Saturday 30 May 2015

Modernizing the Greek Lord's Prayer

Recently I saw a modernization of the #lordsprayer that I felt was flawed ... a bit TOO PC and not respectful of the #Greek text.

This following text #Copyright Julie Vaux is more a paraphrase than an exact translation but those who read Greek can see where I've expanded some phrases cos the greek word has several possible meanings.

I have also tried to create a version that's in line with most churches teachings and the new testament itself but with a 21st ethos?

I'm not replacing the KJV just suggesting a modern alternative that's hopefully poetic?

Please give feedback on the translation and if people like it I'll put it on prints on stationery on my Cafepress Shop.

(hey please dont rip off my copyright I have mid year health fund payments  due and if I do make a profit I can cover my other bills also and then donate to local charities )

This is a work in progress so share it only with people who read new testament or classical greek and can give feedback?

#copyright Julie Vaux 2015

A Modern Alternative to the Lord's Prayer Based on the Greek Text

Holy Spirit of Love and Wisdom (gender free!)

You who are beyond earthly perception (change earthly to mortal ?)

Yet move within our hearts minds and souls

Let your name be holy and revered

Let your realm abide in reality and eternity

Let your divine will be manifest throughout creation

Give to us today and tomorrow our needs for body mind and soul

that we may likewise give to others

and release and forgive us from our sins and errors

as we likewise do so to others

and test us not with temptation or trial

but rescue us from evil physical and spiritual !


I consulted the Matthew and Luke versions of the Prayer for this work

#Copyright Julie Vaux 2015

I have a mixture of secular and spiritual designs on my

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Sunday 24 May 2015

Jesus about John the Baptist 3

#Jesu about John the Baptist 3
#biblestudy #greeknewtestament #gospel
Matthew Chapter 11 verses 11 - 15

Now this section seems quite straightforward
Jesus is praising John and linking him to a prophecy about the return of Elijah.

There is a problem with one verb though and a phrase.
11
truly i say to you not has risen in those born of women more greater of genitive marks comparative John the baptist
the and least in the realm of the heavens more than him is
12 from and the days of john Baptist until now the realm of the heavens forces?
see my note below is forced and violent men ravage it.
13 all for the prophets and the law until  John prophesied
14 and if you  wish to receive this same person is Elijah the one future to come.
15 he who has ears let him hear

Why is biazetai a problem ? It seems plainly to be the middle form of biazoo and it could be that it is  just a reference to a persecution of John and his followers but here we see it being used  in the the same sentence as the words realm of the heavens ... this is of historical interest and seems to support the argument that Jesus and John had links to the Essenes ?

They too contrasted a divine just heavenly realm with secular ones and why Jesus usually seems to be talking about Heaven given that he's just finished talking about John and what happened to John ...?

Jesus is saying the the realm of heaven is currently being attacked not in the future but right now. Perhaps as well as what happened to John and the verbal attacks and criticism by various jewish factions Jesus and John's followers were also being harassed and hassled by various local secular authorities?

I don't normally give much time or regard to theories about secret messages or code so I don't think we should read too much into this but it does seem to be a significant reference to events happening during Jesus' ministry that only seems obscure to us because they were so long ago few details survive?



Saturday 16 May 2015

Jesus about John the Baptist part 2

#jesus #johnthebaptist #biblestudy part 2 #Matthew 11 7 - 10

#matthew #gospel #greeknewtestament

word for word translation

verse 7

they and going begun the Jesus to speak to the crowd about John

What did you come out into the wilderness to see ?
(see as a spectator watching an event )
(a) reed by wind shaken ?

verse 8
but why /what did you come out to see?
a man in soft robes draped ?

malakos here means soft rather than perverse a meaning supported by the next word which is a participle form a verb meaning vested draped clothes around

he is referring perhaps to hellenized jews wearing wraps but more likely to  temple priests / prophets wearing heavy soft expensive wool robes or over wraps / capes  that wrap and drape themselves around the body

behold the ones soft things wearing in the houses of rulers are!

Jesus is critizicing the established priesthood who served and supported the elite or perhaps the prophets at the temple who wore elaborate robes of the finest wool

verse 9

What did you come out to see? a prophet

Yes I  say to you and more than a prophet

He then cites an old testament prophecy.

John the Baptist was not just a prophet but a messenger announcing an arrival

Perhaps judging from the next verse both Jesu and John dressed simply

remember jesus commanded his disciples to do so ?

a religious rally or meeting shouldnt be theatre and costume but focus on teaching

there are some preachers who seem to think dressing up is the best way to attract an audience?

