Love is the central component of a healthy relationship with God and with His children. We are commanded to love God and to love each other in the Bible more times than can be numbered. What is love, though? Is this merely a warm and fuzzy emotion of some sort? This is not true love spoken of in the Holy Scriptures. Let's examine the Bible's teachings on love.
Matthew 22:34-40 (Murdock's translation) says, "And when the Pharisees heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they assembled together; and one of them, who was expert in the law, to tempt him, inquired: Teacher, which is the great command in the law? Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first command. And the second, which is like it, is, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commands hang the law and the prophets."
Jesus is quoting Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:4. In the Gospel of Luke 10:29-37, Jesus explains to us who our neighbor is by using the Parable of the Good Samaritan. "And he, being disposed to justify himself, said: And who is my neighbor? Jesus said to him: A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and robbers fell upon him, and plundered him, and smote him, and left him with little life in him, and went their way. And a certain priest went down by that way; and he saw him, and passed on. So also a Levite came, approached the spot, and saw him, and passed on. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was, and saw him, and took pity on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, and poured wine and oil on them, and placed him upon his ass, and brought him to the inn, and took care of him. And on the morning of the [next] day, he took out two denarii and gave to the host, and said: Take good care of him; and if thou expendest any more, when I return, I will repay thee. Which therefore of these three, appears to thee, to have been neighbor to him that fell into the hands of marauders? And he said: He that had pity on him. Jesus said to him: Go, and do thou also the like."
Jesus's point in this parable was clearly that every other person on this earth is our neighbor and that we should treat each other with respect and compassion at all times. In Matthew 7:12 tells us, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you; so also do ye to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded us to love not only our neighbors, but our enemies, and to do good to them (Matthew 5:43-48). Paul reiterates Jesus's point that love sums up the Law and the Prophets in Romans 13:8-10, "And owe nothing to any one; but to love one another. For he that loveth his neighbor, hath fulfilled the law. For this likewise, which it saith: Thou shalt not kill; nor commit adultery; nor steal; nor covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is completed in this sentence: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love doeth no evil to one's neighbor; because love is the fulfillment of the law."
Now on to the question that looms over this entire article: what is love? How do we know if we truly love God and love each other? In John 14:15, 21, 23, and 15:10 all tell us that if we love Jesus Christ, then we will keep His commandments. I John 5:2-3 says, "And by this we know, that we love the children of God, when we love God, and follow his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome."
So the love that we are to have for God and for each other is not an emotion, it is a lifestyle and action. If you truly love God, are you going to blaspheme Him or sin against Him in any way? If you love your brother and sister, are you going to murder them or sleep with their spouse? Are you going to wrong them or do anything to hurt them in any way? I Corinthians 13 gives us more signs of love that we can see in relationships.
"If I could speak in every tongue of men, and in that of angels, and there should be no love in me, I should be like brass that resoundeth, or the cymbal that maketh a noise. And if there should be in me [the gift of] prophecy, and I should understand all the mysteries, and every science; and if there should be in me all faith, so that I could move mountains, and love should not be in me, I should be nothing. And if I should feed out to the destitute all I possess; and if I should give my body to be burned; and there should be no love in me, I gain nothing. Love is long-suffering, and is kind; love is not envious; love is not boisterous; and is not inflated; and doth nothing that causeth shame; and seeketh not her own; is not passionate; and thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all, and endureth all. Love will never cease. But prophesyings will end; and tongues will be silent; and knowledge will vanish. For we know but partially; and we prophesy but partially. But when completeness shall come, then that which is partial will vanish away. When I was a child, I talked as a child, and I reasoned as a child, and I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I laid aside the things of childhood. And now we see, as by a mirror, in similitude; but then face to face: now I know partially; but then shall I know, just as I am known. For these three things are abiding, faith, and hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love."
Love is not only the greatest commandment, but it is the greatest gift that can possibly be given. Jesus Christ loves in the strongest way possible: He gave His life for us (John 15:13). He also never sinned against God or against His neighbors. If we follow Christ's example and His commandments with our whole heart by the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will truly walk in complete and honest love.
So many people in this day and age claim to love God and to love people but they show nothing to prove it. In a little twist of James's teaching on the relationship between faith and works, I will say this: show me your love without obedience and I will show you my love by obedience. Obedience is not true obedience if it does not come from a heart that desires to please God and glorify Him. Let's not be a people that profess to love each other and to love our heavenly Father, but let us be a people that shows our love by obeying God and doing good to one another. God bless!
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
The Post-Resurrection State of Christ
In my writings much has been said about the nature of Jesus's humanity and deity from His birth to His death, but I've written very little about what the New Testament tells us of His nature after His triumph over death. Studying Jesus's nature and how it has changed after the Resurrection is just as important as studying His nature before the Resurrection. First let's begin by discussing the humanity and deity of Christ before He rose from the grave.
Prior to the incarnation, Jesus existed from eternity as YHWH, the God of Israel. John describes him specifically in the Aramaic versions as the Miltha, which means "manifestation", "word", "substance", "instance", and other things. The Greek versions use the word Logos, which describes both wisdom and expression. Logos is used by Hellenistic philosopher Philo to describe a manifestation of God that interacts with the world. The Aramaic Targums, which were the commonly used oral versions of the Scriptures in Aramaic used among 1st century Judeans and Galileans, replace "YHWH" with Memra ("Word").
Jesus Christ, the Son, is the revealed Person of God. The Messiah is the revelator, the manifestation, and the substance of God. The Word is truly God, but the Word also became flesh. The Word becoming flesh does not mean that the Word ceased to be God, but that the Word also became a man. Jesus is confirmed to be a human being in many places in the New Testament. The Gospel of Matthew opens with a genealogy from Abraham to Jesus the Messiah (1:1-16) and the Gospel of Luke traces Christ's genealogy from Himself back to Adam, the original man (Luke 3:23-38). Paul, opening the Epistle to the Romans, describes Jesus as being of the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3), making Him a descendant of King David (fulfilling many prophecies concerning the Messiah being a descendant of David, like Isaiah 11:1). In Galatians 4:4 (New Living Translation), says "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law." All of these Scriptures testify of the clear humanity of Christ during the incarnation.
In order to prove that God remained God even after the incarnation, we need to remember that God is immutable (Numbers 23:19). While in the flesh, Jesus made many claims of deity. During a discussion with Jewish believers, Jesus stated that He was in existence before Abraham (John 8:58), and later in John 10:30, He claims to be one with the Father, leading the people to accuse Him of blasphemy in claiming to be God (10:33), and Jesus does not deny that He is claiming deity, but does deny that He is blaspheming (10:34-38). The Apostle Thomas, upon seeing the risen Messiah, declared Him to be his Lord and His God (John 20:28), and Thomas was not rebuked for this.
Now upon being risen from the dead, Jesus was clearly changed. Paul states that when we are resurrected, our bodies will be changed (I Corinthians 15:35-54). I John 3:2 affirms that our resurrected bodies will be just like Christ's. "Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is."
Lest anyone believe that Jesus did not rise from the dead in a physical body, the Gospel writers put in details in order to show that Jesus did truly rise from the dead in the same body that He died in (albeit in a glorified form). In order to prove that He wasn't a ghost, Jesus ate in front of the disciples (Luke 24:36-43). Matthew describes women laying hold of Jesus's feet when seeing Him alive (28:9). Let's not forget that every one of the Gospels emphasizes that Jesus's tomb was empty.
