Acts 2:24 Redux

[Paul Younan]

Akhi Dan,

You are misunderstanding me in a very fundamental way. Perhaps I have done a poor job explaining my position. Let me try again.

Translations are good. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't be spending years of my life doing this one. Translations are very good.

What is bad, what I was referring to as "junk" - is the replacement of an original text with a translation as the basis for a faith. Basis.

What I mean by basis is this: that theology is based on nuances, on observations on the meaning of words of the translated version.

That God has been made into three "persons" because the Greek word used to translate the Aramaic means "person." Hence, God has been given a "Mother."

Also, what is junk is a religion that is founded upon a translation. What I mean by that is this: not that Christianity is junk, but that if the Apostles and even Meshikha would have used, as the basis of their new religion, a text in a translated tongue - then I would call Christianity junk.

NOTE: Meshikha and His Apostles did not base their religion on quotations from a scriptural translation in a foreign tongue. If they did, I would be a Jew.

I hope I have made myself a little more clear now. I know, it was my fault because sometimes I do not make my point clear enough and I speak too generally. I'm blaming myself.

Finally, the word "Christian" puts me into a category of history in which I do not belong. Yes, I realize that English-based websites and CoE parishes here have become accustomed to using this English translation of a Greek term. And yes, I realize that the author of Acts used it to describe Greek-speaking Christians.

Again, the label "Christian" places me into a historical perspective in which I do not belong. It is a Greek term used historically of Greek Christians and by those whom they converted.

There is nothing about "Christian History" to which you can point and say I am a part of. It's simply inaccurate - as if I called you a "Meshikhaya" - notice I don't call you that simply because you are not, nor have you ever been known by this name.

I don't hate the name "Christian" - I hate some of the things done in history by that name - including to my own people and church. Therefore, I choose to call myself by something else - by what we've always called ourselves. This is not something new. We've always called ourselves "Meshikhaye".

Likewise, I'm not a "Catholic" or a "Baptist". I'm not a "Jehova's Witness", either.

You may think I'm being nit-picky about terms. I'm not. The name "Christian" is not an umbrella-term for all who believe in the teachings of Meshikha. It is a specific history to which I do not belong, it is a specific (Greek-based) milieu ("setting", environment") of which I am not a part of.

I hope that made sense.