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Shlama,

i was recently doing some reflections upon the plethora of the Greek texts of the NT, wondering WHY the Father allowed His Word to become so "plagued" with variants and errors, even though most are minor in regards to doctrinal issues. as i pondered more and more, i came to realize that it is the existence of the Greek texts that irrefutably solidify the Peshitta as His preserved Word.

as i do my personal readings of the Peshitta, i try to compare as many Greek readings along with the Aramaic to see the alterations, and there are just so very many, and most of them can only be explained through the presence of the Peshitta's reading. the Greek texts therefore truly serve the Peshitta in a very special, integral way.

we've probably all heard or participated in the Zorba jabs at one time or another on this site, but if "Zorba" didn't produce the variants in the first place, there would be no way to confirm the validity of the Aramaic's superiority between the texts. it would otherwise come down to scholars arguing over the dates of manuscripts, most likely. it would be anybody's best guess, and textual content would be of far less importance -- meaning a larger degree of ignorance of the Peshitta than is even currently seen in the West.

but since so many of the "discordant" Greek readings can only be reconciled in the Peshitta, then all the extremely-careful textual notations of variations over the past 150 years or so are actually invaluable helps for those of us on the path to truly wanting to find the REAL words of our Messiah and His first followers.

the more i consider the Greek in light of the Peshitta, the more i am thankful for the existence of those variants and preserved examples of Semitic grammatical construction -- they are guidposts leading in only one logical direction: the Aramaic. in the Greek texts, the Father has preserved witnesses that, when used together, only make sense as witnesses of the original reading, which we thankfully do still have preserved in the Peshitta. i think we should all give thanks for the textual support which the Greek manuscripts provide for the obvious priority of the Aramaic. when understood concerning their true value, hopefully we would never denigrate them if properly approached, but praise the Father for maintaining texts that ultimately are witnesses that justify the true readings of His Son our Redeemer!

just some current considerations to think on... <!-- sSmile --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /><!-- sSmile -->


Chayim b'Moshiach,
Jeremy
Akhi, I couldn't agree more. The Greek texts are a wonderful witness to the underlying Aramaic...not despite, but precisely because, of their imperfections. The primary benefit of the translations of course was to spread the Good News to the Gentiles in Europe....something not possible on such a scale and timeline, without a translation into Greek.

But I have often thought of how God may have intended these little nuances in the text to point us in the right direction.
Paul Younan Wrote:But I have often thought of how God may have intended these little nuances in the text to point us in the right direction.

Shlama akhi Paul,

in regards to the above -- it would seem so very much like our Father to providentially preserve those particular flaws in order to bring glory to His true Word in the end, when all is said and done. He does it with all our flaws (aren't we, in a sense, "translations" of Messiah to the world by our actions?), so why not do the same with His Word?
<!-- sBig Grin --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/happy.gif" alt="Big Grin" title="Happy" /><!-- sBig Grin -->


Chayim b'Moshiach,
Jeremy