[HPFGU-OTChatter] NT in Hebrew, camels, needles, and riches

[Jen Faulkner]

On Mon, 9 Apr 2001, Amy Z wrote:

> Wotan wrote:
> 
> > Is Aramaic the same as Syriac? (dim and distant memories of school
> RI
> > lessons).
> 
> I'm not sure...and my NT courses shouldn't be that dim and distant,
> given that I graduated from seminary all of one year ago.

Syriac seems to be (according to my dictionary, anyway) a restricted
form of Aramaic: either as a literary language based on an eastern
Aramaic dialect and used in several eastern Christian churches, or as
Aramaic as it was spoken by Christian communities.  No time references
on either of those.  I'd never heard of Syriac before (which is why I
had to go diving into my dictionary)... 

> Anyway, something I have read about this passage is that "the eye of a
> needle" was the term for a very narrow opening in city walls that
> allowed camels to come into the city without going through the huge
> main gates.  I.e., that Jesus didn't mean "it is impossible for a rich
> man to get into heaven" but "it is difficult for a rich man to get
> into heaven."

You know, I think I've also read this explanation before, but I don't
have the energy to try to dig up anything on it.  Looking at the Greek
(Perseus' version), I can't quite see how anyone would interpret it that
way (LSJ definitely doesn't give 'hole in a city wall' as a secondary
meaning for this phrase, though it does quote the passage from Matthew;
that doesn't mean it's not possible, however); the words in question are
'trêmatos rhapidos'.  'Trêmatos' means 'hole' and is used of holes in
voting stones, the holes in a ship through which the oars would go,
holes in the flute, holes in a gate fastening, or a hole sensu obsceno.  
'Rhapidos' means 'of a needle'.  (And I think the text itself supports
the interpretation that this task is an impossible one, since verse 26
says (rough translation, I'm still looking at the Greek here), "And
having looked at them, Jesus said to them, 'With men this thing is
impossible, but with God all things are possible'." (adunaton/dunata))

Anyway...

It's actually warmer outside than it is in my apartment?  I've opened
the windows and my patio doors, and it's still at least 15 degrees
colder in here.  I'm going outside now.

--jen :)

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