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Pope, Netanyahu spar over Jesus' native language
Reuters ^ | 26 May 2014 | Reuters

Posted on 05/26/2014 10:50:43 AM PDT by VitacoreVision

Pope Francis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traded words on Monday over the language spoken by Jesus two millennia ago. "Jesus was here, in this land. He spoke Hebrew," Netanyahu told Francis, at a public meeting in Jerusalem in which the Israeli leader cited a strong connection between Judaism and Christianity. "Aramaic," the pope interjected. "He spoke Aramaic, but he knew Hebrew," Netanyahu shot back. Like many things in the Middle East, where the pope is on the last leg of a three-day visit, modern-day discourse about Jesus is complicated and often political. A Jew, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the Roman-ruled region of Judea, now the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He grew up in Nazareth and ministered in Galilee, both in northern Israel, and died in Jerusalem, a city revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims, and to which Israelis and Palestinians lay claim. Palestinians sometimes describe Jesus as a Palestinian. Israelis object to that. Israeli linguistics professor Ghil'ad Zuckermann told Reuters that both Netanyahu, son of a distinguished Jewish historian, and the pope, the spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, had a point. "Jesus was a native Aramaic speaker," he said about the largely defunct Semitic language closely related to Hebrew. "But he would have also known Hebrew because there were extant religious writings in Hebrew." Zuckermann said that during Jesus' time, Hebrew was spoken by the lower classes - "the kind of people he ministered to".

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Israel
KEYWORDS: aramaic; churchhistory; dopesareamongus; hebrew; israel; jesus; jesusspokeebonics; jesusspokeesperanto; jesusspokemexican; language; letsaskjoelosteen; liberationtheology; netanyahu; pope; popefrancis; replacementtheology; romancatholicism; sectarianturmoil
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To: af_vet_1981
Yes, his wisdom was from above, from the Father of lights. His genius was in righteousness and subjection to the Father's will.

Well, yeah, but he was also just a regular genius too.

81 posted on 05/26/2014 4:11:04 PM PDT by Gluteus Maximus
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To: EnquiringMind
>> I am a churchgoing Catholic, but this Pope doesn't have my vote against Netanyahu <<

I am also a churchgoing Catholic, and while I like and respect both men, I would take the pro-life Francis over the "conservative" Netanyahu who seems fine and dandy with Israel's new taxpayer-funded-abortion-on-demand policy.

82 posted on 05/26/2014 4:15:22 PM PDT by BillyBoy (Looking at the weather lately, I could really use some 'global warming' right now!)
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To: VitacoreVision
"Aramaic," the pope interjected.

The Roman "church" hangs by a thread on Aramaic. Without insisting on Aramaic, Peter is just little pebble, not a rock.

‎Matthew 16:18

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
83 posted on 05/26/2014 5:39:39 PM PDT by Uri’el-2012 (Psalm 119:174 I long for Your salvation, YHvH, Your teaching is my delight.)
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To: VitacoreVision
"Aramaic," the pope interjected.

The Roman "church" hangs by a thread on Aramaic.

Without insisting on Aramaic, Peter is just little pebble, not a rock.

‎Matthew 16:18

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
84 posted on 05/26/2014 5:41:22 PM PDT by Uri’el-2012 (Psalm 119:174 I long for Your salvation, YHvH, Your teaching is my delight.)
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To: Old Yeller
I’m pretty sure God could speak any language that existed.

Verilee I say unto thee...that explaineth the English.

85 posted on 05/26/2014 5:48:38 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves" Month.)
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To: Genoa; Romulus

Why do you both assume that Yeshua was referring to the Jews in general instead of the Jewish leadership in particular? After all, if the latter is the case, then His very Jewish Apostles would be the “others” given the care of the vineyard.


86 posted on 05/27/2014 9:50:05 AM PDT by Buggman (returnofbenjamin.com - Baruch haBa b'Shem ADONAI!)
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To: Buggman

Not me, I’m fine with that. The vineyard is taken from the unfaithful and given to the faithful.


87 posted on 05/27/2014 9:52:48 AM PDT by Genoa (Starve the beast.)
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To: Dr. Thorne
The pope is a dope.

An unchristian comment.

88 posted on 05/27/2014 9:59:04 AM PDT by oldbrowser (The only way to defeat this country is to turn us against each other.)
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To: Genoa
And what God can do once, He can do again. (See the letters to the churches in Revelation.) Therefore, as Paul wrote, "For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you" (Rom. 11:21).

In other words, the Christian who thinks that God set aside Israel cannot logically rest easy in his own salvation.

89 posted on 05/27/2014 10:01:50 AM PDT by Buggman (returnofbenjamin.com - Baruch haBa b'Shem ADONAI!)
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To: Buggman

God has certainly not set aside Israel where His unconditional promises are concerned. These promises will be kept. Whatever happens between now and then, we know that the land of Israel will ultimately belong to the sons of Israel, and Messiah will reign over the earth with Jerusalem as His capital.


90 posted on 05/27/2014 10:26:46 AM PDT by Genoa (Starve the beast.)
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To: oldbrowser

An odd opportunity for the Catholic bashers... nonetheless, I’m also under the impression Jesus’ native language was Aramaic — but that’s not to say he didn’t speak Hebrew.


91 posted on 05/27/2014 10:35:48 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Genoa

Amen.


92 posted on 05/27/2014 1:17:50 PM PDT by Buggman (returnofbenjamin.com - Baruch haBa b'Shem ADONAI!)
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