There were three points expressed in my original translation project proposal under this heading: "the soundness of the dissemination plans."
1. "The soundness of the dissemination plans in print are obvious, especially since the US religious institutions and missionaries are deeply committed to disseminating the Bible throughout the world. An authentic translation of the Bible will present the American people's intentions of good will to all nations through the support for an unbiased translation of the Bible. A Bible translation that does not include deliberate distortions of a racist and bigoted nature, which were designed over centuries by church hierarchies for the specific purpose of excluding certain people or religious groups from the power and financial control of religious institutions."
My translation project has received a certain amount of support from individuals mostly from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. However, on the whole the religious establishment has rejected my translation work. I'm not sure I understand the nature of this rejection, but I feel that it's based on the arrogance of the modern-day churches toward Eastern Christianity in general. To be quite honest, I see it as racism. For me nothing has clarified this position of the modern-day religious institutions as the Mel Gibson movie now playing in theaters all over the world.
In the movie, "The Passion of the Christ," Mel Gibson attempts to fake the language Jesus spoke to make it sound like this is an authentic telling of the story of Jesus Christ. In fact the Aramaic that you hear in the movie is a modern translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible into poorly pronounced Aramaic. Some of it sounds like Arabic, some of it sounds like modern Hebrew, some of it sounds like modern Chaldean, there's a smattering of Syriac here and there -- all these languages are derivatives of the Ancient Aramaic, but there's very little use made of the real Ancient Aramaic Scriptures that my translation is based on. Mel Gibson is attempting to hijack the Bible by pretending that the Greek Original and the Latin Vulgate were the Bibles first recorded and that his version of the Catholic religion is the most faithful. By ignoring the fact that the Scriptures were recorded in the Ancient Aramaic first, Mel Gibson is misleading millions of people into thinking that they're seeing the truth about Jesus. The movie demonstrates the callousness of modern-day Christianity toward Eastern Christianity and Judaism. Most people are oblivious to the line screamed in the movie that the guilt for crucifying Jesus should be put on the Jewish people forever. Yes, Mel Gibson removed this line from the subtitles but left it in the soundtrack nevertheless, and millions of Aramaic speaking people in the world can understand this line. It renews the prejudice against the Jews in those parts of the world that are most vulnerable to religious hatred. Many Christians in America talk about how moved they were by the suffering of Jesus in the movie, but they're ignoring the fact that "The Passion of the Christ" is going to make life difficult for a lot of people in the Middle East for years to come.
2. "Furthermore, all people can appreciate a translation, which is free of errors. And then it can also generate a sense of unity and reduce friction among all people, because the Bible in its pure form is the instrument of God's Grace upon mankind."
The fact that no major modern church has adopted the Ancient Aramaic Scriptures as the original writing of the Word of God tells me that my efforts to create goodwill toward modern-day Christianity have failed. I don't think the modern churches care about spreading goodwill in the world. They're only out there trying to increase their financial base; they're not spreading Christianity. However, even if I don't understand why God allows this to happen. I'm sure it's His plan to somehow bring the modern churches back in a dramatic way.
It says in Revelation 3:14-17. "And to the angel of the church of Laodicia, write: These are [the things that] says the Amen, the Witness, the Faithful, the Truth, the Head of God's creation: I know of your works that are neither hot nor cold. Wish you were cold or hot.
[But] since they are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am preparing to reprimand you.
For you say that you are rich and getting richer, and you have no need of anything; but you do not know that you are confused, demonic, blind and barren."3. "The dissemination through other media can follow the same extensive means already in use, such as CD-ROM, computers, Internet and other traditional broadcast media."
I believe my efforts to make a series of movies based on my translation will result in a significant cultural contribution toward the faith in the Messiah Eashoa.
My translation of the New Testament succeeded in uncovering an unbiased vision of the faith in the Messiah. My translation of Genesis is a breakthrough in the knowledge of the Scriptures and very relevant to the debate about Creation versus Evolution.
Furthermore, it's necessary to clarify that the prejudice directed toward the Jews throughout the last two millennia is symptomatic of the rejection of the authentic Scriptures by the modern-day churches. This rejection is not just against Judaism but the Ancient Aramaic Scriptures as well. Thus the modern churches wrested the authority of the Bible from the early Jewish apostles and converts to the Messianic faith and used it to gain power and riches for themselves. When the Protestants came, they assumed that the Roman Church leaders were the legitimate heirs to the throne of this power and so they proceeded to fight for their share in it.
I believe that modern-day Christianity's definition of the Trinity and the putting of Jesus in the second position is so that they could be the ones who represent God on earth, and by simply adding "in Jesus' name" after their prayers they feel that they've successfully pulled this off. However, what I think they did is essentially what the Pharisees of old did when they saw the son of the vineyard's owner approaching to ask for his share of the fruit of the vineyard. They realized that he was the heir, so they killed him and threw him outside the vineyard and thought that now they had inherited his kingdom.
April 17, 2004