Aramaic Scriptures Translator Notes
The Old Testament is not just a history, it is the basis of why the Messiah had to come. Therefore, every word in the Old Testament has to do with Eashoa (Jesus). Thus when you read in the Old Testament how the Lord appeared to Moses and how the Lord instructed the people and how the Lord spoke through the prophets, that is all about Eashoa (Jesus) the Messiah. It is he that the word "Lord" is referring to. The title Jehovah itself is a reference to Eashoa (Jesus) the Messiah. "Jehovah" is pronounced "Yah-weh" in the original language, the Ancient Aramaic. "Yahweh" means "He Becomes." He becomes what? He becomes the Messiah when he comes to the world to die for the sake of humanity. Thus we must remember that Eashoa (Jesus) fulfilled the prophesies of the Old Testament written about him, as he gave his life for the sake of humanity.
General Note: Thousands of words in this translation have been footnoted, so you can compare my translation with those other 4,500 versions in print today, all of which were made from the Greek Original translation of the New Testament and the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament.
By studying these footnotes carefully, any fair-minded person can determine that the New Testament, like the Old Testament, was originated in the Ancient Aramaic, the scribal language of the Jewish people at the time of Eashoa (Jesus) the Messiah two thousand years ago.
April 11, 2008
Where do we stand?
Today, more than ever, we are being attacked on account of our faith. If we are to stand in solidarity for what we believe, we should be interpreting the Scriptures according to our Lord and Master. Of course, as some politicians are doing, we can deny our faith and succumb to our enemies; we can declare that we are secular and have no common belief system, basically denying our Christian heritage.
However, this is not going to bring peace, because our enemies are convinced of their moral superiority. Then each group will have to fight for its own secular beliefs, according to its own life-style and ideology. We can defend freedom and democracy; but then everyone on both sides are fighting for their freedom and their right to choose.
We have a dilemma as Christian peoples. We feel we are misunderstood; but that is because we believe in different Bibles. Some of us are pacifist, while others are belligerent. We have total disagreement on the principles of Christianity.
We need to decide which are the authentic Scriptures, what did Jesus teach, and what did His scribes record?
Then we should be able to tell our enemies who we are, what we believe, and why they are not going to win. Because our battle is a spiritual one and our reward is the ultimate peace. We do not fight for the things of this world; we fight for the endurance of our faith.July 15, 2007
Secular Humanism Masquerading as Christianity
While we endure the onslaught of evil against our faith from abroad, we have to fend for ourselves against atheists who pretend to have a sense of morality apart from our faith in Jesus. Many of these domestic atheists are in positions of power; they control the way we live and administer the education of our children. While they speak of freedom of religion, deep down inside they have a contempt for Christianity. They don't dare speak of other religions, but they boldly act againt any manifestations of Christianity in our culture.
Not only have the atheists outlawed prayer in public schools, they have also removed the name of Jesus from all school books. Professors even flunk students for writing anything relating to Jesus.
Moreover, the US Congress is now in the hands of secular Christians. Secular Christianity is no different than Secular Humanism. This philosophy of life is based on Evolution and the worship of nature. Thus as Christians we have many battles to fight. May the Lord help us against these evil philosophies that are based on the rejection of Jesus.
Aug. 5, 2007
Interim Translator Notes
Summary of Translation Notes
You will find footnotes to every critical passage of the Scriptures in this translation. They are at the end of each chapter.
All the Scriptures were first recorded in the language that emerged out of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia falls mainly in Iraq. This is the main reason why the Western Churches cannot bring themselves to accept the fact that their Bible originated in the language of this troubled region of the world.
So the Western Churches decided a long time ago that their Bible was originated in Greek. Greece was classified as Europe and, therefore, the Western Churches could pretend that Christianity is purely a Western religion. This is the tragedy of Western Christianity. It is a fatal error.