Now, many people believe that Jesus ceased to be a physical being upon taking His position of prestige as God's right hand. This is clearly not the case upon examination of the Scriptural evidence. In Colossians 2:9, Paul states that Jesus is (present tense) the embodiment of God's nature. The resurrection would have been pointless if the incarnation was not permanent. If Jesus is not still a physical being, then He is not qualified anymore to function as our high priest (a position that Psalms 110:4 states is a permanent position for Christ).
Hebrews 5:14-18 tells us why Jesus is able to be our High Priest. "Because God's children are human beings- made of flesh and blood- the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested."
Hebrews 7:25-28, delving deeper into the subject Jesus Christ's Priesthood, says, "Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people's sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever."
As seen in Hebrews 5:14-18, it is necessary for Jesus to still be human, because if He was not still human, He would no longer be able to intercede for sinners. Jesus only prays because of His humanity (both a physical and psychological humanity), as God does not need to pray. How has the humanity of Christ changed since the resurrection? I don't know, but we will know when we are transformed at His return. His knowledge and power was clearly enhanced, but this does not mean that He ceased to be human.
The most troubling Scripture I've seen on the subject of Jesus still being limited after the resurrection is John 21:17, where Peter says that Jesus knows everything. This does not necessarily mean that Jesus literally knows everything, as the disciples also state this in John 16:29-30 (prior to the resurrection). Jesus, due to the incarnation, is clearly limited in knowledge, because He does not know the time of His return (Matthew 24:36). Prior to the incarnation, Jesus tells us that He receives revelatory knowledge and instruction from the Father (John 5:19-20), and this continues to be true after the resurrection, as Jesus is stated to have received the Revelation of the events of the end times from God and in turn he gave this Revelation to John (Revelation 1:1). Jesus is stated to know all things because the Father shows Him everything (John 5:20).
Does this limited knowledge negate the fact that Jesus is God? We know that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Jesus is clearly only able to be in one place at a time, He states that He cannot do anything without the Father (John 5:19), and He (as established earlier) does not know everything. All of Jesus's limits are self-imposed (Philippians 2:6-8) so that He could become a genuine human being. God's unlimited mind is being channeled through a human brain. These basic properties of God are present in Christ, but are latent within Him.
I sincerely hope that this article has answered any questions you have had about the state of the incarnation after the resurrection and ascension. This has definitely been a fun one to write, as I have been wanting to write it for a while now. God bless!
All Scriptural quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT).
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Prior to the incarnation, Jesus existed from eternity as YHWH, the God of Israel. John describes him specifically in the Aramaic versions as the Miltha, which means "manifestation", "word", "substance", "instance", and other things. The Greek versions use the word Logos, which describes both wisdom and expression. Logos is used by Hellenistic philosopher Philo to describe a manifestation of God that interacts with the world. The Aramaic Targums, which were the commonly used oral versions of the Scriptures in Aramaic used among 1st century Judeans and Galileans, replace "YHWH" with Memra ("Word").
Jesus Christ, the Son, is the revealed Person of God. The Messiah is the revelator, the manifestation, and the substance of God. The Word is truly God, but the Word also became flesh. The Word becoming flesh does not mean that the Word ceased to be God, but that the Word also became a man. Jesus is confirmed to be a human being in many places in the New Testament. The Gospel of Matthew opens with a genealogy from Abraham to Jesus the Messiah (1:1-16) and the Gospel of Luke traces Christ's genealogy from Himself back to Adam, the original man (Luke 3:23-38). Paul, opening the Epistle to the Romans, describes Jesus as being of the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3), making Him a descendant of King David (fulfilling many prophecies concerning the Messiah being a descendant of David, like Isaiah 11:1). In Galatians 4:4 (New Living Translation), says "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law." All of these Scriptures testify of the clear humanity of Christ during the incarnation.
In order to prove that God remained God even after the incarnation, we need to remember that God is immutable (Numbers 23:19). While in the flesh, Jesus made many claims of deity. During a discussion with Jewish believers, Jesus stated that He was in existence before Abraham (John 8:58), and later in John 10:30, He claims to be one with the Father, leading the people to accuse Him of blasphemy in claiming to be God (10:33), and Jesus does not deny that He is claiming deity, but does deny that He is blaspheming (10:34-38). The Apostle Thomas, upon seeing the risen Messiah, declared Him to be his Lord and His God (John 20:28), and Thomas was not rebuked for this.
Now upon being risen from the dead, Jesus was clearly changed. Paul states that when we are resurrected, our bodies will be changed (I Corinthians 15:35-54). I John 3:2 affirms that our resurrected bodies will be just like Christ's. "Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is."
Lest anyone believe that Jesus did not rise from the dead in a physical body, the Gospel writers put in details in order to show that Jesus did truly rise from the dead in the same body that He died in (albeit in a glorified form). In order to prove that He wasn't a ghost, Jesus ate in front of the disciples (Luke 24:36-43). Matthew describes women laying hold of Jesus's feet when seeing Him alive (28:9). Let's not forget that every one of the Gospels emphasizes that Jesus's tomb was empty.
Now, many people believe that Jesus ceased to be a physical being upon taking His position of prestige as God's right hand. This is clearly not the case upon examination of the Scriptural evidence. In Colossians 2:9, Paul states that Jesus is (present tense) the embodiment of God's nature. The resurrection would have been pointless if the incarnation was not permanent. If Jesus is not still a physical being, then He is not qualified anymore to function as our high priest (a position that Psalms 110:4 states is a permanent position for Christ).
Hebrews 5:14-18 tells us why Jesus is able to be our High Priest. "Because God's children are human beings- made of flesh and blood- the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested."
Hebrews 7:25-28, delving deeper into the subject Jesus Christ's Priesthood, says, "Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people's sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever."
As seen in Hebrews 5:14-18, it is necessary for Jesus to still be human, because if He was not still human, He would no longer be able to intercede for sinners. Jesus only prays because of His humanity (both a physical and psychological humanity), as God does not need to pray. How has the humanity of Christ changed since the resurrection? I don't know, but we will know when we are transformed at His return. His knowledge and power was clearly enhanced, but this does not mean that He ceased to be human.
The most troubling Scripture I've seen on the subject of Jesus still being limited after the resurrection is John 21:17, where Peter says that Jesus knows everything. This does not necessarily mean that Jesus literally knows everything, as the disciples also state this in John 16:29-30 (prior to the resurrection). Jesus, due to the incarnation, is clearly limited in knowledge, because He does not know the time of His return (Matthew 24:36). Prior to the incarnation, Jesus tells us that He receives revelatory knowledge and instruction from the Father (John 5:19-20), and this continues to be true after the resurrection, as Jesus is stated to have received the Revelation of the events of the end times from God and in turn he gave this Revelation to John (Revelation 1:1). Jesus is stated to know all things because the Father shows Him everything (John 5:20).
Does this limited knowledge negate the fact that Jesus is God? We know that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Jesus is clearly only able to be in one place at a time, He states that He cannot do anything without the Father (John 5:19), and He (as established earlier) does not know everything. All of Jesus's limits are self-imposed (Philippians 2:6-8) so that He could become a genuine human being. God's unlimited mind is being channeled through a human brain. These basic properties of God are present in Christ, but are latent within Him.
I sincerely hope that this article has answered any questions you have had about the state of the incarnation after the resurrection and ascension. This has definitely been a fun one to write, as I have been wanting to write it for a while now. God bless!
All Scriptural quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT).
