Donald Traxler's Poetry

Friday, August 16, 2019

There Is No Conflict

There is no conflict
between nature and Scripture.
The latter
assumes the former.

Welcome the Sabbath
with joy.
Shabbat shalom!

Synoptica XVI - More on the "Unexpected Support" for the Layered Matthew Hypothesis

In Synoptica XII (published in this blog on July 22 2019), I discussed the presence of what we would consider to be Lukan material (similar to Luke 3:10-15) in Shem Tob's Hebrew Matthew, at Mt. 3:10. Today, as I prepared to insert vowel points into Chapter 3 of Hebrew Matthew, I realized that there was more to say about this situation than I said in Synoptica XII. We need to look closely at what is present in Luke (parts of which reflect an early version of Matthew, which I call Matthew IIa), and what is present (or absent) in Hebrew Matthew (my Matthew IIb) and in canonical, Greek Matthew (my Matthew III).

Here is George Howard's translation of Mt. 3:10 in Shem Tob's Hebrew Matthew:

(Already the axe has reached the root of the tree; the one which does not produce good fruit will be cut down and burned in the fire. [This part is identical to Luke 3:9, except that Luke adds the word "kai" after "de," and has survived both in canonical Matthew and canonical Luke. It comes at the end of a passage where Matthew and Luke are essentially verbatim identical, which they could not have gotten from Mark. Either Luke got this material from Matthew, or vice versa.] The crowds asked him: if so what shall we do? John answered them: He who has two shirts let him give one to him who has none. So the people came to be baptized.) [This part reads as follows in Luke 3:10-11, NASB translation: And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, "Then what shall we do?" And he would answer and say to them, "Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise." It has not survived in canonical Matthew.] Many asked him: What shall we do? And he answered them: Be anxious for (no) man and do not chastise them, and be pleased with your lot. And all the people were thinking and reckoning in their circumcised heart: John is Jesus. [This part has also not survived in canonical Matthew, but is parallel to canonical Luke, as follows (Luke 3:12-15): And some tax-gatherers also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than what you have been ordered to." And some soldiers were questioning him, saying, "What shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages." Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he might be the Christ . . .

What Hebrew Matthew reveals to us here is quite amazing, and to an extent it is similar to what we saw in the Beatitudes: Both the Baptist and Jesus (Rabbi Yeshua) were preaching a social-justice message that was more practical and more radical than the version that survived in canonical Matthew.

I say let's go back to the earlier versions. After all, Rabbi Yeshua died to get his practical and radical message out, and it is one that could, potentially, save us all. Unfortunately, his message was already being suppressed and socioeconomically bowdlerized in the early centuries of the Church.

This Thing Called Civilization (c'est une arnaque)

This thing called
civilization,
c'est une arnaque,
it's a scam,
es un fraude,
because of a little thing
called hypocrisy.
The hypocrites
would prefer
the end of the world
to changing
their ways.
We must leave them
behind.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

All the Letters

All the letters have come
from the origin,
whether male or female.
This thing called civilization
is a projection
of our desires
and our illusions,
and is neither goal
nor reality.

All efforts are put forth
to maintain the fiction,
a fiction that only works
for some.

Pointed Text of Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew - Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Because many people, including me, find it hard to read unpointed Hebrew, I'm inserting the vowel points into the text of Shem-Tob's Hebrew Matthew. The pointing may not be perfect, but it will be better than nothing. Corrections will be very welcome.

I believe that this text is of sufficient importance to the study of the Synoptic Problem, and to NT studies in general, to warrant this effort. Here is Chapter Two:

וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר נוֹלַד יֵשׁ“וּ בְּבֵית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה בִּימֵי הוֹרוֹדוֹס הַמֶלֶךְ וַהִנֵה חוֹזִים בְכוֹכָבִים בֹאִים מֵמִזְרָח לִיְרוּשָׁלֶם׃ 1

ּלֵאמֹר אַיֵּה מֶלֶךְ הַיְהוּדִים הַנּוֹלָד רָאִינוּ סבבו בַמִזְרָח וּבְמַתָּנוֹת חָשׁוּבוֹת בֹּאו לְהִשְׁתַּחוֹוֹת לוֹ׃ 2

וַשְׁמֹעַ הוֹרוֹדוֹס הַמֶלֶךְ וַיִבָּהֵל וְכָל יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלֶמ עִמּוֹ׃ 3

