I. Name
Hymenaios is the name of the Greek god of the wedding. The name is derived from the Greek word for wedding song, hymenaios, which in turn derives from a ritual cry during the wedding procession, hymen o hymenaiʾ o. Its etymology is obscure (Chantraine 1980). As a theophoric name, it occurs twice in the NT (1 Tim. 1.20; 2 Tim. 2.17).
II. Identity
Hymenaios is a relatively late creation. As a personification of the wedding song he occurs first in Pindar (fr. 128c Maehler) and Euripides (Troades 310, 314 etc.; s…