Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Moving To Bible-Geeks
I have decided to move the blog totally to http://www.bible-geeks.com, so new content will not be placed on here any longer. Wordpress is simply better suited for blogging than Blogger. I hope you all will continue to read!
Saturday, September 13, 2014
The Beatitudes in Aramaic with English Translation- Matthew 5:3-11
The Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew 5:3-12:
Tuvayhun l’mescineh b’rukh d’dilhun hi Malkutha d’Shamaya.
"Blessed are they who are poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Tuvayhun l’avileh d’henun nethbayun.
"Blessed are they who are mourning because they will be comforted."
Tuvayhun l’macikheh d’henun nerthun l’ara’a.
"Blessed are they who are meek because they will inherit the earth."
Tuvayhun l’aylin d’khaphnin w’tzahen l’khenutha d’henun
nesbun.
"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness because they will be satisfied."
Tuvayhun l’mrakhmaneh
d’alayhun nehwun rakhmeh.
"Blessed are they who are merciful because upon them will be mercies."
Tuvayhun l’aylen d’dakhen b’lebhun d’henun nekhwun l’Alaha.
"Blessed are they who are pure in their hearts because they will see God."
Tuvayhun l’avday shlama d’vnawh d’Alaha nethqrun.
"Blessed are they who make peace because they will be called the sons of God."
Tuvayhun l’aylen d’ethradephu metul cenutha d’dilhun
hi Malkutha d’Shamaya.
"Blessed are they who are persecuted because of righteousness because theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Tuvayhun emath d’makhasdin l’khun w’radpin l’khun w’amrin
alaykun kul mela bisha
metulath b’daglutha.
"Blessed are you whenever they curse you, and they persecute you, and they say about you every evil word because of me falsely."
Hayden khdaw w’rawazu d’ajrakhun sagi b’Shamaya
hakhana ger radaphu l’neviyeh d’men qadmaykun.
"Then rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven. For likewise they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Aramaic transliteration is based on the Aramaic text in Andrew Gabriel Roth's Aramaic English New Testament.
English translation is from Paul Younan's Peshitta Aramaic/English Interlinear New Testament.
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Friday, September 12, 2014
Objections To the Deity of Christ Part 1: The Temptations of Jesus
One of the primary objections people have to the belief that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh is the fact that Jesus is tempted (Matthew 4:1-11), while God is stated to not be able to be tempted. The Scripture referenced here is James 1:13, which says, 'Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.'
Now this is seems like a very compelling argument on the surface, but in the end it falls short because it ignores the doctrine of the hypostatic union, which teaches that Jesus is one Person, with the divine and human natures totally united within him (Colossians 2:9). The temptations of Jesus are not related to His deity, but to His humanity. The temptations of Jesus also do not show that He isn't God, but they do show that He is human.
Jesus's resisting of Satan's temptation mirrors that of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2, but instead of succumbing to the temptation and failing, Jesus conquers by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. The fact that Jesus lived in total submission to God and (as a result) lived a sinless life shows us that if we submit to the Holy Spirit working within us, we can live righteously also. Because of the fact that Jesus was tempted by sin but overcame without sinning, He is able to be a sympathetic, yet pefect High Priest for those who place their faith in Him. Hebrews 4:15-16 says, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
In the incarnation, God did not merely dwell in a man or look like a man; He truly became a man! This entails that the man that God became had to rely on the God who He was beyond the incarnation in order to overcome the temptations brought against us in this life. Jesus lived, walked, and breathed as a human being while being the divine Person incarnate. He even says in John 5:19, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." Jesus did not rely on His own human strength or His deity to overcome temptation, He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit. Again, this does not disprove His divinity, but it establishes His genuine humanity.
All Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible.
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Now this is seems like a very compelling argument on the surface, but in the end it falls short because it ignores the doctrine of the hypostatic union, which teaches that Jesus is one Person, with the divine and human natures totally united within him (Colossians 2:9). The temptations of Jesus are not related to His deity, but to His humanity. The temptations of Jesus also do not show that He isn't God, but they do show that He is human.
Jesus's resisting of Satan's temptation mirrors that of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2, but instead of succumbing to the temptation and failing, Jesus conquers by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. The fact that Jesus lived in total submission to God and (as a result) lived a sinless life shows us that if we submit to the Holy Spirit working within us, we can live righteously also. Because of the fact that Jesus was tempted by sin but overcame without sinning, He is able to be a sympathetic, yet pefect High Priest for those who place their faith in Him. Hebrews 4:15-16 says, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
In the incarnation, God did not merely dwell in a man or look like a man; He truly became a man! This entails that the man that God became had to rely on the God who He was beyond the incarnation in order to overcome the temptations brought against us in this life. Jesus lived, walked, and breathed as a human being while being the divine Person incarnate. He even says in John 5:19, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." Jesus did not rely on His own human strength or His deity to overcome temptation, He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit. Again, this does not disprove His divinity, but it establishes His genuine humanity.
All Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible.
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Objections To the Deity of Jesus Answered Series
Sorry that I haven't put anything up in a long time. It's been hard to think of anything to write. I haven't even been doing a lot of work on the commentary for a long time. I've decided that I would speak again concerning the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it is probably my favorite topic. More specifically, we'll be giving responses to the various objections people give to the belief that Jesus is God in the flesh.
An individual's stance on this issue is one of eternal implications. The apostles, the church leaders of old, even the Old Covenant writings teach the Messiah to be God incarnate. The question that Christians struggled with in the 1st century was not whether or not Jesus is God, but whether or not He is human. Now, the reverse is going on, with multiple Christian sects breaking off and forming their own religions founded against the idea that Jesus is Yahweh Himself.
These people that deny Jesus's divinity have many good arguments, but they also show a lack of understanding of Christology and of the Scriptures. You can't pit Scripture against Scripture; you need to understand Scripture in light of Scripture. In this series, we will examine these various arguments and show why they don't disprove the fact that Jesus is God.
http://www.bible-geeks.com
An individual's stance on this issue is one of eternal implications. The apostles, the church leaders of old, even the Old Covenant writings teach the Messiah to be God incarnate. The question that Christians struggled with in the 1st century was not whether or not Jesus is God, but whether or not He is human. Now, the reverse is going on, with multiple Christian sects breaking off and forming their own religions founded against the idea that Jesus is Yahweh Himself.
These people that deny Jesus's divinity have many good arguments, but they also show a lack of understanding of Christology and of the Scriptures. You can't pit Scripture against Scripture; you need to understand Scripture in light of Scripture. In this series, we will examine these various arguments and show why they don't disprove the fact that Jesus is God.
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Monday, May 12, 2014
The Eastern Peshitta vs. The Western Peshitto
The Assyrians and Arameans were some of the first Gentiles to accept the Gospel message. This is very likely due to the fact that they spoke the same language as the Jewish apostles (Aramaic) and had a culture quite similar to the Jews. According to their tradition, they were evangelized by Thaddeus (not from the twelve, but from the seventy), who came and healed King Abgar of Edessa, who in turn made his nation the first to officially accept Christianity. The church of the Assyrian/Aramean people became the Church of the East.
According to church tradition, the Church of the East received the New Testament writings by the apostles themselves in Syriac, the dialect of Aramaic that was spoken by them. This New Testament became known by the fifth century as the Peshitta. Assyrian scholar Dr. George Lamsa states in the introduction to the Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text, "The term Peshitta means straight, simple, sincere and true, that is, the original." The traditional position of the Church of the East has always been that the Peshitta is the original New Testament (known as "Aramaic primacy").
The Peshitta text is unique in several ways. For one, it is the oldest complete version of the New Testament written in the Aramaic language. It also includes wordplays, poetry, and other hallmarks of Semitic literature that are completely missing in the popular Greek versions. Another interesting thing about the Peshitta text is that is does not fully agree with the Byzantine or Alexandrian versions of the Greek New Testament, but is a mix of both with it's own unique readings in several places. It also includes only 22 of the canonical 27 New Testament books. It's missing II Peter, II John, III John, and Revelation. The Church of the East encourages their people to read these Books, but has never accepted them into their canon because the present Aramaic versions we have are translated from Greek sources and they also did not receive them from the apostles.
The Peshitta has been revised several times, but the original version has stayed intact by the care of the Eastern scribes. The earliest revision was most likely the Western Peshitto, which occurred after the First Counsel of Ephesus (which condemned the teachings of Bishop Nestorius), resulting in the formation of the Western Syriac Orthodox Church, who took on a monophysite Christology (the belief that Jesus is divine alone and not human). The Church of the East held to Nestorianism (the belief in both deity and humanity residing separately in Jesus Christ). The Western Assyrian Christians are commonly referred to as Jacobites, while the Church of the East are referred to as Nestorians.
The Western Peshitto added the five missing books, translated from the Greek and changed several passages. The only significant changes were to Acts 20:28 and Hebrews 2:9. Here is Acts 20:28 according to the Western and Eastern readings:
ܐܙܕܗܪܘ ܗܟܝܠ ܒܢܦܫܟܘܢ ܘܒܟܠܗ ܡܪܥܝܬܐ ܗܝ ܕܐܩܝܡܟܘܢ ܒܗ ܪܘܚܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܐ ܐܦܣܩܘܦܐܕܬܪܥܘܢ ܠܥܕܬܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܗܝ ܕܩܢܗ ܒܕܡܗ
Ezdar hakhil b'naphashkhun w'wakhulah marita ha d'akimkhun bah Rukha d'Qudsha episqawpe d'terun l'idteh d'Alaha ha d'qana b'demeh.
"Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath established you bishops; that ye feed the church of God, which he hath acquired by his blood."- Murdock's Translation of the Peshitta (Western reading)
ܐܙܕܗܪܘ ܗܟܝܠ ܒܢܦܫܟܘܢ ܘܒܟܠܗ ܡܪܥܝܬܐ ܗܝ ܕܐܩܝܡܟܘܢ ܒܗ ܪܘܚܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܐ ܐܦܣܩܘܦܐ ܕܬܪܥܘܢ ܠܥܕܬܗ ܕܡܫܝܚܐ ܗܝ ܕܩܢܗ ܒܕܡܗ
Ezdar hakhil b'naphashkhun w'wakhulah marita ha d'akimkhun bah Rukha d'Qudsha episqawpe d'terun l'idteh d'Meshikha ha d'qana b'demeh.
