About George M. Lamsa and Rocco Errico

[Christina]

I was of aware that the COE is reluctant to translate the Peshitta into other languages but I don't know the reason why. I haven't found an explanation in their own words, can you enlighten me on this matter? I always want to hear an explanation first to avoid jumping to conclusions.

I think the answer is probably two-fold. Firstly being Semites they are deathly afraid of altering anything that wasn't delivered exactly as it were, or adding or subtracting from the word of God. I can attest to you first hand that my translation keeps me up at night sometimes, it's full of errors I'm constantly catching. But at least the underlying interlinear will remain the same.

That's perfectly understandable and I believe that is fearful attitude towards God's word is proper and right, which is unfortunately lacking in western Christianity.

Secondly, the general feeling among the clergy and laity is that the only reason Aramaic has survived even in modern forms is because people were forced to keep the language going since it is the language of the scriptures. We would have switched over to Arabic or Persian or whatever a long time ago had versions of scripture been allowed in these tongues, the people would no longer be speaking any type of Aramaic. Examples of this abound, you can kind of see it with groups like the Maronites or the Chaldeans who had a much more liberal approach to translation of the scriptures. Almost everything is in Arabic now, especially as an everyday tongue.

You can see a perfect example of this approach working in India today, where the local language is Malayalam and the service/readings are "targummed" into the local language. But the priests and bishops over there are considered among the world experts in Aramaic. In fact, the only printing press we had for a long time for the entire church was based in India. All of our service books and bibles came from there. Imagine that.

That's a very valid point. I didn't expect the answer to my question to be unreasonable, so thank you for confirming my assumptions. It is an unfortunate reality that today Aramaic is an endangered language with very few people who are commited to keeping it alive. And translating the Scriptures into other languages has contributed to the problem. So I understand the COE's position regarding the matter of translating the Scriptures into other languages, and I believe it's a perfectly acceptable explanation.

And considering the case with Arab Christians in particular, what I cannot stand about the Arabic Bible it that it contains the word "Allah". I don't believe that "Allah" (the Islamic god) is the same God (YHWH/MRYH) we worship, and I think that "Allah" should be scrapped from the Arabic Bible (I know this is the case with the one translated from Hebrew & Greek, though I don't know how it's rendered in the Mosul/Peshitta Arabic Bible). This is my personal conviction, and I can't expect everyone to agree with me, but it's a classic case where a literal translation does not always convey the Spiritual intentions of the Holy text, indeed the meaning of just one word can affect (to a degree) the overall message of the Scriptures. And many former Muslims have complained about this feature of the Arabic Bible, including the Egyptian Christian author, Mark A. Gabriel, who declares in his book "Islam & the Jews: The Unfinished Battle":

I hate this feature of the Arabic Bible...I don't want to see "Allah" in my Bible.

Even today, in services in America or the middle east, portions are targummed into modern Aramaic, but it's never going to replace the original old language. So the same way in India they targum into Malayalam, we targum into neo-Aramaic. In my particular parish, we targum into English because we are a missionary parish.

I know that's not a satisfactory explanation from an evangelical standpoint, to be hard-headed about translating the scriptures - but it is what it is and it's served its limited purpose. Unfortunately it has had the unintended consequences you mentioned.

An interlinear solves parts of the overall situation, imperfect as it is.

Something, some part of the soul of a work, is always lost in translation. Even if it were possible to make a perfect translation (which it isn't), something is always lost. Always. No two languages, not even Hebrew and Aramaic, have the same "psyche". It's much better to allow the English (or Arabic, whatever) to guide you into the Aramaic rather than replace it. I don't want to turn into the next Lamsa.

You're quite right concerning this, the original Aramaic should be protected and preserved not replaced. And yes some negative consequences have resulted from this approach yet of course this was unintentional. I don't think it's a case where the COE was wrong with what they're doing, but rather they may not have handled this delicate issue as best as they could. That said I believe that a "targum" or paraphrase is the best way to go here, and I think it's the best way to get the Peshitta out to the masses without compromising the original language. That way the COE wouldn't be translating the Peshitta but rather explaining it in the targeted language, be it English/Neo-Aramaic/Arabic, etc. in written form. I'm not trying to be bossy & dictate to the COE on how to handle the Scriptures, rather I'm making a suggestion for the COE to consider while continously praying for guidance at THE MASTER's feet.

So then my suggestion is this:

The original text with Aramaic transliteration & explanation in the modern languages. That way the original will continue to be protected and the meaning will be presented to the world, after all a literal translation of Aramaic, and Hebrew for that matter wouldn't really be an accurate one, as the full meaning would be diluted & misinterpreted (as what happen with the Greek Bible). The best English witness to these two languages would be an amplified paraphrase.

I'll leave you with these thoughts, and will pray for you about your interlinear & for the COE, as they continue to struggle with this issue. The Master, in His own good time, will reveal His will to them.

Blessings.