Would you believe that when it comes to the bible, that much of what we’ve read and are familiar with has been translated from Greek and Hebrew, even if the 3 major languages most used in bible inquiry and translation included Aramaic.
Aramaic is an ancient near eastern language used by the authors of the bible, but somehow, is not known around the world. How is it possible that 4000 years of antiquity has somehow been missed or overlooked? Translation from one language to another is often complex. Nuances and Idiomatic expressions are often either not translatable from one language to another or because they are taken literally and have been mistranslated.
While It’s Rainmaking Time! has covered so many ancient books and practices with so many wonderful authors and theologians, we have never covered The Entire Aramaic Bible. It’s with great excitement to have the opportunity to introduce you to the works of Dr. George Lamsa and his protege of 10 years, Dr. Rocco Errico. Not only is their relationship that of a Rabbi & his Dedicated Protege a thrilling and empowering story, but one where they have unearthed a large treasure of keys and correct translations of the most ancient biblical writings.
Dr. Lamsa has translated The Aramaic Bible and has written so many books for everyone living today and in the future. He dedicated his life to bringing this seemingly missed original translation direct from Aramaic. Dr. Rocco Errico brings us rich history, ancient near eastern context and keys to embracing the meanings of what was written and meant then.
Dr. Errico is the author of:
- Let There Be Light, The Seven Keys
- Aramaic Light on The Beatitudes
- Setting a trap for God, The Aramaic Prayer of Jesus
- Aramaic Light on the Acts of The Apostles
- Aramaic Light on the Gospel of John
He has written so many more books. He has also co-written, along with Dr. George Lamsa, of 3 Aramaic Light biblical commentaries (seven on the New Testament and six on the Old Testament).
For those of you who may be interested in exploring the Aramaic Near Eastern translations of the bible, in diving deeper and broadening your understanding of what was actually written and meant in that culture and language of the world; this will be a most rare occasion. Join us for this divine appointment with Dr. Rocco Errico.
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The following comments are about the well-done interview with Rocco ErrIco:
1. Regarding Aramaic: In the quantum field, Hebrew is uniquely multi-dimensional. It is the only Divinely inspired language whose original letters (paleo-Hebrew) will vibrationally form into their exact shape when spoken clearly and precisely. Aramaic was a local dialect in the region in ancient times, and Abraham spoke a local dialect before being called out by God to become a nation solely separated unto God through an eternally binding Blood Covenant that would result in YHWH being their God, and Abraham’s descendants being His People.
As Abraham’s family grew into nationhood over 400-plus years to the time of Moses, they became the People of the Covenant — a unique and blessed nation unlike any other nation in the earth. Their Covenant rules separated them from all other nations, by faith, culture and marriage, isolating them as a people God picked for Himself to preserve a pure Bloodline through which He would eventually bring forth His Son who would redeem the Adamic race from its tyranny by satan, thus opening the Covenant up to anyone who would believe in their redemption through the Messiah’s Blood and choose to accept its terms (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Their language reflected for the spiritual dimensions of their God-relationship, and was used by God Himself when He carved the 10 Commandments in stone tablets twice for Moses, and also as we see through the Bible Codes. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel spoke Hebrew.
Because Israel violated the Covenant, they were conquered by nations who outlawed Hebrew forcing them to publicly speak other languages, including Aramaic, proving there was a difference between the two languages. However, Luke 23:38 and John 19:20 state that the sign above the cross on which Jesus was crucified was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. If it was Aramaic, the Gospels would have stated that directly and not as a footnote in the Peshitta.
During the Babylonian Exile, the paleo-Hebrew letters were replaced with a more scripted version, but the language remained the same, and was restored when Cyrus ordered the Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem. Hebrew has always remained the Holy language of the Priesthood, Torah and Prophetic writings and was miraculously resurrected as their national language when Israel became a nation again in 1948, fulfilling prophecy. We have Dead Sea Scrolls to prove the accuracy of the transcribing of the ancient Hebrew scrolls which were done with the greatest of care and respect as the scribes were copying Holy Writings. While the New Testament Gospels may have originally been written in Aramaic, the Letters by Paul to the Churches would have been written in the tongues of the recipients: Greek to the Corinthians, Ephesians, etc., Latin to the Romans, and Hebrew to the Hebrews religious leaders. Therefore, as Aramaic may have been an original language of some of the books in the Bible, it certainly wasn’t for all, and does not appear to capture the spiritual dimensions as other translations from Greek and Hebrew do. When in doubt, always refer to the Bible’s Author Whose Spirit lives in those of us who believe in God and have chosen to partner in His Covenant through Jesus’ Blood.
