Do You Mind?

Do you mind if I piss light across the earth?
May I sing the songs of birds until their echo
returns from another direction?
Do I have your leave to make allies
of the planet and its speechless creatures?
Do you mind if I make myself at home
where I've lived for thousands of years?
I, of course, shall do the same for you.

Cela vous dérange si je fais pisser la lumière sur la terre?
Puis-je chanter les chants des oiseaux jusqu'à leur écho
revient d'une autre direction?
Ai-je votre permission de faire des alliés
de la planète et de ses créatures sans voix?
Ça vous dérange si je me fais à la maison
où je vis depuis des milliers d'années?
Bien entendu, je ferai de même pour vous.

¿Te importa si orino luz sobre la tierra?
¿Puedo cantar las canciones de los pájaros hasta su eco
regresa desde otra dirección?
¿Tengo tu permiso para hacer aliados
del planeta y sus criaturas sin palabras?
¿Te importa si me hago en casa
donde he vivido por miles de años?
Yo, por supuesto, haré lo mismo para ti.

Você se importa se eu mijo luz em toda a terra?
Posso cantar os cantos dos pássaros até seu eco
retorna de outra direção?
Tenho sua permissão para fazer aliados
do planeta e suas criaturas sem palavras?
Você se importa se eu me sentir em casa
onde eu moro há milhares de anos?
Eu, é claro, farei o mesmo por você.

Text and image Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Synoptica XXXI - The Beatitudes per Codex Bezae ("D")

So far there has been an elephant in the room, about which we have not spoken. If those early Christians (whether of Antioch or some other place) translated Matthew's gospel from Hebrew into an Old Latin version and an Old Syriac version, they must have also produced an Old Greek version. Indeed they did, and its best surviving representative is Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, usually represented as "D." It is a fifth-century manuscript on vellum, but it certainly represents a text type that is far older, apparently approximately coeval with "k" and "Syr-s," with both of which it has many commonalities. Codex Bezae has all four Gospels and Acts, in both Greek and Latin, but the Latin, which is of the Old Latin type, is not a translation of the Greek, and is of far less interest than the Greek. All three manuscripts, "k," "D," and "Syr-s," are representatives of the "Western" or "Syro-Latin" type of text.

So now I would like to show a translation of the Beatitudes as they exist on the Greek side of Codex Bezae ("D"):


Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peaceful, for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for justice's sake, for theirs shall be the kingdom of the heavens.

Blessed are you when they persecute and insult you and say all evil against you for justice's sake.

Rejoice and be glad for your abundant reward in heaven, for thus did they persecute the prophets who were before you.


And now, following the example of the table in my Synoptica XXX article, I would like to represent these Beatitudes of "D" diagrammatically, for easy comparison:


Bezae ("D")

poor in spirit
meek
mourn
hunger&thirst
merciful
pure/heart
peaceful
persecuted
you persecuted
rejoice-they-pr-b4u


As we can see, the order of "meek" and "weep/mourn" is inverted, as it also was in the Old Latin, represented here by "k," and as it still is in the Vulgate. But the innovation "mourn," of Syr-s, instead of the "weep" of all earlier versions (the "wait" of Shem-Tob is a scribal error due to the similarity of two Hebrew words, "wait" and "weep") has been accepted. We see also "peaceful," which is correct, instead of the "Syr-s" innovation "peacemakers."

We see, then that Codex Bezae, "D," is a mixed text, showing influences of both the Old Latin and the Old Syriac textual types. This Old Greek version, though, was not the model for the Canonical Greek texts. That model and translation source was the Old Syriac version, here represented by "Syr-s," as shown in Synoptica XXX.

While the Old Syriac and the Canonical Greek are extremely similar in the Beatitudes, there is a lot of diversity between the two textual types overall. This may have been due to a last round of revision that was afforded by the new translation. Such late revisions would then explain the suppression of the Old Latin and Old Syriac texts, to the extent that only two examples of the latter, one of which is a palimpsest, have survived.

Faced with a confusing diversity of readings, it is easy to see why the authorities of the institutional Church would have wanted to make a fresh start, Since the Church in the East has always maintained that their Syriac, being (except for dialectal differences) the language that Jesus would have spoken, is the most authentic, the Old Syriac would have been an obvious basis for the new translation into Greek. Since the new Greek version was not the same as the previous versions, the old had to be suppressed. This suppression was aided by the Vulgate, to replace the Old Latin, and the Peshitta, to replace the Old Syriac. All previous textual development was thus obscured.

Eventually the claim that the Gospels were originally written in Greek, and that the canonical Greek textual tradition is the oldest and original one, became universal. That any scholar accepts that claim today is absolutely stupefying.

Text Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Synoptica XXX - Even More on the Beatitudes

In this article I would like to further explore the growth of the list of Beatitudes and, if possible, shed some light on the relationships among the Hebrew, Old Latin, Old Syriac, and Canonical Greek textual traditions.

In the last article of this series I listed the Beatitudes as they appear in canonical Luke, in Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew, in the oldest Old Latin ("k," Codex Bobiensis), and in canonical, Greek Matthew. What was missing from those lists was the oldest Old Syriac (Syr-s, the Sinaitic Palimpsest). I would now like to add the list of Beatitudes that appears in Syr-s:


Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for justice: for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful: for upon them shall be mercies.

Blessed are those who are pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you and persecute you, and when they shall say against you what is evil, for my own names' sake.

But rejoice ye and be glad in that day: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted their fathers the prophets.


We now have a lot to consider, so I would like to show it diagrammatically, as follows:


Luke                     Shem-Tob                 "k"                            "Syr-s"                  Canonical (Grk.) Mt.

poor                     wait (weep)               poor/spirit                  poor/spirit            poor/spirit
hunger                 innocent/heart           meek                          mourn                  mourn
weep                   pursue peace              weeping                     meek                    meek
hate you              persecuted                 hunger&thirst            hunger&thirst       hunger&thirst
rejoice-fath.-pr.   persecute you            merciful                     merciful               merciful
                            rejoice-proph.           clean/heart                  pure/heart            pure/heart
                                                              peaceful                     peacemakers        peacemakers
                                                              persecution                persecuted            persecuted
                                                              you persecuted          hate&persec you   persecute you
                                                              rejoice-broth-pr-b4u  rejoice-fath-pr      rejoice-men-pr-b4u


I don't know about you, dear reader, but I find the above table extremely interesting.

What do we see here? First of all, there is the steady growth of the list of Beatitudes, from five to ten. In the first three columns, one of them is about those who weep/are weeping ("wait" in Shem-Tob is a scribal error for "weep," as I've shown before). "Mourn" in Syr-s is an innovation, based on a kind of reverse synecdoche by which "mourn" represents "weep." The canonical (Greek) textual tradition follows this innovation. We see that the order of "mourn/weep" and "meek" is inverted in the Old Latin textual tradition (here represented by "k"), an inversion that continued all the way into the Vulgate. But the order in canonical (Greek) Matthew is that of the Old Syriac (here represented by Syr-s). We also see the "those who pursue peace" in Shem-Tob's Hebrew (which we know to be correct because of catchword connections) is correctly translated in "k" as "pacifici," but suddenly becomes "peacemakers" in both Syr-s and canonical Matthew.