As well as linking himself and John to various prophecies he's also defending himself and John again their establishment critics ... read on ...

more next week



Saturday 9 May 2015

Jesus to John - One

#Matthew matthew 11 4 - 6 #bible study #greeknewtestament

#Jesus had a cousin called #John. John the Baptist.
His response to a group of John's disciples was this:

I'm just going to do a loose translation since there's no unusual words or syntax in this section

"Go back Proclaim to John what things you hear and see!
blind see again cripples walk
lepers are cleansed and deaf hear
 (possibly deafmutes not merely hearing impaired no cochlear implants or hearing aids back then so most deaf people if deaf from birth  would have been mute as well and had no choice but to use some sign of sign language)
and dead raise up (see story of  synagouge officials daughter and lazarus)
and the poor receive good news.
and blessed are who ever should - its ean and an aorist passive subjunctive in Greek -  not be offended / shocked / caused to sin / angered by me !

Note what comes last in this list ! Evangelising.
 Helping and helping comes First!

We can't perform miracles but we can support having a decent low cost health care system or welfare for the disabled.

None of that The Poor are Lazy and Don't Deserve help nonsense.

FAITH AND WORKS

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Wednesday 6 May 2015

Serpent Queens and Snake Goddesses

Who was SHAHMARAN? How is she linked to other Serpentine Myths?

#serpentqueens and #snakegodesses and an #indoeuropean #myth found across Eurasia from Greece to India and beyond.

In the Middle East there are tales in Syria Turkey Iran and elsewhere of a shape shifting serpent queen who marries a human and shares treasure called #ShahMaran.


She is depicted in folk art and on jewellery and amulets as a woman wearing jewels and a crown with a snake or dragon body.

France has the legend of Melusine who is said to have an half serpent form and have come to her spring from something in Albania or the Eastern Mediterranean. 

Greece has Lamia and the Echidna who are part serpent.

India and SE Asia has stories of nagas  such as this couple!



Given the spread of the myth it appears to be IndoEuropean or even Pre Indo European as the nagas are described as living in caves and rivers.

Another clue is the description of Echidna being pre Olympian and also in one story the ancestress of the Scythians of Central Asia and the Steppes who probably spoke an Indo European Language.

In Greece Echidna like Tiamat in Mesopotamia is a mother of monsters but those monsters were more hostile to the Olympians than humans though there is the story of the Lamia  who kills children and preys on adults too.

My personal suspicion is that this sometimes friendly and sometimes hostile entity may even predate the IndoEuropean expansion? 

Perhaps she was originally a goddess of water carving out rivers and channels through primodrial wetlands into seas and lakes . The twisting body of a snake  may have seemed like the meanders of a river to the ancients.

So why compare Shahmaran to Echidna or the nagas?

It shows us both convergence and divergence play a role to cultural development with preIndoEuropean beliefs across Eurasia fusing with IndoEuropean ideas about dragons and serpents yet changing over the centuries so we have Melusine the Fay with children with monstrous features and yet Nu Wa the half serpent mother creatrix in ancient Chinese myth and Tiamat and Nagas.

Both the vampiric Lamia of Greece and Shahmaran the majestic are echoes or shadows or something else of a power ancient and primal.







Saturday 2 May 2015

Receiving the Righteous

Matthew 10 40 - 42 #biblestudy #gospel #jesus #christian #greeknewtestament

We're almost at the end of a major section !
Fairly straightforward in this section but there are a couple of things ...

but first the word for word so you get some idea of what the greek is like

40

he who receives you pl me receives
dekhomai is the verb receive accept take welcome
and he who receives me receives the one who sent me (as a messenger)

41

he who receives a prophet in name (= equals in english for being a or because)
what we see here is what Goodwin's Grammar 1207 d calls an accusative of Purpose or Reference it could also be translated as for or for being but because works best in modern English ... there's another example further on
so he who receives prophet in name of prophet reward of prophet will receive
the verb changes here from dekhomai to the future form of lambanoo but both have very similar meanings

42

and who ever will provide / give a drink of water
this is one verb in greek the future form potiseei of potizoo
(to) one of the small these  (to any) of these small ones

possibly a joke .. there is an oral tradition jesus was very tall?
a drink cold alone in name for a student / disciple (of mine)

there are old testament stories about people giving prophets cold water a symbol of hospitality and dangerous if that prophet was currently being escaped by which ever courtier king or religious official he had offended

also cold water was a precious commodity no fridges water had to be filtered and cooled since you lived next to a mountain spring of cold water !

truly i say to you not in the least will be lost the reward of him.

so he's asking people to treat his students and followers as if they are prophets for his sake and the sake of the divine

you don't have to give religious leaders private jets or palaces but show respect and concern and good manners if they are genuine followers of Jesus is how I read that

A final note on that accusative ... why use because ? think of a syntax you sometimes see I am doing this for the sake of him or I do this for him or I do this for the name of so and so however saying for the name of is perhaps too formal in the 21st century and has a slightly archaic flavour so changing this to because reflects the simpler Greek syntax and the meaning and intent?

You may be getting a mid week metousia on the links between greek and yezidi mythology

See you then but people please remember I don't get free wifi so any paypal donations towards my wifi or other bills  would be helpful?

Whatever you think is the equivalent of a cup of water ?