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Semitic Language Versions of the Lord's Prayer (Hebrew and Aramaic)
The Gospels record many instances of Jesus the Messiah praying, some of which are actually recorded. None of the prayers recorded in the Holy Scriptures are more precious to Christians than the Lord's Prayer, which is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew (6:9-13) and Luke (11:1-4) The most popular Bible translations are from Greek (whether from the Byzantine or Alexandrian textual families), but Jesus taught to the common people of 1st century Israel, who spoke the Aramaic language. In many articles I have detailed my reasoning behind believing the New Testament to have originally been written in Aramaic and was best preserved by the Aramaic Peshitta, which is written in a slightly different Eastern dialect (Syriac or Assyrian) from the Lord's Western Aramaic dialect (Galilean). The sources for the three Aramaic versions of the Lord's Prayer are from the primary Syriac (Assyrian Aramaic) versions of the Gospels: the Old Syriac (Sinaitic Palimpsest and Curetonian) and the Eastern Peshitta. The Hebrew version of the Lord's Prayer is from Franz Delitzsch's translation of the Gospels into Hebrew.
First we'll do the Aramaic Peshitta's version of the Lord's Prayer. This is the standard version of the New Testament among Aramaic speaking Christians in the Church of the East, Syriac Orthodox Church, and Syriac Maronite Church. It is believed by some (including myself) that this is the original New Testament, or at least the closest to the original. The dialect of the Peshitta is Syriac.
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ
ܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ ܢܗܘܐ ܨܒܝܢܟ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܐܦ ܒܐܪܥܐ
ܗܒܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܕܣܘܢܩܢܢ ܝܘܡܢܐ
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܘܒܝܢ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܫܒܩܢ ܠܚܝܒܝܢ
ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ ܐܠܐ ܦܨܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ ܡܛܠ ܕܕܝܠܟ ܗܝ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܘܚܝܠܐ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܠܥܠܡ ܥܠܡܝܢ
Awun d'w'shmaya nith-qadash shmak
tite malkutak nehwe tzewyanak acana d'w'shmaya aph b'ara
haw lan lakhma d'sunqanan yawmana
w'shbuk lan khawbayn acana d'aph khanan shwaqan l'khayawin
w'la talan l'nesyuna ela ptzan mwn bisha metul d'dilak hi malkuta w'khala w'teshbukhta l'alam almin.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed by thy name.
Come thy kingdom, be done thy will; as in heaven, so on earth.
Give us the bread of our need this day.
And forgive us our offences, as also we have forgiven those who have offended us.
And bring us not into trial, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever."- Matthew 6:9-13, Paul Younan's Aramaic-English Interlinear Gospels
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ ܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ ܢܗܘܐ ܨܒܝܢܟ ܐܝܟ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܐܦ ܒܐܪܥܐ
ܗܒ ܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܕܣܘܢܩܢܢ ܟܠܝܘܡ
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܛܗܝܢ ܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܓܝܪ ܫܒܩܢ ܠܟܠ ܕܚܝܒܝܢ ܠܢ ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ ܐܠܐ ܦܪܘܩܝܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ
Awun d'w'shmaya netqadash shmak tite malkutak nehwe tzewyanak ak d'w'ashmaya aph b'ara
haw lan lakhma d'sunqanan culyom w'shbuq lan khtahin
W'shbuq lan khatahan aph enakhnan ger shbaqan l'cul d'khayawin lan w'la talan l'nesyona ela pruqan bisha.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Come your kingdom, be done your will; as in Heaven, so on earth.
Give us the bread of our need everyday.
And forgive us our sins also, for we forgive all who have offended us. And lead us not into trial, but save us from the evil one."- Luke 11:2-4, Paul Younan's Aramaic-English Interlinear Gospels
Next up is the Sinaitic Palimpsest's version of the Lord's Prayer. The Sinaitic Palimpsest is also referred to as the Syriac Sinaiticus. A palimpsest is a manuscript which has been "scratched over" with another writing, in this case a late biography of several female saints. This is believed by many scholars to be the oldest version of the Gospels in Aramaic, but I follow the position that the Syriac Sinaiticus is the product of 4th century Bishop Rabbula, who created this edition of the Gospels for theological and political reasons to replace the Peshitta and Tatian's Diatessaron. This is one of two versions of the Aramaic Gospels that is referred to as the "Old Syriac". Peshitta primacists like myself like to refer to the Sinaitic Palimpsest as the "Old Scratch". This was discovered in the 1800s by Agnes Smith Lewis and her sister, the former later went on to translate this interesting manuscript. Most of this version of the Lord's Prayer is missing.
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ܂
ܘܬܐܬܐ
Awun d'w'shamaya netqadash shmak
w'tite...
"Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.
And let come..."- Matthew 6:9-10, Agnes Smith Lewis's A Translation of the Four Gospels From the Syriac of the Sinaitic Palimpsest
ܐܒܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ ܘܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ
ܘܗܒ ܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܐܡܝܢܐ ܕܟܠܝܘܡ
ܘܫܒܩ ܠܢ ܚܛܗܝܢ ܘܐܦ ܐܢܚܢܢ ܫܒܩܝܢ ܐܢܚܢܢ ܠܟܠ ܕܚܝܒ ܠܢ ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ
Awa netqadash shmak w'tite malkutak
w'haw lan lakhma amina d'caliyom
w'shbaq khtahin w'aph ankhnan shbaqin ankhanan l'cal d'khib lan w'la talan l'nesyona.
"Father, hallowed be thy name, and thy kingdom come.
And give us the continual bread of every day.
And forgive us our sins; and we also, we forgive every one who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."- Luke 11:2-4, Agnes Smith Lewis's A Translation of the Four Gospels From the Syriac of the Sinaitic Palimpsest
This is the Curetonian version of the Gospels, also included in the "Old Syriac" category. The Curetonian is a revision of the Syriac Sinaiticus.
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ܂
ܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ܂ ܘܢܗܘܘܢ ܨܒ̈ܝܢܝܟ ܒܐܪܥܐ ܐܝܟ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ܂
ܘܠܚܡܢ ܐܡܝܢܐ ܕܝܘܡܐ ܗܒ ܠܢ܂
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܘ̈ܒܝܢ܂ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐܦ ܐܢܚܢܢ ܢܫܒܘܩ ܠܚܝ̈ܒܝܢ܂
ܘܠܐ ܬܝܬܝܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ܂ ܐܠܐ ܦܨܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ܂ ܡܛܠ ܕܕܝܠܟ ܗܝ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ܂ ܠܥܠܡ ܥܠܡܝܢ ܐܡܝܢ܀
Awun d'w'shamaya neqadash shmak
tite malkutak w'nehwun tzewyanak b'ara ak d'w'shamaya
w'lakhman amina d'yoma haw lan
w'shbuq khubayn akana d'aph anakhnan neshbuq l'khiwian
w'la tite l'nesyona ela patzan men bisha metul d'dilak hi malkuta w'teshbukhta l'alam almin amin.
"Our Father in heaven, thy name be hallowed.
Thy kingdom come. And thy wishes be done in earth as in heaven.
And our continual bread of the day give us.
And forgive us our debts, so that we also may forgive our debtors.
