Posted on 01/17/2015 9:07:56 AM PST by Salvation
This week we leave the Culture Wars behind and return to some basic apologetics…well, some interesting information about the Scriptures that informs our apologetics.
I once had a discussion with a person who insisted that Our Divine Lord spoke only Hebrew. The conversation had begun centered around the word “rock” in St Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 16:18), but quickly devolved into a debate about ancient languages. My friend held that the word “rock” couldn’t possibly refer to St. Peter because the Gospel was written in Greek, and the Greek words used in that passage are “petros” and “petra,” which mean “rock” and “small rock,” respectively. I pointed out that Jesus didn’t speak Greek, He spoke Aramaic, and the Aramaic word for rock is “kepha,” which means “big rock” or “boulder.”
My friend was thunderstruck, he had never considered that a Jew in that time would speak any other language but Hebrew.
By the time Christ arrived on the scene, the Jewish people had been through a series of calamities that fundamentally altered their society. The Jewish state, Judah, was a rump of Israel’s former glory under King David, having been invaded and imprisoned a number of times by the Persians, the Greeks, the Assyrians, and the Romans. During the Babylonian Exile and the subsequent occupation by the Assyrians (700-330 BC), the Imperial Language of Aramaic became the common language of the Jews. In fact, the books of Ezra and Daniel were written in Aramaic. Similar to the way that the Church’s official language is Latin even today, the Rabbis and Temple officials maintained the Hebrew language of worship and the Scriptures, but the people spoke Aramaic in their daily lives.
The linguistic patchwork of first century Judea was complicated by two more civilizations…Greek and Roman. Greek was the common language used by the Roman elites in the conduct of business in the Empire. Latin, of course, was the official language of the Empire spoken by Roman officials and military forces, as well as the Roman citizens.
History aside, how do we know from the Scriptures that Christ spoke Aramaic? Simple. In several places He is quoted speaking Aramaic. In St. Matthew’s and St. Mark’s Gospels, some of Christ’s words are rendered in the language the people spoke. “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (Mt 27:46, Mk 15:34), “Talitha cuom” (Mk 8:41), and “Ephphatha” (Mk 7:34) are all Aramaic phrases. Even the word “Abba” which Christ uses often to refer to the Father is the Aramaic word roughly translated as “Daddy.” Incidentally, the Arabic word “Abu” has the same meaning… so “Abu Sulieman” means “Father of Solomon.”
Why is all this language study important to defense of the Faith? Just this: properly translating the Scriptures leads to proper interpretations. For example, when the “brothers of Jesus” are referred to in Scripture, it’s important to know that they are cousins, not children of Mary. We know this because Aramaic has no word for “cousin” and Semitic cultures usually consider all male relatives as “brother” or “uncle.” In fact, not to refer to a male relative as “brother” or “father” or “uncle” is a way of distancing oneself from them. If we try to go with the English word, or even the Greek one, then we run the risk of drawing the wrong conclusion from the word “brother” or “rock,” and that weakens our personal understanding of the faith.
The Church recognizes the need for linguistic variety in her worship. It’s also a reason the Latin Rite uses Aramaic (Amen), Greek (Kyrie), Latin (Sanctus, Gloria, Angus Dei), and the vernacular (mostly English or Spanish in the USA) during Holy Mass. Words have power and real meaning…how else could we believe what someone tells us if words do not mean real ideas?
So the language Jesus Christ spoke on earth is important, both for our heads and our hearts. If words were not important, then the Father wouldn’t have spoken the Eternal Word. We are thankful He did.
Or maybe they tossed it from the window...
The examples that have been seen are akin to those seen among cults. While not precise or accurate enough, given aspects of which include:
From the theological viewpoint, any group or religious system, whether it calls itself "Christian" or not, that offers other criteria as equal to or superior to the Bible, including but not limited to erroneous and/or exclusive interpretations of Scripture, should be considered a cult.
....Cults have shifted their theological point of authority away from God's full and final written Word, the Bible, to their own unique, self-promoting opinions about the Bible; they generally will use parts of the Bible but will have their own unique scripture which is considered to be superior to the Bible.