A word needs to be said here about the "Western" (Syro-Latin) textual tradition. As pointed out by Frederic Henry Chase, in his book THE SYRO-LATIN TEXT OF THE GOSPELS (1895), the Old Latin and Old Syriac textual traditions are closely inter-related, and should really be considered a single stream, one that is older than the Greek texts that eventually became canonical. He posits Antioch as their place of origin, noting that the young Christian community there would have included speakers of Syriac (Christian Aramaic), Latin, and Greek. Both of these textual streams were suppressed by the institutional Church in the fourth and fifth centuries, in favor of the Greek textual tradition, which they made canonical. The suppression was done so well that only about fifty examples of the Old Latin survived, and only TWO examples of the Old Syriac survived (both of which were discovered in the nineteenth century).

I mention the above because it is important to understand the "k" and "Syr-s" are OLDER than the Greek texts that eventually became canonical. In Latin-speaking countries, the older texts were replaced by the Vulgate; in Syriac-speaking countries, they were replaced by the Peshitta, sometimes called "the Vulgate of the East."

Returning to the table that I've included above, We see that the list of Beatitudes in canonical (Greek) Matthew is nearly identical to that in the Sinaitic Old Syriac (Syr-s), following its order and its innovations. I believe, therefore, that Matthew was first translated into Greek from Syriac (Christian Aramaic). Many have suspected that Greek Matthew had a Semitic substratum, probably Aramaic, and now we can see how that probably came about.

At the same time, it appears that Papias' statement that Matthew had collected the Logia (Sayings) of Jesus and written them down in the Hebrew language, and that the others had then translated them as best they could, was also correct.

Text Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Let Me Tell You Gently

Let me tell you gently:
when you know the truth,
you will be free.

Permettez-moi de vous dire doucement:
quand vous savez la vérité,
vous serez libre.

Déjame decirte gentilmente:
cuando sepas la verdad,
serás libre.

Deixe-me dizer-lhe gentilmente:
quando você conhece a verdade,
você estará livre.

Text and image Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Dear Poem Pirate

June 26 2020

Dear Poem Pirate,

We haven't met. I am the poet from whom you have already stolen more than 2,000 blog posts, including poems, other writings, and photographs--and are continuing to steal. I don't know your name, but I think of you as Mac Safari, in honor of your computer operating system and browser. Although you have endeavored to hide your activity, I see it. All of it.

I would like to compliment you on your excellent taste in writing and photography. I don't know what your intention is in harvesting my work, but I must warn you that what you are doing is unauthorized. Further, I would like to go on record as saying that I have not, as of this writing, authorized any collection or mass publication of my work.

Maybe we should talk about it, as I don't take piracy lightly. I can be reached any old time (exolinguist at gmail dot com).

Thanks in advance for having the courtesy to communicate with me about what you are doing and your intentions in doing it.


Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

MISSA AUREA II - Fons Vitae, Calix Ignis

Fons Vitae,
Fons Lucis,
Benedic nobis in necessitatibus nostris
Cum semine sancte salutaris.

Calix Ignis,
Calix Lucis,
Dona nobis sapientiam tuam
Hac nocte solemnis.


Fountain of Life,
Fountain of Light,
Bless us at need
With thy saving seed.

Cup of Fire,
Cup of Light,
Grant us thy wisdom
This solemn night.


Fontaine de vie,
Fontaine de lumière,
Bénis-nous au besoin
Avec ta semence salvatrice.

Coupe de feu,
Coupe de lumière,
Accorde-nous ta sagesse
Cette nuit solennelle.


Fuente de vida,
Fuente de luz,
Bendícenos en necesidad
Con tu semilla salvadora.

Copa de fuego
Copa de luz
Concédenos tu sabiduría
Esta noche solemne.


Fonte da Vida,
Fonte de Luz,
Abençoe-nos na necessidade
Com tua semente salvadora.

Copo de Fogo,
Copo de Luz,
Conceda-nos a tua sabedoria
Esta noite solene.

Amen. Ainsi soit-il. Así sea.

Heretic!

I have said many times that I am neither Christian nor Jew. I might add that I am not a Native American Shaman, a Witch, or a Hindu. In some ways I am a follower of Rabbi Yeshua, but I am not a Messianic. I have translated all the poetry of Lalla, a devotee of Shiva, but I do not see myself as a Shaivite. I have read the whole Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit, but I am not a Vaishnava. If I were to tell you that any of these paths are not important to me, or that they do not have a place in my heart, I would be lying. In some way I am a little bit ALL of these things, but I CANNOT be EXCLUSIVELY any of them With regard to each one of them, I am 100% Heretic.

The word "heretic" comes from the Greek verb "hairein," which means "to take," or "to choose." One way to look at it is that heretics only believe the parts that they choose to believe. Some would call that kind of choice "critical thinking." But there is much more to it than that.

Henri Bergson taught that it takes more than mere reason to make sense of this world: we also need intuition, if we are to grasp it more fully.

Another Bergsonian, Maria de Naglowska, said that there are two ways of knowing: one is with the brain, and the other is with the heart. Of these two types of knowledge, she said, the more important one, the real knowing, is the knowledge of the heart. I've been on the planet long enough to have learned that this is true.

Many decades ago I came to the conclusion that we don't exactly choose our beliefs; we just believe what we believe. For example, for most of those decades I've been a believer in reincarnation, whether literally or in some other sense that is deep and inexplicable, but for me, undeniable. I am forced to hold this belief in some form because of many experiences that I've had. Similarly, I believe in some sort of spiritual survival after physical death. It is not that I want to believe this, but experiences that I have had, and am having still, leave me no choice but to hold this belief. For the same reason, I believe in telepathy--I have had experiences with it that leave me no other option.

I cannot tell you why or how any of these things work--those are things for the brain to figure out. The heart just knows that they are true.

Another thing that life has taught me is that I will always have the guidance that I need. Perhaps I am just guiding myself, but I ask you--what is wrong with that?

Text and image Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

MISSA AUREA - I

BENEDICAT VOS OMNIPOTENS LUX

SACERDOS LUCIS

He is a priest of the light,

made visible by darkness.

Il est un prêtre de la lumière,

rendu visible par l'obscurité.

El es un sacerdote de la luz,

hecho visible por la oscuridad.

Ele é um sacerdote da luz,

tornado visível pela escuridão.

atsvyai gesvase alitsadohvsgi ulvsada vhnai,

gotlvdita gvgawadvdi ulasigetso gvdodi.

ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᎵᏣᏙᎲᏍᎩ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎥᎿᎢ,

ᎪᏢᏗᏔ ᎬᎦᏩᏛᏗ ᎤᎳᏏᎨᏦ ᎬᏙᏗ.

Text and image Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

ugata hawina vlenidohv / In the Seed of Life

ugata hawina vlenidohv vhnai gesvase ulvsada.

ᎤᎦᏔ ᎭᏫᎾ ᎥᎴᏂᏙᎲ ᎥᎿᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ.

In the seed of life there is light.

Dans la graine de la vie, il y a de la lumière.

En la semilla de la vida hay luz.

Na semente da vida há luz.

בזרע החיים יש אור.

जीवन के बीज में प्रकाश है।

在生命的种子中，有光。

in semine vitae, lux

Text and image Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

This Body

This body is full of light.
It is the lantern that illumines
the Hermit's path.

