Gnostic Gospels: Preserved Hebrew or Aramaic loan-words

This series continues with one usual disclaimer and one unusual one.

First the standard disclaimer that not everyone finds the "gnostic" designation helpful or well-defined, and there is some legitimate debate about which writings qualify under that heading.

Then the more unusual disclaimer: here the relative lack of study tools for these writings leads me to a higher reliance on the translators. I've done what I can to minimize the risk of missing something: I've found interlinear versions of some of these gospels on-line (that is: versions where the original language is printed with matching words in my own native language between the lines so I can check the original words). I've consulted Coptic-language lexicons and various other Coptic-language resources on-line when the surviving text has come to us in Coptic, and there's enough overlap between Coptic and Greek that the Coptic script is not wholly unfamiliar to me. Still I've had to rely more heavily on the quality of the translations here than I would with the writings from the Bible, especially for writings where I did not gain access to an interlinear version. There is no convenient way to cross-check my results by searching a Strong's concordance here. So with that disclaimer about the over-reliance on translations, here is what I can determine about the use of Hebrew or Aramaic loan-words in the Gnostic gospels.

Coptic Gospel of Thomas

Sabbath (1 saying, 2 instances)

27 "If you do not fast as regards the world, you will not find the kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as a Sabbath, you will not see the father."

Gospel of Truth

Sabbath (1 saying, 2 instances)

He labored even on the Sabbath for the sheep which he found fallen into the pit. He saved the life of that sheep, bringing it up from the pit in order that you may understand fully what that Sabbath is, you who possess full understanding. 

Gospel of Mary

n/a - I did not locate any Hebrew or Aramaic loan-words in the Gospel of Mary.


Gospel of Philip

A brief note on words included: I've also allowed words from the Syriac dialect of Aramaic here, since in some cases I'm sure that we'd want to include them, and in any case I'd rather include the doubtful ones than miss something.

Sabbath: 1x

but in the other Sabbath […] it's fruitless.

Messiah: 2 passages, 3 instances

But the name "Christ" in Syriac is "Messiah," in Greek "Christ," and all the others have it according to their own language

The apostles before us called (him) "Jesus the Nazarene Messiah," that is, "Jesus the Nazarene Christ." The last name is "Christ," the first is "Jesus," the middle one is "the Nazarene." "Messiah" has two meanings: both "Christ" and "the measured." "Jesus" in Hebrew is "the redemption." "Nazara" is "the truth."

Note: I'm not counting "Nazara" as a loan-word since the text neither mentions the older languages nor comes up with a recognizably-on-topic translation for it from those languages. Though the handling of the name Jesus in this passage calls me to mention to the readers the rules which I have used to classify proper names in this survey. I have generally not credited proper names as loan-words on usage alone since that would obligate us to duplicate much of the work on proper names; I have only included them in the loan-word survey when the passage also calls attention to the translation of the name. However, in the case of the name Jesus, for this survey I have not included this or a passage in the Gospel of Luke that is similar because the name "Jesus" is single most common word in a number of the documents being studied (particularly within the New Testament), and could considerably skew the search for loan-words if someone searched for all uses of the name Jesus.

Pharisatha (Syriac)

The Eucharist is Jesus, because in Syriac he's called "Pharisatha," that is, "the one who's spread out," because Jesus came to crucify the world.

Echmoth (derived from Hebrew word for wisdom)

Echamoth is one thing and Echmoth another. Echamoth is simply Wisdom, but Echmoth is the Wisdom of Death, which knows death. This is called "the little Wisdom."

Echamoth (derived from and/or paralleling the words for wisdom and death)

Echamoth is one thing and Echmoth another. Echamoth is simply Wisdom, but Echmoth is the Wisdom of Death, which knows death. This is called "the little Wisdom."

Summary

The documents here do not all have the same characteristics. For the most part, loan-words from Hebrew or Aramaic are few or non-existent; I did not discover any such loan-words in the Gospel of Mary, while in the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Truth I discovered only one passage each mentioning the sabbath. So the majority of texts that we're considering here show relatively little by way of Hebrew or Aramaic roots, without much breadth or depth of usage -- or none, outside the idea of a sabbath.

