10-03-2008, 05:22 PM
Shlama all---
I have been meaning to write on this matter for a few weeks, and hope you all won't mind. Obviously I feel very gratified about discussing the translation portion of Mari and on occasion posting excerpts. This is the most important area of my work and the emphasis there is totally appropriate.
However, I did not want to neglect the OTHER SIDE of Mari, and by this I mean the supplemental materials that come before and after the "main show".
I want you all to know that I am very proud of this part of the volume as well, but so far all I have really said about it is that the more "controversial" parts of Nazarene belief are in this part of the text. That is true, but I am doing everyone who has or will buy a copy a huge disservice if I just hang a warning sign without also pointing out some features that I think most of us will enjoy.
There are more than 70 topics in the appendices, or as Baruch prefers "appendixes". Some of it is a re-statement of what I have written before but most of it is brand new, either because I wrote something that didn't "fit" anywhere and kept it alone on my hard drive, or because in the years of gestation that this project took I had to research something, answer a need, etc.
So I thought it might be a good idea to tell all of you about my favorite parts of the supplemental sections so that you can get the most pleasure possible over what is there. Here are my top 10:
10: "Almah": An exploration of Matthew's use of Isaiah 7:14, affirming a literal virgin birth but also giving a deeper view to Jewish and Christian controversies around the issue.
9: "18 NT Misconceptions": Updated from its original form that is on my website, the strength of this section was and is in showing the linkage between Hebrew terms in Tanakh carried over in many cases as the same words in the Aramaic NT.
8: "A Survey of Peshitta Primacist Scholarship": In my view, there is not enough paper in the world to do this one justice. My focus here is showing the main trends from the true masters of this topic who have gone before us, namely guys like William Norton, Asahel Grant, CC Torrey, and so on. I just let these men speak in their own words and add some topic headlines. As it turns out, that is the most effective thing I could have done.
7: "Basar Echad": You guys all know what that is about.
6: "David's Master": A really interesting study on Y'shua quoting Psalm 110 and what that really means.
5: "When Was the Crucifixion/Resurrection" (series): These articles are actually showing a difference of opinion between Baruch and myself on the timeline between crucifixion and resurrection. I think going outside of my beliefs a bit to incorporate Baruch's is healthy and creates for a great analysis overall.
4: "Divisions of the Day": Looks at how ancient Israel divided the day and night, watches and hours and many other issues along these lines. This essay was originally called "Are there not 12 hours of daylight" and was designed to refute a heresy that denied the day began at sunset.
3: "Josephus the Netzari": I started this essay with the intent of exploring if it was POSSIBLE that the historian Josephus was a Nazarene, but I had no intention of coming to a conclusion. However, when I delved into it I believe I found a firm answer. Not only that, I uncovered a midrashic code in Josephus that blew my mind and reconstructed with his own words a "Gospel" of sorts. The code I found I think will be interesting to all, whether they agree with me or not.
2: "Aramaic Primer": This section deals with how to read Aramaic and vowel system that I adopted to stabilize pronunciation.
AND THE NUMBER ONE FAVORITE ESSAY BY ME, BY FAR, NOT EVEN CLOSE IS...
1: WHEEL OF STARS, which is my masterpiece in terms of prophecy and calendar analysis. You guys know I seldom deal with prophecy and I get asked a lot, "Andrew do you have an idea when Y'shua might come back?' I have never, ever told anyone the full answer to this, but I do here. It is more than just a guess, let me assure you, and I take into account that "no man knows the hour" but I think the code is there to answer this question definitively. It is not just a look at symbolism in Daniel and Rev--it is a restoration of the Heavenly Calendar that has been hiding in plain sight in Scripture all along. And it is revealed through PSHAT process along with the only two priestly eyewitnesses that have come down to us.
So, when you get tired of my translation style, these things can maybe seem refreshing. Then again, I also recommend leaving the house every now and then...