Ce corps est plein de lumière.
C'est la lanterne qui illumine
le chemin de l'ermite.

Este cuerpo está lleno de luz.
Es la linterna que ilumina
el camino del ermitaño.

Este corpo está cheio de luz.
É a lanterna que ilumina
o caminho do eremita.

Text and image Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

I Drink from the Well

I drink from the well of knowledge,
and nourishment comes.
I drink from the well of wisdom,
and I outrun the sun.
I drink from the well of life,
and I am ever refreshed.
I drink from the well of the past,
and I discover the future.
I drink from the well of eternity,
and I discover this moment.

Text and image Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Poet and Machine

He embodies all of nature,
the universe is his to create,
but he creates unfeeling machines
to silently do his bidding.

Sunrises and sunsets pass
while he trains his imperfect servant,
sending his words directly
to the heart of every being.

Text and image © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

86,000 Visits and One List

Today we reached the milestone of 86,000 visits to this research, writing, and photography blog, since its inception three and a half years ago. It's a number that I like, and one that I would have to admit I never expected.

Sometimes I think I should separate the various components of the whole, putting them into different blogs. On the other hand, keeping them all together better reflects the way my life actually is. Not only that, but there is a tight relationship between the parts. Sometimes the poetry grows out of the photography, while at other times the latter is inspired and informed by the former. To put them all into separate blogs would be like separating my limbs from my torso.

Yesterday I published a list of more than fifty blog posts, going back at least a year, on the Synoptic Problem, Hebrew Matthew, and related topics. This became necessary because I was referring in recent posts to earlier ones, and could not remember exactly when I had published them. I hope the list will be useful to those who are interested in these areas of study.

The audience for this blog appears to be quite loyal, and it is certainly international, now including readers in more than a hundred countries. I am gratified by this growth. As usual, I want to thank you all for your continued interest and enthusiasm. Merci, todah, gracias, obrigado, wadó, ꮹꮩ.

Text © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler. Photo Credit: Fergus McCarthy, Midleton, Co. Cork, Ireland. All rights reserved.

Will You Reject (+fr, es, pt)

Will you reject my work
because I live my life naked?
Is nature that far
from your acceptable traditions?
No matter--I will continue
to do what I do,
and live as I live.

Rejetterez-vous mon travail
parce que je vis ma vie nu?
La nature est-elle si loin
de vos traditions acceptables?
Peu importe - je vais continuer
faire ce que je fais,
et vivre comme je vis.

¿Rechazarás mi trabajo
porque vivo mi vida desnudo?
¿Está la naturaleza tan lejos
de tus tradiciones aceptables?
No importa, continuaré
hacer lo que hago,
y vivir como vivo.

Você vai rejeitar o meu trabalho
porque eu vivo minha vida nu?
A natureza está tão longe
de suas tradições aceitáveis?
Não importa - continuarei
fazer o que eu faço,
e viver como eu vivo.

Text and image © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

A Listing of the Synoptica Series and Other Related Posts in this Blog (Revised)

Reading Matthew in Hebrew - I  October 26 2018 (others above, on same page)
The Layers of Matthew (I through X) Oct. 31 2018 through November 23 2018
The Book of Psalms and its Various Translations  May 19 2019
The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel  May 29 2019
The Earlier Forms of the Pater Noster  May 30 2019
The Beatitudes - A Trajectory Through Time  May 31 2019
Notes on the Synoptic Problem and the Antiquity of Hebrew Matthew June 16 2019
The Layered Matthew Hypothesis (Revised)  June 17 2019
New Testament Translations into Hebrew  June 20 2019
Synoptica I - Semitisms in Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew  June 24 2019
Synoptica II - Hebrew Matthew and the Formation of Canonical Matthew  June 25 2019
Synoptica III - Hebrew Matthew and the Formation of Canonical Matthew  June 26 2019
Synoptica IV - Hebrew Matthew and the Formation of Canonical Matthew  June 26 2019
Synoptica V - Hebrew Matthew and the Formation of Canonical Matthew June 27 2019
Synoptica VI - Hebrew Matthew and the Formation of Canonical Matthew June 27 2019
Synoptica VII - Omissions and Interpolations and What They Can Tell Us  July 5 2019
Synoptica VIII - Further Thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) July 10 2019
Synoptica IX - "Minor" or "Major" Agreements? July11 2019
Synoptica X - Stumbling Blocks, Confusion, and Woe  July 18 2019
Synoptica XI - Of Talents, Minas, and Goldens  July 21 2019
Synoptica XII - Unexpected Support for the Layered Matthew Hypothesis  July 22 2019
Synoptica XIII - The Beatitudes, Revisited  July 23 2019
Synoptica XIV - The Beatitudes Revisited, Part 2  July 23 2019
Synoptica XV - The Pater Noster, and What It Can Tell Us  July 24 2019
Synoptica XVI - More on the "Unexpected Support" for the Layered Mt. Hypothesis  Aug 16 2019
Synoptica XVII - John's Black Leather Belt  October 14 2019
Synoptica XVIII - "Carry" or "Unfasten?"  October 16 2019
Excursus Synopticus I - "ακοη" in Mt. 4:24 - A New Translation Variant  November 17 2019
Synoptica XIX - A Closer Look at the Beatitudes  November 21 2019
Synoptica XX - Rabbi Yeshua's Defense of the Law  November 23 2019
Synoptica XXI - The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel  November 24 2019
Matthew Ten Twenty-Six  November 29 2019
Synoptica XXII - Some Background  December 11 2019
Synoptica XXIII - Doing the Work (or trying to)  December 12 2019
Synoptica XXIV - Excursus on Mt. 5:30  December 13 2019
Synoptica XXV - Excursus on Mt. 5:25  December 20 2019
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - I (Defense of the Law)  January 2 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - II (The Antitheses) January 3 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - Mt. 10:24-25 January 31 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - V - First Matthaean Beatitude  February 7 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - VI - Second Matthaean Beatitude February 8 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - VII - Third Matthaean Beatitude February 10 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - VIII - Mt. 5:6, 7, 8  February 11 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - IX - Mt. 5:9-12  February 14 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - X - Mt. 5:13-15  February 26 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - XI - Mt. 6:9-13 February 27 2020
Commentary on the Teaching of Rabbi Yeshua - XII - What's in a Name?  Mt. 1:21  Feb. 28 2020
GTh Logion 37/P. Oxy 655/cf. Mt. 6:28  March 8 2020
Mt. 6:28-29 (heb, en, fr, es, pt)  March 19 2020
Notes on the Transmission of the Gospel of Matthew from Hebrew to Greek I - Mt. 21:3 Mar 26 2020
Notes on the Transmission of the Gospel of Matthew from Hebrew to Greek II: Mt. 7:6 Mar 28 2020
Synoptica XXVI - Mt. 3:11-12 and Hebrew Matthew  June 3 2020
Pointing the Text of Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew - Chapter 5  June 6 2020
Synoptica XXVII - Mt. 5:9: Those Who Pursue Peace  June 10 2020
Synoptica XXVIII - Still More on the Beatitudes  June 11 2020
Synoptica XXIX - More Yet on the Beatitudes  June 12 2020
Synoptica XXX - Even More on the Beatitudes  June 28 2020
Synoptica XXXI - The Beatitudes per Codex Bezae ("D")  June 29 2020
The Pater Noster: A Trajectory through Time - Part I  July 3 2020
The Pater Noster: A Trajectory through Time - Part II  July 4 2020
Further Thoughts on the Pater Noster  July 5 2020


Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Synoptica XXIX - More Yet on the Beatitudes

Here is a graphical representation of my Layered Matthew Hypothesis:

Matthew I still lacked most of the Sayings material. Some of the narrative, including that concerning John the Baptist, is also scantier than in Matthew and Luke.

