blog#20, Jesus... in Mark's Gospel

blog#20, Jesus...in Mark’s Gospel

My Hebrew teacher was a very interesting person whose husband was a professor at the local University. She was a “sabra,” an Israeli Jew, born in Israel. I had hired her to check my Hebrew-English translation skills of the Gospel of Mark, and to correct or further my language progress. In the process, for the first time in her life, she had to read the Gospel of Mark in Hebrew; a text which had been rendered from a Greek copy into Hebrew, by a pastor/teacher scholar, who led an Israeli congregation for 47 years.

As she read the Hebrew Gospel of Mark, she would tell me from time to time: Ron, Jesus is a good person, you need to tell this to my people. My response at the time was: “no, YOU need to tell your people.” All she had ever heard about Jesus, was certain demeaning Jewish traditions which had reached her ears. She was impressed by the Hebrew Gospel of Mark.

Another thing she told me, which I have recalled is; truth has layers, like an onion, which must be peeled off, to uncover and expose its reality. Best I can recall, we also talked about the archaeologist, who must carefully peel back the layers of soil to reach the object of discovery.

We had agreed that her knowledge of Hebrew language, customs, traditions, and all she had learned in her native Israeli upbringing, was very helpful in reading the Gospel of Mark. I would say as she made discussion points; you should be teaching this. Her reply was; Of course, Ron, it’s my language. I knew quite well later what I had only suspected in earlier times, that an educated Jewish mind, like hers, would understand earliest teachings given by Jesus.

A Hebrew translation version of the Greek Gospel of Mark, in the Mark 1:1 location reads: “tchilat besorat Yeshua hamashiach [ben Elokim].” A usual English rendering might be; “A beginning of the good news of Yeshua the anointed, [God’s son].” The notion that behind our Greek Gospel accounts, lies a Hebrew language, Hebrew culture, and Hebrew people, is quite provable. So, when the Greek words are placed back into Hebrew, its quite easy to see there is much information to be gained from Hebrew culture that is totally lost or missing in Greek logia.

It’s also rapidly noticed that nearly every person mentioned in the Gospel’s had a Hebrew name. Wow! That’s also true regarding “Jesus.”

In spite of the Anglicized form, which has been so widely published in Western markets, we can quickly notice that the word “Jesus,” has a Hebrew origin, and its non Anglicized form is simply “Yeshua.” The Greek form was Eeaysooce, as noted in the Greek manuscript copies; “Arche tou euangeliou Eeaysoo christou (huiou theou).” But, it arrived to us in English, via transliteration, translations, and because of language shifts, as “Jesus” [Geez-uhs).

One Christian scholar called that development, and its continuation, “euphemistic profanity.” The foundations of faith are not only based on faith itself, but should also be founded upon accurate knowledge. And, all that is placed upon the foundation of faith, should continue to be biblically provable by manuscript evidences, as the truth is “rightly divided.”

As my teacher read my English translation version, made from the Hebrew, she stopped to exclaim after the first verse: "O Ron you know, don’t you?" I said: "know what"? She replied: "You know that Jesus’ name was Yeshua". My response was: "I only rendered the Hebrew letters of the text accurately into Yeshua, instead of Jesus." She grinned and said: “We Jews have always known”. I was happy to know that she didn’t think I was another silly uneducated person.

Situations like those, made me more determined than ever that I would peel back everything needful to get to the core of truth. More examples follow.

In our Greek copies of Mark 1:1, where Jesus is called “christ,” the simple reading might indicate that Jesus last name is “Christ.” But, its not so in the Jewish setting. By translating from Greek back to Hebrew, the term ‘hamashiach” appears. Jews knew about mashiach (messiah), But the Greek term christ was not significant among Jews. Thus, the “christ” term is not traceable back to Hebrew culture and language, and because it’s a Greek word, appears to be a foreign introduction to Hebraic thought. Jews expected a “messiah,” but it’s extremely improbable, that Orthodox Jews in the first century had an expectation of a Christ, rather they were aware of a “mashiach” (anointed one) to come. They still today expect a “mashiach” (messiah).

