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| '''Yenta''' (יענתּאַ) from the ] Yente, a back-formation from the woman's name Yente, alteration of Yentl, from Old Italian Gentile, from gentile, amiable, highborn, from Latin gentīlis, of the same clan. Yenta is a term sometimes used to describe a Jewish Female. Despite its higher origins, today yenta is a descriptive term for a funny talkative Jewish female to a gossipy woman; a blabbermouth, who can't keep a secret, who spreads rumors and scandal and gladly gives advice whether or not one even wants it, to a popular term for a matchmaker. | |||
| {{Infobox_Philosopher | | |||
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| <!-- Philosopher Category --> | |||
| region = Western Philosophers | | |||
| era = Medieval Philosophy | | |||
| color = #B0C4DE | | |||
| Yenta doesn't have anything necessarily to do with match-making; in fact, the Yiddish word for matchmaker is '']'', not ''yenta'', yet it does have that usage in both social and cybersocial contexts; it is used often in that manner. Yenta is the name of the ] in the ] ] '']''. This is something of an erroneous association, since matchmakers in traditional Eastern European Jewish ] were men, and the match was settled between the fathers. The original stories of ], from which '']'' is based, have all the matchmakers as men. | |||
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| image_name = St-thomas-aquinas.jpg | | |||
| image_caption = Depiction of St. Thomas Aquinas from ''The Demidoff Altarpiece'' by ] | | |||
| Yenta is becoming a popular comic term for a funny American Jewish woman. One notable example, and there are many, is Annie Korzen and YENTA UNPLUGGED (Excuse Me, I’m Talking!), an urban, contemporary look at womanhood, from the Bronx to Beverly Hills. | |||
| <!-- Information --> | |||
| Korzen (SEINFELD’s Doris Klompus) tells a coming-of-age story of what it’s like to grow up female and Jewish in America. | |||
| name = Thomas Aquinas | | |||
| Korzen work slices through tired stereotypes. First performance date was March, 1996. | |||
| feast date = January 28 | | |||
| birth = c.1225 (Castle of Roccasecca, near ], ]) | | |||
| death = ], ] (], ], ]) | | |||
| school_tradition = ], Founder of ] | | |||
| main_interests = ] (incl. ]), ], ], ], ], ] | | |||
| influences = ], ], ], ], ], ], ] | | |||
| influenced = ], ], ], ], ], ] | | |||
| notable_ideas = ], ] | | |||
| }} | |||
| The name Yenta has also been applied, perhaps somewhat erroneously, to matchmaking websites and matchmaking software, and it is the name of the ] ] controller driver, which brings together Cardbus cards with the rest of the computer. Yenta, apart from the popular dating context, is also a highly developed peer-to-peer coalition-formation computing system that autonomously determines users' interests and then automatically forms discussion groups, in which users who share one or more interests may send secure real-time messages to each other, either one-to-one or in groups. The system was originally developed as part of Leonard Foner's doctoral dissertation at the MIT Media Lab's Software Agents group and his patented method and system for constructing a knowledge profile of users comprising both a public and private data base of a computer users profile. | |||
| '''Saint Thomas Aquinas''' (c. 1225 – ] ]) was an ] ] and ] in the ] tradition, known as '''Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Universalis'''. He is the foremost classical proponent of ], and the father of the ] school of philosophy, which was long the primary philosophical approach of the ]. The work for which he is best-known is the '']''. One of the thirty-three ], he is considered by many Catholics to be the Church's greatest theologian. Consequently, many ] have been named after him. | |||
| ==Biography== | |||
| ===Early years of his life=== | |||
| Thomas Aquinas was born in 1224 or 1225 at his father Count Landulf's castle of ] in the ]. Today, this castle is in the Province of Frosinone, in the ]. Through his mother, Countess ], Aquinas was related to the ] dynasty of ]s.<ref>], ''The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (]: Baker Book House, 1953), vol. XI, .</ref> Landulf's brother Sinibald was ] of the original ] ] at ]. The family intended for Aquinas to follow his uncle into that position. This would have been a normal career path for a younger son of southern ] nobility.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | |||
| At five years of age, Aquinas began his early education at the monastery. When he was sixteen years old, he left the ], where he had studied for six years. Aquinas had come under the influence of the ], who wished to enlist the ablest young scholars of the age. The Dominicans and the ]s represented a revolutionary challenge to the well-established clerical systems of early medieval Europe.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Aquinas's change of heart did not please his family. On the way to Rome, his brothers seized him and brought him back to his parents at the castle of San Giovanni. He was held a captive for a year or two so that he would relinquish his purpose. According to his earliest biographers, the family even brought a ] to tempt him, but he drove her away. Finally, ] intervened, and Aquinas assumed the habit of St. Dominic in his seventeenth year.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | |||
