In What Language were the Gospels Written?

So many candidates have been proposed, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, even Latin, but none of these are logical.   This is not to say that parts may not have been written in this or that, but Matthew and Mark definitely retain idioms and even transliterated words and mistranslations from the editors that reveal the truth underlying.  In the process, we will reveal the simple meaning behind some cryptic verses which are usually passed over and conceded to the realm of mystery in Bible study, or else given some fanciful interpretation.  The words themselves, in context, are pretty clear.

It is important to understand that the vast majority of the teachings in the gospel did not originate there.  They are the Jewish parables and teachings of that time, often in the same wording and context as they are brought forth in the Talmud.  We will discuss the history of the Talmud, what it is and how it came to be written, and why it is so important.

And the language of the Talmud is, in fact, the language of the gospels.  The Talmud was written in its own vernacular, known as Talmud language or "Gemara Lashon".  It is mostly Aramaic mixed with Hebrew, but it has its own expressions, idioms, and borrow words from many other languages, like Greek and Latin.  The result is a dialect that can explain Biblical phrases in a modern frame of reference, while not losing anything to unnecessary translation.  In our own times, Jews who lived in Germany developed almost precisely the same type of language, using German with Hebrew as a base, with a liberal mix of Russian, Polish and others.  This language is known as "Jewish" or "Judisch" (pronounced "Yiddish"), and it is truly distinct from German, just as Gemara Lashon is distinct from Aramaic.  Similarly, in Spain, they adopted a Spanish Jewish dialect, called Ladino, which is still used in the Arabic world, where the Spanish Jews fled during the Crusades and Middle Ages.

Many phrases in the gospels are uniquely Talmud Language.  "If one calls his friend "Raca" (a Talmud Language pejorative) ... "Talitha kumi" (Girl, arise!, One word being Aramaic, the other Hebrew, but both standard in Talmud Language.)  "Let the dead bury their own dead."  And how can the dead bury their own dead?  Rather, the context makes clear that similar terms "m'thei" (people of the city) and "maithai" (the dead) were confused.  he means that if one's father died, rather than delay his ministry even for this important commitment of burying his father, his priority should rather be to pursue his ministry and leave it to the people of the city to bury his father, as they are obligated to any who has no one to bury him.  I.e. Let the people of the city bury their dead.  The word confusion only works in Talmud language.

Throughout the gospels, it is clear that this is the primary language used.  As such, it is easy to understand words like "holy spirit", "son of man", "son of G-d", "Satan", and so many others, as they already have well established meanings.

So without further ado, we attack the next subject.  It will interest you to know that the Jews did NOT, I repeat did NOT kill Jesus, nor were they accessory to killing him, nor were they his enemies.  You need to absorb that before you read on, since it may run counter to a lifetime of learning.  That misconception was based on the over generalization in John, i.e. "the Jews", however it is clear from the other gospels and from John as well who the culprits were. Nor will this next point require creative blame shifting or anything else, only a fundamental understanding of the words of the gospels before us.  The culture and politics of "the Jews" at that time is not well understood among Christian clergy. nor among modern Jews, even learned Rabbis since it is so different that what we have today.  The empowered court, the Temple culture, the Roman occupation are all factors that are foreign to us today.  The facts that I will bring you are all right there, staring you in the face for the last 1500 years.

Why this Blog?

This blog could only be written by an Orthodox Jew, conversant in the wide array of Talmud and Jewish law, as well as Jewish history of the 1st century.  So many misconceptions abound, and yet, even in the words of the four versions of the "gospel" that survived, some basic facts shine out that cannot be ignored.  The purpose of this blog is not to disprove Christianity, that is first and foremost.  I freely admit from the start that I am not a believer in Christianity.  I am not looking to start a debate with the ethereal legend of Jesus nor to argue the historical value of the New Testament.  That is a fool's game.  Rather, taking the fundamental New Testament, as it is canonized and translated before us, I hope to enlighten the reader on certain facts that cannot be denied, understanding Jewish culture and Jewish history.  Many of these facts will run counter to what you have learned, perhaps all of your life.  However, if you are a believer in Jesus, I hope this will only support your will and resolve to study more about your faith in G-d, and strengthen that faith.

In the course of this journey, I hope to show you as clearly as possible the true meaning of the terms used in the New Testament, demonstrate some nuances of the language in which it was written, and introduce you to the person that the writers of the gospel intended for you to meet, the founder of your faith.

As we cannot prove the existence or non-existence of Jesus directly, there being no corroborating contemporary history, I will rely on the four gospels to tell us their story, presuming its characters and events are true and real, except where we question them against some historical data that we have.  Again, these questions are jsut going to be presented so that you know they exist.  They are not intended as "debunking" nor are they of that strength.. 

You probably know that Jesus was a Jew, living in first century Galilee.  We will discuss the culture of that place and time, and how Jesus fits into it.  Namely, we will learn about the main groups of Jews, the Pharisee yeshivos, the Pharisee zealots, the Saducees and the insular gnostic groups, and their relationship to the "Jews:", as they are labeled in John.  We will discuss where many of the common misconceptions enter and why they are most certainly misconceptions.  In the process we will discover what Jesus was trying to do, and what he really believed.

We'll begin with language.