"Take great care of yourselves, and of all the flock over which the Ruach haKodesh has established you as overseers for; that you feed the assembly of Mashiyach, which he has acquired by his blood."- Aramaic English New Testament (Eastern reading)
Now let's see Hebrews 2:9 and how it differs between the two:
ܗܘ ܕܝܢ ܕܡܟ ܩܠܝܠ ܡܢ ܡܠܐܟܐ ܚܙܝܢܢ ܕܗܘܝܘ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܛܠ ܚܫܐ ܕܡܘܬܗ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܘܐܝܩܪܐ ܣܝܡ ܒܪܝܫܗ ܗܘ ܓܝܪ ܒܛܝܒܘܬܗ ܐܠܗܐ ܚܠܦ ܟܠܢܫ ܛܥܡ ܡܘܬܐ
Haw den d'mak qalil men malace khazenan d'huwin Yeshua metul khasha d'mawteh w'teshbukhta w'iqara sim b'rishe haw ger b'tibuta Alaha khlaph culnash tem mawta.
"But we see him, who was depressed somewhat lower than the angels, to be this Jesus, because of the passion of his death; and glory and honor are placed on his head; for God himself, in his grace, tasted death for all men."- Murdock's Translation of the Peshitta (Western reading)
ܗܘ ܕܝܢ ܕܡܟ ܩܠܝܠ ܡܢ ܡܠܐܟܐ ܚܙܝܢ ܚܢܢ ܕܗܘܝܘ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܛܠ ܚܫܐ ܕܡܘܬܗ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܘܐܝܩܪܐ ܣܝܡ ܒܪܝܫܗ ܗܘ ܓܝܪ ܣܛܪ ܡܢ ܐܠܗܐ ܚܠܦ ܟܠ ܐܢܫ ܛܥܡ ܡܘܬܐ
Haw den d'mak qalil men malace khazenan d'huwin Yeshua metul khasha d'mawteh w'teshbukhta w'iqara sim b'rishe haw ger satar men Alaha khlaph culnash tem mawta.
"We see that he is Y'shua, who humbled himself to become a little lower than the Messengers through his suffering and death, but now he is crowned with honor and glory because he tasted death for the sake of everyone apart from Elohim."- Aramaic English New Testament (Eastern reading)
None of the readings seen in the Eastern Peshitta manuscripts are denial's of Jesus's deity. On the contrary, both the Peshitta and the Peshitto emphatically declare the deity of Jesus. The Jacobites saw these readings in the Peshitta as support for Nestorianism, so they changed them to support their theology. The Philoxenian, Harklean, Syriac Sinaiticus, and the Curetonian versions of the Aramaic text were also revisions made for theological reasons (also the Sinaiticus and Curetonian are only composed of the four Gospels). These revisions were made for not only theological reasons, but to move the Peshitta closer to the Greek. All of these revisions made after the Peshitto were practically forgotten by Assyrian Christians, who always went back to the Peshitta or Peshitto.
Here is a list of other differences between the two manuscript families compiled by my friend Chuck (Thirdwoe):
1: Matthew 4:21
Khabouris Peshitta: has "and Eshu' called them" The Ashael Grant, The Mingana, The 1886 Mosul, and the Paul Younan Interlinear text, all have “and Eshu called them”. The Curetonian has "and Eshu called them'", but the Sinaitic has "and he called them". English translations that have the Khabouris or Eastern Peshitta reading: Paul Younan, Andrew Roth, James Murdock, John Etheridge, George Lamsa, Joseph Pashka, Lonnie Martin, Victor Alexander.
UBS Peshitto: has "and He called them", as does ADD MSS 14470 (5th-6th century) and the Sinaitic (Old Scratch) version. English translations that go with the Western Peshitto version: David Bauscher, Janet Magiera, The Way International, Herb Jahn, Francis A. Werner.
2: Matthew 6:32
Khabouris Peshitta: The Khabouris, in it's secondary script (East Adiabene), which is a later scribal replacement page, has “the Nations of the World.” as does Younan's Interlinear, Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Magiera, Alexander, Pashka, and Lamsa. The Curetonian text reads as The Khabouris Peshitta text does here. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. text in its extant 10th century Arabic translation from an 8th century Aramaic Ms. has the Khabouris Peshitta reading. Neither the Latin or any of the Greek versions have "of the World".
UBS Peshitto: has “the Nations", as does Bauscher, Jahn, and A. Frances Werner. Lon Martin has "the heathen" and The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) doesn't have "d'Alma" (of the World) in that Aramaic MS. The Mingana Ms. reads the same as the UBS text and the 1199 A.D. "Asahel Grant" Ms. does too, both being clearly Eastern Peshitta Ms, also the 1886 Mosul Edition Peshitta text does not have "of the world"....which begs the question...is the reading "of the World" actually an Eastern Peshitta reading?
3: Matthew 21:4
Khabouris Peshitta: has “all this happened” as does Younan, Etheridge, Murdock, Alexander, Pashka, and Lamsa. Martin has "This all took place". The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also has the Peshitta reading. The Byzantine Greek (Greek Orthodox Church, Majority Greek Text, and the Textus Receptus) and The Latin Vulgate text has the Eastern Peshitta reading. The Mingana Ms. reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has “this happened” as does *Younan's interlinear (see note), Bauscher, Magiera, *Roth, Jahn, and Werner.
The Curetonian text reads the same as the Western Peshitto does here. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) does not have "K'uleh" (all) in it's text. The Alexandrian Greek text has the Western Peshitto reading.
*Note: Paul Younan has said that this is a mistake in his interlinear readings, and should have the Eastern reading of The Peshitta.
* Roth follows Paul Younan's mistaken Interlinear reading, as it was his base text.
4: Mark 14:31
Khabouris Peshitta: has “all the Disciples said” as does Younan, Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, and Martin. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) has "T'almiyd'e" (the Disciples). The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also has the Peshitta reading. Neither the Latin Vulgate or any Greek version has "the Disciples", nor do they have "my Lord" in this verse, as does both the Eastern and Western forms of the Aramaic NT. The Diatessaron though, has the Peshitta text's reading "my Lord". The Mingana Ms. reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has "they all said" as does Bauscher, Magiera, Jahn, and Werner, lacking "the Disciples". The Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) and The Curetonian versions have "and so all of them also said".
5: Luke 22:17
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have this verse. Neither does the Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) or the Curetonian. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) does not have it. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also lacks the reading. The Mingana Codex doesn't have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Etheridge, [Murdock], Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, has it. All Greek versions and the Latin Vulgate has this verse.
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
6: Luke 22:18
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have this verse. Neither does the Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) or the Curetonian. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) does not have it. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also lacks the reading. The Mingana Ms. doesn't have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Etheridge, [Murdock], Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, has it. All Greek versions and the Latin Vulgate has this verse.
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
7: John 7:53
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Etheridge, and Roth, don't have it. Neither does the Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) or the Curetonian. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also lacks the reading. The Mingana does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Magiera, Murdock, Lamsa, Alexander, Pashka, Jahn, Werner, and Martin (citing Bauscher's notes), have it. The Way International's "The Aramaic New Testament" which uses MS ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) for the Gospel of John, shows this verse in [brackets]. The old Latin and the Latin Vulgate has it, as do the standard Greek texts, which the translations use, though many Greek Ms copies lack it.
8: John 8:1-11 (The story of the Woman caught in adultery)
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Etheridge and Roth, does not have it. Neither does the Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) or the Curetonian versions. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also lacks the reading. Many Greek Ms copies lack it, and some have the passage in other places, such as John chapter 21 . The Mingana Ms. does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Magiera, Murdock, Lamsa, Alexander, Pashka, *Jahn, Werner, and Martin, (citing Bauscher's notes), have it. The Way International's ANT which uses MS ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) for the Gospel of John, shows these verses in [brackets].
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.) The old Latin and the Latin Vulgate has this passage, some Greek Ms copies have it.
9: John 16:27
Khabouris Peshitta: has "from the presence of The Father" as does Younan, Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Lamsa, Alexander and Martin. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. has "from my Father". Alexandrian Greek versions have "from The Father". The Mingana Ms. reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has "from the presence of God" as does Magiera, Bauscher, Pashka, Jahn, and Werner, who has "from next-to God". The Curetonian version has "from God" as does The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century). Byzantine Greek versions and the Latin Vulgate text, have "from God".
10: Acts 3:6
Khabouris Peshitta: reads, "...of our Lord Eshu' M'Shikha..." Etheridge, Murdock, Lamsa, Pashka (and shows the variant in brackets), Martin, and Alexander, have the Eastern Peshitta reading. The 1199 Ashael Grant Mss has the Khabouris reading, as does the Mingana Codex, and the 1886 Mosul Peshitta.
UBS Peshitto: reads, "...of Eshu' M'Shikha..." Roth, Bauscher, Werner, The Way, Magiera, and Jahn, and MSS 14473 (Jacobite), have the Western reading. Paul Younan's Interlinear text shows the Western reading for some reason.
11: Acts 8:37
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Etheridge, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have it. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century) does not have it. The Mingana does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, [Murdock], Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, have it.
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
12: Acts 15:34
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Etheridge, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have it. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century) does not have it. The Mingana Ms. does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, *[Murdock], Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, have it.
(*Murdoch has this note: “this verse is removed to the margin in the editions of the British and Foreign Bible Society.”)
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
13: Acts 18:23
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...in the regions of Phrygia and of Galatia." as does Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Pashka, Alexander, and Lamsa. Also, the 1199 (Ashael Grant MS.), the Mingana MS., the 1846 Urmia printed Peshitta text, and the 1886 printed Peshitta text has the same reading as the Khabouris does here.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...in the regions of Galatia and of Phrygia." as does Bauscher, Magiera, The Way International, Werner, Martin, and Jahn. Also, MS. 14473 has this reading, which seems to be the source for the UBS text, as I have seen it match up many times against the Eastern text's readings. It is a Western "Jacobite" text, not the Eastern Peshitta text.
14: Acts 20:28
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...the Church of M'shikha... as does Etheridge, Roth, *Alexander, Lamsa, and Martin, have the Eastern reading. The Mingana reads as the Khabouris does.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...the Church of Alaha..." as does Bauscher, Magiera, Pashka, Murdock, Jahn, and Werner, have the Western reading. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century) has the Western reading.
(*Victor Alexander has this reading “…to shepherd the church of Jesus Christ, that which he established by his blood.”)