The Gospel of Philip distinguishes itself from the others on this front. It has more unique words. It also has a different vocabulary, introducing the words Pharisatha, Echmoth, and Echamoth to our study. Some would see that as an indicator that the Gospel of Philip strongly qualifies as Gnostic, being from a somewhat different religious tradition than the Judaism of Roman-occupied Judea that we see in the writings we have reviewed prior to this point. 

The Gospel of John: Preserved Phrases or Loan Words from Other Languages

Again, this continues the research into loan-words or phrases from Hebrew or Aramaic that are preserved in the various gospels, here reviewing the Gospel of John. Once again, Strong's numbers are provided as a tool and a reference, and usage is given for the first instance of each word.

Amen: G281 (sometimes translated "truly", or "verily" in older translations)

Joh 1:51 And he said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Joh 3:3
Joh 3:5
Joh 3:11
Joh 5:19
Joh 5:24
Joh 5:25
Joh 6:26
Joh 6:32
Joh 6:47
Joh 6:53
Joh 8:34
Joh 8:51
Joh 8:58;
Joh 10:1
Joh 10:7
Joh 12:24
Joh 13:16
Joh 13:20
Joh 13:21
Joh 13:38
Joh 14:12
Joh 16:20
Joh 16:23
Joh 21:18
Joh 21:25

Golgotha: G1115

Joh 19:17 And bearing his cross he went to a place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha

Cephas: G2786

Joh 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, You are Simon the son of Jonah: you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Levite: G3019

Joh 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you?

Messiah: G3323

Joh 1:41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah", which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
Joh 4:25

Passover: G3957

Joh 2:13 And the Jewish passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:23
Joh 6:4
Joh 11:55
Joh 12:1
Joh 13:1
Joh 18:28
Joh 18:39
Joh 19:14

Rabbi: G4461

Joh 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, What are you seeking? They said to him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where are you staying?
Joh 1:49
Joh 3:2
Joh 3:26
Joh 4:31
Joh 6:25
Joh 9:2
Joh 11:8

Sabbath: G4521

Joh 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and picked up his bed, and walked: and that day was the sabbath.
Joh 5:10
Joh 5:16
Joh 5:18
Joh 7:22
Joh 7:23
Joh 9:14
Joh 9:16
Joh 19:31
Joh 20:1
Joh 20:19

Satan: G4567

Joh 13:27 And after the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."

Hosanna: G5614

Joh 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord.

The Gospel of Luke: Preserved Phrases or Loan Words from Other Languages

This post continues the research into loan-words or phrases from Hebrew or Aramaic that are preserved in the various gospels, here reviewing the Gospel of Luke. Again, Strong's numbers are provided with individual words as a tool to facilitate if anyone wishes to double-check the research. And again, the usage is given for the first instance of each word, and the references only for later uses.

Individual words

Amen: G281 (May be translated "truly", or in older translations "verily")

Luk 4:24 And he said, "Truly I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his own country."
Luk 12:37
Luk 13:35
Luk 18:17
Luk 18:29
Luk 21:32
Luk 23:43
Luk 24:53 

Levite: G3019

Luk 10:32  And likewise a Levite, when he was there, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 

Mammon: G3126

Luk 16:9 I tell you, use worldly mammon to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal homes.
Luk 16:11
Luk 16:13

Passover: G3957

Luk 2:41  Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
Luk 22:1
Luk 22:7
Luk 22:8
Luk 22:11
Luk 22:13
Luk 22:15

Sabbath: G4521

Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read.
Luk 4:31
Luk 6:1
Luk 6:2
Luk 6:5
Luk 6:6
Luk 6:7
Luk 6:9
Luk 13:10
Luk 13:14
Luk 13:15
Luk 13:16
Luk 14:1
Luk 14:3
Luk 14:5
Luk 18:12
Luk 23:54
Luk 23:56
Luk 24:1

Satan: G4567

Luk 4:8  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get behind me, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.
Luk 10:18
Luk 11:18
Luk 13:16
Luk 22:3
Luk 22:31

Notes

In Luke, the variety of foreign words in the text is relatively small compared to Matthew or Mark. Despite the relatively small foreign vocabulary, Luke does introduce one foreign word not previously seen in Matthew or Mark: "Levite", which occurs in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke's text includes no multi-word phrases in another language as are seen in Matthew's and Mark's text.

