Re: SYRIAKHi +english

From: yochanan bitan (ButhFam@compuserve.com)
Date: Fri Apr 02 1999 - 05:47:11 EST


> > [KAITOI EN THi hELLHNIKHi hH ARAMAIKH
> > WNOMAZETAI "SURIAKH". IDE IWB 42.17, DANIHL 2.4.]

> QAUMAZW POLU TOUTO AKOUWN. ARA OUN hH GLWSSA
> hH TOU LOUKIANOU ESTI hH AUTH GLWSSA hH TOU IHSOU;

NAI KAI OUCI
TACA
yes and no. perhaps

someone asked for english, and it is clearer on this question,
please be patient with the following.

there are potential miscommunications today with SURIAKH "syriac" in koine
greek:

english 'syriac' and koine greek 'syriac' refer to different items.

in english 'syriac' refers to a late central aramaic dialect (200-1000 CE)
with a massive christian literature. its 'cursive' scripts are different
from the traditional 'square' script used for hebrew and aramaic. "syriac"
and "jewish palestinian aramaic" were mutually intelligible dialects of a
language continuum strectching from babylon to the mediteranean.

in koine greek 'syriac' IS aramaic. that was the greek word for aramaic.
greek did not normally distinguish various dialects of aramaic but called
them all "syriac", as the quotes from the LXX above show. see aristeas
letter, section 11, too. even rabbinic hebrew called aramaic "sursi". [re.
hebrew in nt: rabbouni "hebrew" john20.16 is hebrew, just like it says. see
codex kaufman mishna ta`anit 3.8. also revelation. in acts, hebrew is
mentioned but not quoted. john also has place names, etymologically
aramaic, called hebrew, probably like ian can be called an "english" name
in texas. (it's scottish, or hebrew)]

as for jesus, i assume that he was tri-lingual. and people at home with the
languages of the first century and with first century jewish teachers do
not always assume aramaic for jesus' teaching. (e.g. other jewish teachers
from galilee had their oral teaching recorded in hebrew. what a strnage
thing!) [this has been discussed here before, please do not start a new
thread since biblical greek is the focus.]

so did lucian speak jesus' language? perhaps two of them!
errwsqe
randall buth

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