15: Acts 21:13
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...Eshu' M'shikha." at the end of the verse. Etheridge, Murdock, *Roth, **Pashka, Alexander Martin, and Lamsa have it as the Khabouris does. Also The 1199 Ashael Grant MS, The Mingana MS, The 1886 printed Peshitta text, and The 1846 Urmia printed Peshitta text has it as The Khabouris MS does.
*Roth has the same Eastern Peshitta reading here as Murdock, since he revised Murdock's translation, but, his Aramaic text to the right in his editions have the UBS reading, since he revised the UBS Peshitto text, while leaving a number of Western readings in...like this one. His note says as much.
**Pashka has the Eastern Peshitta reading in his translation, but, his Aramaic text, which I believe is the UBS edited to some degree, has the Western Peshitto reading.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...Eshu'." at the end of the verse. Bauscher, Magiera, The Way International, Werner, and Jahn, have it as the UBS does. Also MSS 14473 (Jacobite) has the UBS reading. The Greek texts match the UBS Peshitto text.
16: Acts 26:28
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...King Agrippa said..." as does Etheridge, Murdock, Lamsa, Martin, Alexander, *Roth, **Pashka. The 1199 Grant MS, The Mingana MS, the 1846 Urmia Peshitta, and the 1886 Peshitta, all agree with the Khabouris.
* Roth has the same reading as Murdock here, though his interlinear (UBS with edits) has the Western Peshitto reading still there.
** Pashka has the Eastern Peshitta reading in his translation, while his Aramaic text has the UBS reading.
UBS Peshitto: reads ..."Agrippa said..." as does Bauscher, Magiera, The Way International, Werner, and Jahn. The UBS follows MS 14473, which is a Jacobite (Syrian Orthodox Church) MS. The Way International's Aramaic text is taken from the same MS 14473.
17: Acts 28:29
Khabouris Peshitta: Etheridge, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have it. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century) doesn't have it. The Mingana Ms. does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, *Murdock, Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, have it.
(*Murdoch notes, “this verse 29 is not in the MS., nor in any of the earlier editions: and the later editions place it in the margin.”)
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
18: 1 Corinthians 16:24
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...in M’shikha Eshu’ Amiyn." the same as the Byzantine Greek text form, as does Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Lamsa, Norton, Alexander, Martin. Also The Mingana Codex has the same reading as the Khabouris, and the other Eastern Peshitta Manuscript I can see, from 1199, given to the English Protestant Missionary Asahel Grant, by Mar Abraham, The Patriarch/Catholicos of The Church of the East, has the same reading as the Khabouris.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...in M’shikha Eshu’." the same as the Alexandrian Greek text form, as does Bauscher, Magiera, Werner, Jahn, Also, MS ADD. 14475 (5th-6th century), as well as The Way International's translation of it's text has this reading.
19: 2nd Corinthians 13:1
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...three times that I'm ready to come unto you." as does Roth, Murdock, Etheridge, Lamsa, Norton, *Alexander, and **Martin
* Victor Alexander's version reads "...three seasons that I have desired to come to you." The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
** Lonnie Martin's version reads "...the third time that I have prepared to come to you. As does Roth's and Murdock's version.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...three times that I come unto you." as does Bauscher, Jahn, Werner, Magiera, and The Way International
20: Galatians 6:17
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "Our Lord Eshu' M'shikha" as does Roth, Etheridge, Murdock, Norton, Alexander, Martin, and Lamsa. The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: reads "Our Lord Eshu' " as does Magiera, Bauscher, Jahn, and Werner. The Way International's translation and MS. ADD. 14475 (5th-6th century) has the Peshitto reading.
21: Ephesians 1:8
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "of The Spirit" at the end of the verse, as does Etheridge; where Roth, Murdock, Lamsa, and Martin, all have ("Spiritual") and Norton has ("the Spirit's") and Alexander has ("of Spirit"). The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: doesn't have any mention of "Spirit" or "Spiritual" in the text, nor does Magiera, Bauscher, Jahn, and Werner. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century) doesn't have it.
22: Ephesians: 1:15
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "all the Holy Ones" as does Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Lamsa, Norton, Alexander, Martin, and even Bauscher (though his Interlinear Aramaic text and word for word translation has the Western Peshitto reading). The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: reads "the Holy Ones" as does Magiera, Jahn, and Werner. The Way International's TANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), have the Western reading.
23: 2nd Thessalonians 3:18
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "all of you, my brothers; Amen." as does Roth, Etheridge, Alexander, Norton, and Murdock. The Way International's TANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), has the Eastern reading. The Mingana has the same reading as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: reads “all of you; Amen." as does Lamsa, Bauscher, Magiera, Jahn, Martin, and Werner.
24: Philemon 1:25
Khabouris Peshitta: has "be with your spirit, my brothers; Amen." as does Roth, Etheridge, Murdock, Norton, and Alexander. The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has "be with your spirit; Amen." as does Magiera, Bauscher, Lamsa, Jahn, Martin, and Werner. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), which doesn't have "my Brothers".
25: Hebrews 2:9
Khabouris Peshitta: Roth, Lamsa, and *Martin, have the Eastern reading. The Mingana Ms. has the Eastern reading. "who independently from God, for all men tasted death".
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Magiera, Murdock, *Alexander, Norton, Etheridge, Jahn, and Werner, have the Western reading.
While The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), has the Western reading, it's odd that the text agrees with the Khabouris readings in the other places in the verse where the Khabouris varies with the UBS text.
(* Victor Alexander has this reading: “He is, then, very little like the angels, for we have seen that He is Eashoa because of the Passion of His death, and the glory and honor that was consecrated on His head is, therefore, imposed by God in tasting death on behalf of every human being.”)
* Lonnie Martin has a strange reading here, which doesn't line up with what is actually in the text itself. "9 But now we see Someone who was made slightly inferior to the spirit messengers, ‘namely’ Yeshua Himself, crowned with majesty and honor, because He suffered death. Due to YHVH’s mercy, He could ‘experience’ death for everyone."
26: Hebrews 2:16
Khabouris Peshitta: Etheridge, Roth, Murdock, Magiera, Alexander, Norton, Lamsa, and Martin, all have the Eastern reading. The Mingana has the Eastern reading.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Jahn, and Werner, have the Western reading. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), has the Western reading, exactly as the UBS text reads.
27: James 3:10
Khabouris Peshitta: has "curses and blessings" as does Etheridge, Roth, Murdock, Norton, Alexander, Lamsa, and Martin, which is a unique reading only found in the Eastern Aramaic text. The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has "blessings and curses" as does Bauscher, Magiera, Jahn, and Werner, which aligns with the Greek and Latin reading. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century), has the Western reading.
http://www.bible-geeks.com
According to church tradition, the Church of the East received the New Testament writings by the apostles themselves in Syriac, the dialect of Aramaic that was spoken by them. This New Testament became known by the fifth century as the Peshitta. Assyrian scholar Dr. George Lamsa states in the introduction to the Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text, "The term Peshitta means straight, simple, sincere and true, that is, the original." The traditional position of the Church of the East has always been that the Peshitta is the original New Testament (known as "Aramaic primacy").
The Peshitta text is unique in several ways. For one, it is the oldest complete version of the New Testament written in the Aramaic language. It also includes wordplays, poetry, and other hallmarks of Semitic literature that are completely missing in the popular Greek versions. Another interesting thing about the Peshitta text is that is does not fully agree with the Byzantine or Alexandrian versions of the Greek New Testament, but is a mix of both with it's own unique readings in several places. It also includes only 22 of the canonical 27 New Testament books. It's missing II Peter, II John, III John, and Revelation. The Church of the East encourages their people to read these Books, but has never accepted them into their canon because the present Aramaic versions we have are translated from Greek sources and they also did not receive them from the apostles.
The Peshitta has been revised several times, but the original version has stayed intact by the care of the Eastern scribes. The earliest revision was most likely the Western Peshitto, which occurred after the First Counsel of Ephesus (which condemned the teachings of Bishop Nestorius), resulting in the formation of the Western Syriac Orthodox Church, who took on a monophysite Christology (the belief that Jesus is divine alone and not human). The Church of the East held to Nestorianism (the belief in both deity and humanity residing separately in Jesus Christ). The Western Assyrian Christians are commonly referred to as Jacobites, while the Church of the East are referred to as Nestorians.
The Western Peshitto added the five missing books, translated from the Greek and changed several passages. The only significant changes were to Acts 20:28 and Hebrews 2:9. Here is Acts 20:28 according to the Western and Eastern readings:
ܐܙܕܗܪܘ ܗܟܝܠ ܒܢܦܫܟܘܢ ܘܒܟܠܗ ܡܪܥܝܬܐ ܗܝ ܕܐܩܝܡܟܘܢ ܒܗ ܪܘܚܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܐ ܐܦܣܩܘܦܐܕܬܪܥܘܢ ܠܥܕܬܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܗܝ ܕܩܢܗ ܒܕܡܗ
Ezdar hakhil b'naphashkhun w'wakhulah marita ha d'akimkhun bah Rukha d'Qudsha episqawpe d'terun l'idteh d'Alaha ha d'qana b'demeh.
"Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath established you bishops; that ye feed the church of God, which he hath acquired by his blood."- Murdock's Translation of the Peshitta (Western reading)
ܐܙܕܗܪܘ ܗܟܝܠ ܒܢܦܫܟܘܢ ܘܒܟܠܗ ܡܪܥܝܬܐ ܗܝ ܕܐܩܝܡܟܘܢ ܒܗ ܪܘܚܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܐ ܐܦܣܩܘܦܐ ܕܬܪܥܘܢ ܠܥܕܬܗ ܕܡܫܝܚܐ ܗܝ ܕܩܢܗ ܒܕܡܗ
Ezdar hakhil b'naphashkhun w'wakhulah marita ha d'akimkhun bah Rukha d'Qudsha episqawpe d'terun l'idteh d'Meshikha ha d'qana b'demeh.
"Take great care of yourselves, and of all the flock over which the Ruach haKodesh has established you as overseers for; that you feed the assembly of Mashiyach, which he has acquired by his blood."- Aramaic English New Testament (Eastern reading)
Now let's see Hebrews 2:9 and how it differs between the two:
ܗܘ ܕܝܢ ܕܡܟ ܩܠܝܠ ܡܢ ܡܠܐܟܐ ܚܙܝܢܢ ܕܗܘܝܘ ܝܫܘܥ ܡܛܠ ܚܫܐ ܕܡܘܬܗ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܘܐܝܩܪܐ ܣܝܡ ܒܪܝܫܗ ܗܘ ܓܝܪ ܒܛܝܒܘܬܗ ܐܠܗܐ ܚܠܦ ܟܠܢܫ ܛܥܡ ܡܘܬܐ
Haw den d'mak qalil men malace khazenan d'huwin Yeshua metul khasha d'mawteh w'teshbukhta w'iqara sim b'rishe haw ger b'tibuta Alaha khlaph culnash tem mawta.