...The cult leader is looked to as the infallible interpreter of Scripture, specially appointed by God to be a special saint, guru, or contemporary messiah, and thereby, has divine authority that must not be violated.
...Each cult group, regardless of what other doctrines are taught, will all have this one common idea -- "The Only True Church Syndrome." The members of each specific organization have been taught that their church, organization, or community, is the only true group and that all other groups are false.
...Cults tend to focus on one verse or passage of the Bible to the exclusion of others, and without regard for the context in which Scripture is given
Cults often demand total commitment by their converts to an organizational involvement that entangles them in a complicated set of human restrictions, giving the impression of passionate and often irrational devotion to a cause.
Occult influence is many times found in either the origin of the group and/or in its current practices.
- http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/marksof.htm -----------------
1. New scripture
Cults almost always exclude themselves from legitimate Christian churches.
Cult groups typically revere (and in some cases deify) their leader...It is biblical to follow the example of Christian leaders (Heb. 13:7), and God uses leaders to make an impact on people. However, we should follow Christian leaders only if they themselves are following God.
Singer describes the cult structure like an inverted “T” with the leader at the top and all others at the bottom.[9] In other words, cult leaders have all of the authority in decision-making and the direction of the organization. Furthermore, leaders of cult groups are not accountable to anyone, and they make decision by fiat. -http://www.evidenceunseen.com/world-religions/what-is-a-cult/
From a born again Christian perspective, this is really hard to grasp...
:)
We don’t get to choose from many historical sources from that period. We have to take what we have. You can take Iraneus and Eusebius (Christian) or Talmudic - ironically saying similar things regarding the language of Jews in First Century Israel.
Certainly is...It's for making babies and for personal pleasure...
It is not unresolved...Mary clearly had sex and babies...
Catholicism is a cult by that definition and many others.
But that is certainly a thought. There are some odd folks. Or a really bad day maybe?
It had a couple paper items in and a also a hat and other papers nearby. So maybe they just forgot they left the items on the roof and they were flying down the road and hit a pothole, squirrel,cat, racoon, roadkill, or swerved to miss one of those electric scooters going up and down the street.
Or, maybe someone got mad at someone else and threw their things out the window going down the street. I could see that happening too.
dam straight.
ask Mel Gibson
Around 180 Irenaeus of Lyons Against Heresies 3:1:1. He saw the text in Aramaic- the very ones you claimed didn’t exist. The matter is settled.
Irenaeus saw the text.
Do you know why the first commandment given to man was, “Be fruitful and multiply?”
-Because when man saw how fun the first commandment was, he’d want to keep all of the commandments....
So clearly you’re wrong ;)
(I think this is a Christian thread but there’s a little Jewish humor for you... in Judaism, there is still to this day an obligation to have marital relations. No question about it... and if a couple has no children in 10 years, it’s grounds for divorce, though not compulsory.)
“Irenaeus saw the text.”
All we know is that he thinks he saw it... Or that it wasn’t inspired.
We’ll never know. I would have liked to read it. Perhaps it will also be found in a cave someday, safely tucked into a clay pot - a time capsule.
Now wait a minute there, you may have gone too far. I'm sure they are still available a the Vatican gift shop.
“Now wait a minute there, you may have gone too far. I’m sure they are still available a the Vatican gift shop.”
Look on the second floor. Go past “Indugences for All Occasions”’ and you will see a replica of “Peter’s Chair”. Turn right. At the next aisle, you will find beads, candles, costumes and pageantry items. Look to your left.
There you will find the complete selection of Saint Bric-à-brac. It will include dashboard idols, idols you bury upside down by your mailbox to sell your house faster, demigodess statues of Mary to pray to, replicas of dead saints bones, and large size idols to parade through streets on feast days. You can also purchase laminated idol pictures.
Why would you (or anyone) believe that? Why would Irenaeus lie about that, what purpose would it serve?
He also spoke and write Hebrew since writing out a book of the Torah was a requirement under the Law for all jewish males.
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