| His superiors saw his great aptitude for theological study. In late 1244, they sent him to the Dominican school in ], where ] was lecturing on philosophy and theology. In 1245, he accompanied Albertus to the ], where they remained for three years. During this time, Aquinas threw himself into the controversy between the university and the Friar-Preachers about the liberty of teaching. Aquinas actively resisted the university's speeches and pamphlets. When the Pope was alerted of this dispute, the Dominicans selected Aquinas to defend his order. He did so with great success. He even overcame the arguments of ], the champion of the university, and one of the most celebrated men of the day.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | |||
| Aquinas then graduated as bachelor of theology. In 1248, he returned to Cologne, where he was appointed second lecturer and ''magister studentium''. This year marks the beginning of his literary activity and public life.<ref>Ibid.</ref> For several years, Aquinas remained with Albertus Magnus. Aquinas's long association with this great philosopher-theologian was the most important influence in his development. In the end, he became a comprehensive scholar who permanently utilized ] method.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | |||
| ===Career=== | |||
| In 1252, Aquinas went to Paris for his ]. He had some difficulty because the professoriate of the university was attacking the ] orders, but ultimately, he received the degree. In 1256, Aquinas, along with his friend ], was named ], and he began to lecture on theology in Paris and Rome and other Italian towns. From this time onward, his life was one of incessant toil. He continually served in his order, frequently made long and tedious journeys, and constantly advised the reigning pontiff on affairs of state.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | |||
| In 1259, Aquinas was present at an important meeting of his order at ]. At the solicitation of ], he moved to Rome no earlier than late 1261. In 1263, he attended the London meeting of the Dominican order. In 1268, he lectured in Rome and Bologna. Throughout these years, he remained engaged in the public business of the church.<ref>Schaff, .</ref> | |||
| From 1269 to 1271, Aquinas was again active in Paris. He lectured to the students, managed the affairs of the church, and advised the king, ], his kinsman, on affairs of state.<ref>"Aquinas, Thomas," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (1911), .</ref> In 1272, the ] chapter at Florence empowered him to begin a new ''studium generale'' at a location of his choice. Later, the chief of his order and ] brought him back to the professor's chair at Naples.<ref>Schaff, .</ref> | |||
| All this time, Aquinas preached every day, and he wrote ], ]s, and ]. He also worked diligently on his great literary work, the '']''. The church offered to make him archbishop of Naples and abbot of Monte Cassino, but he refused both rewards.<ref>"Aquinas, Thomas," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (1911), .</ref> | |||
| ]]] | |||
| Aquinas had a ] experience while celebrating Mass on ], ]. At this point, he set aside his ''Summa''. When asked why he had stopped writing, Aquinas replied, "I cannot go on . . . All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me." Later, others reported that Aquinas heard a voice from a cross that told him he had written well. On one occasion, monks claimed to have found him levitating. The 20th century Roman Catholic writer/convert ] describes these and other stories in his work on Aquinas, ''The Dumb Ox'', a title that is based on early impressions that Aquinas was not proficient in speech. ] refuted these impressions: "You call him 'a dumb ox,' but I declare before you that he will yet bellow so loud in doctrine that his voice will resound through the whole world."<ref>Fr. Placid Conway, O.P., ''Saint Thomas Aquinas'' (]: Longmans, Green and Co., 1911), .</ref> | |||
| Aquinas was dark-complexioned, with a large head and receding hairline, of large stature. His manners showed his breeding, for people described him as refined, affable, and lovable. In arguments, he maintained self-control and won over his opponents by his personality and great learning. His tastes were simple. He impressed his associates with his power of memory. When absorbed in thought, he often forgot his surroundings. However, he was able to express his thoughts systematically, clearly, and simply. Because of his keen grasp of his materials, Aquinas does not, like ], make the reader his companion in the search for truth. Rather, he teaches authoritatively. On the other hand, he felt dissatisfied by the insufficiency of his works as compared to the divine revelations which he had received.<ref>Schaff, .</ref> | |||