"But we see him, who was depressed somewhat lower than the angels, to be this Jesus, because of the passion of his death; and glory and honor are placed on his head; for God himself, in his grace, tasted death for all men."- Murdock's Translation of the Peshitta (Western reading)
Haw den d'mak qalil men malace khazenan d'huwin Yeshua metul khasha d'mawteh w'teshbukhta w'iqara sim b'rishe haw ger satar men Alaha khlaph culnash tem mawta.
"We see that he is Y'shua, who humbled himself to become a little lower than the Messengers through his suffering and death, but now he is crowned with honor and glory because he tasted death for the sake of everyone apart from Elohim."- Aramaic English New Testament (Eastern reading)
None of the readings seen in the Eastern Peshitta manuscripts are denial's of Jesus's deity. On the contrary, both the Peshitta and the Peshitto emphatically declare the deity of Jesus. The Jacobites saw these readings in the Peshitta as support for Nestorianism, so they changed them to support their theology. The Philoxenian, Harklean, Syriac Sinaiticus, and the Curetonian versions of the Aramaic text were also revisions made for theological reasons (also the Sinaiticus and Curetonian are only composed of the four Gospels). These revisions were made for not only theological reasons, but to move the Peshitta closer to the Greek. All of these revisions made after the Peshitto were practically forgotten by Assyrian Christians, who always went back to the Peshitta or Peshitto.
Here is a list of other differences between the two manuscript families compiled by my friend Chuck (Thirdwoe):
1: Matthew 4:21
Khabouris Peshitta: has "and Eshu' called them" The Ashael Grant, The Mingana, The 1886 Mosul, and the Paul Younan Interlinear text, all have “and Eshu called them”. The Curetonian has "and Eshu called them'", but the Sinaitic has "and he called them". English translations that have the Khabouris or Eastern Peshitta reading: Paul Younan, Andrew Roth, James Murdock, John Etheridge, George Lamsa, Joseph Pashka, Lonnie Martin, Victor Alexander.
UBS Peshitto: has "and He called them", as does ADD MSS 14470 (5th-6th century) and the Sinaitic (Old Scratch) version. English translations that go with the Western Peshitto version: David Bauscher, Janet Magiera, The Way International, Herb Jahn, Francis A. Werner.
2: Matthew 6:32
Khabouris Peshitta: The Khabouris, in it's secondary script (East Adiabene), which is a later scribal replacement page, has “the Nations of the World.” as does Younan's Interlinear, Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Magiera, Alexander, Pashka, and Lamsa. The Curetonian text reads as The Khabouris Peshitta text does here. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. text in its extant 10th century Arabic translation from an 8th century Aramaic Ms. has the Khabouris Peshitta reading. Neither the Latin or any of the Greek versions have "of the World".
UBS Peshitto: has “the Nations", as does Bauscher, Jahn, and A. Frances Werner. Lon Martin has "the heathen" and The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) doesn't have "d'Alma" (of the World) in that Aramaic MS. The Mingana Ms. reads the same as the UBS text and the 1199 A.D. "Asahel Grant" Ms. does too, both being clearly Eastern Peshitta Ms, also the 1886 Mosul Edition Peshitta text does not have "of the world"....which begs the question...is the reading "of the World" actually an Eastern Peshitta reading?
3: Matthew 21:4
Khabouris Peshitta: has “all this happened” as does Younan, Etheridge, Murdock, Alexander, Pashka, and Lamsa. Martin has "This all took place". The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also has the Peshitta reading. The Byzantine Greek (Greek Orthodox Church, Majority Greek Text, and the Textus Receptus) and The Latin Vulgate text has the Eastern Peshitta reading. The Mingana Ms. reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has “this happened” as does *Younan's interlinear (see note), Bauscher, Magiera, *Roth, Jahn, and Werner.
The Curetonian text reads the same as the Western Peshitto does here. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) does not have "K'uleh" (all) in it's text. The Alexandrian Greek text has the Western Peshitto reading.
*Note: Paul Younan has said that this is a mistake in his interlinear readings, and should have the Eastern reading of The Peshitta.
* Roth follows Paul Younan's mistaken Interlinear reading, as it was his base text.
4: Mark 14:31
Khabouris Peshitta: has “all the Disciples said” as does Younan, Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, and Martin. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) has "T'almiyd'e" (the Disciples). The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also has the Peshitta reading. Neither the Latin Vulgate or any Greek version has "the Disciples", nor do they have "my Lord" in this verse, as does both the Eastern and Western forms of the Aramaic NT. The Diatessaron though, has the Peshitta text's reading "my Lord". The Mingana Ms. reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has "they all said" as does Bauscher, Magiera, Jahn, and Werner, lacking "the Disciples". The Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) and The Curetonian versions have "and so all of them also said".
5: Luke 22:17
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have this verse. Neither does the Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) or the Curetonian. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) does not have it. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also lacks the reading. The Mingana Codex doesn't have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Etheridge, [Murdock], Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, has it. All Greek versions and the Latin Vulgate has this verse.
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
6: Luke 22:18
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have this verse. Neither does the Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) or the Curetonian. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) does not have it. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also lacks the reading. The Mingana Ms. doesn't have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Etheridge, [Murdock], Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, has it. All Greek versions and the Latin Vulgate has this verse.
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
7: John 7:53
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Etheridge, and Roth, don't have it. Neither does the Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) or the Curetonian. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also lacks the reading. The Mingana does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Magiera, Murdock, Lamsa, Alexander, Pashka, Jahn, Werner, and Martin (citing Bauscher's notes), have it. The Way International's "The Aramaic New Testament" which uses MS ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) for the Gospel of John, shows this verse in [brackets]. The old Latin and the Latin Vulgate has it, as do the standard Greek texts, which the translations use, though many Greek Ms copies lack it.
8: John 8:1-11 (The story of the Woman caught in adultery)
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Etheridge and Roth, does not have it. Neither does the Syriac Sinaitic Palimpsest (Old Scratch) or the Curetonian versions. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. also lacks the reading. Many Greek Ms copies lack it, and some have the passage in other places, such as John chapter 21 . The Mingana Ms. does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Magiera, Murdock, Lamsa, Alexander, Pashka, *Jahn, Werner, and Martin, (citing Bauscher's notes), have it. The Way International's ANT which uses MS ADD 14453 (5th-6th century) for the Gospel of John, shows these verses in [brackets].
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.) The old Latin and the Latin Vulgate has this passage, some Greek Ms copies have it.
9: John 16:27
Khabouris Peshitta: has "from the presence of The Father" as does Younan, Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Lamsa, Alexander and Martin. The Diatessaron of 165 A.D. has "from my Father". Alexandrian Greek versions have "from The Father". The Mingana Ms. reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has "from the presence of God" as does Magiera, Bauscher, Pashka, Jahn, and Werner, who has "from next-to God". The Curetonian version has "from God" as does The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14453 (5th-6th century). Byzantine Greek versions and the Latin Vulgate text, have "from God".
10: Acts 3:6
Khabouris Peshitta: reads, "...of our Lord Eshu' M'Shikha..." Etheridge, Murdock, Lamsa, Pashka (and shows the variant in brackets), Martin, and Alexander, have the Eastern Peshitta reading. The 1199 Ashael Grant Mss has the Khabouris reading, as does the Mingana Codex, and the 1886 Mosul Peshitta.
UBS Peshitto: reads, "...of Eshu' M'Shikha..." Roth, Bauscher, Werner, The Way, Magiera, and Jahn, and MSS 14473 (Jacobite), have the Western reading. Paul Younan's Interlinear text shows the Western reading for some reason.
11: Acts 8:37
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Etheridge, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have it. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century) does not have it. The Mingana does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, [Murdock], Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, have it.
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
12: Acts 15:34
Khabouris Peshitta: Younan, Etheridge, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have it. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century) does not have it. The Mingana Ms. does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, *[Murdock], Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, have it.
(*Murdoch has this note: “this verse is removed to the margin in the editions of the British and Foreign Bible Society.”)
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
13: Acts 18:23
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...in the regions of Phrygia and of Galatia." as does Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Pashka, Alexander, and Lamsa. Also, the 1199 (Ashael Grant MS.), the Mingana MS., the 1846 Urmia printed Peshitta text, and the 1886 printed Peshitta text has the same reading as the Khabouris does here.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...in the regions of Galatia and of Phrygia." as does Bauscher, Magiera, The Way International, Werner, Martin, and Jahn. Also, MS. 14473 has this reading, which seems to be the source for the UBS text, as I have seen it match up many times against the Eastern text's readings. It is a Western "Jacobite" text, not the Eastern Peshitta text.
14: Acts 20:28
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...the Church of M'shikha... as does Etheridge, Roth, *Alexander, Lamsa, and Martin, have the Eastern reading. The Mingana reads as the Khabouris does.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...the Church of Alaha..." as does Bauscher, Magiera, Pashka, Murdock, Jahn, and Werner, have the Western reading. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century) has the Western reading.
(*Victor Alexander has this reading “…to shepherd the church of Jesus Christ, that which he established by his blood.”)
15: Acts 21:13
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...Eshu' M'shikha." at the end of the verse. Etheridge, Murdock, *Roth, **Pashka, Alexander Martin, and Lamsa have it as the Khabouris does. Also The 1199 Ashael Grant MS, The Mingana MS, The 1886 printed Peshitta text, and The 1846 Urmia printed Peshitta text has it as The Khabouris MS does.
*Roth has the same Eastern Peshitta reading here as Murdock, since he revised Murdock's translation, but, his Aramaic text to the right in his editions have the UBS reading, since he revised the UBS Peshitto text, while leaving a number of Western readings in...like this one. His note says as much.
**Pashka has the Eastern Peshitta reading in his translation, but, his Aramaic text, which I believe is the UBS edited to some degree, has the Western Peshitto reading.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...Eshu'." at the end of the verse. Bauscher, Magiera, The Way International, Werner, and Jahn, have it as the UBS does. Also MSS 14473 (Jacobite) has the UBS reading. The Greek texts match the UBS Peshitto text.