2. Regarding tithes and offerings: This goes back to the Garden of Eden when Cain slew his brother Abel because Abel’s offering to God was more acceptable. When Abraham met Melchisedec (a king-priest predating the Levitical Priesthood) after a great victory, he gave him “tithes of all” (Genesis 14:18-20 and Hebrews 7:1-17). Understanding Covenant and the ways the Kingdom of God operates, reveals that by giving God the tithe (the tenth), it puts the other 90% under His Covenant and thus gives Him jurisdiction to bless it. According to Hebrews 6:20, Jesus was made a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. That means He should be receiving our tithes today in order for us to reap the same Covenant blessings that Abraham did.
3. Regarding Satan or Lucifer: He is a very real entity with a kingdom patterned after God’s to rule earth and subjugate mankind. When God created Adam (God called Eve Adam too – Genesis 5:1-2)), he gave them authority over everything in the earth, but satan deceived Adam who then by disobedience turned that authority over to him (Luke 4:5-7). God purchased it back through Jesus’ Blood, and now the Church has the same authority Adam had before the Fall (Matthew 28:18-20). It is up to us to use it and cast satan out. We have fallen far short of God’s Will for us, not understanding how Blood Covenants work, nor our Covenant with God and our identity therein (Ephesians 2:12). We have allowed the masterful deceiver satan to keep us caught up in bickering over theologies and opinions rather than asking the Holy Spirit within us (who is our Teacher and Guide to “lead and guide us into all Truth” — John 14:17and 26; 16:13-15) to instruct us. But Satan has always been out to control and destroy God’s Adamic race as he tried before the Flood to hybridize mankind through interbreeding with fallen angels – today he is doing it with gene splicing, replacing the God resonance with that of serpent DNA and AI nanoimplants. When one believes satan is just a mental issue and not a real being, one plays right into his masquerade. I have been involved in deliverance ministry for years and have seen the manifestations of these satanic entities when they take over people’s souls and bodies. They are vile and vicious and certainly not imaginary. We have been given authority to bind and loose them and cast them out of people. But watered-down theology blended with psychology has made the church weak and ineffective, while power and fame-hungry people make covenants with satan allowing him to possess their souls and bodies to bring all kinds of evil into the world. We as the glorious Church are the only ones with the delegated authority and power to stop this, What are we doing with what Jesus gave us? (Matther 28:18-20)
4. Endorsing Good Teaching: As a student of the Bible for decades, and always asking it’s Author to explain passages I don’t understand, the Holy Spirit either gives me direct revelation or sends me teachers to answer my questions. One of the greatest teachers I have learned from is Rick Renner (RennerMinisties.org) who is an expert in breaking down the full and complete meanings of verses in the New Testament especially. He has some of the most amazing insights on Noah’s Ark and on the Christmas story which let us see how detailed God is in fulfilling prophecies. Theological explanations have tuned out the voice of Holy Spirit, but Rick has restored revelation knowledge to us with insights into God’s Word that will astound you and take your faith to a whole new level.
5. Regarding Faith: Hebrews 11:1 states that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. In the quantum field it is a creative force and substance. It is more than trusting. It is understanding and applying the power of our words (Job 22:28 and Proverbs 18:21), the power of our Covenant, and the power of Agreement, especially with God’s Word (Matthew 18:19) so we are absolutely confident that what we ask of God or decree according to His Will or Covenant with us, He grants us (1 John 5:14-15). Therefore it behooves us to know His Covenant and become People of His Covenant through the Blood of Jesus.
Only then will we become part of His family and citizens of His Kingdom operating by new rules and principles with and under His authority so that we can fulfill Mark 16:15-18 and John 14:12.
A response to the comment on May 19, 2024
Regarding Aramaic: In the quantum field, the English translation from the Aramaic P’sheetta texts and manuscripts by Dr. George M. Lamsa received the highest energy vibrational rating ever given to a translation of Holy Scriptures. Jesus of Nazareth, as a child learned to speak in the northern Galilean dialect of Aramaic. In the state of Judea the people spoke in the southern dialect of Aramaic. Jesus taught, healed and prayed in this language. Also, the early Jesus’ movement spread in the Aramaic tongue into Syria, throughout the well known and famous silk road, and clear into China.
Aramaic was the language of Semitic peoples throughout the ancient Near East. It was the language of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Hebrews and Syrians. Abraham’s father took his family and left Ur of Chaldea (Southern Iraq) and settled in Haran. Aram and Israel had a common ancestry and the Hebrew patriarchs who were of Aramaic origin maintained ties of marriage with the tribes of Aram. The Hebrew patriarchs preserved their Aramaic names and spoke in Aramaic.
