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I know this may be a little late but I would like to ask if anyone knows or is familiar with the type of Aramaic that was used or employed in the 2004 movie - "Passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson?? I mean did Mel use PRESENT DAY Aramaic in the movie or OLD Aramaic. Seems (if memory serves me correctly) that he used the Aramaic dialect that is nearly become extinct and which only a few thousand speak (today) up in the Palestinian mountains. But I have a hunch I am off base on this. Was the Aramaic that was spoken in the movie the same Aramaic that they speak today in Palestine?? Tks
Take care,
Mike Karoules
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I have no idea but it sounded more like Arabic to me than anything else, I could hear a little Hebrew in spots too. In fact I watched that movie with my Iraqi (Arab not Assyrian) ex boyfriend, and he understood almost all the Aramaic in that movie which makes me wonder if what they used is a legit dialect at all.
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Shlama,
Ive never seen the film, but I thought I read that the Aramaic was a reconstructed form that nobody ever spoke.
Chayim b'Moshiach,
Jeremy
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Unfortunately it was a totally reconstructed "best guess" from Prof. William Fulco, a Jesuit Priest who mixed a bunch of different dialects together and didn't pay much attention to small details like proper pronunciation.
But, it is one of my favorite all-time movies. It was barely understandable, depends on the actor (the Italian ones did best ... as did the actress who played Mary, who is Jewish IIRC in real life.)
+Shamasha
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What I found fascinating about that movie is that there was no Greek at all <!-- s:biggrin: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/biggrin.gif" alt=":biggrin:" title="Big Grin" /><!-- s:biggrin: -->
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That's interesting. In the Passion I think they even use "Allah" in one part instead of "Eloah"/"Alaha". It is one of my favorite movies also though! I wonder if Mel new about the Syriac New Testament. Syriac and Judean Aramaic are closely related.
