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Pragma-Man
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2001
Total Posts : 23
| Posted 12/4/2001 7:42 AM (GMT -6) |   | I just completed an in-home class on the jewish roots of the Christian faith.
This class was taught by a husband-wife team who are jewish and who believe Jesus really is the messiah.
They were teaching the class with materials created by a messianic jewish organization. While the course was enlightening and overall worth-while, I choked on one "fact" they tried to teach us.
They said that the New Testament was really written in Hebrew, not Greek! In 20+ years of being a Christian I've never heard anything like that!
They said that because of gentile, anti-semitism, the hebrew text were translated to greek and the hebrew texts were "lost".
They argued that the apostles would have written in the language they were most educated in - Hebrew.
If this is true, then I admit I've got a personal spiritual crisis of faith to deal with. This can't be true can it?
I have always maintained when witnessing that the original text of the bible was inspired by God and has no errors and is infallible.
So I take english translations and with a "grain of salt" and I always go to the greek when I want to know exactly what was written.
But if the greek was really a translation from the original hebrew, then I assume their could be all kinds of translation errors or discrepancies.
Kind of makes it hard for me to hang my hat on any absolute truths.
Anyone know anything about this claim on the NT? | | Back to Top | | |
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GregBoyd
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 1818
| Posted 12/4/2001 7:52 AM (GMT -6) | | HI pragma-man (any relationship to pac-man?). Welcome to the site.
Whenever confronted with a truth claim, always ask one very important question:
WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR OR AGAINST THIS CLAIM?.
So, what convincing evidence did they give to support their claim? Personally, I know of none.
Nonetheless, this issue shouldn't have the force it seems to have in your life. What if the originals were in fact in Hebrew? Since we don't have the original manuscripts anyway, this "fact" should hardly affect your estimation of the reliability of the manuscripts we do have (none of which are in Hebrew, by the way).
Relax
and be blessed
Doc
"Three is the magic number, oh yes it is, it's the Magic Number" - De La Soul | | Back to Top | | |
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PhD MP
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2001
Total Posts : 28
| Posted 12/30/2001 5:09 PM (GMT -6) | | Some NT scholars have argued in recent years that Matthew's Gospel was originally written in Hebrew. They point to its hebraic word structure as evidence, but this argument is without much else to support it.
The rest of the NT is, in my view, convincingly Greek in its origin. The twelve Apostles did probably know Greek as a secondary language to Aramaic, not to Hebrew (although the two are kin). The NT authors often used amanuensis (transcribers) who knew Greek very well apparently (for example, Silas wrote I Peter for Peter).
Paul grew up in a very hellenistic town, Tarsus, so his primary language was probably
Greek, not Aramaic. Paul had a real advantage here because most of the Roman Empire used Koine Greek; his mission work was enhanced by his ability to use that language so effectively, without help.
But as for the NT having been originally in Hebrew, there's no hard evidence.
Edited by - PhD MP on 12/30/2001 10:11:35 PM
Edited by - PhD MP on 12/30/2001 10:12:27 PM | | Back to Top | | |
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Pragma-Man
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2001
Total Posts : 23
| Posted 12/31/2001 6:35 AM (GMT -6) | | Thanks so much for the details! That makes sense as to why my class teacher was putting forth the idea it was really written in hebrew.
Pragma
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lil skeptik
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2001
Total Posts : 7
| Posted 12/31/2001 7:00 AM (GMT -6) | | I love it when people pull stuff out of a hat. Sounds like you former Hebrew friends can't get past the fact that the Greeks and Romans occupied their holy home.
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