| ===Death and canonization=== | |||
| In January 1274, ] directed Aquinas to attend the ]. His task was to investigate and, if possible, to settle the differences between the Greek and Latin churches. Far from healthy, he undertook the journey. On the way, he stopped at the castle of a niece and there became seriously ill. Aquinas desired to end his days in a monastery. However, he was unable to reach a house of the Dominicans, so he was taken to the ] monastery of ]. After a lingering illness of seven weeks, Aquinas died on ], ].<ref>Schaff, .</ref> | |||
| ] (''Purg''. xx. 69) asserts that Aquinas was poisoned by the order of ]. Villani (ix. 218) quotes this belief, and the ''Anonimo Fiorentino'' describes the crime and its motive. But the historian ] reproduced the account of one of Aquinas's friends, and this version of the story gives no hint of foul play.<ref>"Aquinas, Thomas," ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (1911), .</ref> | |||
| Aquinas made a remarkable impression on all who knew him. He received the title ''doctor angelicus'' (Angelic Doctor), which put him on a level with ] and ].<ref>Schaff, .</ref> In '']'', Dante sees the glorified spirit of Aquinas in the Heaven of the Sun with the other great exemplars of religious wisdom. | |||
| In 1319, the ] began preliminary investigations to Aquinas's ]. On ], ], ] pronounced Aquinas's sainthood at ].<ref>Ibid.</ref> In 1567, ] ranked the festival of St. Thomas Aquinas with those of the four great Latin fathers: Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory. | |||
| Aquinas's ] was deemed so important that at the ], it was placed upon the altar beside the ] and the ].<ref>], ''The Age of Faith'' (Simon and Schuster, 1950), p. 978.</ref> Only Augustine has had an equal influence on the theological thought and language of the Western Church. In his ''Encyclical'' of ], ], ] stated that Aquinas's theology was a definitive exposition of Catholic doctrine. Thus, he directed the clergy to take the teachings of Aquinas as the basis of their theological positions. Also, Leo XIII decreed that all Catholic seminaries and universities must teach Aquinas's doctrines, and where Aquinas did not speak on a topic, the teachers were "urged to teach conclusions that were reconcilable with his thinking." | |||
| In 1880, Aquinas was declared patron of all Roman Catholic educational establishments. In a monastery at ], near the cathedral of ], a cell in which he supposedly lived is still shown to visitors. Aquinas's ] is celebrated on ]. His remains were placed in the ] in ] in 1369. Between 1789 and 1974, they were held in ] of Toulouse. In 1974, they were returned to the Church of the Jacobins, where they have remained ever since. | |||
| ==Philosophy== | |||
| ] | |||
| ::<small>"Nihil est in intellectu quod non prius in sensu." (Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses) – Aquinas' ]</small> | |||
| The philosophy of Aquinas has exerted enormous influence on subsequent Christian theology, especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, extending to Western philosophy in general, where he stands as a vehicle and modifier of ]. Philosophically, his most important and enduring work is the '']'', in which he expounds his systematic theology. | |||
| ===Epistemology=== | |||
| Aquinas believed "that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs Divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act." However, he believed that human beings have the natural capacity to know many things without special ], even though such revelation occurs from time to time, "especially in regard to faith."<ref>'''', First Part of the Second Part, Question 109. Retrieved 26 August 2006.</ref> Aquinas was also an ] and an ]. He substantially influenced these two streams of Western thought. | |||
| ====Revelation==== | |||
| Aquinas believed in two types of revelation from God: ] and ].<ref>Geisler, p. 725.</ref> General revelation occurs through observation of ]. Such observations can logically lead to important conclusions, such as the ]. Aquinas is well known for his '']'', or five rational proofs for the existence of God. | |||
| Though one may deduce the existence of God and some of God's attributes through general revelation, certain specifics may be known only through special revelation. In Aquinas's view, special revelation is equivalent to the revelation of God in ]. The major theological components of ], such as the ] and the ], are revealed in the teachings of the ] and the ]s and may not otherwise be deduced. | |||
| Special revelation and natural revelation are complementary rather than contradictory in nature. | |||
| ====Analogy==== | |||