And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. Because thine is the kingdom and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen."- Matthew 6:9-13, F. Crawford Burkitt's Evangelion da-Mepharreshe: The Curetonian Version of the Four Gospels with the Readings of the Sinai Palimpsest and the Early Syriac Patristic Evidence (Volume 1)
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ܂ ܘܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ܂
ܘܗܒ ܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܐܡܝܢܐ ܕܟܠܝܘܡ
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܛ̈ܗܝܢ܂ ܘܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܢܫܒܘܩ ܠܟܠ ܕܚܝܒ ܠܢ܂ ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ܂ ܐܠܐ ܦܨܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ
Awun d'w'shamaya netqadash shmak w'tite malkutak
w'haw lan lakhma amina d'culyom
w'shbuq lan khtahin w'aph khnan netqadash l'cal d'khib lan w'la talan l'nesyona ela patzan men bisha.
"Our Father in heaven, thy name be hallowed. And thy kingdom come.
And give us the continual bread of every day.
And forgive us our sins, and we also will forgive every one indebted to us. And make us not enter into temptation. But deliver us from the Evil One."- Luke 11:2-4, F. Crawford Burkitt's Evangelion da-Mepharreshe: The Curetonian Version of the Four Gospels with the Readings of the Sinai Palimpsest and the Early Syriac Patristic Evidence (Volume 1)
The final version of the Lord's Prayer is a translation from the Greek Gospels into Hebrew by German Christian Hebraist Franz Delitzsch, who created the standard version of the New Testament in Hebrew in the 1800s.
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָׁמַיִם יִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֶךָ
תָּבֹּא מַלְכוּתֶךָ יֵעָשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּשָׁמַיִם גַּם בָּאָרֶץ
אֶת־לֶחֶם חֻקֵּנוּ תֵּן־לָנוּ הַיּוֹם
וּמְחַל־לָנוּ עַל־חֹבוֹתֵינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר מָחַלְנוּ גַּם־אֲנַחְנוּ לְחַיָּבֵינוּ
וְאַל־תְּבִיאֵנוּ לִידֵי נִסָּיוֹן כִּי אִם־תְּחַלְּצֵנוּ מִן־הָרָע ((כִּי לְךָ הַמַּמְלָכָה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת לְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים אָמֵן
Avinu shabashamayim yitheqadash shemeka
tava malekuteka ye'asheh retzvaneka casher b'shamayim gam b'aretz
et lekhem huqenu ten lanu ha'yom
v'mekhal lanu al khavutenu casher makhalenu gam anakhenu lekhayavinu
v'el tevienu lide nisyon ci im tekhaletzenu min ha'ra ci leka ha'mamelaka v'ha'gevurah v'ha'tipheret l'evleme olamim amen.
"Our Father, who is in heaven, may your name be sanctified.
May your kingdom come; as your will is done in heaven, may it also be on earth.
Give us the bread that is our allotment today,
and pardon us our debts, as we also have pardoned those indebted to us.
And do not bring us into the hands of testing, but rescue us from what is evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the majesty, forever and ever. Amen."- Matthew 6:9-13, Vine of David's The Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels
http://www.bible-geeks.com
First we'll do the Aramaic Peshitta's version of the Lord's Prayer. This is the standard version of the New Testament among Aramaic speaking Christians in the Church of the East, Syriac Orthodox Church, and Syriac Maronite Church. It is believed by some (including myself) that this is the original New Testament, or at least the closest to the original. The dialect of the Peshitta is Syriac.
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ
ܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ ܢܗܘܐ ܨܒܝܢܟ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܐܦ ܒܐܪܥܐ
ܗܒܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܕܣܘܢܩܢܢ ܝܘܡܢܐ
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܘܒܝܢ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܫܒܩܢ ܠܚܝܒܝܢ
ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ ܐܠܐ ܦܨܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ ܡܛܠ ܕܕܝܠܟ ܗܝ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܘܚܝܠܐ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܠܥܠܡ ܥܠܡܝܢ
Awun d'w'shmaya nith-qadash shmak
tite malkutak nehwe tzewyanak acana d'w'shmaya aph b'ara
haw lan lakhma d'sunqanan yawmana
w'shbuk lan khawbayn acana d'aph khanan shwaqan l'khayawin
w'la talan l'nesyuna ela ptzan mwn bisha metul d'dilak hi malkuta w'khala w'teshbukhta l'alam almin.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed by thy name.
Come thy kingdom, be done thy will; as in heaven, so on earth.
Give us the bread of our need this day.
And forgive us our offences, as also we have forgiven those who have offended us.
And bring us not into trial, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever."- Matthew 6:9-13, Paul Younan's Aramaic-English Interlinear Gospels
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ ܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ ܢܗܘܐ ܨܒܝܢܟ ܐܝܟ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܐܦ ܒܐܪܥܐ
ܗܒ ܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܕܣܘܢܩܢܢ ܟܠܝܘܡ
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܛܗܝܢ ܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܓܝܪ ܫܒܩܢ ܠܟܠ ܕܚܝܒܝܢ ܠܢ ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ ܐܠܐ ܦܪܘܩܝܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ
Awun d'w'shmaya netqadash shmak tite malkutak nehwe tzewyanak ak d'w'ashmaya aph b'ara
haw lan lakhma d'sunqanan culyom w'shbuq lan khtahin
W'shbuq lan khatahan aph enakhnan ger shbaqan l'cul d'khayawin lan w'la talan l'nesyona ela pruqan bisha.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Come your kingdom, be done your will; as in Heaven, so on earth.
Give us the bread of our need everyday.
And forgive us our sins also, for we forgive all who have offended us. And lead us not into trial, but save us from the evil one."- Luke 11:2-4, Paul Younan's Aramaic-English Interlinear Gospels
Next up is the Sinaitic Palimpsest's version of the Lord's Prayer. The Sinaitic Palimpsest is also referred to as the Syriac Sinaiticus. A palimpsest is a manuscript which has been "scratched over" with another writing, in this case a late biography of several female saints. This is believed by many scholars to be the oldest version of the Gospels in Aramaic, but I follow the position that the Syriac Sinaiticus is the product of 4th century Bishop Rabbula, who created this edition of the Gospels for theological and political reasons to replace the Peshitta and Tatian's Diatessaron. This is one of two versions of the Aramaic Gospels that is referred to as the "Old Syriac". Peshitta primacists like myself like to refer to the Sinaitic Palimpsest as the "Old Scratch". This was discovered in the 1800s by Agnes Smith Lewis and her sister, the former later went on to translate this interesting manuscript. Most of this version of the Lord's Prayer is missing.
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ܂
ܘܬܐܬܐ
Awun d'w'shamaya netqadash shmak
w'tite...
"Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.
And let come..."- Matthew 6:9-10, Agnes Smith Lewis's A Translation of the Four Gospels From the Syriac of the Sinaitic Palimpsest
ܐܒܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ ܘܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ
ܘܗܒ ܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܐܡܝܢܐ ܕܟܠܝܘܡ
ܘܫܒܩ ܠܢ ܚܛܗܝܢ ܘܐܦ ܐܢܚܢܢ ܫܒܩܝܢ ܐܢܚܢܢ ܠܟܠ ܕܚܝܒ ܠܢ ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ
Awa netqadash shmak w'tite malkutak
w'haw lan lakhma amina d'caliyom
w'shbaq khtahin w'aph ankhnan shbaqin ankhanan l'cal d'khib lan w'la talan l'nesyona.
"Father, hallowed be thy name, and thy kingdom come.
And give us the continual bread of every day.
