It has been another interesting day in the world of Aramaic studies. While browsing Yahoo Answers, I found a link to a web page that had a number of really … ‘interesting’ translations of the Lord’s Prayer from the “original Aramaic”. This gave me such a headache that I had to come here and discuss it so that those lucky enough to find this blog know what to look for and what not to trust.
The following is for academic purposes only. Let it be known from the outset that I do not endorse these translations in any way as academic or true to any known Aramaic text. That being said … this is what I found:
Annex 1: Spurious
Prayer to our father
(in original Aramaic)
Abwûn
“Oh You, from whom comes the breath of life,
d’bwaschmâja
that fills all the realms of sound, light and vibration.
Nethkadasch schmach
May your light be experienced in my most sacred place.
Têtê malkuthach.
Your heavenly domain draws near.
Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d’bwaschmâja af b’arha.
Let your will come true – in the universe (everything that vibrates)
just like on earth (which is material and dense).
Hawvlân lachma d’sûnkanân jaomâna.
Give us wisdom (understanding, help) for our daily need,
Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna
daf chnân schwoken l’chaijabên.
loosen the chains of the faults that bind us, (karma)
as if we let go of the guilt of others.
Wela tachlân l’nesjuna
Let’s not get lost in superficial things (materialism, common temptations),
ela patzân min bischa.
but let us be free from that which takes us away from our true purpose.
Metol dilachia malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta el ahlâm almîn.
From you comes the will that everything works, the living force to act,
the song that beautifies everything and is renewed from time to time.
Amen.
Sealed in trust, faith and truth.
(I confirm it with all my being)
Annex 2: More spurious
Lord’s Prayer translated from Aramaic
A translation of “Our Father” directly from Aramaic into English
Oh cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration. Soften the core of our being and create a space within us where your Presence can dwell.
Fill us with your creativity so that we can bear the fruit of your mission.
Let each of our actions bear fruit according to our desire.
Give us the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow and prosper.
Untie the tangled threads of fate that bind us, as we free others from the tangle of past mistakes.
Let us not be seduced by what deviates us from our true purpose, but illuminates the opportunities of the present moment.
Because you are the foundation and the fruitful vision, the birth, the power, and the fullness, as it all comes together and is completed once more.
Annex 3: “Translation” by Neil-Douglas Klotz
Lord’s Prayer, from the original Aramaic
Translation of Neil Douglas-Klotz in Prayers of the Cosmos
Oh Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos
Focus your light within us, make it useful.
Create your kingdom of unity now
through our burning hearts and willing hands
Help us to love beyond our ideals
and acts of compassion erupt for all creatures.
Animate the earth within us: then
feel the underlying Wisdom supporting everyone.
Unravel the knots within
so that we can mend the simple ties of our hearts between us.
Don’t let superficial things fool us
But deliver us from what is holding us back from our true purpose.
Outside of you, the amazing fire,
Returning light and sound to the cosmos.
Amen.
Annex 4: “Translation” by GJR Ouseley
Lord’s Prayer, from Aramaic to Old English
GJR Ouseley’s translation of The Gospel of the Saints Twelve
Our Father-Mother who are above and inside:
Hallowed be your name in the double Trinity.
In Wisdom, Love and Equity, Your Kingdom reaches everyone.
Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth.
Give us day by day to partake of your holy bread and the fruit of the living vine.
As you forgive us our offenses, so we also forgive those who offend us.
Show us your goodness, so that we can give the same to others.
In the hour of temptation, deliver us from evil.
Ammon
The verdict:
What do all these “Translations” have in common? They exploit (whether intentionally or not) the unfortunate fact that the general public knows little or nothing about the language. From an academic point of view, these translations have as much in common as the current Svenska with the cute and stupid babbling of a certain adorable Muppet.
For the record, let it be known that I have absolutely no problem with mysticism and find it a valid expression of religion. However, I have a problem with wrong statements, regardless of their origin. As such, I find these interpretations particularly disturbing but, if you take a step back, they are understandable from the point of view of their authors.
The goal of mysticism (as I have come to see it) is to actively seek direct experience with the divine. As these interpretations are presented, I believe that we can greatly understand the religious experience and conceptions of God and the cosmos of their authors. However, when working with a language in translation, the translator should do his best to get rid of his undue biases and try to convey a simple meaning of the text in question rather than the meaning it has. imply, impose or want to interpret.
This has truly made religious texts a can of worms for translators, from ancient times to the present, as religious texts are what people seek to find inspiration for daily life, help in times of need, a meaning Identity and (most importantly) the Guess. There are so many expectations, emotions, and theological implications that things can get clouded and often heated (think of the Only Movement in the King James Version or the New World Translation).
It’s enough to give you a headache. 🙂
What does the sentence really say?
I guess that’s the next logical question. 🙂 Before we can answer that question, however, we must first ask, “What ‘original’ Aramaic Lord’s prayer are we talking about?”
Unfortunately, there are several Aramaic versions that exist historically. By far the most famous is the one found in the Syriac Peshitta. Generally, when someone refers to the “original Aramaic” they are talking about it. SAVAE (the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble) made a wonderful recording and it can be found here (it’s number 3 on the list and quite nice).
Below is the version found in the Old Syriac Gospels (OS), a set of two manuscripts (the Sinaitic Palimpsest and the Cureton texts) that are written in a Syriac dialect older than Peshitta and generally believed to be what the Peshitta was. redacted at a later date (how much and in what way should be debated, but the Peshitta is generally believed to come from the operating system being edited to match Greek tradition at the time). The sentence as it is in the operating system is in a slightly different order and a very different wording (even between scripts); however, these differences are not much more than one would find between two modern translations of the Bible. They basically say the same thing.
The capture
Yes, there is a catch. 🙂 About the Peshitta and Old Syriac versions: They are written in Syriac Aramaic, a dialect that actually crystallized after the life of Jesus and in a different geographic location, so this would not be the exact language that Jesus would have used.
In essence, the problem is that even these (including my previous text) would not be the “original Aramaic” of the Lord’s Prayer.
I know of several reconstructions of the Our Father in Aramaic that would be very similar to the dialect that Jesus would have used, given certain assumptions we make about it. However, those will occur at a later date.
Stay tuned!