| An important element in Aquinas's philosophy is his theory of ]. Aquinas noted three different forms of descriptive language: univocal, analogical, and equivocal.<ref>], ''Renewing Your Mind'' (Baker Books: ], ], 1998), p. 33.</ref> Univocality is the use of a descriptor in the same sense when applied to two objects. Equivocation is the complete change in meaning of the descriptor and is a ]. Analogy, Aquinas maintained, occurs when a descriptor changes some but not all of its meaning. Analogy is necessary when talking about God, for some of the aspects of the divine nature are hidden (''Deus absconditus'') and others revealed (''Deus revelatus'') to finite human minds. In Aquinas's mind, we can know ''about'' God through his creation (general revelation), but only analogically. We can speak of God's goodness only by understanding that goodness as applied to humans is similar to, but not identical with, the goodness of God.<ref>Geisler, p. 726.</ref> | |||
| ===Ethics=== | |||
| Aquinas's ethics is based on the concept of "first principles of action."<ref>Geisler, p. 727.</ref> In his ''Summa Theologiae'', he wrote: | |||
| :''Virtue denotes a certain perfection of a power. Now a thing's perfection is considered chiefly in regard to its end. But the end of power is act. Wherefore power is said to be perfect, according as it is determinate to its act.''<ref></ref> | |||
| Aquinas defined the four ] as ], ], ], and ]. The cardinal virtues are natural and revealed in nature, and they are binding on everyone. There are, however, three ]: ], ], and ]. These are supernatural and are distinct from other virtues in their object, namely, God: | |||
| :''Now the object of the theological virtues is God Himself, Who is the last end of all, as surpassing the knowledge of our reason. On the other hand, the object of the intellectual and moral virtues is something comprehensible to human reason. Wherefore the theological virtues are specifically distinct from the moral and intellectual virtues.''<ref></ref> | |||
| Furthermore, Aquinas distinguished four kinds of law. These are the eternal, natural, human, and divine law. Eternal law is the decree of God which governs all creation. ] is the human "participation" in the eternal law and is discovered by reason.<ref>], ''Ethics'' (], ]: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1995).</ref> Natural law, of course, is based on "first principles": | |||
| :''. . . this is the first precept of the law, that good is to be done and promoted, and evil is to be avoided. All other precepts of the natural law are based on this . . .''<ref></ref> | |||
| The desire to live and to procreate are counted by Aquinas among those basic (natural) human values on which all human values are based. Human law is ]: the natural law applied by governments to societies. Divine law is the specially revealed law in the ]. | |||
| Aquinas also greatly influenced Roman Catholic understandings of ] and ]s. | |||
| Aquinas denied that human beings have any duty of charity to ]s because they are not persons. Otherwise, it would be unlawful to use them for food. But this does not give us license to be cruel to them, for "cruel habits might carry over into our treatment of human beings."<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/1995----04.htm|title="Animals" in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy|author=]}}</ref> | |||
| ==Theology== | |||
| {{Christianity}} | |||
| Aquinas viewed ], or the ''] ]'', as a science, one whose raw material data consists of written ] and the ] of the church. These sources of data were produced by the self-revelation of God to individuals and groups of people throughout history. Faith and reason, while distinct but related, are the two primary tools for processing the data of theology. Aquinas believed that both were necessary, or, rather, that the ''confluence'' of both was necessary, for one to obtain true knowledge of God. Aquinas blended Greek philosphy and Christian doctrine by suggesting that rational thinking and the study of nature, like revelation, were valid ways to understand God. According to Aquinas, God reveals himself through nature, so to study nature is to study God. The ultimate goals of theology, in Aquinas’s mind, are to use reason to grasp the truth about God and to experience salvation through that truth. | |||
| ===Nature of God=== | |||
| Aquinas felt that the ] is neither self-evident nor beyond proof. In the '']'', he considered in great detail five rational proofs for the existence of God. These are widely known as the '']'', or the "Five Ways." | |||
| Concerning the nature of God, Aquinas found that the best approach, commonly called the '']'', is to consider what God is not. This led him to propose five positive statements about the divine qualities:<ref>], ''Summa of the Summa'' (]: Ignatius Press, 1990), pp. 74-77, 86-87, 97-99, 105, 111-112.</ref> | |||
| #God is simple, without composition of parts, such as body and soul, or matter and form. | |||
| #God is perfect, lacking nothing. That is, God is distinguished from other beings on account of God's complete actuality. | |||
| #God is infinite. That is, God is not finite in the ways that created beings are physically, intellectually, and emotionally limited. This infinity is to be distinguished from infinity of size and infinity of number. | |||
