The importance of original languages

[Dan Gan]

Shalom aleikha Yohanan!

Welcome to this forum!

Well said! I agree with what you said. Let me illustrate what you said further. Brasil might be the best football country in the world now. 5 times world champion! But that doesn't mean that football orignated from Brasil. If one wants to learn the origin of football he or she has to refer to documented evidence in China or England and definitely not Brasil. Likewise, we have to refer to the original texts of the Bible if we want to do exegesis.

Yes, I believe in the existence of the Bible code too. But not the way Michael Drosnin interpreted/hijacked/popularized it. Regarding Aramaic Bible code, you can refer to the works of Glenn Dave Bauscher who is a member of this forum under userid "gbausc" and also one of the members who are currently helping Paul Younan translating the Peshitta Interlinear at this site. Dave Bauscher is the pioneer of Aramaic Bible code and you can read some of his works here at his site:

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You are also right about Talmud and Midrash. You have to add Mishnah too. Also the works of some Jewish rabbis like Rambam (Moshe Maimonides) could help in understanding some Hebrew words. The field of Biblical studies is very wide. Because one has to be familiar with early church history, Biblical archaeology, languages of early versions of the Bible like Latin and Greek. German and French are required too to read the works published in that language.

Talmud itself is a volumnous works. I am afraid we will not have enough time to actually concentrate on the Word of God if we have to learn all these things. Not all of us are fortunate enough to devote our time to study all these things as we are not professional Bible scholars.

May God bless you with your plan to create a site on idioms. Perhaps you could play your part by translating Peshitta into Portuguese. I conclude with my all time favourite Midrash that explains the orgin of some passages in the Bible.

According to one midrash, Abraham???s father, Terah, was an idol merchant. One day Terah went out and left the boy in charge of his shop. Abraham smashed all the idols, except for the largest one, into whose hands he placed an ax. When his father returned, Abraham reported that the idols were hungry so he brought them food. Abraham told his father that the largest idol then grabbed the ax, killed all the other idols, and took the food for himself. Terah replied that this was nonsense, since everyone knows that idols of clay and wood cannot talk, move or do anything. Abraham then responded to Terah, ???Father, let your ears hear what your tongue speaks.??? <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/blush.gif" alt="" title="Blush" /><!-- s -->


Psalm 114

4 But their idols are silver and gold,

made by the hands of men.

5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but they cannot see;

6 they have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but they cannot smell;

7 they have hands, but cannot feel,

feet, but they cannot walk;

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8 Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.



The midrash is so funny but so true....

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