Shlama w'burkate
Andrew Gabriel Roth
I have been meaning to write on this matter for a few weeks, and hope you all won't mind. Obviously I feel very gratified about discussing the translation portion of Mari and on occasion posting excerpts. This is the most important area of my work and the emphasis there is totally appropriate.
However, I did not want to neglect the OTHER SIDE of Mari, and by this I mean the supplemental materials that come before and after the "main show".
I want you all to know that I am very proud of this part of the volume as well, but so far all I have really said about it is that the more "controversial" parts of Nazarene belief are in this part of the text. That is true, but I am doing everyone who has or will buy a copy a huge disservice if I just hang a warning sign without also pointing out some features that I think most of us will enjoy.
There are more than 70 topics in the appendices, or as Baruch prefers "appendixes". Some of it is a re-statement of what I have written before but most of it is brand new, either because I wrote something that didn't "fit" anywhere and kept it alone on my hard drive, or because in the years of gestation that this project took I had to research something, answer a need, etc.
So I thought it might be a good idea to tell all of you about my favorite parts of the supplemental sections so that you can get the most pleasure possible over what is there. Here are my top 10:
10: "Almah": An exploration of Matthew's use of Isaiah 7:14, affirming a literal virgin birth but also giving a deeper view to Jewish and Christian controversies around the issue.
9: "18 NT Misconceptions": Updated from its original form that is on my website, the strength of this section was and is in showing the linkage between Hebrew terms in Tanakh carried over in many cases as the same words in the Aramaic NT.
8: "A Survey of Peshitta Primacist Scholarship": In my view, there is not enough paper in the world to do this one justice. My focus here is showing the main trends from the true masters of this topic who have gone before us, namely guys like William Norton, Asahel Grant, CC Torrey, and so on. I just let these men speak in their own words and add some topic headlines. As it turns out, that is the most effective thing I could have done.
7: "Basar Echad": You guys all know what that is about.
6: "David's Master": A really interesting study on Y'shua quoting Psalm 110 and what that really means.
5: "When Was the Crucifixion/Resurrection" (series): These articles are actually showing a difference of opinion between Baruch and myself on the timeline between crucifixion and resurrection. I think going outside of my beliefs a bit to incorporate Baruch's is healthy and creates for a great analysis overall.
4: "Divisions of the Day": Looks at how ancient Israel divided the day and night, watches and hours and many other issues along these lines. This essay was originally called "Are there not 12 hours of daylight" and was designed to refute a heresy that denied the day began at sunset.
3: "Josephus the Netzari": I started this essay with the intent of exploring if it was POSSIBLE that the historian Josephus was a Nazarene, but I had no intention of coming to a conclusion. However, when I delved into it I believe I found a firm answer. Not only that, I uncovered a midrashic code in Josephus that blew my mind and reconstructed with his own words a "Gospel" of sorts. The code I found I think will be interesting to all, whether they agree with me or not.
2: "Aramaic Primer": This section deals with how to read Aramaic and vowel system that I adopted to stabilize pronunciation.
AND THE NUMBER ONE FAVORITE ESSAY BY ME, BY FAR, NOT EVEN CLOSE IS...
1: WHEEL OF STARS, which is my masterpiece in terms of prophecy and calendar analysis. You guys know I seldom deal with prophecy and I get asked a lot, "Andrew do you have an idea when Y'shua might come back?' I have never, ever told anyone the full answer to this, but I do here. It is more than just a guess, let me assure you, and I take into account that "no man knows the hour" but I think the code is there to answer this question definitively. It is not just a look at symbolism in Daniel and Rev--it is a restoration of the Heavenly Calendar that has been hiding in plain sight in Scripture all along. And it is revealed through PSHAT process along with the only two priestly eyewitnesses that have come down to us.
So, when you get tired of my translation style, these things can maybe seem refreshing. Then again, I also recommend leaving the house every now and then...
Shlama w'burkate
Andrew Gabriel Roth