In our Christian Bible, Jesus was given only the name “Yeshua”, as a birth name. Careful reading of Matthew 1:21, explains in angelic words to Yosef (Joseph): she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name “Jesus” [Yeshua]. The term “Christ” is not written there. In obedience to the angelic command, Joseph called the child’s name “Jesus” [Yeshua] (Matthew 1:25).

Hebrew readers and scholars are able to trace the term “yeshua” to a noun in Exodus 15:2 (K.J.V.), where it was written that “the Lord has become my salvation” (yeshuah).

Luke 1:21, confirms again, the one word phrase about the Hebraic name for Jesus. His last name was not “Christ.” Paul also understood the one name that Jesus was given. Read Philippians 2:9-10, which was written: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus [Yeshua] every knee should bow,” ... Christian Bible evidence is precise: God gave the boy the name Yeshua.

Although, some knew the boys name, and somewhat of his role in history from the start, and some prophecies and revelations were shared before hand, it was a process of time and unfolding events, that caused many to think that he was “hamashiach” (the messiah). After time passed, the descriptive term, the Christ, was added to describe the views of his followers about him. But “Christ” was never part of his birth name. The language of conveyance was Greek, so the term christ stuck, though the original concept of anointing was not Grecian.

Further, the English word “gospel,” which we know, and as relates to the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, is not what is implied in Mark 1:1 (beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ). In Hebrew thought and language, the term used in the prophet Isaiah is “besorah,” and relates to a “message;” news, either good or bad (besorah/besorat). At first, in the beginning, Jesus’ besorah, his message, his gospel, was about the Kingdom of Heaven/God.

The gospel which was at first preached by Jesus and his apostles was good news about the Kingdom of Heaven. It also involved healing, miracles, and signs and wonders, which all enforced the theme, that the Kingdom of heaven was “at hand.” He also sent his disciples to preach that gospel (Luke 9:6), before they even knew of his coming death, burial and resurrection.

Mark’s gospel (good news), was the spreading of the besorah (message) began by Jesus in the earliest form. He takes the reader in Mark 1:2-3, to the words of Isaiah the prophet, and the writings of Malachi, combining them for emphasis of Hebrew prophetic fulfillment (compare Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3). In Mark 1:4, he asserts that John the Baptizer fulfills the role of forerunner for Jesus. In Mark’s gospel, John was part of the “beginning” of the gospel of Jesus.

The reason being, that John the Baptizer’s first sermons, were about the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven with warnings to repent (Matthew 3:2). Evidence abounds in Mark 1:5, that all these events transpired in the land of Judea, among people of Jerusalem, and at the Jordan River, as many repentant ones confessed sins and immersed themselves because of John’s announcements.

This brings us to another interesting point about “John.” His Hebrew name was Yochanan, which means grace of Yehovah. The Hebrew term is Yochanan hamatbil, and implies that John was the one who caused [people] to dip, immerse, baptize themselves because of repentance.

With all these Hebraic names, theological themes, and traditions, how could anyone even begin to think that the gospel stories originated in Greek culture or literature?

Various scholars have opined and stated in times past, that the Greek Gospels are a result of every mans effort to spread a Hebraic life story about Jesus, into languages among the people of many nations. Other comments were made by the likes of early church fathers, among whom were Papias, Irenaeus, Eusebius, Epiphanius, and Jerome. Each of them alludes to a Hebrew Gospel origin. It probably wasn’t until the middle ages, when an erring theory developed that Hebrew meant “Aramaic.”

The first 8 verses of Mark chapter one, are powerful and rapidly moving in sequence, as the author outlines some detail about a prophet, whom he considered the forerunner, and messenger of God with good news. The eighth verse ends with the amazing prophecy that another one is coming after that one. One who is greater than he, and one before whom he is unworthy to bow and untie the thong of his sandal (ayneneni raooey likhroa berekh l’fanav ool’hatir et s’rokh n’alav). Then, the amazing words: “I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Who could this possibly be, before whom a fearless outspoken preacher, would feel so unworthy, as to bend and untie the thong of his sandals? Who was this coming one, that could inundate a soul with the Holy Spirit?