The Gospel of Mark: Preserved Phrases or Loan Words from Other Languages

This continues the research into phrases or loan words from Semitic languages in texts that are called gospels, both inside and outside the New Testament. Again, when we're considering an individual word, the Strong's number is included as a tool in case it is helpful to anyone wanting to check the results.

Individual words

Abba: G5

Mar 14:36  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what you will.

Amen: G281 (may be translated at times: "truly", or in older translations "verily")

Mar 3:28  Truly I say to you, All sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and any blasphemies they shall blaspheme
Mar 6:11
Mar 8:12
Mar 9:1
Mar 9:41
Mar 10:15
Mar 10:29
Mar 11:23
Mar 12:43
Mar 13:30
Mar 14:9
Mar 14:18
Mar 14:25
Mar 14:30
Mar 16:20* In a portion of the text that is not part of the oldest manuscripts

Boanerges:  G993

Mar 3:17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he called them Boanerges, that is, The sons of thunder

Golgotha: G1115

Mar 15:22  And they brought him to the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

Corban:  G2878

Mar 7:11  But you say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift devoted to God

Ephphatha: G2188

Mar 7:34  And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

Bartimaeus: G924

Mar 10:46  And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

Passover: G3957

Mar 14:1  After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by stealth, and put him to death.
Mar 14:12
Mar 14:14
Mar 14:16

Rabbi: G4461

Mar 9:5  And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three shelters; one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. 
Mar 11:21
Mar 14:45

Sabbath: G4521

Mar 1:21  And they went into Capernaum; and then on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Mar 2:23
Mar 2:24
Mar 2:27
Mar 2:28
Mar 3:2
Mar 3:4
Mar 6:2
Mar 16:1
Mar 16:2
Mar 16:9 

Satan: G4567

Mar 1:13  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Mar 3:23
Mar 3:26
Mar 4:15
Mar 8:33 

Hosanna: G5614

Mar 11:9  And those who went before, and that followed, shouted, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord
Mar 11:10

Phrases

Mar 5:41  And he took the little girl by the hand, and said to her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Little girl, I say to you, get up.

Mar 15:34  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 

Summary and Possible Emerging Patterns

In Mark, we see some individual words preserved in the text that we did not see in Matthew such as abba and ephphatha. For whole phrases, the one phrase preserved in Matthew is also preserved in Mark: Jesus' cry from the cross. We also find a separate phrase preserved in Mark: Talitha cumi.

As has happened several times when beginning a new phase of this research, the early review of the data suggests new avenues of research. I am curious whether something represents a pattern: If I make a distinction between narrative and dialogue in the text, it seems there are different patterns in those two types of writing within the text. Times when a name is explained have generally fallen to the narrator. Other uses of foreign words and phrases seem to be concentrated in the dialogue. On reflection that's not surprising. When reviewing the dialogue, I'd also be interested to see the breakdown between times when a foreign word is preserved specifically in quotes spoken by Jesus in the text, or times when such a word is preserved when spoken by someone else.

And in a sad but unrelated note on modern English (or modern culture), the word "dialogue" is not in the dictionary used by the spell-checker here, showing up as just as foreign to the spell-checker as ephphatha. It recognizes Abba, but probably for reasons having more to do with pop-culture than Hebrew culture or Biblical studies.

The Gospel of Matthew: Preserved phrases or loan words from other languages

Today I welcome back a less-crowded personal schedule with the benefit of being able to pursue some of my more research-intensive studies. This post continues the data analysis project comparing all the ancient documents that are commonly referred to as "gospels", whether inside or outside the recognized scriptures of the Christian faith.

