Re: Mark 15:34

From: Jack Kilmon (jkilmon@historian.net)
Date: Thu Apr 20 2000 - 15:43:22 EDT

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Michael Ryle wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE> Mark
15:34 reports that Jesus cried out in a loud voice: ELWI ELWI LEMA SABACQANI; 
The Jerome Commentary indicates that this is an Aramaic version of Psalm
22:2.  For a long time I have have been curious about this passage. 
Why does Jesus quote the Hebrew scriptures in Aramaic?  On the cross
under the extreme stress of the moment did he spontaneously translate the
psalm as he knew it into his own spoken language?  Or was he quoting
from an Aramaic source, a targum?  If so, why would he quote from
that instead of the Hebrew which he surely would have known?
It is not the source of the quote,
if it is historical, that is important...it is the audience.  Hebrew
was the *literary*
 lingua franca, understood and used
by the literate, about 4-5% of the population.  Aramaic was the spoken,
 or colloquial lingua franca. 
It is impossible to know what the nuance was for the "cry from the cross"
but
 since it is in Aramaic, it was directed
against whomever was observing the crucifixion and not God.....if we
 also accept as historical that Jesus
was Hebrew literate.
In these difficult times of Roman domination,
Psalm 22 may have been a lection commonly known during
 a period of heightened messianic expectation. 
Jesus may have cried out Psalm 22 in Aramaic...perhaps
 he even quoted more than the gospelers
record...as a reminder to the crowd...sort of an "uh huh....it has
 come true!"
  
  
 In the gospels when Jesus quotes
scripture, except for this one case, I believe it's true that he always
does so in Greek -- at least I can't think of another instance.  Why
is this case different and what does it mean?  I'm curious to know
if anyone else has wondered about this.
The hagiographers are not Palestinian
Jews..they are Hellenistic Jews of the diaspora, perhaps one gentile (Luke).
 They use the LXX and not the MT. 
Jesus spoke Aramaic and this is obvious through the various Aramaisms in
 the sayings material.  OT references
by the hagiographers...particularly the Matthean scribe are from the LXX.
 I doubt that Jesus used the LXX or
was more than casually competent in Greek.
  
  I
am a newcomer both to Biblical Greek and to this list and I would like
to express my gratitude to Jonathan Robie and the other members of the
list for the tremendous help you offer to someone like me who is struggling
to learn how to read the New Testament in the eerily beautiful language
in which it was written.Michael
Ryle, North Eastham, MA</blockquote>
Jack
--
 ______________________________________________
taybutheh d'maran yeshua masheecha am kulkon
Jack Kilmon
 jkilmon@historian.net
http://www.historian.net
sharing a meal for free.
 http://www.thehungersite.com/
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