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+--- Thread: God or The God? (/showthread.php?tid=800)
God or The God? - Gentile - 03-25-2004
Paul told me that there is no definite article in Aramaic. However, is there some way of ascribing absoluteness to an idea? I think this is important given that the word Alaha is used apparently in the context of 'the God' and 'a god'. This distinction is important. In fact I think that it is a bit of a shortcoming in the English language that we rely so heavily on a capitalized 'G' to distinguish the two! But in terms of Aramaic isn't the same word used to refer to both? If so, should be translate the reference to 'God' as 'the God', and a deity as 'god'.
Anyway, how do Aramaic speakers distinguish the 2 in everyday conversation? English verbally has the same problem but not in written form. Arabic makes the distinction between ilah [alef-lem-hey] and allah [with the extra lem making all the difference!].