And forgive us our sins; and we also, we forgive every one who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."- Luke 11:2-4, Agnes Smith Lewis's A Translation of the Four Gospels From the Syriac of the Sinaitic Palimpsest
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ܂
ܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ܂ ܘܢܗܘܘܢ ܨܒ̈ܝܢܝܟ ܒܐܪܥܐ ܐܝܟ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ܂
ܘܠܚܡܢ ܐܡܝܢܐ ܕܝܘܡܐ ܗܒ ܠܢ܂
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܘ̈ܒܝܢ܂ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐܦ ܐܢܚܢܢ ܢܫܒܘܩ ܠܚܝ̈ܒܝܢ܂
ܘܠܐ ܬܝܬܝܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ܂ ܐܠܐ ܦܨܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ܂ ܡܛܠ ܕܕܝܠܟ ܗܝ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ܂ ܠܥܠܡ ܥܠܡܝܢ ܐܡܝܢ܀
Awun d'w'shamaya neqadash shmak
tite malkutak w'nehwun tzewyanak b'ara ak d'w'shamaya
w'lakhman amina d'yoma haw lan
w'shbuq khubayn akana d'aph anakhnan neshbuq l'khiwian
w'la tite l'nesyona ela patzan men bisha metul d'dilak hi malkuta w'teshbukhta l'alam almin amin.
"Our Father in heaven, thy name be hallowed.
Thy kingdom come. And thy wishes be done in earth as in heaven.
And our continual bread of the day give us.
And forgive us our debts, so that we also may forgive our debtors.
And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. Because thine is the kingdom and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen."- Matthew 6:9-13, F. Crawford Burkitt's Evangelion da-Mepharreshe: The Curetonian Version of the Four Gospels with the Readings of the Sinai Palimpsest and the Early Syriac Patristic Evidence (Volume 1)
ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ܂ ܘܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ܂
ܘܗܒ ܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܐܡܝܢܐ ܕܟܠܝܘܡ
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܛ̈ܗܝܢ܂ ܘܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܢܫܒܘܩ ܠܟܠ ܕܚܝܒ ܠܢ܂ ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ܂ ܐܠܐ ܦܨܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ
Awun d'w'shamaya netqadash shmak w'tite malkutak
w'haw lan lakhma amina d'culyom
w'shbuq lan khtahin w'aph khnan netqadash l'cal d'khib lan w'la talan l'nesyona ela patzan men bisha.
"Our Father in heaven, thy name be hallowed. And thy kingdom come.
And give us the continual bread of every day.
And forgive us our sins, and we also will forgive every one indebted to us. And make us not enter into temptation. But deliver us from the Evil One."- Luke 11:2-4, F. Crawford Burkitt's Evangelion da-Mepharreshe: The Curetonian Version of the Four Gospels with the Readings of the Sinai Palimpsest and the Early Syriac Patristic Evidence (Volume 1)
The final version of the Lord's Prayer is a translation from the Greek Gospels into Hebrew by German Christian Hebraist Franz Delitzsch, who created the standard version of the New Testament in Hebrew in the 1800s.
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָׁמַיִם יִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֶךָ
תָּבֹּא מַלְכוּתֶךָ יֵעָשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּשָׁמַיִם גַּם בָּאָרֶץ
אֶת־לֶחֶם חֻקֵּנוּ תֵּן־לָנוּ הַיּוֹם
וּמְחַל־לָנוּ עַל־חֹבוֹתֵינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר מָחַלְנוּ גַּם־אֲנַחְנוּ לְחַיָּבֵינוּ
וְאַל־תְּבִיאֵנוּ לִידֵי נִסָּיוֹן כִּי אִם־תְּחַלְּצֵנוּ מִן־הָרָע ((כִּי לְךָ הַמַּמְלָכָה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת לְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים אָמֵן
Avinu shabashamayim yitheqadash shemeka
tava malekuteka ye'asheh retzvaneka casher b'shamayim gam b'aretz
et lekhem huqenu ten lanu ha'yom
v'mekhal lanu al khavutenu casher makhalenu gam anakhenu lekhayavinu
v'el tevienu lide nisyon ci im tekhaletzenu min ha'ra ci leka ha'mamelaka v'ha'gevurah v'ha'tipheret l'evleme olamim amen.
"Our Father, who is in heaven, may your name be sanctified.
May your kingdom come; as your will is done in heaven, may it also be on earth.
Give us the bread that is our allotment today,
and pardon us our debts, as we also have pardoned those indebted to us.
And do not bring us into the hands of testing, but rescue us from what is evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the majesty, forever and ever. Amen."- Matthew 6:9-13, Vine of David's The Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Friday, March 21, 2014
Difficult Verses Explained By the Peshitta: Romans 5:7
"For hardly for the wicked one dieth; for on account of the good one may perhaps dare to die." Etheridge's Translation of the Peshitta
"For scarcely for a righteous man will any one die, for for the good man perhaps some one also doth dare to die..."- Young's Literal Translation
Which one of these makes more since? The Peshitta, obviously. Now how in the world could the Greek manuscripts have gotten this wrong? Let's look at the words "good" and "wicked" in the Aramaic language:
Wicked in Aramaic (Estrangela font): ܪܫܝܥܐ
Righteous in Aramaic (Estrangela font): ܪܶܫܝܳܢܳܐ
If you look very closely, you'll notice that these two words are only one letter apart! "Wicked" is resheya and "righteous" is reshyana. The letters ayin and nun look extremely similar, as you can see if you look at the second letter on each word if you read them from left to right (Aramaic is meant to be read from right to left, like most Eastern languages). This is similar to a mistake made that resulted in us transliterating the city name Amorrah as Gomorrah. Look at the letters ayin and gamal:
Ayin: ܥ
Gamal: ܓ
"For scarcely for a righteous man will any one die, for for the good man perhaps some one also doth dare to die..."- Young's Literal Translation
Which one of these makes more since? The Peshitta, obviously. Now how in the world could the Greek manuscripts have gotten this wrong? Let's look at the words "good" and "wicked" in the Aramaic language:
Wicked in Aramaic (Estrangela font): ܪܫܝܥܐ
Righteous in Aramaic (Estrangela font): ܪܶܫܝܳܢܳܐ
If you look very closely, you'll notice that these two words are only one letter apart! "Wicked" is resheya and "righteous" is reshyana. The letters ayin and nun look extremely similar, as you can see if you look at the second letter on each word if you read them from left to right (Aramaic is meant to be read from right to left, like most Eastern languages). This is similar to a mistake made that resulted in us transliterating the city name Amorrah as Gomorrah. Look at the letters ayin and gamal:
Ayin: ܥ
Gamal: ܓ
This type of scribal error is known as "polysemy" or "split words". This is when two letters look so similar in their respective fonts that one can easily be mistaken for another, resulting in two possible different readings. Think about the letter "O" and the number 0. When written by hand, the two can look very similar. If you were looking at a code written by hand like C1083, you could easily mistake it as being C1O83. This is a common phenomenon that is seen when studying the Peshitta. Read my article titled Aramaic Primacy for more examples of polysemy.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Legalistically Applied Scriptures
Legalism is a cancer which has sadly spread its way into the majority of the Christian church in some form or another. Legalism is not only annoying, but spiritually harmful. By binding yourself to rules and regulations that are not set upon us by Scripture, we choke up our spiritual lungs and impair ourselves. This also can be harmful in evangelism. Who would want to be involved in a religion that seems as if it chokes the life out of you by making it where you can't do anything to enjoy yourself? Let's take a look at a few Scriptures and see how they actually apply to the life of a child of God.