וַיַּקְבּוּץ כָל גְדוֹלָיו וַיִבְקַּשׁ מֵהֶם אִמ הֵיו יוֹדעים בְאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם נוֹלֵד הַמָשִׁיחַ׃ 4

וַיִעְנוּ אֶלָיו בְבֵית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה כִּכְּתִיב עַל פֵּי הַנָבִיא׃ 5

וְאַתָה בֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה אֶפְרָתָּה אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה הִןֵ אַתָּה צָעִיר בְּאַלֻפֵי יְהוּדָה מִמְךָ לִי יֵצֵא לִהִיוֹת מוֹשֵׁל בְיִשְׂרָאֵל׃ 6

אָז קָרָא הַמֶלֶך הוֹרוֹדוֹס לְקוֹסְמִים בַּסֵתֶר וַיִשׁאֹל מֵהֶם הֵיטֵב זְמַן ראיתייינִרְאָהייי הַכּוֹכָב לַהֶם׃ 7

ֹוַיִשְׁלָחֵם לְבֵּית לֶחֶם וַיֹּאמַר אֶלֵיהֶם לְכוּ וְשָׁאַלוּ הֵיטֵב בְעד הַיָּלֵד וּבְמוֹצאָכֶם אוֹתו הִגִידוּ לִי וְגַם אָנִי אָבֹאָ אֶלָיו לְהִשְׁתַּחַוֹות׃ 8

וַיִשׁמעו אֶל הַמֶלֶךְ וַיִלֵכוּ וְהִנֵּה הַכּוֹכָב אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ בַּמִזְרָח הוֹלָךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם עַד בּוֹאִם אֶל הַמֲקוֹם וְכָאָשֶׁר בֹּאוּ בֵּית לֶחֶם עָמָד נגד הַמָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר שָׁם הַיָלֵד׃ 9

וַיְהִי כָּאֲשֶׁר

רָאו ּאֶת הַכּוֹכָב שָׂמְחוּ שִׂמְחָה גְדוֹלָה עַד מְאֹד׃ 10

וַיָּבֹיאוּ אֶל הַבֵּית וַיִּמְצְאהוּ וְאֶת מִרְ“יָם אִמוֹ וַיִכְּרָעוּ לִפְנֵיוֹ וַיִשְׁתַחֲווּ לוֹ וַיִּפְתְּחוּ אֶת אמתחוֹתֵיהֶם וַיִבִיאוּ אֶלָיו מִנְחֹת זָהָב וּלְבוֹנָה וָמוֹר בלעז מִי“רָא׃ 11

ויְצֻוּוּ בַּחֲלוֹם לְבִלְתִי שׁוּב אֶל הוֹרוֹדוֹס מֵהַמָלאָךְ אָמָר לָהֶם וַיִפְנוּ דֶרֶךְ אַרְצָם בְּדֶרֶךְ אַחֵרָת׃ 12

הֵמָה הוֹלְכִים וְהִנֵה מַלְאַךְ הַ“ם נִרְאָה אֶל יוֹסֵף קוּם וְקַח אֶת הַנַעַר וְאֶת אִמוֹ וּבְרַח לְמִצְרַיִם וְשָׁם תעמוד עַד אֹמְרִי אֵלֶיךָ כִּי הוֹרוֹדוֹס יִבְקש אֶת הַנַעַר לְהָרוֹג׃ 13

וַיִּקַח אֶת הַנַעַר וְאֶת אִמוֹ׃ 14

וַיְהִי שָׁם עַד מֹת הוֹרוֹד“וֹס לְגמור מַה שְׁנִאמֹר עַל פֶּי הַנָבִיא וּמִמִצְרַיִם קָרָאתִי לִבְנִי׃ 15

ֹאַז רְאָה הוֹרוֹדוֹס שְׁרְאָוּ אוֹתוֹ הַקוֹסְמִים וַיִרַע אַלֵיוּ מֵלִיוּ מֶאֹד וְטִתְעָצַב אַל לִבו וַיִצְוָ וַיִּשְׁלַח לְכָּל שרָיו לְהָרוֹג לְכָל הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית לֶחֶם וּגְבוּלֶיהָ הַנוֹלְדִים מִזְמַן אֲשֶׁר אָמְרְוּ לוֹ הַקוֹסְמִים שְׁנוֹלָד הֲנַעַר׃ 16

