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Aramaic Peshitta Primacy
Was
the New Testament Really Written in Greek?
A Concise Compendium of the Many Internal and External Evidences of Aramaic Peshitta Primacy
Foreword by Andrew Gabriel Roth
Compiled by Raphael Christopher Lataster
Edited by Ewan Macleod
Cover design by Stephen Meza
Publication Edition 1a, May
2008
First Edition, September 2004
(old edition)
Revelation 1:8
I am Aleph and Tau, the beginning and the ending says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Introduction
There are many books out there on Aramaic Primacy (the belief that the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic) by a handful of authors such as Dr. George Lamsa and Dr. Rocco Errico. All provide proofs of Aramaic Primacy and are fine works. However, they have one thing in common. They all cost money.
This work is absolutely free. You may distribute it freely, unchanged, without the author’s permission, as long as no money is charged for it. This book is to remain free and under no conditions is it permitted to be sold.
Matthew 10:8 [Lamsa]
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you have
received, freely give.
Another big difference between this book and others of its kind, is the denomination of its author. I have none. The works of people like Dr. Lamsa are biased, due to their beliefs. Most people belonging to a denomination are biased, and they tend to change the Bible to suit their beliefs. As I am non-denominational, I change my beliefs, to suit the Bible. So you can be rest assured that when I try and convince you that the Aramaic says something, it really does say it.
I have spent many hours in between studying and working, to compile this book. Please read it with an open mind and treat it with respect, especially as it contains verses from the original New Testament.
This book was originally created so that the Christian community could have timely access to this vital information, without having to spend a dime. As someone who comes from a poor economic background, I assure you that it is not God’s plan for only the wealthy to share in His truth. It is also created with simple language (you will be able to tell that I am no author), being written by a layman, for laymen.
However, as my knowledge base of the subject grew at an amazing rate (thanks to friends who have dedicated much of their lives to the Word of God) it became apparent that this work would not only be distinguished from others by its price – but also by its contents. With all humility (most of the internal proofs I did not discover myself – they have been discovered/supplied by various contributors), I challenge anyone to find a book with as many proofs for Aramaic primacy – and in such an easy-to-navigate format – as this one, let alone a free book.
So what is this really all about? Well, the majority of people believe that the New Testament was originally penned in Greek. There is one little problem with this belief. There is no proof! It has just been taken for granted, in much the same way as it has been taken for granted that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (even though for a long time, we had no widespread access to a Hebrew Old Testament). Unfortunately, while Hebrew OT primacists were right, Greek NT primacists were wrong. The New Testament was originally written in Aramaic, not Greek. And that makes a whole lot of sense. Jesus, His Apostles, and the earliest Christians were Semites, speaking the Semitic language of Aramaic – the main tongue of Jesus’ day. That later and numerous manuscripts of the NT were found written in Greek, proves Greek primacy no more than the widespread reach of the King James Bible proves English primacy.
There are many Christians who believe that the New Testament was written in Aramaic, particularly in the East (Christianity is after all, an Eastern religion). But they have been a rather silent minority. It is time to raise our voices, and present the evidence. While there is no evidence of Greek Primacy (save the ludicrous “manuscript evidence” and the opinions of some “Church fathers”), there are mounds of proofs for Aramaic primacy. All you should need to be convinced is this book and maybe a little help from the man upstairs.
This book will show you many errors and contradictions in the Greek text, which are solved by the Aramaic. It will show you variants in the many Greek manuscript families that are explained by the Peshitta. It will show you how scribal errors in the Greek translations have led to confused beliefs, compared to crystal-clear teachings in the Aramaic. It will explain many of Jesus’ idioms that have been misunderstood by those uninitiated in the Semitic languages. It will show you how the original Aramaic New Testament preserves Jesus’ poetic teachings. It may even save your faith.
I have received many an email from Christians who were disillusioned with their contradiction-filled Greek-based Bibles, saying that this information (this book was originally a series of articles, distributed on various Peshitta Primacy websites) finally gave them peace.
I hope that this book will aid your growth as a Christian and give you a better understanding of the true Word of God.
— Christopher Lancaster [website]
Peshitta
Aramaic/English Interlinear New Testament
an online translation of the Holy Peshitta in Aramaic/English interlinear
format.
URL: http://www.peshitta.org
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