Matthew IIa has its best surviving witness in Luke. Some of the Sayings material (e.g. the Beatitudes) is in a less-developed form than in Matthew IIb and in Canonical Matthew. One must also keep in mind that Luke was written for Paul's Gentile audience, editing as needed to make it more palatable (and in some cases less offensive) to an audience of non-Jews.

Matthew IIb was intermediate between the version used by Luke and that on which canonical (Greek) Matthew is based.

[Although not yet shown in the graphic, there must have been another intermediate stage (Matthew IIc), represented by the oldest manuscripts of the so-called "Western" (Syro-Latin) textual tradition, especially the oldest Old Latin (Afra), best exemplified by Codex Bobiensis ("k"), which is unfortunately incomplete for Matthew, only covering Mt. 1:1 through  15:36. This Latin translation is closer to the Shem-Tob Hebrew Matthew than any other surviving text (but not the same as it).]

Matthew III is the canonical, Greek Matthew with which we are familiar. There is abundant evidence that it was translated from an original written in Hebrew.

This theory thus requires no hypothetical texts, and no texts without witnesses.


We now return to our examination of the Beatitudes.

In chronological order:


LUKE

Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man!

Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

[Total Beatitudes (including "Rejoice") = 5. Two connected by "now," but other catchwords have been lost in the translation process.]


SHEM-TOB'S HEBREW MATTHEW

Blessed are those who wait [s/b "weep," probable scribal error] for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the innocent of heart, for they shall see GOD.

Blessed are those who PURSUE peace, for they shall be called sons of GOD.

Blessed are those who are PERSECUTED for righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they PERSECUTE and revile you and say against you kinds of evil for my sake, but speak falsely.

Rejoice and be glad for your reward is very great in heaven, for thus they PERSECUTED the prophets.

[Total Beatitudes (including "Rejoice") = 6, of which 5 are connected by catchwords.]

[NOTE: The catchword series "pursue-persecute-persecuted-persecute-persecuted" is all one verb, רדפ, in Hebrew. where it means both "pursue" and "persecute." I don't know if this would work in any other language, but the entire catchword series is lost in Luke's Greek.]



CODEX BOBIENSIS ("k")

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.*

Blessed are the meek, who shall inherit the earth,

Blessed are those who are weeping, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see the Lord.

Blessed are the peaceful, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who have suffered PERSECUTION for the cause of justice,
for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.*

Blessed shall you be when you are PERSECUTED and maligned and they say all evil against you in the cause of justice.

Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in heaven, for so their brothers PERSECUTED the prophets who were before you.

[Total: 10 Beatitudes, of which 3 are connected by catchwords.]



CANONICAL (GREEK) MATTHEW

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.*

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see GOD.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of GOD.

Blessed are those who are PERSECUTED for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.*

Blessed are you when men revile you and PERSECUTE you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in the heavens,* for so men PERSECUTED the prophets who were before you.

[Total = 10 Beatitudes (including "Rejoice"), of which 5 (2+3) are connected by catchwords.]


Progression of the totals: Luke = 5, Shem-Tob = 6, "k" =10, Grk. Mt. = 10. From this we can see that the list of Beatitudes grew longer with time.

Where I have marked asterisks, modern translations tend to have "heaven" in the singular, which is more idiomatic in modern European languages. I have translated these instances literally from the Latin and Greek, where they are in the plural. In Hebrew, the word for "heaven/heavens/sky" normally appear in the plural (שמים), and it is likely that these plurals in Latin and Greek are artifacts of the process of translation from Hebrew.



Text and image © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Synoptica XXVIII - Still More on the Beatitudes

I've written about the Beatitudes several times in this series, and now I'm going to do it again. There is a reason. First of all, the Beatitudes are part of the oldest kernel of the Gospel of Matthew. We know this because their catchword connections are a feature of the stage of oral transmission. They are also a good illustration of the way in which Matthew built his Gospel in layers (see my Layered Matthew Hypothesis, in earlier blog posts). Witnesses to this trajectory through time are 1) the Gospel of Luke, 2) Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew, as preserved by the medieval Jewish community, 3) the Syro-Latin textual tradition in the Gospel of Matthew, and 4) the canonical, Greek textual tradition, especially in Matthew and Luke. When we consider all these witnesses, an interesting picture emerges, one that I think is decisive for the solution of the Synoptic Problem, and also clears up many wrong readings in the canonical texts.

As reflected both in Luke and in the Shem-Tob Hebrew Matthew, the list of Beatitudes in Matthew was originally shorter than it is in the canonical, Greek-based texts.

There is also an inversion of the order of verses 5:4 and 5:5 in the texts belonging to the earlier, Syro-Latin textual tradition as compared to the manuscripts of the canonical, Greek textual tradition. Unfortunately, we cannot say on which side of this divide Shem-Tob would fall, Since it does not have our Mt. 5:5 at all. George Howard prints it in his translation, but eight of the nine mss. used in his apparatus do not have it. The only one that does have it is his "A," which as he says, is the most edited to harmonize with the canonical texts.

In 5:4 ("those who mourn" in the canonical, Greek texts), corresponds to "those who wait" in Shem-Tob, and "those who "weep" in Codex Bobiensis ("k"), the oldest Old Latin that we have, and also a specimen of the "Afra" text stream, which is older than the European Latin. It is very similar, if not identical, to the text-type used by St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, in his third-century writings, and it has been determined, on paleographic grounds, to be a copy of a second-century papyrus. It is older than the Vulgate, and older than the Alexandrian Greek texts that we consider "the best."

The reading "weep," as attested in "k," would be הבוכים in Hebrew. The reading "wait," which we find in Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew , has a very similar appearance: החוכים. I think it most likely that "wait" was caused by an error in copying the Hebrew manuscripts, and that "weep," as attested in "k," is the original reading. "Mourn" in the Greek texts would then be mere synecdoche, and the "wait" of Shem-Tob would be incorrect. See p. 226 in the 1995 edition of Professor Howard's book for his take on this variant.

The reading "weep" also has some support from Luke 6:21, where we read "Blessed are you who weep, for you shall laugh."

(to be continued)


Text © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Synoptica XXVII - Mt. 5:9: Those Who Pursue Peace

אשרי רודפי שלום שבני אלקים יקראו׃ 9

אשרי רדפי שלום כי־בני אלהים יקראו׃ 9

The meaning is the same in both cases:

"Blessed are the peace-pursuers for they shall be called sons of God."

The first line is Mt. 5:9 in Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew.

The second is the same verse in the nineteenth-century Delitzsch Hebrew New Testament (I've left out the pointing so that the similarity can be better seen.