Use of the Aramaic language had become common by the period of the Chaldean Empire. It became the official language of the Imperial government in Mesopotamia and enjoyed general use until the spread of Greek. Although Greek had spread throughout these Eastern lands, Aramaic remained dominant and the lingua franca of Semitic peoples. Interestingly, the paleo-Hebrew letters were replaced with Aramaic square letters. Some scholars referred to these letters as Ashuri. Ashur was the god of the Assyrians.
Before concluding this extremely brief history of Aramaic, one more vital aspect of the Aramaic tongue needs to be mentioned. And that is, its use as the major Semitic tongue for the birth and spread of spiritual and intellectual ideas in and all over the Near East. According to the research of Professor Franz Rosenthal, a noted Aramaic and Arabic scholar, wrote in the Journal of Near Eastern studies: “In my view, the history of Aramaic represents the purest triumph of the human spirit as embodied in language (which is the mind’s most direct form of physical expression) over the crude display of material power . . . Great empires were conquered by the Aramaic language and when they disappeared and were submerged in the flow of history, that language persisted and continued to live a life of its own. . . The language continued to be powerfully active in the promulgation of spiritual matters. It was the main instrument for the formulation of religious ideas in the Near East, which then spread in all directions all over the world. . . The mono-theistic groups continue to live on today with a religious heritage, much of which found first expression in Aramaic.” ( The Journal of Near Eastern Studies, “Aramaic Studies During the Past thirty Years,” pp 81-82)
Regarding Satan or Lucifer: There is no supernatural being called Lucifer. This derives from a misunderstanding of the prophecy of Isaiah who used Semitic metaphoric terms of speech. In Isa. 14:4-14. The prophet is told by God “to take up this proverb against the king of Babylon and say, How has the ruler ceased! etc” but in verse 12 the prophet says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” The King’s great and lofty self- exaltation is mocked by Isaiah. He is not a shining One (bright star-the Latin term Lucifer) He will lose his power and brightness and fall to the ground. In Near Eastern Semitic jargon stars falling from heaven means high officials or potentates will lose their high office and positions.
The term Satan refers to any person, idea, thought or action that accuses, misleads, or condemns blocking a true purpose or goal. For instance, Jesus was telling his disciples that he would suffer a great deal from the elders, high priests, scribes and be killed in Jerusalem So Peter took him aside and corrected his master teacher by saying “Far be it from you, my Lord that this should happen to you” But Jesus turned and rebuked Peter by saying “Get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block to me; for you are not thinking of the things of God but of men” Jesus did not believe that Peter was Satan but Peter’s thoughts were misleading and would detour Jesus from his destiny. Satan is a Semitic style of speaking referring to a incorrect and false way of thinking.
The same with Jesus during his time in the wilderness when he fasted for forty days and nights. Satan coming to him and suggesting certain things to do to prove that he was the Messiah was misleading. The temptations were his own thoughts. He went into the wilderness to test himself. So he had to think through certain ways the Messiah was to be represented.
Satan is not a being but erroneous, dangerous and wicked ways of thinking and acting. Satan has no kingdom. Men have kingdoms and Jesus was tempted to play ball with the often misleading ways of men. Jesus determined from his heart that he would serve God only. And that is the meaning to Luke 4:5-7.To open all the various scriptures on the use of the term Satan would require pages and pages to understand all the passages on the devil and unclean spirits. Again, like with the Aramaic language, this is just a very brief explanation about “old nick.” Just know it is the way we have interpreted our Western version of Satan and have misunderstood Semitic terms of speech. Jesus casting out devils is a way of saying “healing mental and emotional illnesses”. God bless us all so that we may live in health, peace and harmony together.
Just my own thoughts on the matter of precision when it comes to interpretation – While Abraham spoke Aramaic, the earliest alphabet and the Old Testament were not written in that particular text. Proto-Sinaitic is recognized as the first alphabet, and through Phoenicia, it became the ancestor of scripts like Aramaic and Greek. The Proto-Sinaitic script shares letter shapes with Egyptian hieroglyphics, highlighting its connection to its Hebrew origin rather than Aramaic. Most of the Torah and Tanakh were originally written in Hebrew, with Aramaic appearing mainly in the book of Daniel during the exile. Although the language of ancient Israel branched from the Aramaic language, the first alphabet has Hebrew roots, emerging from Egypt, spreading to Canaan, Phoenicia (through trade by King Solomon) and the rest of the world. The Old Testament (Tanakh) is primarily Hebrew (in its original form), while the New Testament (in my opinion) was likely written in Aramaic first, which explains Dr. Lamsa’s gravitation toward it. However, the Hebrew versions of the Tanakh found in the Dead Sea Scrolls may offer a greater interpretation than Peshitta for old testament.