16: Acts 26:28
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...King Agrippa said..." as does Etheridge, Murdock, Lamsa, Martin, Alexander, *Roth, **Pashka. The 1199 Grant MS, The Mingana MS, the 1846 Urmia Peshitta, and the 1886 Peshitta, all agree with the Khabouris.
* Roth has the same reading as Murdock here, though his interlinear (UBS with edits) has the Western Peshitto reading still there.
** Pashka has the Eastern Peshitta reading in his translation, while his Aramaic text has the UBS reading.
UBS Peshitto: reads ..."Agrippa said..." as does Bauscher, Magiera, The Way International, Werner, and Jahn. The UBS follows MS 14473, which is a Jacobite (Syrian Orthodox Church) MS. The Way International's Aramaic text is taken from the same MS 14473.
17: Acts 28:29
Khabouris Peshitta: Etheridge, Magiera, Roth, and Martin, don’t have it. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century) doesn't have it. The Mingana Ms. does not have it.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, *Murdock, Alexander, Pashka, Lamsa, *Jahn, and Werner, have it.
(*Murdoch notes, “this verse 29 is not in the MS., nor in any of the earlier editions: and the later editions place it in the margin.”)
(*Herb Jahn has a note for this verse which says, "not in the Aramaic", yet he has it translated.)
18: 1 Corinthians 16:24
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...in M’shikha Eshu’ Amiyn." the same as the Byzantine Greek text form, as does Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Lamsa, Norton, Alexander, Martin. Also The Mingana Codex has the same reading as the Khabouris, and the other Eastern Peshitta Manuscript I can see, from 1199, given to the English Protestant Missionary Asahel Grant, by Mar Abraham, The Patriarch/Catholicos of The Church of the East, has the same reading as the Khabouris.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...in M’shikha Eshu’." the same as the Alexandrian Greek text form, as does Bauscher, Magiera, Werner, Jahn, Also, MS ADD. 14475 (5th-6th century), as well as The Way International's translation of it's text has this reading.
19: 2nd Corinthians 13:1
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "...three times that I'm ready to come unto you." as does Roth, Murdock, Etheridge, Lamsa, Norton, *Alexander, and **Martin
* Victor Alexander's version reads "...three seasons that I have desired to come to you." The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
** Lonnie Martin's version reads "...the third time that I have prepared to come to you. As does Roth's and Murdock's version.
UBS Peshitto: reads "...three times that I come unto you." as does Bauscher, Jahn, Werner, Magiera, and The Way International
20: Galatians 6:17
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "Our Lord Eshu' M'shikha" as does Roth, Etheridge, Murdock, Norton, Alexander, Martin, and Lamsa. The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: reads "Our Lord Eshu' " as does Magiera, Bauscher, Jahn, and Werner. The Way International's translation and MS. ADD. 14475 (5th-6th century) has the Peshitto reading.
21: Ephesians 1:8
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "of The Spirit" at the end of the verse, as does Etheridge; where Roth, Murdock, Lamsa, and Martin, all have ("Spiritual") and Norton has ("the Spirit's") and Alexander has ("of Spirit"). The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: doesn't have any mention of "Spirit" or "Spiritual" in the text, nor does Magiera, Bauscher, Jahn, and Werner. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century) doesn't have it.
22: Ephesians: 1:15
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "all the Holy Ones" as does Etheridge, Murdock, Roth, Lamsa, Norton, Alexander, Martin, and even Bauscher (though his Interlinear Aramaic text and word for word translation has the Western Peshitto reading). The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: reads "the Holy Ones" as does Magiera, Jahn, and Werner. The Way International's TANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), have the Western reading.
23: 2nd Thessalonians 3:18
Khabouris Peshitta: reads "all of you, my brothers; Amen." as does Roth, Etheridge, Alexander, Norton, and Murdock. The Way International's TANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), has the Eastern reading. The Mingana has the same reading as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: reads “all of you; Amen." as does Lamsa, Bauscher, Magiera, Jahn, Martin, and Werner.
24: Philemon 1:25
Khabouris Peshitta: has "be with your spirit, my brothers; Amen." as does Roth, Etheridge, Murdock, Norton, and Alexander. The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has "be with your spirit; Amen." as does Magiera, Bauscher, Lamsa, Jahn, Martin, and Werner. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), which doesn't have "my Brothers".
25: Hebrews 2:9
Khabouris Peshitta: Roth, Lamsa, and *Martin, have the Eastern reading. The Mingana Ms. has the Eastern reading. "who independently from God, for all men tasted death".
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Magiera, Murdock, *Alexander, Norton, Etheridge, Jahn, and Werner, have the Western reading.
While The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), has the Western reading, it's odd that the text agrees with the Khabouris readings in the other places in the verse where the Khabouris varies with the UBS text.
(* Victor Alexander has this reading: “He is, then, very little like the angels, for we have seen that He is Eashoa because of the Passion of His death, and the glory and honor that was consecrated on His head is, therefore, imposed by God in tasting death on behalf of every human being.”)
* Lonnie Martin has a strange reading here, which doesn't line up with what is actually in the text itself. "9 But now we see Someone who was made slightly inferior to the spirit messengers, ‘namely’ Yeshua Himself, crowned with majesty and honor, because He suffered death. Due to YHVH’s mercy, He could ‘experience’ death for everyone."
26: Hebrews 2:16
Khabouris Peshitta: Etheridge, Roth, Murdock, Magiera, Alexander, Norton, Lamsa, and Martin, all have the Eastern reading. The Mingana has the Eastern reading.
UBS Peshitto: Bauscher, Jahn, and Werner, have the Western reading. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14475 (5th-6th century), has the Western reading, exactly as the UBS text reads.
27: James 3:10
Khabouris Peshitta: has "curses and blessings" as does Etheridge, Roth, Murdock, Norton, Alexander, Lamsa, and Martin, which is a unique reading only found in the Eastern Aramaic text. The Mingana reads the same as the Khabouris text.
UBS Peshitto: has "blessings and curses" as does Bauscher, Magiera, Jahn, and Werner, which aligns with the Greek and Latin reading. The Way International's ANT & MS. ADD 14473 (5th-6th century), has the Western reading.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
The Importance of Aramaic in New Testament Studies
We all know that the New Testament was not written in English, or even thought in English. The New Testament is a collection of 1st century writings centered on Jesus of Nazareth (or, in Aramaic: Yeshua d'Nasrath). Jesus and His disciples were Jews in Israel, primarily from the region of Galilee (Judas Iscariot most likely being the only disciple from Judah). The language of 1st century Israel was not even Greek or Hebrew, but Aramaic.
Studies in Hebrew and Greek abound, as the Old Testament (or Tanach) was written in Hebrew (with a little Aramaic) and the New Testament is generally presumed to have been written in Greek. However, Hebrew was not spoken among the common people, nor was Greek. Aramaic is the language in which Jesus likely taught and spoke daily. In order to fully understand the message of Jesus and the apostles, you must understand the Aramaic language. Sadly, Aramaic is almost ignored by scholars today, who instead focus upon the Greek New Testament writings.
Even the Greek New Testament is written in a very Semitic style, hinting at the idea that it was translated from a previous Aramaic source. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Tanach) has a very similar style to the Greek New Testament. If you compare the grammar of the Greek New Testament and the Aramaic Peshitta New Testament using an interlinear, you will find that there are a lot of similarities between the two. Many Semitic idioms are also used in the commonly used Greek New Testament (see http://www.bible-researcher.com/hebraisms.html for more information on this), hinting toward a Semitic source behind the Greek. Transliterated Aramaic words, like rabbi, Patskha, qorban, rakha, mammon ("my great one", "Passover", "offering", "spit", "wealth") are also found in our Greek New Testament.
At times, the idioms used in the New Testament are easy to misunderstand, or otherwise will leave you scratching your head. One example is the "evil eye" Jesus speaks of in Matthew 7:23 and 20:15. According to Dr. George Lamsa (translator of The Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text) and David H. Stern (translator of The Complete Jewish Bible), this an idiom for greed. Usually in our Western mind, we would associate this with black magic or the occult, but when examining the context you can tell what Jesus is talking about. An "evil eye" in Aramaic is anak bisha.
"Do not place for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break in and steal. But place for yourself treasures in heave where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there is your heart also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye therefore is simple, also your whole body is light. But if your eye is evil your whole body will be dark. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great will be your darkness. No man is able to serve two lords. For either he will hate the one and will love the other, or he will honor the one and will treat the other with contempt. You are not able to serve God and mammon."- Matthew 6:19-24
A fact that isn't widely known is that until 14th century, the largest part of the church was composed of Aramaic speakers. While Paul was bringing the Gospel to the West, Peter was bringing it to the East. Even in Greece, there was an Aramaic-speaking diaspora of Jews and Arameans. If there were no Aramaic speakers in these churches, why would Paul use words and phrases like Maran atha (I Corinthians 16:22, which means "Our Lord, come"), satana ("the accuser" or "Satan"), or amen ("truly")? Greek speaking Jews are referred to as "Hellenists" in the New Testament writings, and were considered a different class of people (Acts 9:29). Notice how Paul always went to the synagogues first and if the Gospel was rejected, he would then go to the Gentiles (which not only included European Gentiles like Greeks and Romans, but also Semitic Gentiles like Assyrians and Arameans). Paul could clearly get by in Greek if he was debating with Hellenists, but he also the bilingual Luke who was a Syrian from Antioch, in which both Greek and Aramaic were widely spoken.
Peter, Jacob (or "James"), Jude, and John were all Israeli Jews from Galilee and spent their lives primarily preaching the Gospel to their Jewish brethren. Peter actually spent time in Babylon with John Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark (I Peter 5:13). Babylon had the largest population of Jews outside of Israel, so it was a logical place for him to go. These men who ministered to Aramaic-speaking Jews in Asia and the Middle East are unlikely to have written to these people in Greek, but in their common Aramaic language.
Another advantage of studying the New Testament in Aramaic is to see many nuances that can only be seen in the Aramaic and are totally missed in the Greek. The Peshitta abounds in wordplay and poetry. Here is an example of wordplay in the Aramaic text from John 1:18 that is totally missed in the Greek:
Alaha la khaza nash memtun ikhidaya Alaha haw d'itaw b'uba d'Awuh haw eshtai.
"Man has not ever seen God. The only begotten God, that one who is in the bosom of his father, has declared him."
