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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Blankinship, Benjamin" <bla26 AT co.henrico.va.us>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] The name
  • Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 16:56:53 +0100

On 12/09/2006 16:44, Blankinship, Benjamin wrote:
[Acts 21:40]
Why is this not Yehshua? instead Iesous?
Are you asking why Yeshua is rendered Iesus in Greek and Latin, thus "Jesus" in English etc.?

Do you assume, as I do, that Jesus would have spoken to Saul in Aramaic,
but Saul would have repeated the story either in Greek or Latin?

No. And as a result I can give the matter some relevance to this forum. Paul was "a Hebrew of Hebrews", probably meaning he was a Hebrew speaker. Acts 21:40 specifically states that he spoke to the crowd in Jerusalem in Hebrew, using the Greek words THi hEBRAIDI DIALEKTWi which can only be understood as a reference to the Hebrew language. There is no justification for the occasional translation "Aramaic". See also 22:2 which states that the crowd became quiet when heard Paul speaking Hebrew, perhaps because of their reverence for the "holy" language.

As for Jesus' words to Saul (9:4), I would expect them also to have been in Hebrew, but perhaps Aramaic - or perhaps not actually in any specific language as this was some kind of vision.

--
Peter Kirk
E-mail: peter AT qaya.org
Blog: http://speakertruth.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.qaya.org/





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