Abstain from all appearance of evil.- I Thessalonians 5:22, King James Version
This is an easy verse to misinterpret, especially if you only use the King James Version, which mistranslates this verse. The Greek word behind this is eidous and the Aramaic says tzevutha. Eidous does not only talk about "appearance" but also "type" or "kind". Tzevutha is best translated as "affair" or "business". Either way, this verse is not talking about staying from stuff that "looks" evil. Jesus could easily have been sinning by drinking with tax collectors and sinners. Did that not look evil to the religious authorities?
This is often used by people to say that we shouldn't celebrate Halloween, go to the movies, or dress certain ways. This is not at all what the Apostle Paul is talking about! He is just talking about avoiding every form of sin and unrighteousness. Paul would not care if you celebrate Halloween or go to the movies with your girlfriend (I don't care if you're watching Saw or Bambi).
Finally, my brethren, what things are true, and what things are decorous, and what things are right, and what things are pure, and what things are lovely, and what things are commendable, and deeds of praise and approbation, on these be your thoughts. - Philippians 4:8, Murdock's Syriac New Testament
I get very aggravated when people put this one in my face. The first rule of exegesis should be reading the verses before the one you're trying to interpret, or better yet: read the entire Book! Context is key when studying the Bible, not matter what topic you are researching. Verse 4:4-7 say this, "Rejoice ye in our Lord, at all times; and again I say, Rejoice. Let your humility be recognized among all men. Our Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing; but at all times, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make known your requests before God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all knowledge, will keep your hearts and your minds, through Jesus the Messiah." Let's take a look at verse 4:9 whie we're at it: "What things ye have learned, and received, and heard, and seen, in me, these do ye: and the God of peace will be with you."
This verse is not telling you what to watch or read or play. This verse is talking about thinking on the things of God and on His Word. Is thinking about dusting your house pure and lovely? What about washing your car or even thinking about what to cook for supper? The entire tone of Philippians is upbeat and encouraging, so we can infer in context that Paul is telling us to have peace of mind by thinking on the things of God and about all that He's done for us. If you spent your life trying to live by Philippians 4:8's common interpretation, you would be no earthly good and would not be able to function!
And whatever ye do in word or act, do it in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, and give thanksgiving through him to God the Father.- Colossians 3:17, Murdock's Syriac New Testament
Many people interpret this verse in such a way that it seems to make it where a person cannot really enjoy himself. I'm not saying that we shouldn't enjoy glorifying God; I am questioning what exactly glorifying the Father is in this verse. Many people will watch movies desperately trying to find redemptive messages and Christian messages and such things in an attempt to bring glory to God. I agree that this could be fun, but do you really think that this is something that we have to bind ourselves to like robots?
I believe that you are bringing glory to God merely by using your Christian liberty and not sinning! This is liberty that God gave us through what Jesus did on the cross. We are not bound to live our lives by 613 commandments that we cannot keep. We have the Holy Spirit of God the Father in our lives to guide us into righteousness if we submit to His Lordship in our lives.
Paul is not talking about doing mundane tasks like cleaning your house, washing your car, doing your laundry, or even doing hobbies for God's glory. I believe we are glorifying God by showing the liberty He has given us to do things that we enjoy (as long as they aren't morally reprehensible, of course). I can't find redemptive value in sharpening a pencil, or stapling two sheets of paper together, personally. If you can, I would love to hear your explanation on the matter! Paul is saying that we should live our entire lives to give glory to God. We should have the heavenly Father first in all things and seek to worship and praise Him with righteous lifestyles and not do anything in order to glorify ourselves.
God wants us to enjoy life without sinning. God understands that we get bored without hobbies. Aside from being obsessed with the things of God, theology, and scholarship, I am also a movie buff and gamer! I don't live my life for the cinema or for the Xbox though, I live my life for Jesus Christ my Savior. If you want to go see watch Harry Potter, go ahead! If you wanna play Grand Theft Auto V, go ahead! If you wanna listen to the Rolling Stones or Rhianna, be my guest! Don't be so heavenly minded that you can't enjoy life or help your brothers and sisters in non-religious tasks, but don't be so earthly minded that you can't serve God or hear His voice either! God loves you and wants you to enjoy life, but He mostly wants you to enjoy serving Him. Enjoy serving God most of all, and enjoy life without living like the devil. It's possible; did you know that? God bless.
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Abstain from all appearance of evil.- I Thessalonians 5:22, King James Version
This is an easy verse to misinterpret, especially if you only use the King James Version, which mistranslates this verse. The Greek word behind this is eidous and the Aramaic says tzevutha. Eidous does not only talk about "appearance" but also "type" or "kind". Tzevutha is best translated as "affair" or "business". Either way, this verse is not talking about staying from stuff that "looks" evil. Jesus could easily have been sinning by drinking with tax collectors and sinners. Did that not look evil to the religious authorities?
This is often used by people to say that we shouldn't celebrate Halloween, go to the movies, or dress certain ways. This is not at all what the Apostle Paul is talking about! He is just talking about avoiding every form of sin and unrighteousness. Paul would not care if you celebrate Halloween or go to the movies with your girlfriend (I don't care if you're watching Saw or Bambi).
Finally, my brethren, what things are true, and what things are decorous, and what things are right, and what things are pure, and what things are lovely, and what things are commendable, and deeds of praise and approbation, on these be your thoughts. - Philippians 4:8, Murdock's Syriac New Testament
I get very aggravated when people put this one in my face. The first rule of exegesis should be reading the verses before the one you're trying to interpret, or better yet: read the entire Book! Context is key when studying the Bible, not matter what topic you are researching. Verse 4:4-7 say this, "Rejoice ye in our Lord, at all times; and again I say, Rejoice. Let your humility be recognized among all men. Our Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing; but at all times, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make known your requests before God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all knowledge, will keep your hearts and your minds, through Jesus the Messiah." Let's take a look at verse 4:9 whie we're at it: "What things ye have learned, and received, and heard, and seen, in me, these do ye: and the God of peace will be with you."
This verse is not telling you what to watch or read or play. This verse is talking about thinking on the things of God and on His Word. Is thinking about dusting your house pure and lovely? What about washing your car or even thinking about what to cook for supper? The entire tone of Philippians is upbeat and encouraging, so we can infer in context that Paul is telling us to have peace of mind by thinking on the things of God and about all that He's done for us. If you spent your life trying to live by Philippians 4:8's common interpretation, you would be no earthly good and would not be able to function!
And whatever ye do in word or act, do it in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, and give thanksgiving through him to God the Father.- Colossians 3:17, Murdock's Syriac New Testament
Many people interpret this verse in such a way that it seems to make it where a person cannot really enjoy himself. I'm not saying that we shouldn't enjoy glorifying God; I am questioning what exactly glorifying the Father is in this verse. Many people will watch movies desperately trying to find redemptive messages and Christian messages and such things in an attempt to bring glory to God. I agree that this could be fun, but do you really think that this is something that we have to bind ourselves to like robots?
I believe that you are bringing glory to God merely by using your Christian liberty and not sinning! This is liberty that God gave us through what Jesus did on the cross. We are not bound to live our lives by 613 commandments that we cannot keep. We have the Holy Spirit of God the Father in our lives to guide us into righteousness if we submit to His Lordship in our lives.
Paul is not talking about doing mundane tasks like cleaning your house, washing your car, doing your laundry, or even doing hobbies for God's glory. I believe we are glorifying God by showing the liberty He has given us to do things that we enjoy (as long as they aren't morally reprehensible, of course). I can't find redemptive value in sharpening a pencil, or stapling two sheets of paper together, personally. If you can, I would love to hear your explanation on the matter! Paul is saying that we should live our entire lives to give glory to God. We should have the heavenly Father first in all things and seek to worship and praise Him with righteous lifestyles and not do anything in order to glorify ourselves.