Criterion: Preserved Phrases or Loan Words from Hebrew or Aramaic

For this next part of the series, I'm evaluating the extent to which the author preserved phrases or loan-words from Hebrew or related languages. This would include words absorbed into Hebrew from other languages (e.g. languages spoken in and around Babylon) in earlier times. Those familiar with the New Testament may recall some passages in which a writer used a word that was not in the language of the main narrative, for example:

Mat 27:33  And when they came to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, the place of the skull

In some cases (as above) the foreign loan-word is translated by the original author; in other cases the translation is not included, such as:

Mat 5:22: whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council

When we see such a passage it gives us pause. The documents are translated into the reader's language for most of the text, yet here we come across a foreign word still in its original language. This is done in recognition that the original author had left the word in a language different than the surrounding text, and the translator reproduced the same situation for us in our own language. In some cases, the modern reader is left in search of a footnote to explain the meaning of the foreign word. In other cases, the words may have become so familiar with time that the reader may have forgotten that words such as rabbi or sabbath are originally loan-words from Semitic languages. In either case, it reflects a situation where the original text contains a foreign word embedded in a text that is generally not in that language.

But enough for the introduction; what do we find of these loan words or foreign phrases in one of our documents? 

The Gospel of Matthew

We'll begin with the well-known Gospel of Matthew, which has come down to us in Greek. Modern translations are based on older Greek manuscripts.

Before I move onto the results, two quick notes on the format: 

• When I am tracing one specific word, I have looked up the Strong's number (a resource used for word studies by some students of these texts) and have included the Strong's number for reference. For example, the Strong's number for "Golgotha" is "G1115". This is done to make it easier for anyone interested to reproduce or cross-check the results.
• I'll include text showing the usage for the first example of each word but not for later uses of the same word; this is meant to strike a balance between showing usage and easing the burden on the reader, since interested parties can easily look up the remaining references.

On to the results. While the text of the Gospel of Matthew has come down to us in Greek, it retains a number of untranslated words and/or loan words from Hebrew and related languages:

Amen: G281 (may be translated at times: "truly", or in older translations "verily")

Mat 5:18: For truly I say to you, til heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle shall pass away from the law, til all is fulfilled.
Mat 5:26
Mat 6:2
Mat 6:5
Mat 6:13
Mat 6:16
Mat 8:10
Mat 10:15
Mat 10:23
Mat 10:42
Mat 11:11
Mat 13:17
Mat 16:28
Mat 17:20
Mat 18:3
Mat 18:13
Mat 18:18
Mat 19:23
Mat 19:28
Mat 21:21
Mat 21:31
Mat 23:36
Mat 24:2
Mat 24:34
Mat 24:47
Mat 25:12
Mat 25:40
Mat 25:45
Mat 26:13
Mat 26:21
Mat 26:34
Mat 28:20

Golgotha: G1115

Mat 27:33  And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

Corban: G2878

Mat 27:6  And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood."

Mammon: G3126

Mat 6:24 You cannot serve both God and mammon.

Passover: G3957

Mat 26:2  You know that in two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man will be surrended to be crucified.
Mat 26:17
Mat 26:18
Mat 26:19

Rabbi: G4461

Mat 23:7  And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
Mat 23:8
Mat 26:25
Mat 26:49

Raca: G4469

Mat 5:22: whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council

Sabbath: G4521

Mat 12:1  At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the grain; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck the heads of grain, and to eat
Mat 12:2
Mat 12:5
Mat 12:8
Mat 12:10
Mat 12:11
Mat 12:12
Mat 24:20
Mat 28:1

Satan: G4567

Mat 4:10  Then Jesus said to him, Get away from me, Satan
Mat 12:26
Mat 16:23

Hosanna: G5614

Mat 21:9  And the crowds that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Mat 21:15

Matthew also contains an instance in which a longer phrase is recorded in another language:

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Mat 27:47  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, "This man calls for Elijah."

The previous is something of a catalog of how the Gospel of Matthew uses words or phrases from Hebrew/Aramaic. The last and longest is Jesus' cry from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Without the form in the other language ("Eli, eli ..."), the reader might not understand why a listener could mistake it as a call for Elijah; that confusion depends on the specific sounds made in the other language. In case of doubts about what language was being spoken at that moment, that quote would seem to point us in the right direction. The writer has preserved a quote in what is being portrayed as the original language of the conversation, and a reaction to those words that is based on the listeners sharing that language.

