{"id":7768,"date":"2021-07-02T17:09:36","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T21:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/?p=7768"},"modified":"2021-07-02T17:09:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T21:09:36","slug":"biblical-languages-useful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2021\/07\/biblical-languages-useful\/","title":{"rendered":"Biblical Languages Useful?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Biblical Languages Helpful? \/ Image by FotoRieth<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Biblical languages aren\u2019t much help in understanding Scripture without understanding the cultural background.<\/span><\/h2>\n
How useful is knowing the Biblical languages? Not much if you don\u2019t grasp the cultural world of the Bible. Maybe you can read Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic fluently. But if you are reading these with the wrong cultural context, those languages won\u2019t help. In fact, instead of understanding the Sacred Page, all you\u2019ll get is non-understanding and distortion.<\/span><\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a video about what gives languages meaning:<\/h3>\n
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Biblical Language: Abba, Heaven & Hell<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus used the Aramaic expression,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/biblical-abba-never-will-mean-daddy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">abba<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. But what does\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/biblical-abba-never-will-mean-daddy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">abba<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0mean?\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/biblical-abba-never-will-mean-daddy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Everyone \u201cknows\u201d that\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">abba<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0means daddy<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. We American Christians, Catholics included, have all been taught that. One slight problem, though\u2014<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">abba<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0doesn\u2019t mean, can\u2019t mean, and never will mean \u201cdaddy.\u201d But everyone believes it does! Too bad. Everyone thinking something spurious doesn\u2019t make it so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2021\/03\/parenting-biblically-joseph-mary-jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Abba comes from the Mediterranean world of ancient Mediterranean, Israelite fathers<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and those men were not daddies. Daddy comes from our post-industrial, Romantic-era of superabundance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Do you know how many Ph.Ds I know that refuse to get this? Why? Psychological blocks reinforced by culture. They insist on reading the Mediterranean Bible with American lenses. And when you present evidence otherwise, the old two-step gets played:\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cif it gets me pissed, I must dismiss!\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus showed the way to go to\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/11\/no-heaven-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">heaven<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and he often taught about\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/11\/hell-absent-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">hell<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, right? Wrong!\u2014that\u2019s just more\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/10\/gentiles-paul-no-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">spurious familiarity<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0\u201ceveryone knows.\u201d Jesus and the Bible don\u2019t talk about \u201c<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/11\/no-heaven-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">heaven<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201d or \u201c<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/11\/hell-absent-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">hell<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u201d later-evolved theological concepts ideally at home in our prayers and catechism, but foreign to Scripture. Instead, the Old and New Testaments speak about\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">sky-vaults<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2014that is, the proper translation of the Hebrew\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u0161\u0101mayim,<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0the Aramaic\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u0161\u0115mayin<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and the Greek\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">ouranois<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Salty Biblical Language & Parables<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sure, \u201cJohn\u201d tells his readers, \u201cIn the beginning was the Word\u201d (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/john\/1?1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">John 1:1<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">), but the truth is \u201c<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/08\/mediterranean-culture-needed-for-catholic-bible-readers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">in the beginning was the interpretation<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.\u201d So what if you know the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words for\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/08\/mediterranean-culture-needed-for-catholic-bible-readers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">fire, salt, and earth<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. If you don\u2019t have the culture, you\u2019ve got nothing other than mental and emotional fiction congenial to our Western, 21st-century cultural values.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/11\/perspective-jesus-shameful-son\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0told simple stories called \u201cparables.\u201d But you complicate him\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/08\/the-parable-of-the-great-feast-is-messy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">by insisting that these parables are really allegories<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. They weren\u2019t. As we\u2019ve explored, allegories and parables are different animals. Did he belong to the elite status of later Church Fathers,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/08\/beyond-the-narrow-gate-understand-jesus-vs-mere-acquaintance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">or was he more familiar with starving peasants\u2019 lowliness and metaphors<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Think how different Jesus\u2019 words become upon realizing that\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/08\/the-woes-of-matthew-jesus-wasnt-nice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">he wasn\u2019t a nice person<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? But he sounds pleasant to Western ears, no? Or is that our confirmation bias working on overdrive? Could it be our Western brains demanding that\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/11\/fake-jesus-americans-love\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus buy American values<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and become what we wish him to be\u2014a culturally congenial Jesus?