The Greek versions of this verse read:
Theon oudeis heoraken papote monogenes Theos ho on eis ton kolpon tou Patros ekeinos exegesato.
The Aramaic New Testament also has some unique ways of revealing the deity of Jesus. The word MarYa is a compound of the word Mar ("Lord") and Ya (or "Yah", short for "Yahweh" and seen in Psalms 68:4). MarYa is used of Jesus Christ in several places, like Acts 2:38 and Philippians 2:11. Another unique part of the Peshitta is it's use of the Aramaic phrase Ena 'na ("I am"), which, in the Peshitta Tanach is used 97% of the time by God Himself (this is the Aramaic equivalent of ehyeh asher ehyeh, or "I am that I am"). Paul Younan states, "In Semitic thought, the phrase ‘Ena-na’ (I am) conveys a thought of eternal existence reserved only for God." The seven "I am" statements in the Gospel of John (6:35, 8:12, 10:9, 10:11, 11:25-26, 14:6, 15:5) all use this particular phrase. Only one place in the entire Peshitta New Testament has ena 'na being used by a mere human being (John 9:9).
Instead of bringing the New Testament into our day and age, we should go back to the time of the New Testament when studying it. Only through the lenses of the Aramaic language can we ascertain the Biblical message in its entirety. Unfortunately, not all of us have the time or ability to learn Aramaic. Thankfully, we have many tools that can be used to study the Aramaic New Testament of the Peshitta. Various translations, interlinears, commentaries, and dictionaries have been published so that we can examine the New Testament in its original Semitic context. Here are some places where you can study the Peshitta and the Aramaic language:
http://www.aramaicpeshitta.com- This is a website that has some articles on the Peshitta and it's relation to the Greek New Testament, as well as the Old Syriac versions. Four translations of the Peshitta are available also: John Wesley Etheridge, James Murdock, George Lamsa, and Paul Younan's Aramaic-English interlinear.
http://lamsabible.com/- This is a website where you can read Dr. George Lamsa's The Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text, or as it's more commonly known "The Lamsa Bible". This is the only full translation of the Peshitta Bible. Dr. Lamsa was a native speaker of the Aramaic language and a member of the Assyrian Church of the East, which has preserved the Peshitta since ancient times. Dr. Lamsa wrote many commentaries and books that show the importance of understanding ancient Semitic culture. His translation is generally accurate, but sometimes has places where theological bias shows up, as well as places where the translation sticks with the Greek and King James Version more than the Eastern Peshitta text.
http://www.peshitta.org- This is Paul Younan's website, and is also has his Aramaic-English interlinear New Testament. Unfortunately, it is currently incomplete and goes only to Acts 16. The four Gospels in an accessible Aramaic-English interlinear format is in itself a monumental achievement. The forum on here is great, and you can learn a lot about the Peshitta's history, as well as that of the Aramaic language. Paul Younan is also a native Aramaic speaker and member of the Assyrian Church of the East.
http://www.v-a.com/- This is the website of native Aramaic speaker and Church of the East member Victor Alexander, who has translated the Peshitta New Testament, which is titled Aramaic Scripture. Also available are his translations of the Peshitta Tanach's versions of Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Jonah, Zechariah, Malachi, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, as well as Psalms 1 and 22.
http://dukhrana.com/- This website is an indispensable source for comparing translations (especially the KJV, Lamsa, Etheridge, and Murdock translations), the Greek, and other versions of the New Testament against the original Aramaic. You can also look at and compare several Aramaic manuscripts, including the famed Khabouris Codex. The various lexicons on here are extremely useful.
http://cal1.cn.huc.edu/- This is the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, which is probably the best lexicon available for not only Syriac (the Aramaic dialect of the Peshitta), but also various other dialects (including Babylonian, Judean, Galilean, and Samaritan). You can study the Peshitta Bible, the Targums, and various other Aramaic texts on here.
http://aramaicnt.org/- This is the website of Steve Caruso, who is an expert in Aramaic, especially Jesus's own Galilean dialect. Steve is working on translating all parts of the Gospels where someone speaks into the Aramaic dialect in which it would have been spoken and what he has so far is very interesting. You can also learn Galilean Aramaic here. I am going to start studying here very soon.
http://learnassyrian.com/- Here you can learn Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, which is very similar to the Syriac dialect seen in the Peshitta. I've downloaded the PDF version of their course to my tablet.
These are, in my opinion, the best translations of the Peshitta:
A Literal Translation of the New Testament From the Peschito by John Wesley Etheridge.
The Syriac New Testament by James Murdock.
Aramaic English New Testament by Andrew Gabriel Roth
Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation and Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Vertical Interlinear (3 volumes) by Janet Magiera
Aramaic-English Interlinear New Testament (3 volumes) by The Way International.
The Original Aramaic New Testament in Plain English and The Aramaic-English Interlinear New Testament by Glenn David Bauscher.
Scriptural quotations taken from the Aramaic-English Interlinear New Testament by The Way International.
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Studies in Hebrew and Greek abound, as the Old Testament (or Tanach) was written in Hebrew (with a little Aramaic) and the New Testament is generally presumed to have been written in Greek. However, Hebrew was not spoken among the common people, nor was Greek. Aramaic is the language in which Jesus likely taught and spoke daily. In order to fully understand the message of Jesus and the apostles, you must understand the Aramaic language. Sadly, Aramaic is almost ignored by scholars today, who instead focus upon the Greek New Testament writings.
Even the Greek New Testament is written in a very Semitic style, hinting at the idea that it was translated from a previous Aramaic source. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Tanach) has a very similar style to the Greek New Testament. If you compare the grammar of the Greek New Testament and the Aramaic Peshitta New Testament using an interlinear, you will find that there are a lot of similarities between the two. Many Semitic idioms are also used in the commonly used Greek New Testament (see http://www.bible-researcher.com/hebraisms.html for more information on this), hinting toward a Semitic source behind the Greek. Transliterated Aramaic words, like rabbi, Patskha, qorban, rakha, mammon ("my great one", "Passover", "offering", "spit", "wealth") are also found in our Greek New Testament.
At times, the idioms used in the New Testament are easy to misunderstand, or otherwise will leave you scratching your head. One example is the "evil eye" Jesus speaks of in Matthew 7:23 and 20:15. According to Dr. George Lamsa (translator of The Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text) and David H. Stern (translator of The Complete Jewish Bible), this an idiom for greed. Usually in our Western mind, we would associate this with black magic or the occult, but when examining the context you can tell what Jesus is talking about. An "evil eye" in Aramaic is anak bisha.
"Do not place for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break in and steal. But place for yourself treasures in heave where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there is your heart also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye therefore is simple, also your whole body is light. But if your eye is evil your whole body will be dark. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great will be your darkness. No man is able to serve two lords. For either he will hate the one and will love the other, or he will honor the one and will treat the other with contempt. You are not able to serve God and mammon."- Matthew 6:19-24
A fact that isn't widely known is that until 14th century, the largest part of the church was composed of Aramaic speakers. While Paul was bringing the Gospel to the West, Peter was bringing it to the East. Even in Greece, there was an Aramaic-speaking diaspora of Jews and Arameans. If there were no Aramaic speakers in these churches, why would Paul use words and phrases like Maran atha (I Corinthians 16:22, which means "Our Lord, come"), satana ("the accuser" or "Satan"), or amen ("truly")? Greek speaking Jews are referred to as "Hellenists" in the New Testament writings, and were considered a different class of people (Acts 9:29). Notice how Paul always went to the synagogues first and if the Gospel was rejected, he would then go to the Gentiles (which not only included European Gentiles like Greeks and Romans, but also Semitic Gentiles like Assyrians and Arameans). Paul could clearly get by in Greek if he was debating with Hellenists, but he also the bilingual Luke who was a Syrian from Antioch, in which both Greek and Aramaic were widely spoken.
Peter, Jacob (or "James"), Jude, and John were all Israeli Jews from Galilee and spent their lives primarily preaching the Gospel to their Jewish brethren. Peter actually spent time in Babylon with John Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark (I Peter 5:13). Babylon had the largest population of Jews outside of Israel, so it was a logical place for him to go. These men who ministered to Aramaic-speaking Jews in Asia and the Middle East are unlikely to have written to these people in Greek, but in their common Aramaic language.
Another advantage of studying the New Testament in Aramaic is to see many nuances that can only be seen in the Aramaic and are totally missed in the Greek. The Peshitta abounds in wordplay and poetry. Here is an example of wordplay in the Aramaic text from John 1:18 that is totally missed in the Greek:
Alaha la khaza nash memtun ikhidaya Alaha haw d'itaw b'uba d'Awuh haw eshtai.
"Man has not ever seen God. The only begotten God, that one who is in the bosom of his father, has declared him."
The Greek versions of this verse read:
Theon oudeis heoraken papote monogenes Theos ho on eis ton kolpon tou Patros ekeinos exegesato.
The Aramaic New Testament also has some unique ways of revealing the deity of Jesus. The word MarYa is a compound of the word Mar ("Lord") and Ya (or "Yah", short for "Yahweh" and seen in Psalms 68:4). MarYa is used of Jesus Christ in several places, like Acts 2:38 and Philippians 2:11. Another unique part of the Peshitta is it's use of the Aramaic phrase Ena 'na ("I am"), which, in the Peshitta Tanach is used 97% of the time by God Himself (this is the Aramaic equivalent of ehyeh asher ehyeh, or "I am that I am"). Paul Younan states, "In Semitic thought, the phrase ‘Ena-na’ (I am) conveys a thought of eternal existence reserved only for God." The seven "I am" statements in the Gospel of John (6:35, 8:12, 10:9, 10:11, 11:25-26, 14:6, 15:5) all use this particular phrase. Only one place in the entire Peshitta New Testament has ena 'na being used by a mere human being (John 9:9).