אַז נִשְׁלַם הַדָּבָר מַה שְׁאָמַר יִרְמְיָה הַנָבִיא׃ 17

קוֹל בְרָמָה נִשְׁמָע נְהִי בְכִי תַמְרוּרִים רָחֵל מְבַכָּה עַל בָּנֶיהָ וְכּוֹ׃ 18

וַיְהִי כֹּאֲשֶׁר מֹת הוֹרוֹד“וֹס הַמֶלֶךְ וּמַלְאַךְ הַ“ם נִרְאָה בַחֲלוֹם אֶל יוֹסֵף בְּמִצְרָיִם׃ 19

לֶאמֹר קוּם קַח אֶת הַנַעַר וְאֶת אִמוֹ וְלֵךְ אֶל אֶ“יִ כִּי מֵתוּ הַמְבַקְשִׁים אֶת הַנַעַר לְהִמֶית׃ 20

וַיָּקָם וַיִקַח אֶת הַנַעַר וְאֶת אִמוֹ וַיָשׁוּבוּ אֶל אֶ“יִ׃ 21

וַיִשְׁמֹע כִּי הוֹרְקָנוֹס שֶׁמוֹ אַרְגִי“לֹאס מָלַכ בִּיְהוּדָה תַּחַת הוֹרוֹדוֹס אָבִיו וַיָרֵא לָלֶכֶת שָׁם וַיִזְרזהוֹ הַמָלְאַךְ בַחֲלוֹֹם וַיִפן אֶל אֶרֶץ הַגִלְגַל׃ 22

וַיָּבֹא וַיִשְׁכוֹן בְּעִיר הַנִקְראָת נְאזֹרֶית לְקִייֵם מַה שׁאָמָר הַנָבִיא נאָזְרִת יִקָרֵא׃ 23

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

There Are Other Realities / ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏐᎢ ᎤᏙᎯᏳᏄᏍᏛᏗ

There are other realities
in the one that we know,
fan-like paths
to different destinies,
where nations come and go.
All have issued
from a single gate,
and all will share
a deservèd fate.

ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏐᎢ ᎤᏙᎯᏳᏄᏍᏛᏗ
ᏌᏊ Ꮎ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎤᏅᏔᏎ ᎭᏫᎾ,
ᎠᏔᏃᏲ-ᎩᏂᏠᏱ ᏅᏃᎯᏗ
ᏄᏓᎴᎿᎥ ᏭᎦᏛᎢᏗ ᏗᏜ
ᎭᏢ ᎠᏰᎵ-ᎤᏗᏢᏒᏗ ᏅᎳ ᎠᎴ ᎠᎾᎩᏍᏗ.
ᏂᎦᏛ ᎠᎿᎩᏍᏗᏱᏎ ᏌᏊ ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏍᏘ ᏂᏛᎴᏅᏓ,
ᎠᎴ ᏂᎦᏛ ᎠᏓᏲᏔᎡᏙᏎ ᎤᎷᏤᎯᏔ ᎢᏳᏓᎵᏍᏓᏁᏗᏁ.

Sixty-five Thousand Visits, and Various Ramblings

As I write this, the poetry blog has received 65,000 total visits since its inception in October 2016. I thank you all for your continued interest and enthusiasm. You have faithfully followed my writings through many twists and turns and changes.

Not the least of those changes was our recent move back to the US from South America. We have, of course, lived in this country before, but not, however, in this part of it. Add to that a little thing called climate change (yes, its effects are already evident in our lives). Your naturist poet is now forced to be even more naturist, wearing no clothes at all most of the time when at home. This will no doubt change during the winter months, but for now the alternative is a painful heat rash in the groin. I avoided this problem in Uruguay by wearing overalls most of the time, with nothing on under them. Florida, though, is far too hot right now to even think about overalls (which I didn't bring with me, anyway.

So, I am learning to live in this new place. In some ways, it is like adapting to another country Some of the changes in this, our country of birth, are definitely not for the better. It is my belief, and my hope, that those will be short-lived.

We are not alone in having to exist in a world that doesn't always share our values. This has probably always been one of the commonest of existential realities. It is now exacerbated by wealth and power differentials, widespread attacks on democracy, xenophobia, racism, and the cluelessness of corrupt "leaders" and governments. I am not referring to just one country--it is a global problem, just as climate change is.

The hard part, it seems to me, is to know when we can afford to make compromises and be silent, and when we can't.

Thanks, again, to all of you. Wadó. ꮹꮩ.