Team GotQuestions Blog

a Blog for Sharing Stories, Tips & Encouragement

Question on Aramaic English New Testament (AENT)

September 9th, 2014

My latest question has me stumped. I have no idea how to answer this question, and was hoping for some thoughts and/or an idea of where to find answers. Here’s the question: “Do yall know anything about the Aramaic English New Testament A.E.N.T? Or the overall topic of proof/facts that the apostles did all indeed write the N.T. in Greek, not Aramaic or even Hebrew? Any light shed on this would be great!”

  • Seen by 44
    Ed Chait likes this.
  • Christopher Dupre According to “From Ancient Tablets to Modern Translations” by David Ewert (Zondervan), Hebrew gave way to Aramaic at the onset of the exile around 600 BC. By Jesus’ time Greek was the language of the entire Mediterranean world. Aramaic was still the dominant language, though, in Palestine, Syria and neighboring territories (pg 45). But, all evidence points to the fact that all the NT books were written in Koine (common) Greek, however much of the language had Aramaic and Hebrew, and even some Latin influences (transliterated words from Aramaic into Greek, Aramaic references, overall Semitic cultural context, etc…) (pg 50) But, overall, Greek was the language of the common man in Jesus’ time. Kind of a lingua franca. The apostles would have all spoken and wanted to distribute in Koine Greek.
    Yesterday at 8:33am · Like · 3
  • Michael Reed McKenney Thank you SO much, Christopher! That’s exactly what I was hoping for, a concise, credible, and easy-to-understand explanation. I think that this is pretty much what I believed, but couldn’t verbalize it as well nor did I have any resources to refer to. I really appreciate your answer!!!
    Yesterday at 8:53am · Like · 2
  • Dillon Burroughs Great article on this at http://www.patheos.com/…/what-language-did-jesus-speak…/. The NT was originally written in Greek though the disciples would have typically spoken Aramaic in everyday conversation. The AENT attempts to translate from Greek to the Aramaic of the time. As such, it is helpful in some ways, but should not be taken as the original language of the NT.

    What Language Did Jesus Speak? Why Does It Matter?

    www.patheos.com

    Note: You may download this resource at no cost, for personal use or for use in a Christian ministry, as long as you are not publishing it for sale. All I ask is that you acknowledge the source of this material: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/. For all other uses, please contact me at mar…
    Yesterday at 8:54am · Like · 4
  • Michael Reed McKenney Thanks Dillon! What an excellent article!! Your info regarding the AENT attempting to translate from Greek to Aramaic was especially helpful. The AENT people do not say that; their take is that the original language the NT was written was Aramaic, and their AENT translation is from the “original” Aramaic that the NT was written and then translated into English; quite different from the actual truth.
    Yesterday at 9:05am · Like · 1
  • Christopher Dupre I was going to mention that the book I referenced was written in 1983, and I do believe thoughts on the common language of the time may have changed. However, to ensure widest dissemination, Greek would have been the language of choice for the NT. I also came across this article that may give more insight to the claims of the AENT folks. Syriac is close to Aramaic.http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/…/what-are-the… What a fun question!

    What are the earliest dated Syriac manuscripts of the Bible?

    hermeneutics.stackexchange.com

    What is the dating of the earliest Syriac manuscript of the Hebrew Tanakh (Old Testament)? What is the dating of the earliest Syriac manuscript of the New Testament? Who is in current possession of…
    Yesterday at 9:33am · Edited · Like · 2
  • Christopher Dupre Sorry, last one. Another very insightful article that gives a perspective that takes into account the cultural context of the time.http://orvillejenkins.com/languages/aramaicprimacy.html

    Aramaic Primacy — Was the New Testament first Written in Aramaic?

    orvillejenkins.com

    A refutation on the grounds of historical lingusitics and comparative culture of the claim that the whole New Testament (not just one or more Gospels) was written first in Aramaic. Historical, cultural and lingusitic factors are discussed. Extensive Internet links are provided. A major problem with…
    Yesterday at 9:39am · Like · 2
  • Robert Pristoop Because of the many Jewish idioms in the New Testament Greek, many scholars believe that the Apostles spoke Hebrew to their scribes who wrote in Greek. The Apostles had scribes and that is why many dispute the different books written by the same Apostle–because they used a different scribe and the grammar and syntax seem different. A good book to understand the Jewish influence in the Greek NT is Copernicus and the Jews by Daniel Gruber.
    23 hrs · Like · 2
    Michael Reed McKenney Thank you for the input, as I was very close to just asking for reassignment for this question. I feel sort of guilty answering this question, as it seems like you guys did all the work, and I did take the liberty of copying most of your thoughts. I’m glad for this “secret” FB page; it has been a great “resource” for me, as well as much encouragement has come from “lurking” and gleaning from the collective wisdom of all the GQ writers.
    Yesterday at 1:23pm · Unlike · 2
  • Gwen Sellers

 

Team GotQuestions Blog

a Blog for Sharing Stories, Tips & Encouragement