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From: robison@eosp1.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.jokes.d
Subject: Re: Tobias' remarks in net.jokes (holocaust)
Message-ID: <295@eosp1.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Nov-83 23:40:09 EST
Article-I.D.: eosp1.295
Posted: Wed Nov 16 23:40:09 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Nov-83 00:37:17 EST
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Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton, NJ
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For a historical view of the meanings, in English, of the word
"holocaust", you must of course resort to the OED.  You will see
that the word was first used in ways very close to its Greek
meaning.  In the 17th century, it was first used
to refer to a killing of many people.
HOWEVER, from the context it is clear that
this was a mock-religious "sacrifice" -- hundreds of people killed IN A 
CHURCH.  Uses of the word through the nineteenth century remained
true to the original Greek-derived meaning:

Holocaust -- an offering by fire to the gods, in which the offered
item is burnt.


The word has clearly taken on a new meaning since World War two.

				- Tobias D. Robison
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