I appreciate the doctor’s insights on idiomatic expressions, particularly the considerable misstep in treating them as rigid doctrine. I now enjoy imagining modern idioms that I wish had become doctrine, particularly ones with elephants in rooms and cats being released from bags.
I have one primary concern, which was articulated at the end of the interview. To accept Lamsa’s interpretation, I would have to reject certain teachings of Paul and the witness of Yeshua as conveyed by His followers (more specifically Matthew, John and presumably the other 10). In effect, this would require me to believe that Lamsa got it right 2,000 years later. This implies that the 12 followers, who spent 3 years with Yeshua, were misguided in their understanding due to their Hebrew tradition of blood sacrifice. Whereas Lamsa who spent 0 years with Yeshua got it right. Moreover, it would mean rejecting Yeshua’s own teachings, which addressed temple practices, including blood sacrifices. In effect Lamsa’s interpretation renders the Bible an amplified, over-embellished and exxagerated telling of events, riddled with idiomatic expressions and hyperbole, striving to distinguish itself among story tellers in the East. Yet, despite these glaring pitfalls, it remains a masterclass in spirituality.
Allow me to propose a nuanced interpretation: perhaps the Hebrew worldview offers the most authentic lens through which to understand that epoch. Indeed, the Old Testament is replete with blood, a visceral testament to the human condition. Yet, we must not overlook the fervent passion with which the authors of the New Testament inscribed their words; they wrote not merely with ink but with the very essence of their lives, dying in the conviction of what they witnessed. These are not mere texts, but profound testimonies of souls who surrendered their lives for what they believed to be the ultimate truth, compelled by an inner certainty that transcends the mundane. In this light, we glimpse the depth of their commitment to the written word and the weight of their experiences.
Old Testament is hard. I get it. OT presents itself as a labyrinthine text, alot of mentioned genocide and the stark echoes of the Book of Judges, where harsh lessons are learned, leaving one unsettled. In contrast, the New Testament unfolds like a gentle breeze, filled with warmth and love, inviting the weary soul to rest. Regardless there’s much to learn from Old Testament, with its strange and awe-inspiring events, reveals a God who manifests as a pillar of fire, but also has human-like attributes with the ground beneath His feet glistening in a beautiful sapphire blue. Here, God speaks, weaving worlds with mere words, conjuring reality with a breath. Yet, remarkably, there are but 3 instances in which the divine chooses to employ His hands: to shape the first man from clay, to grapple with Jacob under a star-studded sky, and to inscribe the 10 Commandments upon stone—a testament to His will. Each act, laden with meaning, whispers of creation, struggle, and law, echoing through the ages.
Here is something I learned recently; some cultural context that is lost in our present day. Did you know that shepherds don’t normally watch their flock at night? In fact if you ask a real shepherd of the Middle East when shepherds watch their flock at night they would know exactly the time of year because it is only during the lambing season. Unlike humans, sheep only give birth at a specific time of year. In Bethlehem I believe it is between March and April.
The implications of this timing are profound, for it suggests that the nativity of Christ coincided with the lambing season, thereby situating His birth within a framework rich in symbolic meaning. Moreover, the significance of His crucifixion, which occurred during Passover—a festival intimately associated with the sacrificial lamb—further intertwines His life with themes of sacrifice and redemption. His death by crucifixion aligns with the evening sacrifice of the lamb, reinforcing the theological weight of these events.
This was no ordinary man. His existence was imbued with a divine essence, one that resonates with the prophetic echoes found throughout the Old Testament.
When Yeshua hung upon the cross, the weight of the world pressing upon Him, His voice pierced the silence with the anguished cry, “Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani.” Yet, Lamsa’s interpretation misses the mark here. For here, Yeshua echoes Psalm 22, a prophetic Psalm of David foreshadowing messiahs death by crucifixion, long before the cruel art of crucifixion had become widely practiced. In this lament, the very essence of the Messiah’s death is foreshadowed—a divine prelude to His suffering. To overlook this connection is to wander in a barren land, missing the rich veins of prophetic treasure buried deep within the text, a loss as profound as the silence that follows His cry.
This reflection leads us back to the very beginning, to a moment often overlooked—another rare instance when God employed His hands. This time God used His hands to take the life of a lamb in the garden of Eden. Genesis recounts this act immediately following the fall of man, yet it frequently eludes our contemplation. Did God indeed orchestrate the first blood sacrifice? According to Moses, the answer is a resounding yes. This act stands as a pivotal event, reverberating through the corridors of time, a poignant foreshadowing of Yeshua’s ultimate sacrifice. In this singular moment, we discern a profound connection, a thread that binds the past to the future, echoing the themes of sacrifice and redemption.
This interpretation invites deeper reflection on the interconnectedness of time, tradition, and transcendence in the understanding of Gods role in the broader scope of human experience.