Editing Language of the New Testament (section)

== Language of the New Testament ==
Most biblical scholars adhere to the view that the Greek text of the New Testament is the original version. However, there does exist an alternative view which maintains that it is a translation from an Aramaic original, a position known as [[Peshitta]] Primacy (also known in primarily non-scholarly circles as "[[Aramaic primacy]]"). Although this view has its adherents, the vast majority of scholars dispute this position citing linguistic, historical, and textual inconsistencies. At any rate, since most of the texts are written by [[Jewish diaspora|diaspora Jews]] such as [[Paul the Apostle]] and his possibly Gentile companion, [[Luke the Evangelist|Luke]], and to a large extent addressed directly to Christian communities in Greek-speaking cities (often communities consisting largely of [[Pauline Christianity|Paul's converts]], which appear to have been non-Jewish in the majority), and since the style of their Greek is impeccable, a Greek original is more probable than a translation.

Even [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]], whose Greek is heavily influenced by his Semitic substratum, seems to presuppose a non-Hebrew audience. Thus, he explains Jewish customs (e.g. [[Mark 7|Mark 7:3-4]], see also [[Mark 7]]), and he translates Aramaic phrases into Greek ([[Mark 3:17]]: ''boanerges''; [[Mark 5:41]]: ''talitha kum''; [[Mark 7:34]]: ''ephphatha''; [[Mark 14:36]]: ''abba''; [[Mark 15:22]]: ''Golgotha''; [[Mark 15:34]], see also [[Aramaic of Jesus]] and [[Sayings of Jesus on the cross]]). In the Aramaic [[Peshitta|Syriac version]] of the Bible, these translations are preserved, resulting in odd texts like [[Mark 15:34]]:

* '''Greek text''' 
:αὶ τῇ ἐνάτῃ ὥρᾳ ἐβόησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· ελωι ελωι λεμα σαβαχθανι; ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον Ὁ θεός μου ὁ θεός μου, εἰς τί ἐγκατέλιπές με;

kaì tē̂i enátēi hṓrāi ebóēsen ho Iēsoûs phōnē̂i megálēi: elōi elōi lema sabachthani? hó estin methermēneuómenon HO theós mou ho theós mou, eis tí enkatélipés me

* '''Syriac text''' 
:(with rough transliteration)ܘܒ݂ܰܬ݂ܫܰܥ ܫܳܥܺܝܢ ܩܥܳܐ ܝܶܫܽܘܥ ܒ݁ܩܳܠܳܐ ܪܳܡܳܐ ܘܶܐܡܰܪ ܐܺܝܠ ܐܺܝܠ ܠܡܳܢܳܐ ܫܒ݂ܰܩܬ݁ܳܢܝ ܕ݁ܺܐܝܬ݂ܶܝܗ ܐܰܠܳܗܝ ܐܰܠܳܗܝ ܠܡܳܢܳܐ ܫܒ݂ܰܩܬ݁ܳܢܝ܂

:w<u>b</u>a<u>t</u>ša‘ šā‘yin: q‘ā’ yešua‘ bqālā’ rāmā’ we’mar, ’ēl ’ēl lmānā’ š<u>b</u>aqtāni di’ai<u>t</u>eyh ’elāhi ’elāhi lmānā’ š<u>b</u>aqtāni

* '''[[Authorized King James Version|King James Version]]'''
:"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

In the [[Peshitta]]:
* [[Mark 7:34]] does not contain the doubled-up meaning.
* [[Mark 15:34]] has two versions of the same expression: the former in Jesus's spoken dialect, the latter in another dialect.