\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/08\/jesus-master-insults\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus wasn\u2019t nice, folks<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Healing VS Curing<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We read in our Bibles that\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/09\/demonic-dilemma-jesus-the-healer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus healed the sick<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. What does that mean, exactly? Does that mean that Jesus fixed or repaired biomedical malfunctions called \u201cdiseases\u201d? Or is biblical healing something entirely different than what our world of medical science perceives? That would make a colossal difference to our reading, no? Surely it would.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">How often I hear Christians of all stripes\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/09\/the-bible-is-not-obvious-and-clear\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">claiming that the Bible is obvious<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. How much more do those trained in the biblical languages accept this supposed Scriptural perspicuity but exclusively for their deeply learned eyes. But maybe they should think again. Indeed, if they are still reading the Mediterranean Scriptures with Western cultural cues, all the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek they know will be of little help.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Knowing Biblical Language & Jesus<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Catholics today say they love\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/08\/jesus-master-insults\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/09\/good-bad-ugly-virgin-mary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mary<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/03\/joseph-ignorance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Joseph<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2014but can you really love someone you refuse to get to know? Do I love someone I refuse to accept as they really are? In that case, is it that I love them, or instead, my mental image of them? Say I claim to love you. What happens to my so-called love for you when I chose a mental fiction I have of you rather than the actual person you are? What is the worth of such love?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Are you still reading this?\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cIf it gets me pissed, I must dismiss!\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">How arrogantly we become in our\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/10\/gentiles-paul-no-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">spurious familiarity<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0of often repeated Gospel scenes and stories. We claim that\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/09\/lost-meaning-prodigal-son-revealed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the so-called parable of the Prodigal Son is really about repentance and forgiveness<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Is it?\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/09\/sinner-fellowship-justified-jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What if it is something else entirely<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? What if the father in the story is not an analog for God? And what then becomes of the endless homilies told Lent after Lent about this story?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Or what about\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/09\/confusion-shrewd-steward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the parable of the Shrewd Steward<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Do we have a clue what that story was about? With insights from the social sciences, yeah, we do! But how was such a bewildering story\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/09\/steward-parable-good-news-poor-peasants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">good news for Jesus\u2019 peasant audience<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Don\u2019t know? Don\u2019t feel too bad\u2014the evangelist we call \u201cLuke\u201d clearly didn\u2019t understand this story either! That\u2019s why he tagged four different punchlines onto the story, and none of them work very well!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What Does \u201cGospel\u201d Mean?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">And what is \u201c<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2021\/05\/gospel-evolving-concept\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the Gospel<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201d anyway? What was\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2021\/01\/deaf-to-jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the Gospel according to Jesus<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Or, for that matter, what was\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/10\/the-gospel-of-paul-vs-jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the Gospel of God that Paul preached<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Are these different from each other? And how are they any different than what often gets called \u201cgood news\u201d these days, namely,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/cruel-almighty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a message of brutal, oppressive, coercive force<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Is the God behind the message of cruel empire the God of Jesus?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So you have learned the biblical languages and can read them. That\u2019s little defense against distortion if you continue\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/anachronism-distorts-scripture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">anachronistically reading later ideas into the Scriptures<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">! Do you understand what Paul was talking about \u201clooking through\u201d in\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/1corinthians\/13?12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1 Corinthians 13:12<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? How do you imagine that? You know,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/01\/conversion-paul\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Paul, the \u201cRoman Citizen\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/a><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">according to that\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">spinmeister<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, \u201cLuke\u201d? Or is that just another anachronism pretending to be a translation? And how would knowing the Greek words English translators botch into \u201cmirror\u201d and \u201cRoman citizen\u201d help without the cultural background?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we are his flock.\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/05\/sheep-gospels-macho\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But what did sheep mean in the first century Mediterranean?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0\u00a0Cute, cuddly, weak, and stupid\u2014the way Americans imagine? Or were they instead symbols of Meditteranean hyper ethnomasculinity? How does culture impact our understanding of\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/04\/hero-good-friday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus, the Mediterranean hero of Good Friday and the \u201cLamb of God\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">? Ultimately, your reading about sheep and shepherds in Scripture needs more than just knowing the biblical languages.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Biblical Language, Theologians & Historians<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/anachronism-distorts-scripture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The New Testament authors were theologians<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, right? Wrong! They weren\u2019t! What does knowing that do to your Bible reading? It changes things. Everyone knows (cough, cough, spurious familiarity, cough, cough!) that the Scriptures testify to the natural world and the supernatural world. Except they don\u2019t\u2014that concept doesn\u2019t exist before Origen of Alexandria. With Origen come the theologians, not before!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">And we all \u201cknow\u201d (again via spurious familiarity) that\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/anachronism-distorts-scripture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cLuke\u201d and the other Gospel writers were historians writing history<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Except they were not. Neither \u201cLuke,\u201d Jesus, nor anyone else in antiquity had our Western \u201csense of history.\u201d For them, past and present shared the same quality. So what does that do with all this talk about \u201cSalvation History\u201d? That\u2019s a very modern theological idea, by the way\u2014save citing Ireneaus. Save the anachronism.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Universalism & Trinitarian Monotheism in the Bible?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Thank God we are \u201ccertain\u201d (via spurious anachronistic \u201cfacts\u201d) that\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2019\/10\/anachronism-distorts-scripture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jesus was a universalist<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Except he wasn\u2019t. In reality, neither was Paul or any other New Testament writer or character. Maybe we may perceive a trajectory of development moving in that direction from the earliest New Testament documents to the later ones and beyond. Still, true universalism doesn\u2019t arrive on the scene anytime proximate to the first century Jesus groups. Reading the original biblical languages won\u2019t help you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the Gospels, we see\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/06\/monotheism-trinity-doctrine-develops\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">monotheistic believers just like today\u2019s Christians<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Better check your reading glasses\u2014monotheism develops after the New Testament.\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/06\/god-bible-monotheism-henotheism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Bible is predominantly henotheistic<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Reading in biblical languages won\u2019t help here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cEveryone knows\u201d (via spurious belief) that the Gospels\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/05\/miracle-jesus-walking-sea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">claim Jesus could violate the physical laws governing the universe<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. That\u2019s what\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/09\/mirage-miracle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">miracle<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2014a nice post-Enlightenment word\u2014means, right? Except that the authors of the Gospels or the characters they write about, Jesus included, could not think in terms of physical laws governing the universe. Therefore, they could not conceive of any violations of such physical laws. Call superhuman acts God did in Jesus marvels, signs, wonders, and mighty deeds\u2014but hold off on using the anachronism \u201cmiracle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">And who doesn\u2019t know that the Bible is filled with Jews and Christians?\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2021\/03\/no-jews-or-christians-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Except there are none to be found within the Scriptures<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>So, How Useful Is Knowing the Biblical Languages?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So let\u2019s say you have a Ph.D. in ancient biblical languages and can read the Bible without English translation. If you remain latched on to these anachronistic understandings I list above, your reading is toast!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">By the way, in all that I say above, I am referring to the Literal Sense of Scripture. That means what Scripture meant in the minds of the inspired human authors, what they meant to communicate to their audiences. That is the meaning that,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.scborromeo.org\/ccc\/para\/116.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">according to official Catholic teaching<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, comes first. Before we read Scripture spiritually (i.e., allegorically), we must read it respectfully of what the human authors meant to say.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So, do you read ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek? Great! But the first reading of Scripture isn\u2019t the original biblical languages. The first reading of Scripture is Mediterranean culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biblical languages aren\u2019t much help in understanding Scripture without understanding the cultural background. How useful is knowing the Biblical languages? Not much if you don\u2019t grasp the cultural world of the Bible. Maybe you can read Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic fluently. But if you are reading these with the wrong cultural context, those languages won\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4218,"featured_media":7772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4733,2090,4718,4451,4727,4730,4721,4724,4736,6,84,9,432,3197],"class_list":["post-7768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-aramaic","tag-bible-study","tag-biblical-languages","tag-cultural-anthropology","tag-greek","tag-greek-bible","tag-hebrew","tag-hebrew-bible","tag-jesus-spoke-aramaic","tag-mediterranean-culture","tag-middle-eastern-culture","tag-scripture","tag-social-sciences","tag-who-was-jesus"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Useful Is Knowing the Biblical Languages: Hebrew & Greek?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How useful for Christians is knowing the biblical languages Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek? 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