Bible Study Essay April 2017 to the Institute of Aramaic Bible Studies

I ran across this paper I wrote in 2017 for a certification class in "Aramaic cultures and the Bible" from the Aramaic Bible Institute. At the time, I was trying to alleviate some trauma happening in my life in 2017, so I dived into Bible study and books of wisdom which always seems to give me epiphany’s. In this essay, the assignment topic is the LAMSA Bible written from Jesus original language into English without other translations, and The King James Version with multiple translations. We were asked to chose an illustrative Chapter and verse to highlight the clarity from the LAMSA version in and about the Eastern culture of storytelling. As of May 31, 2022, I celebrate 24 years in the ministry.

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April 24, 2017

I have chosen Isaiah 11:1-8 as the reference for my paper:

 The book of Isaiah is a vision and outstandingly magnifies Jehovah as the “Holy One of Israel”, applying this expression to God a total of twenty-five times which is common in the Aramaic language. Also, it points with unmistakable clarity to the Messiah, or Anointed One of Jehovah (Jesus) through whom deliverance would come to the people of God. In this scripture the Aramaic language is poetic, flowing, colorful, dramatic. Isaiah lived during the year of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah – kings of Judah. This was a period of severe international tension and a time when false religious practices had a profound effect on the people of Judah. During this time there was great unfaithfulness toward Jehovah.

¹And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: [idiom/symbolism] In the Aramaic Language the translation of “rod” is “shoot” – this makes the verse make sense because a “rod” out of a stem doesn’t make sense, but a “shoot” out of a stem does by using an idiom.

² And ~~the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; [spiritual mysticism] In this verse, is an example of translation from Aramaic language: KJV: the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

LAMSA: the spirit of knowledge and of the reverence of the LORD;

The understanding of this verse is that the Messiah (Jesus) would have the blessing of the Lord and would have wisdom to counsel and exhibit a good relationship with Jehovah.

 ³ And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: [Symbolism: Poetic philosophy] here is an example of translation from the Aramaic Language in the LAMSA version it is much clearer:

3 And shall shine forth in the reverence of the LORD; and he shall not judge after that which his eyes see, neither reprove after that which his ears hear; the word “fear” denotes a different kind of feeling, than the word “reverence” – likewise, it is confusing as to what the KJV means by “and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes” so the LAMSA translated version makes it more understandable. Also, the KJV rendition of “neither reprove after the hearing of his ears” is non-flowing, unlike the flow of the LAMSA version of “neither reprove after that which his ears hear.” The understanding of this verse that Jesus, the Messiah, would bring understanding of what it means to be connected to God- Jehovah, and that even though he sees and hears the misconceptions being taught by the spiritual leaders, he would not judge them.

 ⁴ But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod [Idiom] of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. In his commentary, Dr. Errico explains that the use of the word “rod”, and idiom- is symbolic of a rod used by the shepherd to guide his flock, and that it denotes “discipline” as with sheep to be disciplined to follow the shepherd with the rod and correct their direction.

 ⁵ And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.[Culture & Psychology] This verse is saying the Messiah would be just and righteous in all his government. His judgement shall be executed by the working of his Spirit according to God’s word. The use of the word “girdle” is metaphors in the Semetic culture of men wearing girdles, or belts that carried their money, valuables or food.

 ⁶ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 

⁷ And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸ And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. These three verses are using idioms/symbolism and represent the reign of righteousness becoming the dominant force in government, where everyone will get along peacefully and harmoniously and be satisfied with what they have.

The metaphor reference of “a little child” is a leader who is not sophisticated in government matters in the normally sense, but will lead with justice, peace and brotherly love. The “asp” and “Cockatrice” are allegories like when used in a parable, that depict a calmer, more peaceful person or nation that is usually seen as a deadly enemy. These verses are written with Amplification the animals and insects are symbolic of kingdoms and their enemies.

“What the Course Has Meant to You?

   My Father was a Baptist minister, so I grew up having to go to church 6 out of 7 days a week, and sometimes 7 days a week.  Needless- to - say, I became complacent about the Bible and the stories and non-logical events that are written in it.

   As I matured and started living my own life out-side of my parents control, I explored different avenues of religion and studied their theologies, scriptures and writings, yet always comparing it to what I was familiar with in the Bible.

   In my early adult years (i.e. 20’s) I was introduced to New Thought and immediately began looking at the Bible differently – metaphysically, which opened up - more of a relationship to Jesus, as a brother and Master Teacher of scripture.

   Around my 40 years of age, I enrolled in a Unity/New Thought school of theology to gain a certification to teach in Africa with a sister church there. It took me 4 years to complete the certification and in that time, I was exposed to a plethora of biblical information from many religions and theological writings, including lectures from Dr. Rocco Ericco.

   I graduated and was ordained in 1998, and went on to teach, facilitate and even assist in managing my Baptist father’s church for a few years, bringing enlightenment to orthodox views and understandings.

   Now in my 60+ years, taking this class is just an extension of my spiritual journey in understanding and strengthening my relationship to God-Jehovah-Yaweh, and Olodumare. I hope to start a blog soon, where I can share my new-found understanding of the Bible from the use of the 7-Keys I’ve learned in this course.

Yours In Christ, -T. Aduni