Why is this significant? Well, these are the ONLY texts I could find that use the phrase רדפי שלום (pursuers of peace). Not the Greek, not the Old Latin, not the Vulgate. not the Peshitta, Not Ezekiel Margoliouth, not Münster, not Du Tillet, not Salkinson. Not any other known text (so far as I know), yet Delitzsch kept this phrase in place through all of his editions, and after his death in 1890 his successor, Dalman, did the same.

Why? Because he (and also Dalman) recognized its significance. Significance that is very great both for the original language and transmission history of the Gospel according to Matthew, and also for the proper evaluation of Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew.

The phrase in question is a reference to Psalm 34, verse 14:

"Depart from evil and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it."

Who are the peace-pursuers? They are the peaceful. Mt. 5:9 says nothing about "peaceMAKERS." That is a mistranslation into Greek, and it appears that all of the Greek mss reflect it (all of those in the apparatus to my NA25 do, at least). When I checked the oldest Old Latin that we have, Codex Bobiensis ("k"), I found "Baeati patifici (=pacifici, the peaceful) quoniam ipsi fili di uocabuntur." After that, I checked the Vulgate, and found "beati pacifici quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur." The spelling in "k" is more archaic, but both are correct (though not literal) translations of the Hebrew, as seen in the Shem-Tob Hebrew Matthew. The Greek, on the other hand, is NOT a correct translation.

Now, I don't think "peacemakers" occurs in the Old Testament (I searched two concordances and didn't find it), but it's perfectly possible to say "make peace" in Biblical Hebrew. In fact, Isaiah did it twice in 27:5. But the original Hebrew of the Gospel of Matthew did not say "peacemakers;" it said "peace-pursuers." How do we know that this is true? Read on.

The verses Mt. 5:8-12 are all connected by catchwords. Catchwords are a mnemonic device often connected with the stage of oral transmission. These verses are part of the oldest kernel of the Gospel of Matthew. Mt. 5:9 (peace-pursuers / peacemakers) is connected by catchwords to both the preceding verse and the following three verses by catchwords. Prominent among these catchwords is the verb רדף (Strong's #7291), which in Hebrew means both "to pursue" and "to persecute." If you mistranslate Mt. 5:9, as was done in the Greek manuscripts, you lose the catchword connection to the following three verses. This is, no doubt, why Delitzsch kept the correct Hebrew, as reflected in the Shem-Tob Hebrew Matthew, even though other texts did not share it. He understood its significance.

I am not surprised that Professor Delitzsch was aware of the Shem-Tob Hebrew Matthew. He was a very scholarly man, and was probably aware of many of the translations into Hebrew that had preceded him. When the British and Foreign Bible Society agreed to publish his work, they insisted that he follow the Textus Receptus (Received Text), not even allowing him to base his translation primarily on the Codex Sinaiticus, as he had done in his first (1877) edition. Even so, he allowed "peace-pursuers" to stay, knowing (for the reasons that I've stated above) that the phrase was correct, and that it was strong evidence for the original language of the Gospel of Matthew. On this, he never backed down.

Text © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

vlenidohv / Life (Udugi, en, fr, es, pt)

vlenidohv gesvase gvnilanete doyegi
aqua kayugadine
ale adisadadisdase
aqua gasohiine,
aseno nasgi tla yeliquase alitii
aqua nulinigvgvhi didaniyvdone.

ᎥᎴᏂᏙᎲ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏂᎳᏁᏖ ᏙᏰᎩ
ᎠᏆ ᎧᏳᎦᏗᏁ
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏗᏌᏓᏗᏍᏓᏎ
ᎠᏆ ᎦᏐᎯᎢᏁ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᎾᏍᎩ Ꮭ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎠᎵᏘᎢ
ᎠᏆ ᏄᎵᏂᎬᎬᎯ ᏗᏓᏂᏴᏙᏁ.

Life is knocking my teeth out
and bending my back,
but it cannot escape
my strong embrace.

La vie frappe mes dents
et plie mon dos,
mais elle ne peut pas échapper
ma forte étreinte.

La vida me está sacando los dientes
y dobla mi espalda,
pero no puede escapar
mi fuerte abrazo.

A vida está batendo nos meus dentes
e dobra minhas costas,
mas não pode escapar
meu forte abraço.

Text and image © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

Pointing the text of Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew - Chapter 5

Last night I was preparing to again take up the task of adding the vowel points to Chapter 5 of Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew. First I had to find the blog post where I left off (11/18/2019). I was reminded by that post that there was a verse missing near the end. I had mislabeled it, but the verse missing is 47. This is very interesting, but I had forgotten just how interesting. There are only two other manuscripts of Matthew that omit this verse, and they are among the most ancient. Neither of them would have been available to Shem-Tob ibn Shaprut in fourteenth-century Spain. Both of them belong to the "Western" (Syro-Latin) text type, which is older than the Alexandrian Greek text-type of our "best" manuscripts. This, I think, is extremely significant.

The two manuscripts that Hebrew Matthew agrees with in omitting verse 47 are "k" (Codex Bobiensis) and Sinaiticus Syriacus (Syr-s). These are, respectively, the oldest Old Latin, and the oldest Old Syriac that we have. Bobiensis is a manuscript of the fourth or fifth century, similar to the type of text that Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, used in his writings in the third century. Further, it has been determined on paleographic grounds to be a copy of a second-century papyrus.

Syr-s, the Sinaitic Palimpsest, is a late fourth-century text that was over-written in the the seventh century with a biographical text of no great importance. It was discovered in the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai, in the late nineteenth century. It took all the technology of the late nineteenth century to transcribe and photograph the text. It is one of only two manuscripts of the Old Syriac text type to have survived, and it is the older of the two by about a century. It, too, would have been unavailable to Shem-Tob ibn Shaprut in the fourteenth century.

It is no coincidence that Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew agrees in this instance with the oldest Old Latin and the oldest Old Syriac. It is based on a Hebrew text that is of a type that is older still. All manuscripts of these very ancient text types were suppressed in favor of the Vulgate for Latin and the Peshitta for Syriac, ca. 400 CE, an effort to bring all scriptural texts into harmony with the Greek texts. This was a watershed event, and it served to obscure the Semitic roots of Christianity. It is a miracle that even one copy of Hebrew Matthew survived.

Text © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

Matthew Chapter 3 in Udugi (complete)

ᎠᏯᏙᎸᎢ 3     ayadolvi 3

1  nasgi igadi hawina nvlise tsani didawosgi, alitsadodanete inagei tsudiyi hawina,

2  ale hineganete, agatahvsdu, igvnisisgi galvladi ehi ugvwiyuhi gesvase navnige.

3 hiano gesvase nasgi na gesvise kanegvita aniyelvsgv adelohosgi isaya gvdodi, hineganete, kanegv-unoyvgv nasgi vhnai atloyasdanete inagei hawina, advnvisdodu nvnohine unelanvhi vhnai, gatsinosdigu utseli nvnohidine.

4  ale utloyitsani uhise utseli dinuwone gemili-usdiyegu vhnai, ale ganotsi adatlosdine utseli udatlosdv yvwaduwidv; ale utseli hawiya gesvise vledi ale geyatahi wadulisi.