| #God is immutable, incapable of change on the levels of God's essence and character. | |||
| #God is one, without diversification within God's self. The unity of God is such that God's essence is the same as God's existence. In Aquinas's words, "in itself the proposition 'God exists' is necessarily true, for in it subject and predicate are the same." | |||
| In this approach, he is following, among others, the Jewish philosopher ].<ref>, ''Aquinas, Thomas''</ref> | |||
| ===Nature of the Trinity=== | |||
| Aquinas argued that God, while perfectly united, is also perfectly described by ]. These three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are constituted by their relations within the essence of God. The Father generates the Son (or the Word) by the relation of self-awareness. This eternal generation then produces an eternal Spirit "who enjoys the divine nature as the Love of God, the Love of the Father for the Word." | |||
| This Trinity does not exist in separation from the world. On the contrary, the Trinity serves to communicate God's self and God's goodness to human beings. This takes place through the ] of the Word in the person of ] and through the indwelling of the ] (indeed, the very essence of the Trinity itself) within those who have experienced ] by God.<ref>Aidan Nichols, ''Discovering Aquinas'' (], ]: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002), pp. 173-174.</ref> | |||
| ===Nature of Jesus Christ=== | |||
| In the ''Summa Theologiae'', Aquinas begins his discussion of Jesus Christ by recounting the biblical story of ] and by describing the negative effects of ]. The purpose of Jesus Christ's Incarnation was to restore human nature by removing "the contamination of sin," which humans cannot do by themselves. "Divine Wisdom judged it fitting that God should become man, so that thus one and the same person would be able both to restore man and to offer satisfaction."<ref>Thomas Aquinas, ''Aquinas's Shorter Summa'' (], ]: Sophia Institute Press, 2002), pp. 228-229.</ref> | |||
| Aquinas argued against several specific contemporary and historical theologians who held differing views about Jesus Christ. In response to ], Aquinas stated that Jesus was truly divine and not simply a human being. Against ], who suggested that God merely inhabited the body of Jesus, Aquinas argued that the fullness of God was an integral part of Jesus' existence. However, countering ]'s views, Aquinas held that Jesus had a truly human (rational) ], as well. This produced a duality of natures in Jesus, contrary to the teachings of ]. Aquinas argued against ] that this duality persisted after the Incarnation. Aquinas stated that these two natures existed simultaneously yet distinguishably in one real human body, unlike the teachings of ] and ].<ref>Ibid., pp. 231-239.</ref> | |||
| In short, "Christ had a ''real body'' of the same nature of ours, a ''true rational soul'', and, together with these, ''perfect deity''." Thus, there is both unity (in his one '']'') and diversity (in his two natures, human and divine) in Jesus Christ.<ref>Ibid., pp. 241, 245-249. Emphasis is the author's.</ref> | |||
| ===Goal of human life=== | |||
| In Aquinas's thought, the goal of human existence is union and eternal fellowship with God. Specifically, this goal is achieved through the ], an event in which a person experiences perfect, unending happiness by comprehending the very essence of God. This vision, which occurs after death, is a gift from God given to those who have experienced salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ while living on earth. | |||
| This ultimate goal carries implications for one's present life on earth. Aquinas stated that an individual's ] must be ordered toward right things, such as charity, peace, and holiness. He sees this as the way to happiness. Aquinas orders his treatment of the moral life around the idea of happiness. The relationship between will and goal is antecedent in nature "because rectitude of the will consists in being duly ordered to the last end ." Those who truly seek to understand and see God will necessarily love what God loves. Such love requires morality and bears fruit in everyday human choices.<ref>Kreeft, p. 383.</ref> | |||
| ==Modern criticism== | |||
| Many modern ethicists both within and outside of the Catholic Church (notably ] and ]) have recently commented on the possible use of Aquinas's virtue ethics as a way of avoiding ] or Kantian ]. Through the work of 20th century philosophers such as Roman Catholic convert ] (especially in her book ''Intention''), Aquinas's ] specifically and his theory of intentional activity generally have been influential. | |||
| It is remarkable that Aquinas's aesthetic theories, especially the concept of ''claritas'', deeply influenced the literary practice of modernist writer ], who used to extol Aquinas as being second only to Aristotle amongst Western philosophers. The influence of Aquinas's aesthetics can be also found in the works of the Italian ] ], who wrote an essay on aesthetic ideas in Aquinas (published in 1956 and republished in 1988 in a revised edition). | |||