When you read my translation of the Scriptures from the original language, you will be able to understand the original intent of the message of Eashoa Msheekha, which in English (as translated from the Greek and Latin) is written and pronounced "Jesus Christ."
The Western Churches are in denial over this, so you will not likely find anyone agreeing with my statements here. This does not bother me. I'm accustomed to this denial. It is not really my problem. I can only give you the facts and let you decide whether you will read my translation and benefit by it, or you can continue to follow the path of the Western Churches.
The Western Churches believe that the New Testament was written in Greek and the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The truth is that Eashoa (Jesus) came to the world as a Jewish man. He spoke the Jewish language, which has been classified by the Biblical scholars of the Western Churches as Ancient Aramaic. This designation is really intended to confuse the issue and hide their prejudice against the Eastern Traditions of Christianity. The Western Churches will do anything to continue this denial of the truth.
The truth is that the original language of humanity emerged out of Mesopotamia. Therefore, it is correct to say that the Scriptures were recorded in Jewish or Hebrew. However, the Old Testament Scriptures were begun 2,500 years ago in Babylon (whose ancient ruins are 50 kilometers from Baghdad). The original language has been officially classified as Akkadian.
The word Akkadian does not designate a nation or a race. It is a linguistic designation, first mentioned during the early days of modern archeology around the mid-1800s. The Modern Hebrew designation for the original language of the Scriptures, in other words the Ancient Hebrew, is Ashurit. Ashurit means, "The language of Ashur." The Ashurai language is the language of the Galileans, who were a tribe that was moved by the Ashurai kings of the 1000 BC period of the empire in Nineveh to Galilee. That is why my translation is called the Galilean Edition.
Throughout this website I have adhered to the terminology of the Western Churches; therefore, I call the language my translation is based on "the Ancient Aramaic language."
I write this note to explain to my readers why they will find many contradictory articles on the Internet about the origin of the Scriptures, the history of Christianity, the lands and languages of the region where the Bible originated and so on. All these articles are politically and culturally motivated. They are prejudicial and some are downright racist.
There are also many religions and denominations vying for their own point of view. I'm not interested in any of this; my translation is only for those people who want to know the truth about Eashoa Msheekha (Jesus Christ) and the Scriptures (the Bible).
Finally, for those people who want to know the truth:
(1) the original language of the Scriptures is called Ancient Aramaic.
(2) Ancient Hebrew and Ancient Aramaic are the same language.
(3) Modern Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Koine Greek, Ancient Egyptian, Ethiopic --
in fact, all human languages emerged out of the original language of Mesopotamia. It is even documented in the story of the Tower of Babel. However, if you study the languages on a scholarly level, you will find that they all emerge out of the first language recorded, first as picture writing, then cuneiform and finally as alphabetical.
It is national prejudice and racism that drive the Western Churches from the truth. It is sad. Eashoa (Jesus) said to His Disciples, "Love one another as I have loved you." In other words, "do not discriminate." The central message of Eashoa Msheekha (Jesus Christ) is against racism. In fact, all sins can be traced to prejudice and racism; they range from deep personal selfishness to extreme national bigotry.
For more detailed analysis, click here and continue reading the articles posted on this website.Posted July 21st, 2007 by the translator
My Lord and My God
Those are the words of Thomas in the Gospel of John, chapter 20 verse 28. In the Aramaic, however, the verse reads: "Ma-ree oo'Aa-la-hee."
It is more appropriate for Christians today to begin using the word "Lord" in preference to "God", because "god" is a generic term that means the supreme author or ruler of anything or anyone; e.g., the god of such and such or the god of so and so. But the Lord means only the Lord. We are accustomed to use the term when we refer to Jesus. And this, in my opinion, is an appropriate designation these days, as there is controversy over whether the Islamic "Ullah" or the Jewish "Elohim" is the same as "God." Well, it is and it isn't, depending on definition.
But since Thomas used the word, "Aa-la-hee," then we, as Christians and followers of the Messiah, need to resolve this issue for ourselves.
