Today, I share information from a ministry that most (who claim to be "Christians") will find offensive. I am not asking anyone to read and believe this on its face. I am simply sharing and asking that you take this to prayer and as we are told, prove all things by the Word of God. I will also share that I have met this man and his son, David. They are wonderful men who love and serve God Almighty. I also apologize in advance for several quotations appearing here just would not behave and I could not enlarge them in order that all the text herein is uniform. I tried.
This will definitely cause those who take the time to read the following from Richard Rives to think. It should make everyone question all they have been taught. I will share more of his teachings but we will begin with the Hebrew Matthew. And, this finding has led to documentation that most of the "New" Testament was originally written in Hebrew.
This will definitely cause those who take the time to read the following from Richard Rives to think. It should make everyone question all they have been taught. I will share more of his teachings but we will begin with the Hebrew Matthew. And, this finding has led to documentation that most of the "New" Testament was originally written in Hebrew.
There is substantial evidence that the gospels were originally written in Hebrew. For instance, MASHIACH (the Messiah) quotes from Scripture in many places. Is it reasonable to believe that Yeshua (Jesus) spoke Aramaic (Syrian) in the synagogues? Are we to really believe that His words from Calvary were in Aramaic and not Hebrew? If one thinks that the dominant language in the land at that time was Aramaic, then explain while Pilate made the sign in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew to be put over the MASHIACH’S head, and not Greek, Latin, and Aramaic. While we're at it, a discussion Eusebius’s notes known as the Gospel according to the Hebrews.
Given that all of the disciples were of Jewish heritage (although there is some evidence that Luke was not of Hebrew heritage) and lived in Judea where they spoke Hebrew (and if you recall, when MASHIACH spoke to Paul, He spoke to him in the Hebrew language, using his Hebrew name (which was never changed; Paul was his Greek name) [look it up!]). In fact, when Paul was arrested and put on trial in Jerusalem, what language did he use to speak to the people? Hebrew of course! Therefore, we can conclude that Hebrew was the language spoken in Judea at the time of the crucifixion and thereafter.
So, those who claim those asserting that the books of the New Testament were written in Hebrew initially are fools, you might want to inform the world why the Jewish followers of MASHIACH would write in Greek, when Hebrew was their native tongue, and there is no evidence whatsoever that Peter, John, James, Jude, Matthew or Mark spoke anything but Hebrew. It is likely that they knew Aramaic because that was a "slang" language based upon Hebrew.
According to Yocephus (Josephus), Greek wasn't spoken in first century Israel. Josephus said that it was extremely rare for a Jew to speak Greek in first century AD, writing as follows:
“I have also taken many pains to obtain the learning of the Greeks, and understand the elements of the Greek language, although I have so long accustomed myself to speak our own tongue, that I cannot pronounce Greek with sufficient exactness; for our nation does not encourage those that learn the languages of many nations, and so adorn their discourses with the smoothness of their periods; because they look upon this sort of accomplishment as common, not only to all sorts of free-men, but to as many of the servants as please to learn them.”
“But they give him the testimony of being a wise man who is fully acquainted with our laws, and is able to interpret their meaning; on which account, as there have been many who have done their endeavors with great patience to obtain this learning, there have yet hardly been so many as two or three that have succeeded therein, who were immediately well rewarded for their pains." —Antiquities of Jews XX, XI.
The gospels were originally written in Greek? I don’t think so. In fact, recent discoveries have proven that they weren't. So, the perspective must be taken that some of the critical concepts found in the New Testament are better stated in Hebraic terms. many who love Yeshua (Jesus) are simply in search of the true meaning of YHVH's Word as it was written. Not as the Romans wanted it to read, not as the Orthodox Pharisees wished it to read, not as the Anti-Semite Luther wanted it to read, certainly not as Constantine wanted it to read, and not as King James wanted it to read (and there are many errors in that translation, even purposeful as King James changed the half-brother of Yeshua, Jacob's name to James. This is absolute insanity. The reason? King James hated Jews!
Perhaps part of the resistance to returning to the Word of Almighty God only has to do with the difficulty in dealing with the increase of knowledge in these latter days. I am simply seeking the truth from the Scriptures to more accurately reflect what was known at the time of MASHIACH and among His disciples.
We should seek to know our Savior as much as possible. Our Savior was Jewish. He lived as a Jew and He died as a Jew. He was from the Tribe of Judah. Understanding the Hebrew Idioms found in Scripture, the customs of the days in which Scripture records and the language absolutely gives us a much better and more intimate way to relate to our blessed Messiah, our Hope, and our Salvation! [end of my discourse, Mr. Rive's textual presentation on the Hebrew Matthew follows].
Historical references do speak of a Hebrew gospel of Matthew. Today there are those who present the Shem Tob version of Matthew as an accurate representation of that manuscript. Unsuspecting believers are being led by unbelievers to accept an anti-Christian version of Matthew which was found as a part of a polemic (anti-Christian) document entitled Eban Bohan. This document was authored by Shem Tob, an unbelieving Jewish theologian.
Quoting Professor George Howard, translator of Shem Tob:
In regard to theology, Shem-tob’s Hebrew Matthew is heretical according to the standard of traditional Christianity. It never identifies Jesus with the Messiah. (See Reference Note 1.) John the Baptist is given an exalted role (even takes on messianic traits), — Shem-Tob’s text envisions the salvation of the Gentiles only in the Messianic era.
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