God wants us to enjoy life without sinning. God understands that we get bored without hobbies. Aside from being obsessed with the things of God, theology, and scholarship, I am also a movie buff and gamer! I don't live my life for the cinema or for the Xbox though, I live my life for Jesus Christ my Savior. If you want to go see watch Harry Potter, go ahead! If you wanna play Grand Theft Auto V, go ahead! If you wanna listen to the Rolling Stones or Rhianna, be my guest! Don't be so heavenly minded that you can't enjoy life or help your brothers and sisters in non-religious tasks, but don't be so earthly minded that you can't serve God or hear His voice either! God loves you and wants you to enjoy life, but He mostly wants you to enjoy serving Him. Enjoy serving God most of all, and enjoy life without living like the devil. It's possible; did you know that? God bless.
http://www.bible-geeks.com
Saturday, March 15, 2014
My View on the King James Only Controversy
I am from the Bible-Belt, where the King James Version is truly the king of the versions. It's a common belief that the King James Version is the inspired version of the Bible in English, but I find this belief to be totally against the evidence. Over time, I have grown to like the King James Version less and less, and I honestly don't care for it very much because of the following it has. Here are some reasons why I don't think that the King James Version is inspired or the only reliable Bible translation.
Mistranslations
Like every other translation of the Bible, the King James Version is plagued by human error. The King James Version is translated from the Hebrew Masoretic text of the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament. Here are a few mistranslations:
1. "James" is not in the Greek New Testament: it is actually "Jacob". The Greek says Iakobos, which is the Greek transliteration from the original Aramaic name Yakob.
2. Acts 12:4 should not have "Easter" in it, but Passover. The Greek, being translated from an Aramaic original, transliterated the Aramaic word paskha into Greek letters. The correct translation is not "Easter" but "Passover".
3. III John 1:1 should not read "I pray above all things that thou mayest prosper" but "I wish in all things that you prosper". This mistranslation has lead to false teachings, notably the prosperity preaching we see all over the televangelist community.
4. Monogenes should not be translated as "only begotten" Son. Monogenes means "only" or "unique" Son.
Faulty Base Text
I personally do not agree that the New Testament was written in Greek, but even those who do believe it was originally written in Greek will agree that the KJV New Testament is based on a very flawed text, which is from the 14th century and not from early manuscripts like today's translations from the Greek texts.
1. I John 5:7 appears in no Greek manuscript before the 14th century. It is only found before in some late manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate. Peshitta omits it also.
2. John 7:53-8:11 are not in many manuscripts. This passage is omitted in the oldest manuscripts. This story also appears in some manuscripts of the Gospel of Luke. The Peshitta, Old Syriac, and Diatessaron all omit this also.
3. Acts 8:37 is absent in all manuscripts before 600 AD. Peshitta omits it as well.
Not the First Translation
The KJV is not the first translation of the Bible into English. It is also not a very original translation, as it is heavily based on previous versions. Actually, over 80% of the KJV's New Testament is copied from the Tynedale New Testament! Here are some pre-KJV English Bibles:
1. The Wycliffe Bible (Circa 1385)
2. The Tynedale Bible (Never completed, translator executed in 1536)
3. Coverdale's Bible (1535)
4. Matthew's Bible (1537)
5. Tavner's Bible (1539)
6. The Great Bible (1539)
7. The Geneva Bible (1560)
8. The Bishop's Bible (1568)
9. Douay-Rheims Version (1609)
Modern Translations Are Not Heretical
It is a widely acknowledged fact that no textual variant of Scripture effects any major Christian doctrine. For example, many people accuse the NIV of denying Jesus's deity by using "who" instead of "God" in I Timothy 3:16. The oldest manuscripts do not say "God", but "who". The NIV clearly states the deity of Christ more than the KJV!
"While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..."- Titus 2:13, New International Version
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ..."- Titus 2:13, King James Version
"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours..."- II Peter 1:1, New International Version
"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ..."- II Peter 1:1, King James Version
Modern Translations Do Not Endorse Homosexuality
The King James Version condemns homosexuality, but not as clearly as our modern translations. Let's compare the KJV with the NLT in a few verses relating to homosexuality.
1. Romans 1:26-27
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the women, burned in their lust one toward another' mean with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet."- King James Version
"That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved."- New Living Translation
2. I Corinthians 6:9
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind..."- King James Version
"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men."- New Living Translation
Textual Variation
A common accusation aimed at the NIV and other modern translations is that they are removing verses of the Bible, but these verses were most likely not penned by the apostles and prophets! I John 5:7, for example, was never a part of the original Bible and did not come from the pen of the Apostle John! Is this to say that we can't be certain what is and what isn't original in our Bibles? Absolutely not!
From much study and research, I have come to the conclusion that the Aramaic Peshitta is God's perfectly preserved New Testament. Even if the Peshitta isn't the original and the Greek is, scholars are of the opinion that we can rest assured in the reliability of our Bible's. The New Testament's text is just a little over 1% uncertain, giving us 99% that is certain to have come from the pens of the original authors.
Why Should the King James Be the Standard?
Since I have established issues with the KJV-Only reasoning, I need to ask why we should set the King James Version (or any translation) as the standard for truth. God has provided us with many tools through which we can study the original Bible in it's original languages. All Bible's are interpretive and all reflect the translator's biases in some form, so we should go back to the original's as much as possible in order to get the truth. The Bible in it's original languages, Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament and Aramaic or Greek (which ever you believe it was originally written in) for the New Testament, is the inspired Word of God. Any translation is only the Word of God in as much as it agrees with the original manuscript.
I am not an expert in the languages of the Bible. I want to learn Greek (even though I don't believe the Greek NT to be the original, but a fantastic witness), Hebrew, and Aramaic so that my understanding of the Scriptures won't be confined to translations, interlinears, or dictionaries. We should all study the original languages of Scripture in whatever way we can. You could even just check the accuracy of a translation using your Strong's or Vine's Lexicon! We should not limit ourselves to mere translations and set them up on pedestals.
I hear people say many times that they are leery of modern translations since "one word can change the entire meaning of the verse". This is true, but how can we be so certain that the King James didn't get it wrong and the modern translations got it right? III John 1:1 is a case of the King James Version being corrected by the modern translations.
All translations should be subject to scrutiny and study. You can use many tools in order to figure out the accuracy of a translation. There are various Study Bibles, concordances, lexicons, and other things that you can use to check out how accurate a translation is. Someone might say, "Well, if the Bible could be mistranslated, how can we be certain how much is the Word of God?" This is not something you need to be afraid of. Most of our translations are very accurate, including the King James, New International, and New American Standard.
http://bible-geeks.com
Mistranslations
Like every other translation of the Bible, the King James Version is plagued by human error. The King James Version is translated from the Hebrew Masoretic text of the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament. Here are a few mistranslations:
1. "James" is not in the Greek New Testament: it is actually "Jacob". The Greek says Iakobos, which is the Greek transliteration from the original Aramaic name Yakob.
2. Acts 12:4 should not have "Easter" in it, but Passover. The Greek, being translated from an Aramaic original, transliterated the Aramaic word paskha into Greek letters. The correct translation is not "Easter" but "Passover".
3. III John 1:1 should not read "I pray above all things that thou mayest prosper" but "I wish in all things that you prosper". This mistranslation has lead to false teachings, notably the prosperity preaching we see all over the televangelist community.
