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Saturday, January 2, 2016

Why I abandoned Peshitta Aramaic Primacy long ago

The Peshitta Text is a manuscript of the Bible (sometimes Old Testament, sometimes Old and New Testament, with or without the catholic epistles) that is generally believed to have been written between roughly the 4th and 5th centuries, with the disputed 'catholic' epistles/books included by AD 616. Some believe, however, the Peshitta text to be the original version of the New Testament written by the New Testament writers preserved. For a while I believed this might be true, in part because of the language which matched the language likely spoken in 1st century Israel and the deceitful arguments made by Peshitta Aramaic primacists. Though I generally doubt the Peshitta text is original, and now agree with what scholars have been saying for a while--that the Peshitta is a translation of the Greek text, I still believe what St Jerome said is true--that Matthew, possible the Letter to the Hebrews, were originally in Aramaic, but whether or not the Peshitta text preserves this--I do not know.

Some of the reasons I no longer believe in Peshitta primacy are

1) When the New Testament translates Aramaic words, the Peshitta text strangely seems to also. If the Peshitta were the originally, it would not see to repeat itself when explaining Aramaic, this would seem more likely of a work that was done by a scribe careful, not wanting to leave any thing out, no matter how silly. For instance, whenever the Aramaic word Abba/Ava appears in the Greek Testament, thanks to dukhrana.com:
 ܘܶܐܡܰܪ ܐܰܒ݂ܳܐ ܐܳܒ݂ܝ ܟ݁ܽܠ ܡܶܕ݁ܶܡ ܡܶܫܟ݁ܰܚ ܐܰܢ݈ܬ݁ ܐܰܥܒ݁ܰܪ ܡܶܢܝ ܟ݁ܳܣܳܐ ܗܳܢܳܐ ܐܶܠܳܐ ܠܳܐ ܨܶܒ݂ܝܳܢܝ ܕ݁ܺܝܠܝ ܐܶܠܳܐ ܕ݁ܺܝܠܳܟ݂ --Mark 14:36 in Peshitta
 (Hebrew transliteration of Peshitta)וֵאמַר אַבָא אָבי כֻּל מֵדֵּם מֵשׁכַּח אַנתּ אַעבַּר מֵני כָּסָא הָנָא אֵלָא לָא צֵביָני דִּילי אֵלָא דִּילָכ
 And he said: Father, my Father, thou canst do all things. Let this cup pass from me. Yet not my pleasure, but thine. --Lamsa Translation
  και ελεγεν αββα ο πατηρ παντα δυνατα σοι παρενεγκε το ποτηριον απ εμου τουτο αλλ ου τι εγω θελω αλλα τι συ --Greek Text
He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” --RSV from Greek Text
It seems strange that the Aramaic would read awkwardly "father, my father" both in Aramaic, when the Greek text reads "Abba o pateer." With Abba/avva being obviously Aramaic, and pateer being the Greek translation of abba.  The Peshitta here looks just too phony. We see similar occurring at Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.

2) Greek loan words when the Greek text does not even use those words. For instance Acts 2:42 and Acts 20:7 in Aramaic uses the Greek word "eucharisteo" whereas the Greek text it self uses "breaking of the bread"

 ܘܐܡܝܢܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܒܝܘܠܦܢܐ ܕܫܠܝܚܐ ܘܡܫܬܘܬܦܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܒܨܠܘܬܐ ܘܒܩܨܝܐ ܕܐܘܟܪܣܛܝܐ

Acts 2:42 - ואמינין הוו ביולפנא דשׁליחא ומשׁתותפין הוו בצלותא ובקציא דאוכרסטיא .

Acts 2:42 - And they persevered in the doctrine of the legates; and were associated together in prayer, and in breaking the eucharist (translation from Aramaic).

Acts 2:42 - ησαν δε προσκαρτερουντες τη διδαχη των αποστολων και τη κοινωνια και τη κλασει του αρτου και ταις προσευχαις


tbc

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