5  nahiyui anagisdise doyegi nasgi didla tsilusalimi, ale nigadv tsudiyi, ale nigadv utanidigadohi tsodani yvwaduwidv,

6  ale gesvise didawosdita atsvyv gvdodi tsodani hawina, gohiyudodanete unatseli asganidine.

7  aseno hilayvi atsvyai gowatise na ugodidi ani-qualisi ale ani-sadusi nvlise utseli didawosgi didla, atsvyai hinegise nasgidv didla, "yo! nihi inadv uwetsidi! gagouyotsvhise nihine ulatisdi utalawosgvne na nvlose?"

8  ayohisdu gasadoyasdi nasgi-igvnisisgi udatanv-agisdine dinadolagi dewadanvdv nasgihai.

9  ale tla adanvtesgu hinegi nihvsadi hawiniditlv, itsula uha equahamine aquatseli edoda nasgihai: igvnisisgi ayv hinegase nihi-didla, na unelanvhi yeliquase nasgi-hia nvyadi nidvlenvda advhisdodi ayotlidine equahami nasgihai.

10  ale noquu galuyasdi gesvase atlodita unasdetlv nahnai tlugvdi vhnai: nasgi-igvnisisgi nigadv tlugv na tla ayohisdase gasadoyasdi osdv udatanvne gesvase ayelasdita eladi ale wadinvdita atsilv nahnai.

11  ayv udohiyui didawosdase nihine ama gvdodi dewadanvdv nasgihai: aseno atsvyai na nvlase ayvulosonv gesvase nulinigvgvhige sinv ayv, ale alasulodi atsvyai vhnai ayv tla gesvase tsugvwalodiya awidvdi: atsvyai didawosdose nihine galvquodiyu adanvdo ale atsilv gvdodi.

12  utseli atanoyo gesvase utseli uwoyeni hawina, ale atsvyai kaliwohi ganvgalvdose utseli ayatanohine, ale gatlisodose utseli utsaledine utseli ugata-adi nahnai; aseno atsvyai agohvsdose soine nalisquadisgvna atsilv gvdodi.

13  nahiyui nvlase tsisa gelili nidvlenvda tsodani didla, tsani didla, gesvi didawosdita atsvyv gvdodi.

14  aseno tsani unvsdodise nasgine, hineganete, ayv uduladase gesvi didawosdita nihi gvdodi, ale nihi nvlase ayv didla?

15  ale tsisa gawohiliyvdanete hinegise nasgi didla, alisgolvdodu nasgine gesvi hia-iyv noquu: igvnisisgi hia-iyv gesvase dinadolagi na itsula akalisoduse nigadv duyugodvne. nahiyui atsvyai alisgolvdodise nasgine.

16  ale tsisa, hilayvi atsvyai gesvise didawosdita, natlegvquo anagisdise galvladi ama doyegi ale, gvniyuquo, galvloidi gesvise asduidita nasgi didla, ale atsvyai gowatise adanvdone unelanvhi vhnai nvlasanete eladi gule-disgonihi tsilv, ale uweyalvtsanete nasgi nahna.

17  ale gvniyuquo kanev-unoyvgv galvladi nidvlenvda, hineganete, hia gesvase aqua adageyudi uwetsi, nasgi ayv gesvase osi-ayelvsga.

1  ᎾᏍᎩ ᎢᎦᏗ ᎭᏫᎾ ᏅᎵᏎ ᏣᏂ ᏗᏓᏬᏍᎩ, ᎠᎵᏣᏙᏓᏁᏖ ᎢᎾᎨᎢ ᏧᏗᏱ ᎭᏫᎾ,

2  ᎠᎴ ᎯᏁᎦᏁᏖ, ᎠᎦᏔᎲᏍᏚ, ᎢᎬᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎦᎸᎳᏗ ᎡᎯ ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᎥᏂᎨ.

3 ᎯᎠᏃ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎾᏍᎩ Ꮎ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎧᏁᎬᎢᏔ ᎠᏂᏰᎸᏍᎬ ᎠᏕᎶᎰᏍᎩ ᎢᏌᏯ ᎬᏙᏗ, ᎯᏁᎦᏁᏖ, ᎧᏁᎬ-ᎤᏃᏴᎬ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎥᎿᎢ ᎠᏠᏯᏍᏓᏁᏖ ᎢᎾᎨᎢ ᎭᏫᎾ, ᎠᏛᏅᎢᏍᏙᏚ ᏅᏃᎯᏁ ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᎥᎿᎢ, ᎦᏥᏃᏍᏗᎫ ᎤᏤᎵ ᏅᏃᎯᏗᏁ.

4  ᎠᎴ ᎤᏠᏱᏣᏂ ᎤᎯᏎ ᎤᏤᎵ ᏗᏄᏬᏁ ᎨᎻᎵ-ᎤᏍᏗᏰᎫ ᎥᎿᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᎦᏃᏥ ᎠᏓᏠᏍᏗᏁ ᎤᏤᎵ ᎤᏓᏠᏍᏛ ᏴᏩᏚᏫᏛ; ᎠᎴ ᎤᏤᎵ ᎭᏫᏯ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎥᎴᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎨᏯᏔᎯ ᏩᏚᎵᏏ.

5  ᏀᎢᏳᎢ ᎠᎾᎩᏍᏗᏎ ᏙᏰᎩ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᏜ ᏥᎷᏌᎵᎻ, ᎠᎴ ᏂᎦᏛ ᏧᏗᏱ, ᎠᎴ ᏂᎦᏛ ᎤᏔᏂᏗᎦᏙᎯ ᏦᏓᏂ ᏴᏩᏚᏫᏛ,

6  ᎠᎴ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᏗᏓᏬᏍᏗᏔ ᎠᏨᏴ ᎬᏙᏗ ᏦᏓᏂ ᎭᏫᎾ, ᎪᎯᏳᏙᏓᏁᏖ ᎤᎾᏤᎵ ᎠᏍᎦᏂᏗᏁ.

7  ᎠᏎᏃ ᎯᎳᏴᎢ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎪᏩᏘᏎ Ꮎ ᎤᎪᏗᏗ ᎠᏂ-ᏆᎵᏏ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏂ-ᏌᏚᏏ ᏅᎵᏎ ᎤᏤᎵ ᏗᏓᏬᏍᎩ ᏗᏜ, ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᏗᏜ, "Ᏺ! ᏂᎯ ᎢᎾᏛ ᎤᏪᏥᏗ! ᎦᎪᎤᏲᏨᎯᏎ ᏂᎯᏁ ᎤᎳᏘᏍᏗ ᎤᏔᎳᏬᏍᎬᏁ Ꮎ ᏅᎶᏎ?"

8  ᎠᏲᎯᏍᏚ ᎦᏌᏙᏯᏍᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ-ᎢᎬᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎤᏓᏔᏅ-ᎠᎩᏍᏗᏁ ᏗᎾᏙᎳᎩ ᏕᏩᏓᏅᏛ ᎾᏍᎩᎭᎢ.

