The Pope "Changing" the L-rd's Prayer

Some Christians and Hebrew Roots people are up in arms over the idea the Pope wants to "change" the L-rd's Prayer.  A prayer that is prayed by Catholics, Christians, Hebrew Roots people, Messianics and those within Lapid Judaism.  

This is a prayer that is held sacred by billions of people around the world who believe in Yeshua as the Messiah.  When I recently heard this, I was first of all a little shocked when I heard he was advocating for it to be "changed".  Many heard this and didn't look at the reasons for this change.  The change in which the Pope is advocating has nothing to do with base text but with Aramaic Primacy.  Now, with the Pope's change, I can say he actually got it partly right as sourced in this short Fox News segment seen below: 

---

So I decided to look at the Aramaic of the Khabouris codex to see if there is merit to the Pope's claims.  Here is the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic: 

NOTE: The Khabouris Codex was written in Estrangela Aramaic font but my website only allows Serta Aramaic font. So the text below is in Serta Aramaic

ܗܟܢܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܨܠܘ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܐܒܘܢ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܢܬܩܕܫ ܫܡܟ
ܬܐܬܐ ܡܠܟܘܬܟ ܢܗܘܐ ܨܒܝܢܟ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܒܫܡܝܐ ܐܦ ܒܐܪܥܐ
ܗܒܠܢ ܠܚܡܐ ܕܣܘܢܩܢܢ ܝܘܡܢܐ
ܘܫܒܘܩ ܠܢ ܚܘܒܝܢ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐܦ ܚܢܢ ܫܒܩܢ ܠܚܝܒܝܢ
ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ ܐܠܐ ܦܨܢ ܡܢ ܒܝܫܐ ܡܛܠ ܕܕܝܠܟ ܗܝ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܘܚܝܠܐ ܘܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܠܥܠܡ ܥܠܡܝܢ

Now with this we are gonna look at verse 13 which states ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ (or w'la ta'lan l'nesyuna) and that is what we are gonna focus on first.  

W'la Ta'lan L'Nesyuna (ܘܠܐ ܬܥܠܢ ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ)

This phrase in question is from Matthew 6:13, which most Bibles render "Lead us not into Temptation" 

ܘܠܐ (w'la) means "right, proper, nor, or not"
ܬܥܠ (ta'lan): means: "enter or bring"
ܠܢܣܝܘܢܐ (l'nesyuna) means "trial, testing, tribulation, or temptation"

I have been looking at several translations from the Aramaic as well to see how translators have rendered this passage in terms of these three words as well, because with the various options of translation, I would personally render it as: 

​"And Let us not enter into tribulation..."
(Matthew 6:13a) 

The reason I would render it as such is for the same reasons mentioned in the video above, G-d does not bring us into "temptation" but we do make a choice to "enter" if the word "bring' is used then I believe it should be "let us not bring ourselves into temptation".  Because with the options given, a G-d is not going to "bring" someone into "temptation", he will however bring them into tribulation or trial or testing for a reason of refinement.  But there seems to be a willingness of the participant by their yetzer hara in this verse that we are to kill daily.  I can understand the concept of "lead" being used a synonym for "bring" during the times of the KJV using an idiomatic expression during the 17th century worldview in England.  So the phrase "bring us into temptation" has a different understanding a quarter of the way around the world 500 years ago than it does today in the European world and also in the United States.  Here is how other translators from the Khabouris Codex have rendered this phrase: 

And don’t bring us to nesyuna {testing}...
(The Aramaic Scriptures)

And not bring us into trial...
(The Aramaic English New Testament) 

I believe both of these are "better" translations.  But they still present a problem, let me explain.  Both use the same language except for "trial and tribulation" as opposed to "temptation".  Let me explain: 

​The Zohar in Bechukotai 114 states: "How beloved are the children of Israel before the Holy One, blessed be He!  He desires to reprove them and to lead them to the straight path, like a loving father who wields a rod in hand in order to lead the son on the straight path, so that the son shall not stray to the right or the left, as it is written (in Proverbs 3:12) 'Hashem reproves those that He loves, and like a father, mollifies the child."

Now the sages also say in tractate Arachin 16b that if a person has 40 consecutive days free of tribulation, he or she forfeits their share in the world to come.  Tractate Kiddushin 40b says that the righteous receive tribulations in order to merit a lofty place in the world to come.  

James 1:2 says: "Consider it all simcha (joy), my achim b'Moshiach (brothers in Messiah), whenever you fall into various nisyonos (tests trials)." 

In Conclusion

The translation process is not an easy one, not only does one have to know the language, but they must also know the world view within the community it was written during the times it was written in to understand how to render it properly 2,000 years later to readers on the other side of the world.  This is a tremendous challenge.  Not translation is perfect but translators do they best they can based upon their own words view and their own education and their own inherent biases which we all have, whether we wish to acknowledge it or not.  Personally, even though I am a Lapid Jew and definitely not a Catholic, I have to give credit to where credit is due.  Not only do I agree mostly with the Pope's rendering here, but also I am glad that a light is being shown on the Semitic language of Aramaic and a discussion is reemerging on Aramaic Primacy.  

Want to Learn the Semitic Languages?

For those who do not know, there is an amazing website called the Hebrew And Aramaic Learning Institute.  Within the website there are over 200 video on-demand teachings that help you go step by step through Hebrew in both D'fus and K'tav script and Aramaic through the Ashuri, Serta, Estrangela and Swadaya scripts.  All three instructors (including myself) teach not only the sounds of letters but as the nikud (punctuation and vowel markings) of the languages as well as the history of the languages and we offer a variety of exercises and midrashim with the languages as well.  Not only are there over 200 video teachings but over 100 PDF documents that go along with  each respected lesson to help you along the way as well.  

The Hebrew And Aramaic Learning Institute was set up so you can learn at your own pace as opposed to having to be in a classroom at a certain time.  You can also jump around to the lessons you wish whenever you wish, full reign is given to you there. 

The cost is only $15 per month or $40 every 3 months.  The choice is yours and you can cancel at anytime.  

Sign Up by Clicking Here