4. Monogenes should not be translated as "only begotten" Son. Monogenes means "only" or "unique" Son.
Faulty Base Text
I personally do not agree that the New Testament was written in Greek, but even those who do believe it was originally written in Greek will agree that the KJV New Testament is based on a very flawed text, which is from the 14th century and not from early manuscripts like today's translations from the Greek texts.
1. I John 5:7 appears in no Greek manuscript before the 14th century. It is only found before in some late manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate. Peshitta omits it also.
2. John 7:53-8:11 are not in many manuscripts. This passage is omitted in the oldest manuscripts. This story also appears in some manuscripts of the Gospel of Luke. The Peshitta, Old Syriac, and Diatessaron all omit this also.
3. Acts 8:37 is absent in all manuscripts before 600 AD. Peshitta omits it as well.
Not the First Translation
The KJV is not the first translation of the Bible into English. It is also not a very original translation, as it is heavily based on previous versions. Actually, over 80% of the KJV's New Testament is copied from the Tynedale New Testament! Here are some pre-KJV English Bibles:
1. The Wycliffe Bible (Circa 1385)
2. The Tynedale Bible (Never completed, translator executed in 1536)
3. Coverdale's Bible (1535)
4. Matthew's Bible (1537)
5. Tavner's Bible (1539)
6. The Great Bible (1539)
7. The Geneva Bible (1560)
8. The Bishop's Bible (1568)
9. Douay-Rheims Version (1609)
Modern Translations Are Not Heretical
It is a widely acknowledged fact that no textual variant of Scripture effects any major Christian doctrine. For example, many people accuse the NIV of denying Jesus's deity by using "who" instead of "God" in I Timothy 3:16. The oldest manuscripts do not say "God", but "who". The NIV clearly states the deity of Christ more than the KJV!
"While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..."- Titus 2:13, New International Version
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ..."- Titus 2:13, King James Version
"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours..."- II Peter 1:1, New International Version
"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ..."- II Peter 1:1, King James Version
Modern Translations Do Not Endorse Homosexuality
The King James Version condemns homosexuality, but not as clearly as our modern translations. Let's compare the KJV with the NLT in a few verses relating to homosexuality.
1. Romans 1:26-27
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the women, burned in their lust one toward another' mean with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet."- King James Version
"That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved."- New Living Translation
2. I Corinthians 6:9
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind..."- King James Version
"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men."- New Living Translation
Textual Variation
A common accusation aimed at the NIV and other modern translations is that they are removing verses of the Bible, but these verses were most likely not penned by the apostles and prophets! I John 5:7, for example, was never a part of the original Bible and did not come from the pen of the Apostle John! Is this to say that we can't be certain what is and what isn't original in our Bibles? Absolutely not!
From much study and research, I have come to the conclusion that the Aramaic Peshitta is God's perfectly preserved New Testament. Even if the Peshitta isn't the original and the Greek is, scholars are of the opinion that we can rest assured in the reliability of our Bible's. The New Testament's text is just a little over 1% uncertain, giving us 99% that is certain to have come from the pens of the original authors.
Why Should the King James Be the Standard?
Since I have established issues with the KJV-Only reasoning, I need to ask why we should set the King James Version (or any translation) as the standard for truth. God has provided us with many tools through which we can study the original Bible in it's original languages. All Bible's are interpretive and all reflect the translator's biases in some form, so we should go back to the original's as much as possible in order to get the truth. The Bible in it's original languages, Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament and Aramaic or Greek (which ever you believe it was originally written in) for the New Testament, is the inspired Word of God. Any translation is only the Word of God in as much as it agrees with the original manuscript.
I am not an expert in the languages of the Bible. I want to learn Greek (even though I don't believe the Greek NT to be the original, but a fantastic witness), Hebrew, and Aramaic so that my understanding of the Scriptures won't be confined to translations, interlinears, or dictionaries. We should all study the original languages of Scripture in whatever way we can. You could even just check the accuracy of a translation using your Strong's or Vine's Lexicon! We should not limit ourselves to mere translations and set them up on pedestals.
I hear people say many times that they are leery of modern translations since "one word can change the entire meaning of the verse". This is true, but how can we be so certain that the King James didn't get it wrong and the modern translations got it right? III John 1:1 is a case of the King James Version being corrected by the modern translations.
All translations should be subject to scrutiny and study. You can use many tools in order to figure out the accuracy of a translation. There are various Study Bibles, concordances, lexicons, and other things that you can use to check out how accurate a translation is. Someone might say, "Well, if the Bible could be mistranslated, how can we be certain how much is the Word of God?" This is not something you need to be afraid of. Most of our translations are very accurate, including the King James, New International, and New American Standard.
http://bible-geeks.com
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Difficult Bible Verses Explained By the Peshitta: Matthew and Luke's Genealogies for Jesus
The Gospel of Matthew is well known for opening up with Jesus's genealogy in 1:1-17. It is most commonly taught to be Joseph's genealogy, while Mary's genealogy is said to be found in Luke 3:23-38. These genealogies are vastly different and both are stated to be a legal genealogy of Jesus through Joseph (who was not Jesus's biological father) in the Greek versions (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23). If Luke's genealogy is Mary's, then how do we the issue of the kingship not being passed through Nathan's bloodline but Solomon's? Also, why does the genealogy in Matthew have thirteen generations in it's final set when there are supposed to be three sets of fourteen (Matthew 1:17). The answer is in the Aramaic word gowra.
Gowra is a generic term for a male in the Aramaic language. It is not only used of husband's, but also fathers and guardians. The more specific term for "father" in Aramaic is abba, while "husband" is balah, which is interestingly used in Matthew 1:19. If Joseph was already stated to be her husband in the genealogy, why do we have to hear that clarification again? It is likely that Mary's biological father is the Joseph (a very common name in 1st century Israel) in the genealogy, who raised up seed to her mother's first husband who died childless (see Deuteronomy 25:5). Since the seed was reckoned as the brother's, that could explain why the genealogy used gowra instead of abba. This not only establishes that the genealogy in Matthew is Mary's through Solomon, but also that there is 14 generations in all three sets. The final set according to the Greek is:
1. Jeconiah
2. Shealtiel
3. Zerubbabel
4. Abihud
5. Eliakim
6. Azor
7. Zadok
8. Achim
9. Eliud
10. Eleazar
11. Matthan
12. Jacob
13. Joseph
In Aramaic it would/could be:
1. Jeconiah
2. Shealtiel
3. Zerubbabel
4. Abihud
5. Eliakim
6. Azor
7. Zadok
8. Achim
9. Eliud
10. Eleazar
11. Matthan
12. Jacob
13. Joseph
14. Mary
If this is the correct interpretation of gowra, then this fixes three alleged Bible contradictions all in one. This shows that Matthew's genealogy is a biological one through Mary, while Luke's genealogy is a legal one given through Joseph, Jesus's stepfather. I have read on another site before that the Greek aner used in Matthew's genealogy of Joseph in the Greek New Testament could also be translated as father, but I have not seen anyone translate it that way. Paul Younan ("kinsman"), Andrew Gabriel Roth ("guardian"), Glenn David Bauscher ("guardian"), and The Way International ("mighty man") all translate it as such, adding credibility to the theory that the Joseph in Matthew's genealogy is Mary's father and not her husband.
Article written by Paul Younan on the subject:
http://www.aramaicpeshitta.com/Articles/key_articles/gowra.htm
Article written by Paul Younan on the subject:
http://www.aramaicpeshitta.com/Articles/key_articles/gowra.htm
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