The Aramaic Language
The Aramaic Language
Aramaic is one of the Semitic languages, as are Arabic, Hebrew, Ethiopic, and Akkadian (ancient Babylonian and Assyrian). It is particularly closely related to Hebrew, and was written in a variety of alphabetic scripts. (What is usually called "Hebrew" script is actually an Aramaic script.)
Use of the Aramaic language had become common by the period of the Chaldean Empire (626-539 B.C.). It became the official language of the Imperial government in Mesopotamia and enjoyed general use until the spread of Greek (331 B.C.). Although Greek had spread throughout these Eastern lands, Aramaic remained dominant and the linqua franca of the Semitic peoples. This continued to be so until Aramaic was superseded by a sister Semitic tongue, Arabic, about the 13th century A.D. to the 14th century A.D., when Arabic supplanted Aramaic after the Arab conquest in the 7th Century. However, the Christians of Mesopotamia (Iraq), Iran, Syria, Turkey and Lebanon kept the Aramaic language alive domestically, scholastically and liturgically. In spite of the pressure of the ruling Arabs to speak Arabic, Aramaic is still spoken today in its many dialects, especially among the Chaldeans and Assyrians.
The Aramaic language was the international trade language of the ancient Middle East between 1000 and 600 BC, spoken from the Mediterranean coast to the borders of India. Its script, derived from Phoenician, became extremely popular and was adopted by many people with or without any previous writing system.
An example is the square Hebrew script, which began to appear in Palestine around the 10th century BC, by the 3rd century BC, an Aramaic-derived script, called the Jewish script, began to replace the Old Hebrew script. It is this Jewish script that eventually evolved into the modern square Hebrew script.
Portions of Ezra and Daniel are in Aramaic, including that of Belshazzar's feast with the famous "handwriting on the wall".The Dead Sea Scrolls, provide the best evidence for Aramaic as used by Jesus and his disciples. Today Aramaic survives as a spoken language in small communities in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran.
by Victor Alexander
In Ancient Aramaic-Hebrew
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the Acts of the Apostles, Romans, Hebrews
Paul's Letter to the Romans is about the Covenant of Circumcision and refers to the old Covenant of Circumcision that was of the flesh and the new Covenant of Circumcision through the Spirit. The flesh represents the world as power, wealth and human desire. Living in the Spirit, through faith in Jesus Christ, can never be reconciled with living in the world. According to Paul. Christian principles exist outside of the demands of the world. A Christian lives in spite of the world and endures despite the encroachments of earthly interests and powers.
The Letter to the Hebrews is a commentary on the Bible. The writer shows how the Old Covenant prophesies were fulfilled in the New Covenant.. Hebrews is consistent with Paul's style and theology.
THE ARAMAIC ALPHABET
