The Age of the Peshitta

[Paul Younan]

Scholars say that the Greek language was spoken in Israel primarily by the higher class

I don't see why the galilean who could speak in Eddesan Aramaic, couldn't speak Greek when there were Greek towns 3 miles further. And the business with that.

ONE LETTER. FIVE CENTURIES.

I put the exact terminology. And one of the difference between old Syriac (132 BC - 242 AD) and classical Syriac is this -n. The same way someone who says "neighbour" will be reconized as "British", and the others who say "neighbor",as "American". I never said that the difference would be incredible.

But first, I have to find in my thousand of files the ones about the evolution of the syriac, overall the inscriptions...

Akhi.

I can put any of those ancient inscriptions from the first century until the fifth century in front of any of dozens of students at Sunday school Aramaic class at Mar Gewargis church at Chicago, and explain a couple of little nuances (like the Y vs N) for the imperfect 3rd person masculine, and within five minutes these 12-year olds will explain to you in English what the inscription says.

If you're an Aramaic speaker of any modern dialect of Aramaic, and you cannot understand my transcription above from 6AD, then it is a shame.

NOW find anyone who can understand English, German or Greek from 6AD. See how much those languages have changed in the last 2,007 years.

I bet you it's a lot more than just a few rules like Y vs N for the imperfect.

It's not much harder to understand "y'shbekh" than it is to understand "n'shbekh". The root, shbekh, "praise", is the same root with the same meaning. Only the prefix indicating the imperfect 3rd person masculine is different.

This is not rocket science Akhi.

Do you not know how much more my dialect differs from the Tyari dialect my brother in law speaks, than these tiny little variances? And we have no problem communicating, and switching back and forth.

I honestly am perplexed at how much of a big deal you all make about these silly little quirks that vary even more from village to village today.

+Shamasha