9  ᎠᎴ Ꮭ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏍᎫ ᎯᏁᎩ ᏂᎲᏌᏗ ᎭᏫᏂᏗᏢ, ᎢᏧᎳ ᎤᎭ ᎡᏆᎭᎻᏁ ᎠᏆᏤᎵ ᎡᏙᏓ ᎾᏍᎩᎭᎢ: ᎢᎬᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎠᏴ ᎯᏁᎦᏎ ᏂᎯ-ᏗᏜ, Ꮎ ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎾᏍᎩ-ᎯᎠ ᏅᏯᏗ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ ᎠᏛᎯᏍᏙᏗ ᎠᏲᏟᏗᏁ ᎡᏆᎭᎻ ᎾᏍᎩᎭᎢ.

10  ᎠᎴ ᏃᏊ ᎦᎷᏯᏍᏗ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏠᏗᏔ ᎤᎾᏍᏕᏢ ᏀᎾᎢ ᏡᎬᏗ ᎥᎿᎢ: ᎾᏍᎩ-ᎢᎬᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᏂᎦᏛ ᏡᎬ Ꮎ Ꮭ ᎠᏲᎯᏍᏓᏎ ᎦᏌᏙᏯᏍᏗ ᎣᏍᏛ ᎤᏓᏔᏅᏁ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏰᎳᏍᏗᏔ ᎡᎳᏗ ᎠᎴ ᏩᏗᏅᏗᏔ ᎠᏥᎸ ᏀᎾᎢ.

11  ᎠᏴ ᎤᏙᎯᏳᎢ ᏗᏓᏬᏍᏓᏎ ᏂᎯᏁ ᎠᎹ ᎬᏙᏗ ᏕᏩᏓᏅᏛ ᎾᏍᎩᎭᎢ: ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ Ꮎ ᏅᎳᏎ ᎠᏴᎤᎶᏐᏅ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏄᎵᏂᎬᎬᎯᎨ ᏏᏅ ᎠᏴ, ᎠᎴ ᎠᎳᏑᎶᏗ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎥᎿᎢ ᎠᏴ Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏧᎬᏩᎶᏗᏯ ᎠᏫᏛᏗ: ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᏗᏓᏬᏍᏙᏎ ᏂᎯᏁ ᎦᎸᏉᏗᏳ ᎠᏓᏅᏙ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏥᎸ ᎬᏙᏗ.

12  ᎤᏤᎵ ᎠᏔᏃᏲ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏤᎵ ᎤᏬᏰᏂ ᎭᏫᎾ, ᎠᎴ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎧᎵᏬᎯ ᎦᏅᎦᎸᏙᏎ ᎤᏤᎵ ᎠᏯᏔᏃᎯᏁ, ᎠᎴ ᎦᏟᏐᏙᏎ ᎤᏤᎵ ᎤᏣᎴᏗᏁ ᎤᏤᎵ ᎤᎦᏔ-ᎠᏗ ᏀᎾᎢ; ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎠᎪᎲᏍᏙᏎ ᏐᎢᏁ ᎾᎵᏍᏆᏗᏍᎬᎾ ᎠᏥᎸ ᎬᏙᏗ.

13  ᏀᎢᏳᎢ ᏅᎳᏎ ᏥᏌ ᎨᎵᎵ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ ᏦᏓᏂ ᏗᏜ, ᏣᏂ ᏗᏜ, ᎨᏒᎢ ᏗᏓᏬᏍᏗᏔ ᎠᏨᏴ ᎬᏙᏗ.

14  ᎠᏎᏃ ᏣᏂ ᎤᏅᏍᏙᏗᏎ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ, ᎯᏁᎦᏁᏖ, ᎠᏴ ᎤᏚᎳᏓᏎ ᎨᏒᎢ ᏗᏓᏬᏍᏗᏔ ᏂᎯ ᎬᏙᏗ, ᎠᎴ ᏂᎯ ᏅᎳᏎ ᎠᏴ ᏗᏜ?

15  ᎠᎴ ᏥᏌ ᎦᏬᎯᎵᏴᏓᏁᏖ ᎯᏁᎩᏎ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᏜ, ᎠᎵᏍᎪᎸᏙᏚ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ ᎨᏒᎢ ᎯᎠ-ᎢᏴ ᏃᏊ: ᎢᎬᏂᏏᏍᎩ ᎯᎠ-ᎢᏴ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏗᎾᏙᎳᎩ Ꮎ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎠᎧᎵᏐᏚᏎ ᏂᎦᏛ ᏚᏳᎪᏛᏁ. ᏀᎢᏳᎢ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎠᎵᏍᎪᎸᏙᏗᏎ ᎾᏍᎩᏁ.

16  ᎠᎴ ᏥᏌ, ᎯᎳᏴᎢ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᏗᏓᏬᏍᏗᏔ, ᎾᏞᎬᏉ ᎠᎾᎩᏍᏗᏎ ᎦᎸᎳᏗ ᎠᎹ ᏙᏰᎩ ᎠᎴ, ᎬᏂᏳᏉ, ᎦᎸᎶᎢᏗ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏗᏔ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏗᏜ, ᎠᎴ ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎪᏩᏘᏎ ᎠᏓᏅᏙᏁ ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᎥᎿᎢ ᏅᎳᏌᏁᏖ ᎡᎳᏗ ᎫᎴ-ᏗᏍᎪᏂᎯ ᏥᎸ, ᎠᎴ ᎤᏪᏯᎸᏣᏁᏖ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏀᎾ.

17  ᎠᎴ ᎬᏂᏳᏉ ᎧᏁᎥ-ᎤᏃᏴᎬ ᎦᎸᎳᏗ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ, ᎯᏁᎦᏁᏖ, ᎯᎠ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏆ ᎠᏓᎨᏳᏗ ᎤᏪᏥ, ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏴ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎣᏏ-ᎠᏰᎸᏍᎦ.

Text and image © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

Tiyóhali / Lizard (Udugi, en, fr, es, pt)

tiyohali agisdase nvdane utseli gasohii nahna,
nahiyui hagatase wudeligvi didla.
atsvyai asvnasdase nigadv ulogilvne,
atsvyai unvtase na agasgv nvlose,
aseno noquu uwolase
nvdahi nvya nahna.

ᏘᏲᎭᎵ ᎠᎩᏍᏓᏎ ᏅᏓᏁ ᎤᏤᎵ ᎦᏐᎯᎢ ᎾᎿ,
ᏀᎢᏳᎢ ᎭᎦᏔᏎ ᏭᏕᎵᎬᎢ ᏗᏜ.
ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎠᏒᎾᏍᏓᏎ ᏂᎦᏛ ᎤᎶᎩᎸᏁ,
ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎤᏅᏔᏎ Ꮎ ᎠᎦᏍᎬ ᏅᎶᏎ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᏃᏊ ᎤᏬᎳᏎ
ᏅᏓᎯ ᏅᏯ ᎾᎿ.

Lizard receives the sun on his back,
while looking to the west.
He feels every cloud,
he knows that rain will come,
but now he sits
on a sunny stone.

Le lézard reçoit le soleil sur son dos,
tout en regardant vers l'ouest.
Il sent chaque nuage,
il sait que la pluie viendra,
mais maintenant il est assis
sur une pierre ensoleillée.

Lagarto recibe el sol en su espalda,
mientras mira hacia el oeste.
Siente cada nube,
él sabe que vendrá la lluvia,
pero ahora está sentado
en una piedra soleada.