Instead of bringing the New Testament into our day and age, we should go back to the time of the New Testament when studying it. Only through the lenses of the Aramaic language can we ascertain the Biblical message in its entirety. Unfortunately, not all of us have the time or ability to learn Aramaic. Thankfully, we have many tools that can be used to study the Aramaic New Testament of the Peshitta. Various translations, interlinears, commentaries, and dictionaries have been published so that we can examine the New Testament in its original Semitic context. Here are some places where you can study the Peshitta and the Aramaic language:
http://www.aramaicpeshitta.com- This is a website that has some articles on the Peshitta and it's relation to the Greek New Testament, as well as the Old Syriac versions. Four translations of the Peshitta are available also: John Wesley Etheridge, James Murdock, George Lamsa, and Paul Younan's Aramaic-English interlinear.
http://lamsabible.com/- This is a website where you can read Dr. George Lamsa's The Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text, or as it's more commonly known "The Lamsa Bible". This is the only full translation of the Peshitta Bible. Dr. Lamsa was a native speaker of the Aramaic language and a member of the Assyrian Church of the East, which has preserved the Peshitta since ancient times. Dr. Lamsa wrote many commentaries and books that show the importance of understanding ancient Semitic culture. His translation is generally accurate, but sometimes has places where theological bias shows up, as well as places where the translation sticks with the Greek and King James Version more than the Eastern Peshitta text.
http://www.peshitta.org- This is Paul Younan's website, and is also has his Aramaic-English interlinear New Testament. Unfortunately, it is currently incomplete and goes only to Acts 16. The four Gospels in an accessible Aramaic-English interlinear format is in itself a monumental achievement. The forum on here is great, and you can learn a lot about the Peshitta's history, as well as that of the Aramaic language. Paul Younan is also a native Aramaic speaker and member of the Assyrian Church of the East.
http://www.v-a.com/- This is the website of native Aramaic speaker and Church of the East member Victor Alexander, who has translated the Peshitta New Testament, which is titled Aramaic Scripture. Also available are his translations of the Peshitta Tanach's versions of Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Jonah, Zechariah, Malachi, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, as well as Psalms 1 and 22.
http://dukhrana.com/- This website is an indispensable source for comparing translations (especially the KJV, Lamsa, Etheridge, and Murdock translations), the Greek, and other versions of the New Testament against the original Aramaic. You can also look at and compare several Aramaic manuscripts, including the famed Khabouris Codex. The various lexicons on here are extremely useful.
http://cal1.cn.huc.edu/- This is the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, which is probably the best lexicon available for not only Syriac (the Aramaic dialect of the Peshitta), but also various other dialects (including Babylonian, Judean, Galilean, and Samaritan). You can study the Peshitta Bible, the Targums, and various other Aramaic texts on here.
http://aramaicnt.org/- This is the website of Steve Caruso, who is an expert in Aramaic, especially Jesus's own Galilean dialect. Steve is working on translating all parts of the Gospels where someone speaks into the Aramaic dialect in which it would have been spoken and what he has so far is very interesting. You can also learn Galilean Aramaic here. I am going to start studying here very soon.
http://learnassyrian.com/- Here you can learn Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, which is very similar to the Syriac dialect seen in the Peshitta. I've downloaded the PDF version of their course to my tablet.
These are, in my opinion, the best translations of the Peshitta:
A Literal Translation of the New Testament From the Peschito by John Wesley Etheridge.
The Syriac New Testament by James Murdock.
Aramaic English New Testament by Andrew Gabriel Roth
Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation and Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Vertical Interlinear (3 volumes) by Janet Magiera
Aramaic-English Interlinear New Testament (3 volumes) by The Way International.
The Original Aramaic New Testament in Plain English and The Aramaic-English Interlinear New Testament by Glenn David Bauscher.
Scriptural quotations taken from the Aramaic-English Interlinear New Testament by The Way International.
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Friday, April 25, 2014
Commentary On the Gospel of John According to the Aramaic Peshitta: Chapter 10
"Truly, truly, I say to you: that he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold of the flock, but climbs up by another place, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the gate is the Shepherd of the flock. And to this man to gatekeeper opens the gate and the flock hears his voice, and his sheep he calls by their names and he leads them out. And when he leads his flock out, he goes before it and his sheep go after him because they know his voice. After a stranger, however, the flock does not go, rather it flees from him because it does not know the voice of the stranger." Yeshua told them this parable, but they did not comprehend what he spoke with them. Yeshua now said to them again, "Truly, truly I say to you: that I am the Gate of the flock and all those who have come are thieves and robbers if the flock have not heard them. I am the Gate, and by me if a man should enter he will live, and will enter and go out, and he will find pasture. A thief does not come but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and they may have something which is abundant. I am the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd lays down his life for his flock, but a hireling who is not the shepherd, nor are the sheep his, when he sees a wolf coming, leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf comes [and] plunders and scatters the flock. Now, the hireling flees because he is hired, and he does not care about the flock. I am the Good Shepherd and I know those who are mine, and I am known by those who are mine. Just as my Father knows me, and I know my Father. And I lay my life down for the sake of the flock. And I also have other sheep, those who were not from this sheepfold, and also them it is necessary for me to bring them, and they will hear my voice, and all the flocks will become one and [there will be] one Shepherd." - John 10:1-16
This apparently takes place right after the end of chapter 9. Jesus is contrasting himself with the Pharisees in the previous chapter. He is the Good Shepherd (calling for mind Psalm 23, which identifies Yahweh as the Shepherd) and the Gate. These dual roles are indispensable to each other, as the Shepherd leads the sheep into the Gate, while the Gate keeps the sheep safe from predators and also keeps them from going astray. Before Jesus, there were many who claimed to be the Messiah but all of these were false, thieves and robbers. Simon of Peraea and Athronges were men who claimed to be the long-awaited King of Israel before Jesus of Nazareth. These false Messiahs came to take advantage of the people, while Jesus came to give them eternal life and many other blessings. Another point Jesus is making here is that He is the only way to God, and that you are doing evil if you try to find salvation in any other but Him.
The hirelings are most likely the Pharisees and religious leaders of the people. Unlike Jesus, the Good Shepherd, they do not care about the sheep and are unwilling to lay their lives down for them. The Good Shepherd proves His love for His sheep by His willingness to lay down His life for them.
The other sheep who will join the fold are the Gentiles who heard and responded to the Gospel in faith. Jesus is telling the Jews that soon the Gentiles will join the flock and there will no longer be division from them while they are under the one Shepherd and God: Jesus Christ. Zechariah 14:9 (RBE) says, "So will Yahweh become king over all the earth,--In that day, there shall be one Yahweh, and his Name, be one."
"Because of this my Father loves me: that I lay down my life that to again I might take it up. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down by my own will. For I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to again take it up, for this commandment I have received from my Father."- John 10:17-18
This is another prophecy of the Messiah's death and resurrection. Jesus's life was not forcefully taken from Him, He gave His life for us out of his own free will because of His love for us. He also tells us that not only will He die by His own will, He will also rise from death because of His own free will. He has authority to come back from the dead, given to Him by His heavenly Father. This is more evidence of Christ's deity and the Oneness of God, as the Father (Galatians 1:1) and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11) are stated to have risen Christ also. If these three are not the same Person, who really rose Jesus from the grave? Trinitarians will most likely come back with the principal of perichoresis, which is the idea that each Person of the Trinity must cooperate with one another in their activities. This theory was only made in order to further distinguish Trinitarianism from tritheism (another attempt being that the three "Persons" are in one "essence"). To me, this seems to be more of a stretch than the Scripture allows us to make. The principal of Occam's Razor will go well here: the simplest explanation is the best, and the simplest explanation is that these are merely multiple manifestations of one divine Person.
And division occurred again among the Yehudeans because of these words. And many of them were saying that, "He has a devil and is insane. Why do you listen to him?" But others were saying, "These words are not of a possessed one. Why? Is a devil able to open the eyes of the blind?"- John 10:19-21
Another one of several divisions occurring among the people while trying to decide whether or not He is the Messiah He claims to be. Jesus was frequently accused of being in league with the devil or being possessed by a demonic spirit throughout His ministry (this is especially seen in the Synoptic Gospels, like in Mark 3:20-30). Jesus's wonderful deeds, graceful words, and miracles were clearly not the works of the devil. The devil would not to destroy his own work to break down God's people. On the contrary, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8) and to free those oppressed by him (Acts 10:38).
And the Feast of Dedication occurred in Urishlim, and it was winter. And Yeshua was walking in the temple, in the porch of Shleemon, and the Yehudeans surrounded him and said to him, "How long will you hold our souls? If you are the Messiah, tell us openly!"- John 10:22-24
The Feast of Dedication is what we know as Hanukkah, which is the eight-day celebration of a miracle which is believed to have occurred during the Maccabean revolt in which a candle was lighted with only a one-day supply of oil after the defeat of Antiochus IV and it lasted for eight days. The phrase "How long will you hold our souls" is a literal translation, and Paul Younan states that it means "How long will you keep us waiting?"
Yeshua answered and said to them, "I have told you and you do not believe, and the works that I do in the name of my Father, they testify concerning me. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep, just as I have told you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they come after me, and I give to them life that is eternal, and they will not perish ever. And no man will snatch them from my hands. For my Father, who gave [them] to me is greater than all, and no man is able to snatch them from the hands of my Father."- John 10:25-29
The Scriptures testify of the fact that the Messiah would come and perform miracles like those of Jesus (Isaiah 35). These skeptics were called by the voice of God's Son but were not part of the chosen few. Due to their hardened and unbelieving hearts, they were unable to receive the truth that Jesus of Nazareth is truly the Messiah.
This teaching on the sheep is not Calvanism. Jesus knows who those are that will accept and reject His Message, but that does not mean that they are "predestined" to accept or reject the Gospel. God has foreknowledge of their response to the Gospel, but this does not mean that each individual is unable to choose to accept or reject the Word of God.
No one can force the sheep out of the hands of the Father (or Christ), but this does not mean that they cannot choose to forsake the truth. The Apostles frequently admonition the believers to continue in the faith (Colossians 1:23) and speak of people walk away from it (II Peter 2:20-22). The devil or man cannot force you to leave God's care, but you can wonder off and God will draw you back to Him if you will heed His voice. We are safe within God's hands if we will submit to His leadership and stay submitted to Him.
Jesus is also claiming divinity here by saying that He can give the sheep eternal life and also claiming equality in power to His Father by stating that He and the Father are able to protect the sheep in the same way. This is one of the more subtle divinity claims of Christ, at least in my opinion. At first sight it might not look like Jesus is claiming to be God until you read the next few verses.
"I and my Father are one." And again the Yehudeans took up rocks to stone him, and Yeshua said to them, "Many pleasing works I have shown you from the presence of my Father. For which work of them do you stone me?" The Yehudeans said to him, "It is not because of the pleasing works [that] we do stone you, rather because you do blaspheme, and [that] while you are a son of man, you make yourself God."- John 10:30-33
Here the Messiah is continuing to claim of divinity. If Jesus were not claiming to be God in the flesh, the Judeans would not have accused Him of blasphemy. The Father and Son are not merely in perfect harmony, but are the same divine being.
