Posted on 06/01/2014 6:27:38 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A tense exchange between the Israeli prime minister and the pope over Jesus’ language points to the complexity of the Middle East’s history—and suggests a way toward understanding.
Apart from when Pope Francis stopped to pray at the wall that divides Israel from the West Bank, perhaps the most provocative moment in his whirlwind tour of the Holy Land happened during his interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Jesus was here, in this land. He spoke Hebrew,” said Netanyahu firmly. The Pope looked unhappy, correcting the prime minister. “He spoke Aramaic, but he knew Hebrew.”
Oh, dear. So what language, or languages, did Jesus speak? It’s more than just a small point of historical interest for linguists and historians. There is political content here.
Of course, Netanyahu made his point to emphasize that Jesus lived in the land of Israel over two thousand years ago, when no “Palestinians” were in view. Many Israelis today don’t like to think of this tiny region between the Mediterranean and Jordan as ever having been called Palestine, though the original word (peleshet) occurs at least 250 times in the Hebrew scriptures.
This complex geographical area was certainly called Palestine (in Greek) at least as early as the fifth century B.C.E., when Herodotus used that term. By the second century before Christ, the Romans widely called the region Palestine, probably in an attempt to undermine the Jewish presence in Jerusalem and neighboring states. The Ottoman Empire (1517-1917) preferred this term for the area during their four centuries of control, and during the British Mandate in the mid-20th century it was always called Palestine. Not until the Jewish state was restored in 1948 did the term Israel come back into active play, with native Arabs from the region demoted to “Palestinians.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
I don’t understand the preconceived notions either. Hebrew would have been the language of the natives. Aramaic would have arrived with foreigners imported by foreign rulers during the First Exile, then the Maccabee period would have seen stronger official insistence on Hebrew.
What doesn’t make sense is the claim that Jews used a Greek Septuagint Bible, but then used a translation of Hebrew into Aramaic to explain it in ordinary situations.
More likely, they used traditional Hebrew Bible and Mishnaic explanations, with Aramaic Targums for outsiders (The best known Targum is the 2nd century Onkelos, who was a convert - outsider - to Judaism and thus better able to explain the Hebrew to non-Hebrew speakers). As Aramaic became more common after the Second Exile, the by-then more common Aramaic was used for the Gemara to help understand the original Hebrew.
Vespasian renamed it, then Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed it again in the year, 135 (”Palaestina”), to blot out the name of Judea.
According to my Bible, everyone was speaking to each other in English.
:-P
“Jesus almost certainly spoke both languages, and probably a few more.”
that was Bibi’s point, not the Pope’s. The Pope said Aramaic, Bibi said both.
I find it somewhat ironic that men are still more concerned about what language Jesus spoke rather than what He said....
“I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me....”
Continue.
What the article conveniently left out was the pronunciation of “Palestinian” - in Hebrew it is “Filistini.” The reason “Palestine” existed as a word in the First Century was Roman attempt to resurrect the earlier occupants of the Land - the Philistines. So any time the word Palestinians is used, think “Philistines.”
He has been indoctrinated in liberal "seminaries" - universities.
It gets worse:
Alexander brought with him a tidal wave of language and philosophy, including the Platonic notions of body and soul, ideas that Jesus himself would assimilate.
n the Septuagint becomes parthenos, or virgin: a verbal sleight of tongue that led to notions about the Virgin Birth).
Yet "body and soul" are distinguished in the OT, and further distinctions are part of the progressive revelation of the NT. And the Hebrew word used in Is. 7:14 can mean "virgin"
"...with native Arabs from the region demoted to “Palestinians.”"
Before the founding of Israel, the Palestinians were the Jews living in ghe area. Was that a demotion, insult or slight? In fact, Palestinian terrorists were Jews part of the Irgun and the Stern Gang. Morons.
Ever since these annotations/abbreviations have become popular, I’ve taken to using “BCE” to mean Before Christ Enters.
As to what language Jesus spoke, I think BOTH Netanyahu and Pope Francis are right.
While Jesus very likely spoke Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek, Aramaic was likely the language Jesus spoke the most.
The Gospels record Jesus speaking numerous Aramaic words: talitha koum (Mark 5:41); ephphatha (Mark 7:34); eloi eloi lama sabachthani (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34); abba (Mark 14:36). Historians, archaeologists, and cultural anthropologists are almost universally agreed that Aramaic was the common or colloquial language in Israel during Jesus’ time.
Aramaic was very similar to Hebrew, but with many words and phrases that were borrowed from other languages and cultures, especially Babylonian.
Hebrew was spoken primarily by the scribes, teachers of the law, Pharisees, and Sadducees, the “religious elite.” Hebrew was likely often read in the synagogues, so most people were probably able to speak and understand some Hebrew.
Since Greek was the language of the Romans, who had power over Israel during Jesus’ time, Greek was the language of the political class and anyone who wanted to do business with the Romans. Greek was the universal language at that time, so, the ability to speak Greek was a highly desirable skill. At least Koine Greek ( not the classical one ).
Some, however, refused to speak Greek out of resentment toward their Roman oppressors. When Jesus spoke with Pontius Pilate, it is possible that He spoke to him in Greek, although Pilate, as the governor, likely would have been able to speak Aramaic as well (not certain about that ).
That the name was still in use in Herodotus' day (when the Philistines had probably long since assimilated) may indicate that the pre-Persian rulers of the area had used a name based on the name of the Philistines.
Herodotus never uses the form "Peleshet."
Lots of people read Herodotus, not just anti-Semites.
Let's see, change water into wine, walk on water, raise the dead. Yep, I'd say there's a pretty good chance that He could speak any language on the planet. LOL!
I asked a bit and found a little clarification.
The Roman Catholic Church in particular needs an early abandonment and ignorance of Hebrew in order to promote the idea that the Greek Septuagint was THE basic Biblical text in the time of Jesus.
Since Hebrew was so unknown (goes the theory), the Aramaic Targums were for plain folks while the upper classes used the Holy Septuagint Greek.
But the language of the Mishnah is not the complex poetical language of the Bible, but is rather clear and concise Hebrew that shows a language that was continuing to develop as non-dead languages do. And as would be needed for more common folk, and for easier memorization.
The same situation happened later with the Gemara, which was in Aramaic because, by then, Aramaic was the lingua franca of the Jews.
Early Hebrew (the Torah) when that was the language, Late Hebrew (Mishnah) when that was the language, then Aramaic (Gemara) when that was the language.
You misunderstand the role of the Septuagint. No one claims that the Palestinian Jews were using the Greek of the Septuagint. Rather that it was used by the evangelists in the composition of the gospels which were composed in Greek. The point is that with the use of the Septuagint the larger Alexandrian canon was accepted by them and the early Church.
You nailed it. Bottom line: the idea that “Jesus” spoke Aramaic and “not Hebrew” is founded upon simply anti-Judaism. For that this Pope is in good Catholic company. Too bad the last 40 years of progress on that front was forgotten. How odd that a German Pope was better tempered toward Jews than this one...
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