The Village in Syria Where They Speak Jesus' Tongue: Aramaic

May 25, 2016 | Aramaic (2008): In a village in the Syrian countryside, Muslims and Christians live side-by-side and keeping the language of Christ, Aramaic, alive.

The Village in Syria Where They Speak Jesus' Tongue

Aramaic (2008): In a village in the Syrian countryside, Muslims and Christians live side-by-side and keeping the language of Christ, Aramaic, alive.

Ancient Gospel in Aramaic Langauage Found in Turkey Predicts the Coming of Prophet Muhammad

Who, What, Why: What Language Would Jesus Have Spoken?

BBC: Israel's prime minister has verbally sparred with the Pope over which language Christ might have spoken. Several languages were used in the places where Jesus lived - so which would he have known, asks Tom de Castella.

Benjamin Netanyahu and Pope Francis appeared to have a momentary disagreement. "Jesus was here, in this land. He spoke Hebrew," Netanyahu told the Pope at a public meeting in Jerusalem. "Aramaic," interjected the Pope. "He spoke Aramaic, but he knew Hebrew," Netanyahu shot back.

It's broadly accepted that Jesus existed, although the historicity of the events of his life is still hotly debated. But language historians can shed light on what language a carpenter's son from Galilee who became a spiritual leader would have spoken. » | Who, What, Why, BBC News Magazine | Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Syria Crisis: Al-Qaeda Seizes Village that Still Speaks the Ancient Language of Christ

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A branch of al-Qaeda fighting in the Syrian civil war has seized one of the few remaining villages where the original language of Christ is still spoken, residents say.

Fighting raged through the picturesque mountain village of Maaloula, near Damascus, on Thursday, as the regime launched a counter-attack against the rebels.

"They entered the main square and smashed a statue of the Virgin Mary," said one resident of the area, speaking by phone and too frightened to give his name. "They shelled us from the nearby mountain. Two shells hit the St Thecla convent."

Maaloula, tucked into the honey-coloured cliffs of a mountain range north of Damascus and on a "tentative" list of applicants for Unesco world heritage status, is associated with the earliest days of Christianity.

St Thecla, who is supposedly buried in the convent, was a follower of St Paul who fled to the village in Syria to avoid marriage, having taken an oath of chastity. It is said that the cleft of rock in which the convent is placed opened up to allow her to escape her pursuers.

The inhabitants are mostly Melkite Greek Catholic and Orthodox Christians, but have historically lived peacefully alongside a Sunni Muslim minority. It is one of only three places in the world where Western Aramaic, a dialect of the language spoken by Christ, is still used. » | Ruth Sherlock, Beirut and Magdy Samaan | Thursday, September 05, 2013

Race to Save the Language of Jesus: Aramaic in Danger of Becoming Extinct as Number of Speakers of Ancient Tongue Plummets

MAIL ONLINE: Language once widely used in Middle East but speakers are now scattered / Aramaic is believed to have been used by Jesus and his disciples / British linguist Geoffrey Khan developing database of recordings

It is thought to have been spoken by Jesus Christ and his disciples more than 2,000 years ago.

But now Aramaic, an ancient language related to both Hebrew and Arabic, is threatened with extinction as the number of speakers worldwide has dwindled.

Linguist Professor Geoffrey Khan of the University of Cambridge, has launched a quest to record the language before it dies out by visiting the scattered communities where it is still used.

By recording some of the remaining native Aramaic speakers he hopes to preserve the language which is one of a number threatened with extinction worldwide.

The 3,000-year-old language was once common throughout the entire Middle East and was used for trade, government and divine worship from the Holy Land to India and China.

As a key language used in Israel from 539 BC to 70 AD, experts believe it was likely to have been spoken by Jesus.

It is also the language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra, and is the main language of the Talmud (a key Jewish text).

Parts of the ancient Dead Sea scrolls were written in Aramaic. As Jesus died on the cross, he cried out in Aramaic, 'Elahi, Elahi, lema shabaqtani?' ('My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?').

But speakers are now scattered across the globe, with pockets even found in US cities such as Chicago where several thousands Assyrians live. Prof Khan told Smithsonian.com that he felt his 'calling' to record the language after speaking to a Jew from Erbil, a northern Iraqi city.

'It completely blew my mind,' he said. 'To discover a living language through the lips of a living person, it was just incredibly exhilarating.' Read on and comment » | Sam Adams | Friday, January 25, 2013

Weihnachtsfeier in der Sprache Jesu: Im Dorf Malula in Syrien erlebt das Aramäische eine ganz und gar unerwartete Renaissance
NZZ am SONNTAG: An Weihnachten findet im christlichen Bergdorf Malula eine Mitternachtsmesse statt. Die Leute sind stolz, dass ihre Sprache trotz der Übermacht des Arabischen überleben wird.

Erzählt Mushe Barkula von den Vorbereitungen für Weihnachten, wirkt der schüchterne Mann mit dem Schnauz wie ein schelmischer Bub. «Wir machen Köfte und Hummus, kochen Fisch, Weinblätter und bereiten Taboulé, Salat aus frischen Kräutern.»

Mushe war lange Sanitäter in Malula. Der Cousin des Schriftstellers Rafik Schami kennt die Geschichten der Leute und ihre Sprache. Weihnachten heisst hier «Edha Milothe». Das ist nicht etwa Arabisch, die Muttersprache der meisten Christen im Nahen Osten. Das ist Aramäisch. «Meine Muttersprache und die Sprache Jesu», sagt Mushe, während er in seiner Wohnung an der Einfahrt in das 1500 Meter über Meer gelegene Dorf sitzt, die Frau Kaffee kocht und die Kinder herumtollen.

Malula bedeutet Eingang auf Aramäisch. Es ist tatsächlich eine Pforte im Fels, hinter der sich das Dorf in die Schlucht aus beigem Fels zu drücken scheint. Einige Häuser sind in den Berg gebaut oder stehen wie von Kindern aufgetürmte Bauklötzchen übereinander. Früher lebten die Leute in den Höhlen, deren Eingänge wie Löcher im Fels klaffen. Oft drückt ein Wind aus der irakischen Wüste ins Tal, meist ist der Himmel azurblau. Wenn im Sommer in der Ebene von Damaskus die Hitze steigt, braucht man in Malula nicht einmal eine Klimaanlage. Dann wohnen bis zu 5000 Personen hier. Im Winter sind noch 1000 Bewohner da, die meisten Christen, wenige Muslime, die auch Aramäisch sprechen. Manchmal fällt an Weihnachten Schnee, dann ist der Weg nach Damaskus blockiert. >>> Christoph Plate, Malula | Sonntag, 20. Dezember 2009

Tony Blair Has Helped Destroy One of the Oldest Churches on Earth
Arrogant, but stupid; know-it-all, but vacuous. Tony Blair – the man that screwed things up. Highly-paid because people are stupid and gullible. Photo: Google Images
TELEGRAPH BLOGS: If George Bush and Tony Blair were "crusaders", as Muslims insist, then they were the worst in history. Worst, that is, as in the most ineffective. What other Crusade has resulted in the Christian population of a country being almost totally destroyed?

Now that the Americans are leaving Iraq, the ancient Christian community, who converted in the second century while our ancestors were still worshipping rocks, and who still speak Aramaic, will pay the ultimate price. Nice one, Tony, you've helped to destroy one of the oldest Christian communities on earth and with it the language of Christ. Stick that on the wall of your inter-faith centre. >>> Ed West | Monday, May 11, 2009