion, compiled calendars and horoscopes. Already at that time, the Chaldeans knew that the year consists of 365 days, and also knew how to calculate the time of the onset of eclipses in the starry sky. Moreover, magical knowledge was attributed to the priests. Based on the remaining sources, they could predict the fate of people and entire states, cast spells and engage in treatment. According to legend, the priests knew the art of trance, which they used during military operations and natural disasters.
Semantics of the name
However, whoever the Chaldeans were and whatever they did, from a philological point of view, it is interesting what meaning the name of this ancient people has in modern Russian.
Most Russian speakers have often heard the word Chaldean. Is this slang?
According to explanatory dictionaries published on the territory of the Russian Federation devoted to jargon, this concept really belongs to a specific vocabulary. So, "Chaldean" is jargon derived from the thieves' vocabulary. In the language of criminals, this concept means a teacher or mentor. In a more negative sense, this word means a person on errands. However, such a word was fixed not only in thieves' jargon. At present, it is also found in the usualcolloquial speech. Its meaning remains the same: it is both a teacher and an educator. There is also an interpretation of this word as a designation of a jester, a rogue, impudent, that is, a person who is not shy in expressions and behavior.
Fiction
The concept of "Chaldean" is found not only in scientific or religious literature, but also in fiction. So, in the works of Panteleev, known for his story "The Republic of ShKID", a similar name is often found in the designation of teachers. It was difficult even for the author himself to explain to his readers who to understand by the concept of "Chaldean". The writer himself interprets this jargon in the preface of his work as a Soviet disrespectful appeal to a rogue teacher. In other words, the Chaldeans are failed teachers, charlatans. This is how the author sees the teachers of the initial Soviet stage, just after the completion of the revolution. As a rule, these are people from churches, former military personnel, servants. Such teachers did not have sufficient knowledge and elementary pedagogical skills to teach children. Basically, most of these crooks came to teach in orphanages, since there was simply no other work. Thus, the meaning of the word "Chaldean" was assigned to such unimportant teachers.