Since we understand the Lord of the Old Testament times to be a reference to the Father, and the Lord of the New Testament times to be a reference to the Son, let us always use the word Lord whenever we speak of the Father or the Son.
As for other languages, the Lord will still be called "the Lord." The words might be different, but the meaning will be the same.
So instead of saying, "God bless," from now on let us say, "May the Lord bless you."
Gospel of John 20:25. And the disciples said to him, "We have seen our Lord." But Thomas replied, "If I do not see the scars in his hands, and lay my fingers on him, and place my hand on his side, I will not believe it."
26. Then after eight days, the disciples were inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came in even as they had all the doors shut, and he stood in the middle of them and said, "Peace be with you."
27. And he said to Thomas, "Come here with your finger, see my hands, take your hand and press it into my side, and be not an unbeliever but a believer."
28. And Thomas replied and said, "Ma-ree oo'Aa-la-hee!"
29. Jesus said to him, "Now that you have seen me, you believe? Blessed are they that do not see me and believe."
July 18, 2007
When we look at the world from a Christian perspective, everything makes sense. When we look at the world from a scientific perspective, nothing makes sense. When we read the newspapers, listen to the media and watch television, there's very little that makes sense; the media are very "objective" and scientific, of course. But, Christians are viewed as simplistic and out of touch with reality. The confusion of modern life is more realistic to most people. The scientific appraisal of the Scriptures in translation deals with the confusion of varying interpretations. The Ancient Aramaic Scriptures themselves are simple to understand, but most people prefer a realistic interpretation. I try to bridge the gap by providing as accurate a translation as I can. I leave the interpretation of the Scriptures to my readers. I think this way more people can benefit by my translation project.
March 15, 2005
The Book of Daniel prophesies refer to the coming of the Messiah. Like the Book of Isaiah, everything in the Book of Daniel was fulfilled by the end of the Apostolic Age in the 2nd Century AD. Everything in the Old Testament has to do with the coming of the Messiah. My translation of the Book of Daniel will clarify much of the confusion created by modern preachers who try to relate the prophesies of this Scripture to the modern times.
Mar. 5, 2005
The Book of Isaiah is a treasure for the student of the Scriptures. It was discovered intact with the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Book retains its original form because it has never been translated successfully by modern-day theologians and scholars of the Bible. They've had it since 1947, when the Dead Sea Scrolls were first rediscovered, yet there's no consensus as to its translation. So now we have the opportunity to study it fresh for the first time in its original form as part of the Ancient Aramaic Scriptures. Isaiah prophesied about the Coming of the Messiah and the prophesy is consistent in its doctrines for both the Jews and the Christians of today. My translation opens up a door to understanding the Book of Isaiah.
Sept. 26, 2004
The modern Syriac translation that was made in Urmia, Iran, in the late 1800s, would've been a big help in my translation efforts, if the American missionaries that translated it had made it from the Ancient Aramaic. That they did not is symptomatic of their preconceived notion that the Greek was the original language of the New Testament. Therefore, they translated the Bible from the English language into modern Aramaic (Syriac.) To this day, the Eastern churches use these translations from the English. There's never been a translation of the Ancient Aramaic Scriptures into modern Aramaic. Frankly, it cannot be done. Modern Aramaic is too deficient in vocabulary to handle it. The Ancient form of the language ceased to be used by the 13th Century. However, the Eastern churches still retain the Ancient Aramaic Bible in the original script and is read during church services in most Eastern Orthodox churches to this day. The problem is that when they translate it into the modern vernacular of their respective lands, they use the Greek and Latin versions as the basis of their scholarship. Furthermore, because most of the Eastern churches fall in Islamic countries, their voices are silent with respect to who has the authentic Scriptures. And the Western churches aren't about to give the Eastern churches any credit for maintaining the Bible in its original language.
Sept. 21, 2004