Fellowship and Theology

If "theology" has to do with understanding God, then I would advocate the view that fellowship is a necessary part of theological studies. I mean this in several of the obvious senses: that fellowship is a rightful topic of study; that practicing fellowship is part of coming to understand God; that fellowship is an intrinsic result of knowing God.

Theology is our pursuit of the greatest treasure of knowledge: knowing God. Along the way we'll be drawn together to reflect on each others' insights and share our own. The more we understand God, the fewer strangers there are in the world. The closer someone walks with God, the closer we walk with each other also. Consider that Jesus sent his disciples out to teach in pairs and so fostered friendships among his disciples. Consider that St Paul would passionately plead with people by name to set aside personal differences, and considered it a worthy use of his letters to spend time greeting people by name. True love of God is not something we can do without knowing our neighbors' names.

An Objective / Key Result Assessment of the Law - a framework for understanding other the Bible's own comments on the law

For those not familiar with the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) management method, it takes the approach of clearly stating an objective and then measuring progress toward it with key results. The OKR methodology is popular among tech companies. Proponents of OKR often lead its brag-sheet with the fact that Google uses the approach.

I'll start with a general example of how it would be used. If a person wanted to participate in the annual novel-writing challenge in November, a possible OKR write-up for it might look like:

Objective: Complete a novel

• Key Result: Outline a plot with no more than 20 points by November 3
• Key Result: Write a chapter covering one plot point each day for November 4 through November 23
• Key Result: Proof-read and edit 4 chapters a day November 25 through November 29
• Key Result: Format and publish by November 30
  

In some ways, everyone who has ever worked toward a long-term goal may find the OKR method to be nothing but common sense. While I'd accept that as a valid point, I'd also mention: common sense is often sorely lacking, and I'd welcome anything that works to secure a place for common sense in the decision-making process. The OKR method makes it clearer  how to turn common sense into an action plan.

So much for the introduction to OKR. But is the method useful in giving us insight into Biblical law? Consider the common observation that the Ten Commandments fall under the general headings of the two greatest commandments: "love of God" for the first table of the law, and "love of neighbor" for the second table of the law. Here is one way to look at that observation from an OKR framework:

Objective: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength

• Key Result: You shall have no other gods before me
• Key Result: You shall not make yourself a graven image
• Key Result: You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain
• Key Result: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy 

Objective: Love your neighbor as yourselves

• Key Result: Honor your father and mother
• Key Result: You shall not murder
• Key Result: You shall not commit adultery
• Key Result: You shall not steal
• Key Result: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
• Key Result: You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or workers, or property

That OKR framework can shed light on some other comments in the Bible about the law and its place in Christian life. This includes some comments for those of us from the Gentile nations who were never given the Law of Moses, or placed under it.

• That it is possible for people to honor God with their lips, while their heart is far from Him: we can fulfill certain key results -- or even all of them -- while not actually embracing the objective.
• That it is possible for people to keep the letter of the law but still go against the spirit of the law.
• That love is the fulfillment of the law: it is the objective, in this way of viewing it.
• That anyone who claims to keep the law, but chooses to keep only part of it, is not really keeping the law: When we work toward the objectives, we see that all the results are integral to the objective. 

And, saving one for last: 

If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. (1 John 4:20)

Here John the Apostle's comments are something of a challenge to the idea that the two tables of the law are cleanly separate. Is there really one set of laws for love of God, and another for love of neighbor? When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, why did he choose to answer with the two greatest commandments -- the first as love of God, the second as love of neighbor -- instead of one commandment as asked? Here again we see reason to consider that they may be inseparable. On that view, Love of Neighbor could be viewed as a sub-point under the heading of Love of God, like so:

Objective: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength

• Key Result: You shall have no other gods before me
• Key Result: You shall not make yourself a graven image
• Key Result: You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain
• Key Result: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
• Key Result: Love your neighbor as yourself
• Honor your father and mother (etc)

We may be challenged to see that love of neighbor is part of love of God. Which again fits very well with how Jesus described the Last Day: "Whatever you have done for the least of these brothers of mine, you have done for me."