The God Culture: 100 Lies About the Philippines: Lie #40: Mt. Apo is a Greek Word

Welcome back to 100 lies The God Culture teaches about the Philippines. Today's lie concerns Timothy Jay Schwab's claim there are Greek place names in the Philippines. According to Tim Tarshish, the son of Javan who founded Greece, sailed with Ophir to the Philippines, stayed here, and named a few landmarks in the Greek language. As we shall see that is a totally bogus claim and another lie.

In his videos Tim says the following. 

Solomon's Gold Series - Part 7: Track of the Hebrew to the Philippines. Ophir, Sheba, Tarshish

41:06 There's one mountain we have saved for the last and it holds the clue to Tarshish we believe. One we have never seen anyone propose but first who was Tarshish again. Genesis 10:4 and 5 and the sons of Javan Elisha and Tarshish, Kittum and Dodanim, Dodan Dedanan, by these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands everyone after his tongue after their families in their nations. Javan founded the area of Greece and that's pretty well supported from what we've seen. In other words he probably spoke Greek and not Hebrew. We know that his sons took to the Seas began boating and founded the Isles according to this very passage after their own tongue Greek. So we are looking for a Greek tie in language to the land of Tarshish not necessarily Hebrew, How about a big one. Now, we mean a really big one. Now, we mean the biggest one. How about 9,000 ft tall? 

Okay you guessed it, it's Mount Apo the tallest mountain in the Philippines. The grandfather of all Philippine mountains. 

Apo is a loanword from Greek. It means away from denoting the furtherest point in the orbit of a body in relation to the primary. It is practically the furtherest point east in the Philippines at the uttermost parts of the earth. We've seen that as a description of Ophir and Tarshish many times. In Tagolag Apo means Elder, ancestor or grandchild. Perhaps regarding Tarshish the grandson of Japheth Noah's son and survivor of the flood or even better Noah himself the ancestor or elder both of which who lived in this area prior to the flood.we believe. But this is Greek. Certainly not a Spanish word in any sense and Tarshish Son of Javan who founded Greece likely spoke Greek and would have named the largest mountain in his land in Greek after his ancestors in his own tongue as the passage says or it was referring to himself either way. But if this is true wouldn't there be more Greek near there maybe something really significant close by that would be undeniable? Well we'll get to that. 

Tim reiterates this claim in his book The Search for King Solomon's Treasure.

The Search for King Solomon's Treasure, pg. 197

Not only did the Hebrews of Ophir and brothers migrate to the Philippines but also the Greek Tarshish supplied the ships for their journey. We find references to him on Mindanao especially but none more fascinating than the Greek loan word Apo.

Most point to Apo as a Greek loan word not originating in the Philippine languages. How does Greek enter the Philippines in use especially in naming it's highest mountain and used in language Grandparent/elder or grandchild? Tarshish left his family migrating far away from his elders and likely some of his grandchildren. It makes sense. 

What exactly does Tim mean by "most point to Apo as a Greek loanword not originating in the Philippine languages?" Who does he mean by most? His one and only source for the claim that Apo is a Greek loanword is from dictionary.com. 

Solomon's Treasure Sourcebook, pg. 202

A close look at the origin of "apo" according to dictionary.com reveals that it is NOT a loanword but a prefix in Greek loanwords and not a loanword itself.

a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Greek, where it was joined to verbs, deverbal forms, and other parts of speech. Among its functions in Greek, apo- has the spatial sense “away, off, apart” ( apogee; apocope; apostasy; apostrophe ); it occurs with deverbals that denote a response or defense ( apodosis; apology ) and is found on verbs having perfective force relative to a corresponding simple verb ( apoplexy; aposiopesis ). In modern scientific coinages in English and other languages, apo- marks things that are detached, separate, or derivative ( apocarpous; apoenzyme ).

In fact "apo" is actually a preposition. 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g575/kjv/tr/0-1/

This word is translated variously in the KJV according to the context.

From, of, out of, for, off, by, at, in, since, and on.

What is a preposition?

https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/prepositions

A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object. Some examples of prepositions are words like "in," "at," "on," "of," and "to."

A preposition all alone without a noun or pronoun to indicate a spatial relationship is worthless. And we are to believe that Mt. Apo is Greek for "from" or "away" because allegedly a Greek man named Tarshish sailed with Ophir to the Philippines and due to his being sad his grandparents and grandchildren were far away from him he named a big mountain "from?"

The whole notion is ridiculous. The fact is the origin of Mt. Apo's name is well known.

Apo is a title of respect meaning "revered elder" in various languages of the surrounding Lumad indigenous peoples. It is the shortened form of the original Manobo and Kalagan name Apo Sandawa ("Elder Sandawa" or "Grandfather Sandawa"), the name of the spirit of the mountain. Apo Sandawa is also regarded as an ancestor spirit by the various Manobo and Kalagan tribes living in the foothills, including the Obo, Manobo Bagobo, Manobo Apao, Tagabawa, Matigsalug, Ata, Arumanen, Tinananen, Kulamanen, Tagakaulo and Kagan peoples. The mountain itself is considered sacred grounds. Various rituals to Apo Sandawa are conducted by the supreme walyan (shaman) known as the diwata, who also serves as the medium for Apo Sandawa and the ancestor spirits of the Manobo and Kalagan tribes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Apo

Apo "is the shortened form of the original Manobo and Kalagan name Apo Sandawa ("Elder Sandawa" or "Grandfather Sandawa"), the name of the spirit of the mountain."

A real look at the etymology of the word Apo shows that is an Austronesian word used throughout the Philippines and even in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

https://acd.clld.org/cognatesets/24864#4/6.66/125.88

It is very clear that not only is the origin of the name of Mt. Apo not Greek but as a Greek preposition it would not make a lick of sense. The claim that Mt. Apo is a Greek loanword is one more lie being taught about the Philippines by Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture.