What if for instance, you found out that the Bible is fake? Would it shake the foundation of your faith?
So much study and focus has been placed on the Bible for the past centuries. Now that scholars are better equipped with technology and knowledge that were accumulated through the ages, new discoveries and realizations are coming out. This trend was picked up by recent movies and books that became controversial because they challenged the status quo. On the other hand, isn’t this a great opportunity to rediscover the truth?
I recently attended a seminar facilitated by Fr. Diarmund O’Murchu, a priest, a social psychologist, an anthropologist, a linguist, etc. I must say it was one of the best spiritually enlightening seminars I ever had. I suggest that you look into his website (www.diarmuid13.com ) or better yet, attend one of his lectures and read his books if you happen to get a chance. One of the things that struck me in his talk is the recent discovery that the Bible we now know came from a Greek translation. Going back to history, of course we know that Jesus spoke Aramaic. He may have spoken in Greek especially to the Pharisees but he used his native tongue to teach the Jews. According to Fr. Diarmuid, Aramaic is a very elaborate language which was difficult to translate directly into Greek. It is a spoken language and its written form, Hebrew, contains vocabularies which do not have direct translation in Greek. Therefore, so much of the real words of Jesus became lost in translation. One of the examples he gave is the Lord’s Prayer.” Take note of the following:
English Version translated from Greek
Our Father who art in heaven, holy be your name. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us.
Do not bring us to the test but deliver us from evil.
English Version translated from Aramaic
O Cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration! Soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your presence can abide.
Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear
the fruit of your mission.
Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire.
Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs
to grow and flourish.
Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us, as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.
Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose,
but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.
For you are the ground and fruitful vision, the birth, power and fulfillment,
as all is gathered and made whole once again.
I personally like the version translated from Aramaic. It speaks more of a wiser, a more divine, a more human Jesus. Perhaps it’s too poetic or too elaborate for many but if we take time to study its meaning, we may interpret God in a very different way. It even challenges so many of the things we know about our Christian doctrines and traditions. Take for instance the first lines of both prayers. God as we commonly know is masculine because we got used to calling him Father (Greek version) but the Aramaic version calls him Birther – someone who gives birth, therefore feminine. It is therefore correct to refer to God as both man and woman – the same concept which ancient cultures in every part of the world believed in before the established Christian Religion came into being because He/She is the “Great Spirit” that encircles the cosmos as our first ancestors often said. I could go on and on with history and linguistics but that would take pages to discuss. My point however is, so much of what we know and what we practice now might actually hinder us from fully relating with God. So many people take the Bible so literally that they become so restricted in thoughts, actions and feelings. Others take it so figuratively that they become so out of touch with the world.
You might ask, do I believe in that the Bible is the word of God? Yes I do. But I also acknowledge that it is not free from human errors. Perhaps the scholars, (scientists, anthropologists, linguists, etc.) who are trying to delve deeper into different scriptures are actually God-sent who could bring more light into the matter. Perhaps it is God’s way of cleansing and purifying His words because He sees us so confused and so divided.
I understand very well the dilemma of trying to translate a thought from one language to the other. Here in the Philippines, we have hundreds of languages and we have to know at least three languages if we were to communicate with everyone. And since language is a direct reflection of the beliefs, traditions, practices, and culture of a particular group of people, direct or exact translations are often difficult. I believe that this is true of the Bible as well. So it is great to note that there is the interest of going back to the original written or even spoken language of Jesus to enlighten us about His real message. Nevertheless, we should not depend too much on whatever they will find out. Our relationship with God and our faith in Him or Her is something very personal. It is a lifelong process of communication and interaction that may lead us to different questions and answers, to doubting and believing, and even to death and life. I also believe that God’s Spirit lives in us and in all kinds of creation; therefore, if we harness this awareness, we can establish a real and meaningful communication with Him/Her in a language that does not need to be translated – a language we both understand.