Yeshua said to them, "Is it not written in your law that, 'I have told you that you [are] gods'? If he called those [people] gods because the Miltha of God was with them, and scripture is not able to be broken, to him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world you say that, 'You blaspheme!' concerning that I had told you that I [am] the Son of God? Unless I do the works of my Father, do not believe me. However, if I do [them], even if you do not believe me, you believe the works that you may know and believe that my Father [is] in me, and I [am] in my Father." And they were seeking again to seize him but he escaped from their hands.- John 10:34-39
Notice that Jesus does not deny that He is claiming deity, but instead continues to support His claim and defend himself by quoting Psalms 82:6. Psalms 82:6 is not saying that human beings are literally gods, but is speaking about divinely appointed judges who are abusing their power and acting corruptly. The Hebrew word elohim is not merely used of God or idols, but also judges, rulers, and angels.
Jason Dulle makes and interesting observation that Jesus seems to be mocking the unbelievers' assertions by using this verse, which calls even mere men gods because they're in a position of authority. The Jewish people all agreed the Messiah to be in a position of authority above all magistrates and judges, so Jesus's point here is, "Why does my humanity stop me from being God?" Jesus's later statement that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him is further proof of His deity.
Jesus is not necessarily using His miracles as proof of His divinity, but proof that He is who He claims to be. Would God choose to use a blasphemer to cast out demons and heal the sick or raise the dead? The obvious answer is no. If Jesus were a blasphemer and a fraud, then God would not be doing these things. If Jesus is not blaspheming when He claims to be God, then He must be God, and therefore must be the Messiah.
And he went to the crossing of the Yordanan, to the place where Yukhanan had previously been when he was baptizing, and he remained there. And many men came to him and were saying that, "Yukhanan did not even one miracle, but everything that Yukhanan said concerning this man is true." And many believed in him.- John 10:40-42
When things got heated among the people, Jesus frequently when to spend time away from the city. John's witness to Christ was clearly very important, as the people viewed him as a true prophet sent from God. The Jewish people who came to faith in Christ here because of John's testimony also saw Jesus's superiority to John in that John the Baptist did not work any known miracles, but Jesus had done many.
This apparently takes place right after the end of chapter 9. Jesus is contrasting himself with the Pharisees in the previous chapter. He is the Good Shepherd (calling for mind Psalm 23, which identifies Yahweh as the Shepherd) and the Gate. These dual roles are indispensable to each other, as the Shepherd leads the sheep into the Gate, while the Gate keeps the sheep safe from predators and also keeps them from going astray. Before Jesus, there were many who claimed to be the Messiah but all of these were false, thieves and robbers. Simon of Peraea and Athronges were men who claimed to be the long-awaited King of Israel before Jesus of Nazareth. These false Messiahs came to take advantage of the people, while Jesus came to give them eternal life and many other blessings. Another point Jesus is making here is that He is the only way to God, and that you are doing evil if you try to find salvation in any other but Him.
The hirelings are most likely the Pharisees and religious leaders of the people. Unlike Jesus, the Good Shepherd, they do not care about the sheep and are unwilling to lay their lives down for them. The Good Shepherd proves His love for His sheep by His willingness to lay down His life for them.
The other sheep who will join the fold are the Gentiles who heard and responded to the Gospel in faith. Jesus is telling the Jews that soon the Gentiles will join the flock and there will no longer be division from them while they are under the one Shepherd and God: Jesus Christ. Zechariah 14:9 (RBE) says, "So will Yahweh become king over all the earth,--In that day, there shall be one Yahweh, and his Name, be one."
"Because of this my Father loves me: that I lay down my life that to again I might take it up. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down by my own will. For I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to again take it up, for this commandment I have received from my Father."- John 10:17-18
This is another prophecy of the Messiah's death and resurrection. Jesus's life was not forcefully taken from Him, He gave His life for us out of his own free will because of His love for us. He also tells us that not only will He die by His own will, He will also rise from death because of His own free will. He has authority to come back from the dead, given to Him by His heavenly Father. This is more evidence of Christ's deity and the Oneness of God, as the Father (Galatians 1:1) and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11) are stated to have risen Christ also. If these three are not the same Person, who really rose Jesus from the grave? Trinitarians will most likely come back with the principal of perichoresis, which is the idea that each Person of the Trinity must cooperate with one another in their activities. This theory was only made in order to further distinguish Trinitarianism from tritheism (another attempt being that the three "Persons" are in one "essence"). To me, this seems to be more of a stretch than the Scripture allows us to make. The principal of Occam's Razor will go well here: the simplest explanation is the best, and the simplest explanation is that these are merely multiple manifestations of one divine Person.
And division occurred again among the Yehudeans because of these words. And many of them were saying that, "He has a devil and is insane. Why do you listen to him?" But others were saying, "These words are not of a possessed one. Why? Is a devil able to open the eyes of the blind?"- John 10:19-21
Another one of several divisions occurring among the people while trying to decide whether or not He is the Messiah He claims to be. Jesus was frequently accused of being in league with the devil or being possessed by a demonic spirit throughout His ministry (this is especially seen in the Synoptic Gospels, like in Mark 3:20-30). Jesus's wonderful deeds, graceful words, and miracles were clearly not the works of the devil. The devil would not to destroy his own work to break down God's people. On the contrary, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8) and to free those oppressed by him (Acts 10:38).
And the Feast of Dedication occurred in Urishlim, and it was winter. And Yeshua was walking in the temple, in the porch of Shleemon, and the Yehudeans surrounded him and said to him, "How long will you hold our souls? If you are the Messiah, tell us openly!"- John 10:22-24
The Feast of Dedication is what we know as Hanukkah, which is the eight-day celebration of a miracle which is believed to have occurred during the Maccabean revolt in which a candle was lighted with only a one-day supply of oil after the defeat of Antiochus IV and it lasted for eight days. The phrase "How long will you hold our souls" is a literal translation, and Paul Younan states that it means "How long will you keep us waiting?"
Yeshua answered and said to them, "I have told you and you do not believe, and the works that I do in the name of my Father, they testify concerning me. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep, just as I have told you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they come after me, and I give to them life that is eternal, and they will not perish ever. And no man will snatch them from my hands. For my Father, who gave [them] to me is greater than all, and no man is able to snatch them from the hands of my Father."- John 10:25-29
The Scriptures testify of the fact that the Messiah would come and perform miracles like those of Jesus (Isaiah 35). These skeptics were called by the voice of God's Son but were not part of the chosen few. Due to their hardened and unbelieving hearts, they were unable to receive the truth that Jesus of Nazareth is truly the Messiah.
This teaching on the sheep is not Calvanism. Jesus knows who those are that will accept and reject His Message, but that does not mean that they are "predestined" to accept or reject the Gospel. God has foreknowledge of their response to the Gospel, but this does not mean that each individual is unable to choose to accept or reject the Word of God.
No one can force the sheep out of the hands of the Father (or Christ), but this does not mean that they cannot choose to forsake the truth. The Apostles frequently admonition the believers to continue in the faith (Colossians 1:23) and speak of people walk away from it (II Peter 2:20-22). The devil or man cannot force you to leave God's care, but you can wonder off and God will draw you back to Him if you will heed His voice. We are safe within God's hands if we will submit to His leadership and stay submitted to Him.
Jesus is also claiming divinity here by saying that He can give the sheep eternal life and also claiming equality in power to His Father by stating that He and the Father are able to protect the sheep in the same way. This is one of the more subtle divinity claims of Christ, at least in my opinion. At first sight it might not look like Jesus is claiming to be God until you read the next few verses.
"I and my Father are one." And again the Yehudeans took up rocks to stone him, and Yeshua said to them, "Many pleasing works I have shown you from the presence of my Father. For which work of them do you stone me?" The Yehudeans said to him, "It is not because of the pleasing works [that] we do stone you, rather because you do blaspheme, and [that] while you are a son of man, you make yourself God."- John 10:30-33
Here the Messiah is continuing to claim of divinity. If Jesus were not claiming to be God in the flesh, the Judeans would not have accused Him of blasphemy. The Father and Son are not merely in perfect harmony, but are the same divine being.
Yeshua said to them, "Is it not written in your law that, 'I have told you that you [are] gods'? If he called those [people] gods because the Miltha of God was with them, and scripture is not able to be broken, to him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world you say that, 'You blaspheme!' concerning that I had told you that I [am] the Son of God? Unless I do the works of my Father, do not believe me. However, if I do [them], even if you do not believe me, you believe the works that you may know and believe that my Father [is] in me, and I [am] in my Father." And they were seeking again to seize him but he escaped from their hands.- John 10:34-39
Notice that Jesus does not deny that He is claiming deity, but instead continues to support His claim and defend himself by quoting Psalms 82:6. Psalms 82:6 is not saying that human beings are literally gods, but is speaking about divinely appointed judges who are abusing their power and acting corruptly. The Hebrew word elohim is not merely used of God or idols, but also judges, rulers, and angels.
Jason Dulle makes and interesting observation that Jesus seems to be mocking the unbelievers' assertions by using this verse, which calls even mere men gods because they're in a position of authority. The Jewish people all agreed the Messiah to be in a position of authority above all magistrates and judges, so Jesus's point here is, "Why does my humanity stop me from being God?" Jesus's later statement that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him is further proof of His deity.
Jesus is not necessarily using His miracles as proof of His divinity, but proof that He is who He claims to be. Would God choose to use a blasphemer to cast out demons and heal the sick or raise the dead? The obvious answer is no. If Jesus were a blasphemer and a fraud, then God would not be doing these things. If Jesus is not blaspheming when He claims to be God, then He must be God, and therefore must be the Messiah.
And he went to the crossing of the Yordanan, to the place where Yukhanan had previously been when he was baptizing, and he remained there. And many men came to him and were saying that, "Yukhanan did not even one miracle, but everything that Yukhanan said concerning this man is true." And many believed in him.- John 10:40-42
When things got heated among the people, Jesus frequently when to spend time away from the city. John's witness to Christ was clearly very important, as the people viewed him as a true prophet sent from God. The Jewish people who came to faith in Christ here because of John's testimony also saw Jesus's superiority to John in that John the Baptist did not work any known miracles, but Jesus had done many.
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