| Many biographies of Aquinas have been written over the centuries, one of the most notable by ]. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{ Portalpar|Christianity|Ichthus.svg|35px }} | |||
| {{portalpar|Saints|Gloriole.svg}} | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *], 16th century Spanish Thomists | |||
| *], Aquinas' friend and confessor | |||
| *], ] and ]; all recent Thomists | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> | |||
| <references /></div> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| * "Bibliography of Additional Readings" (1990). In Mortimer J. Adler (Ed.), ''Great Books of the Western World'', 2nd ed., v. 2, pp. 987-988. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica. | |||
| * Craig Paterson & Matthew S. Pugh (eds.) ''Analytical Thomism: Traditions in Dialogue''. Ashgate, 2006. | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| ===By Aquinas=== | |||
| {{sisterlinks}} | |||
| *'''' | |||
| *'''' | |||
| *'''' | |||
| *'''' (''De Ente et Essentia'') | |||
| *'''' (partial) | |||
| * - the works of St. Thomas Aquinas (Latin) | |||
| * {{gutenberg author| id=Aquinas+Thomas+Saint | name=Thomas Aquinas}} | |||
| *: texts, concordances and frequency lists | |||
| ===About Aquinas=== | |||
| * | |||
| * Article on Thomism by the Jacques Maritain Center of Notre Dame University | |||
| * (Warning: protected by copyright outside of Australia) | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Selected Prayers and poems | |||
| * | |||
| * bio and ideas at SWIF/University of Bari/Italy | |||
| * | |||
| * from ''The Thirteenth, the Greatest of Centuries'', ch. XVII. by ] | |||
| ---- | |||
| * {{Schaff-Herzog}} | |||
| * {{1911}} | |||
| Answers. | |||
| {{Persondata | |||
| |NAME=Thomas Aquinas | |||
| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Saint Thomas Aquinas (reverent form); Thomas of Aquin (alternate name); Aquino (alternate name); Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Universalis (title) | |||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION=Philosopher and theologian | |||
| |DATE OF BIRTH=c.1225 | |||
| |PLACE OF BIRTH=Castle of Roccasecca, near ], ] | |||
| |DATE OF DEATH=], ] | |||
| |PLACE OF DEATH=], ], ] | |||
| }} | |||
| Patent abstract 6115709. | |||
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Revision as of 12:54, 1 February 2007
Yenta (יענתּאַ) from the Yiddish Yente, a back-formation from the woman's name Yente, alteration of Yentl, from Old Italian Gentile, from gentile, amiable, highborn, from Latin gentīlis, of the same clan. Yenta is a term sometimes used to describe a Jewish Female. Despite its higher origins, today yenta is a descriptive term for a funny talkative Jewish female to a gossipy woman; a blabbermouth, who can't keep a secret, who spreads rumors and scandal and gladly gives advice whether or not one even wants it, to a popular term for a matchmaker.
Yenta doesn't have anything necessarily to do with match-making; in fact, the Yiddish word for matchmaker is shadchan, not yenta, yet it does have that usage in both social and cybersocial contexts; it is used often in that manner. Yenta is the name of the matchmaker in the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. This is something of an erroneous association, since matchmakers in traditional Eastern European Jewish shtetls were men, and the match was settled between the fathers. The original stories of Sholom Aleichem, from which Fiddler on the Roof is based, have all the matchmakers as men.
Yenta is becoming a popular comic term for a funny American Jewish woman. One notable example, and there are many, is Annie Korzen and YENTA UNPLUGGED (Excuse Me, I’m Talking!), an urban, contemporary look at womanhood, from the Bronx to Beverly Hills. Korzen (SEINFELD’s Doris Klompus) tells a coming-of-age story of what it’s like to grow up female and Jewish in America. Korzen work slices through tired stereotypes. First performance date was March, 1996.
The name Yenta has also been applied, perhaps somewhat erroneously, to matchmaking websites and matchmaking software, and it is the name of the Linux CardBus controller driver, which brings together Cardbus cards with the rest of the computer. Yenta, apart from the popular dating context, is also a highly developed peer-to-peer coalition-formation computing system that autonomously determines users' interests and then automatically forms discussion groups, in which users who share one or more interests may send secure real-time messages to each other, either one-to-one or in groups. The system was originally developed as part of Leonard Foner's doctoral dissertation at the MIT Media Lab's Software Agents group and his patented method and system for constructing a knowledge profile of users comprising both a public and private data base of a computer users profile.
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Ester Goldberg is the self-proclaimed Yenta of all media. www.estergoldberg.com
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