Lagarto recebe o sol nas costas,
enquanto olha para o oeste.
Ele sente cada nuvem,
ele sabe que a chuva virá,
mas agora ele está sentado
em uma pedra ensolarada.

Text and image © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

Synoptica XXVI - Mt. 3:11-12 and Hebrew Matthew

We are familiar with these verses (Mt. 3:11-12), about John the Baptist, in the texts of the Greek tradition. Substantial light is thrown on them by a comparison with Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew, which I offer here in George Howard's translation:

11  John answered all of them: Behold I truly baptize you in the days of repentance, but another comes mightier than I, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten. He will baptize you with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

12  His winnowing fork is in his hand to fan his threshing floor and he will gather the grain into his granary and the straw (he will burn with fire which is not quenched).

First of all, the phrase "John answered all of them" is, in the Greek tradition, only found in Luke 3:16, and not in any Greek manuscript of Matthew that we have. According to my Layered Matthew Hypothesis, Luke got it from an earlier edition of Matthew, from which it was later edited out as superfluous. Similarly, the word "Behold" has been edited out of both Matthew and Luke in the Greek tradition, as an unnecessary Semitic artifact. The word "truly" only appears in Hebrew Matthew, and appears to have been replaced by the Greek word "μεν," probably on stylistic grounds, in the other tradition.

The phrase "in the days" is another story. In the days of repentance, בימי, is a copyist's error made in copying from another Hebrew ms. It should be במי, where "water" is in the construct state, which tells us that it belongs in a phrase with something else, in this case "repentance," in "water of repentance," a good description of baptismal water. Note that the only difference between the two words is one Yod, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This is an important clue, though, as it shows us that "repentance" does, indeed, belong in the verse. This is important, because the word "repentance" does not appear in the parallel verse in Mark at all, and shows up only in some "Western" texts of Luke. It is now generally (if grudgingly) admitted that the "Western" (Syro-Latin) textual tradition is older than the Greek textual tradition. Examples of the "Western" text type are not very numerous, because it was suppressed in favor of the Vulgate and Peshitta, which are both harmonized with the Greek textual type.

The Hebrew text clears up another mystery for us: Why is Matthew alone in saying "whose sandals I am not worthy to carry, while Luke has "the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie," and Mark is similar to Luke?" The cause of this is a translation variant when translating Matthew from Hebrew to Greek, specifically the similarity in appearance between the words התיר (unfasten) and הסיע (carry). This, of course, is further evidence that Matthew was originally written in Hebrew, not Greek. Also since Hebrew Matthew includes "thong/lace," we know that "unfasten" is correct, not "carry." The translation error in Greek Matthew was so pervasive, though, that none of the Greek manuscripts have the right verb.

Finally, the last part of Mt. 3:11 agrees verbatim with the parallel in Luke, "he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." This is not surprising, since the following verse also agrees verbatim in Matthew and Luke, This is part of the abundant evidence for literary dependence between Matthew and Luke. They could not have gotten Mt. 3:12 || Lk 3:17 from Mark, who does not even have it. Nor does Mark mention fire. But fire is logically necessary for the contrast with water, so has a good claim to being there originally. But what does "he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" even mean? The difficulty is cleared up by Hebrew Matthew, which says "he will baptize you with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

 

Text © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.

My Nudity Keeps Me Sane (en, fr, es, pt, Udugi)

My nudity keeps me sane.

Ma nudité me garde sain d'esprit.

Mi desnudez me mantiene cuerdo.

Minha nudez me mantém são.

aqua uyelvhetso adasdelvdase aqua osi-udanvtedine.

ᎠᏆ ᎤᏰᎸᎮᏦ ᎠᏓᏍᏕᎸᏓᏎ ᎠᏆ ᎣᏏ-ᎤᏓᏅᏖᏗᏁ.

Text and image © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

85,000 Visits and 600 Stolen Poems

We have now had 85,000 visits to this blog, but this time I am not happy about it. For the last two days someone has been accessing my poems and copying them, so far about 600 of them. I can only assume that they are planning an unauthorized collection. I have not authorized any collection. If someone offers you a collection of my work, do not buy it, but please inform me. Also, do not donate to any fund set up in my name--I have not established such a fund.. If you steal my work, I will sue you.

Nous avons eu 85 000 visites sur ce blog, mais cette fois je n'en suis pas content. Au cours des deux derniers jours, quelqu'un a accédé à mes poèmes et les a copiés, jusqu'à présent environ 600 d'entre eux. Je ne peux que supposer qu'ils prévoient une collecte non autorisée. Je n'ai autorisé aucune collecte. Si quelqu'un vous offre une collection de mon travail, ne l'achetez pas, mais informez-moi. De même, ne faites aucun don à un fonds créé en mon nom - je n'ai pas créé un tel fonds. Si vous volez mon travail, je vous poursuivrai.

Ahora hemos tenido 85,000 visitas a este blog, pero esta vez no estoy contento con eso. Durante los últimos dos días, alguien ha accedido a mis poemas y los ha copiado, hasta ahora unos 600 de ellos. Solo puedo suponer que están planeando una colección no autorizada. No he autorizado ninguna colección. Si alguien le ofrece una colección de mi trabajo, no lo compre, pero infórmeme. Además, no done a ningún fondo establecido a mi nombre. No he establecido dicho fondo. Si me roba mi trabajo, lo demandaré.

Agora tivemos 85.000 visitas a este blog, mas desta vez não estou feliz com isso. Nos últimos dois dias, alguém acessou meus poemas e os copiou, até agora cerca de 600 deles. Só posso supor que eles estejam planejando uma coleção não autorizada. Não autorizei nenhuma coleção. Se alguém lhe oferecer uma coleção do meu trabalho, não compre, mas informe-me. Além disso, não doe para nenhum fundo criado em meu nome - eu não estabeleci esse fundo. Se você roubar meu trabalho, eu o processarei.

Сейчас у нас 85 000 посещений этого блога, но на этот раз я не рад этому. За последние два дня кто-то просматривал мои стихи и копировал их, на данный момент их около 600. Я могу только предположить, что они планируют несанкционированный сбор. Я не разрешил никакой коллекции. Если кто-то предлагает вам коллекцию моих работ, не покупайте ее, но, пожалуйста, сообщите мне. Кроме того, не делайте пожертвований ни одному фонду, созданному на мое имя - я не создал такой фонд. Если вы украдете мою работу, я буду судиться с вами.

Wir haben jetzt 85.000 Besuche in diesem Blog gehabt, aber diesmal bin ich nicht glücklich darüber. In den letzten zwei Tagen hat jemand auf meine Gedichte zugegriffen und sie kopiert, bisher etwa 600 davon. Ich kann nur davon ausgehen, dass sie eine nicht autorisierte Sammlung planen. Ich habe keine Sammlung autorisiert. Wenn Ihnen jemand eine Sammlung meiner Arbeiten anbietet, kaufen Sie sie nicht, aber informieren Sie mich bitte. Spenden Sie auch nicht an einen in meinem Namen eingerichteten Fonds - ich habe keinen solchen Fonds eingerichtet. Wenn Sie meine Arbeit stehlen, werde ich Sie verklagen.

Text and image © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler. All rights reserved.