05-01-2013, 05:41 PM
I am not a Greek primacist and not Aramaic primacy fanatic.
I greatly respect David's scholarship but his doctrinal teaching is unacceptable to me.
At his "7th-edition-NT-with-notes"
as he is proving Aramaic primacy
when reading the notes about words similarities in DSS, except first pair they not look similar at all. Even more, far from being similar. I have read notes first on first 3 Gospels and no serious proof at all. Just rough guessing trying to prove own point of view.
On the other side let us look at history and this is what I am concerned.
The Syriac versions of the early centuries were translated from Greek.
They believed that the original was Greek. The Syriac Church fathers referred to Greek.
Even today Syriac Orthodox Church traditionally maintain that the NT scriptures descended
from Greek and their center Antiochea was center of the eastern Christianity.
The point is: in the beginning centuries it was believed in descension from Greek but now after 2 millenniums as David e.g some strongly believe in Aramaic primacy. Are we smarter than the first Christians?
Now, looking at
<<<
"With reference to....the originality of the Peshitta text, as the Patriarch and Head of the Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East, we wish to state, that the Church of the East received the scriptures from the hands of the blessed Apostles themselves in the Aramaic original, the language spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and that the Peshitta is the text of the Church of the East which has come down from the Biblical times without any change or revision."
Mar Eshai Shimun
by Grace, Catholicos Patriarch of the East
April 5, 1957
>>>>
Based on what is this statement? On textual research?
As I see, there is no base for this statement at all since he not provided it.
Now if the patriarch stated this way, then why SOC where the eastern Christianity originated maintain the opposite way?
It is clear that Peshitta/Peshitta is one version, period. But we meet huge differences
at places although it was propagated by Aramaic primacists that almost no differences at all. Better let us look at the face of truth and be open to it and not stubbornly categorical.
I greatly respect David's scholarship but his doctrinal teaching is unacceptable to me.
At his "7th-edition-NT-with-notes"
as he is proving Aramaic primacy
when reading the notes about words similarities in DSS, except first pair they not look similar at all. Even more, far from being similar. I have read notes first on first 3 Gospels and no serious proof at all. Just rough guessing trying to prove own point of view.
On the other side let us look at history and this is what I am concerned.
The Syriac versions of the early centuries were translated from Greek.
They believed that the original was Greek. The Syriac Church fathers referred to Greek.
Even today Syriac Orthodox Church traditionally maintain that the NT scriptures descended
from Greek and their center Antiochea was center of the eastern Christianity.
The point is: in the beginning centuries it was believed in descension from Greek but now after 2 millenniums as David e.g some strongly believe in Aramaic primacy. Are we smarter than the first Christians?
Now, looking at
<<<
"With reference to....the originality of the Peshitta text, as the Patriarch and Head of the Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East, we wish to state, that the Church of the East received the scriptures from the hands of the blessed Apostles themselves in the Aramaic original, the language spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and that the Peshitta is the text of the Church of the East which has come down from the Biblical times without any change or revision."
Mar Eshai Shimun
by Grace, Catholicos Patriarch of the East
April 5, 1957
>>>>
Based on what is this statement? On textual research?
As I see, there is no base for this statement at all since he not provided it.
Now if the patriarch stated this way, then why SOC where the eastern Christianity originated maintain the opposite way?
It is clear that Peshitta/Peshitta is one version, period. But we meet huge differences
at places although it was propagated by Aramaic primacists that almost no differences at all. Better let us look at the face of truth and be open to it and not stubbornly categorical.