耶穌所用的語言在球場成為主角[轉]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6074571.ece
估計過不久就會有譯文了.
大體的意思就是說, 在以色列北部生活著馬龍派基督徒. 他們的母語叫亞蘭語或阿拉美語, 這種語言被認為是耶穌所說的語言. 一個世紀以前, 這種語言還是這些基督徒生活圈裡的日常用語, 由於以色列教育部門用希伯來語和阿拉伯語來取代亞蘭語做為教育用語, 如今僅有不到5%的人自認能流利的使用它. 現在有一個基督徒開始了復興這種語言的計畫, 他選擇在他兄弟所辦的教會學校裡面教孩子說這種語言. 這個計畫已開始三個月, 並招收到百來名學生, 這兩個兄弟希望在聖誕節的時候, 這個復興計畫能夠延伸到大多數以色列境內的馬龍派社區.

Language of Jesus stars on football field

In a small church north of Nazareth a group of children are reinventing the spoken tongue of Jesus Christ.

“Hallelujah, blessed be the Lord,” yells out one boy, 7, in Aramaic, in a manner that would not disgrace a rap artist. Near by a girl clutching a pink bag copies down the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic script, dotting her lines with tiny hearts.

Scholars believe that Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount on the rolling hills surrounding this church. Two thousand years later these students are the newest members of the Christian Maronite community who have decided to reinstate Aramaic as their daily spoken language.

Maronites study the language to understand religious texts but in the village of Jish Aramaic is returning as the language of the common man.

A century ago Aramaic was the street language of the Maronite community. Today fewer than 5 per cent of the population regard themselves as fluent. “Our goal is to revitalise Aramaic,” said Shadi Khalloul, who is co-director with his brother of the church’s Aramaic school. When a language is lost a part of the culture is lost. Certain songs, traditions, practices can only be understood in the language they were created, he said. “This is the language of Jesus, we understand Him best through His own tongue.”

In the three months since they began the programme the Khalloul brothers have enrolled more than 100 students. They hope that by next Christmas they will be reaching most of Israel’s 7,000-strong Maronite community.

The Maronites, who date from the 4th century, are scattered in small communities around the world, with the largest group in Lebanon. Mr Khalloul feels that other communities have limited their study of the language to religious scholars. “We look to the Jews as an example. The Jews revitalised their language,” he said. “Last century nearly no one spoke Hebrew. Now the language is living again.”

Israel’s creation has contributed to the decline of the Maronite community. The Education Ministry mandates that the two official languages, Hebrew and Arabic, are taught in schools instead of Aramaic. Maronites have long been barred from returning to their ancestral village of Bir’im on the border between Israel and Lebanon. “We are fighting to maintain our identity. Aramaic is a central part of that,” Mr Khalloul said.

May Shkhady, 8, a pupil in the school, said that while studying the language had enlivened church services for her, she mostly enjoyed using it among her friends. “I love learning Aramaic because it is the language of Jesus. It’s like a secret language that we can talk between us.”

After classes children play football. The language in which Jesus preached is now used by young speakers to shout intructions to each other that the rival team can’t understand. “It’s good to know that if Jesus were playing football, He’d be on our team,” said one boy.

Found in translation

What is your name? Moon shmokh?

And where are you from? Ow men aydo atro at?

Brilliant! Saggee shapeer!

Children are learning Aramaic Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name Abba debashmaya nethqadash shmak

Aramaic...

还有人宣称耶稣说的是Syriac...不过貌似不如Aramaic可信。

http://www.krt.com.hk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4535

幾千年來，敘利亞有一條小村落努力守護著一個珍寶：耶穌的語言–亞蘭語（Aramaic）。現在，敘利亞大馬士革北面的馬盧拉（Malula）已是最後一個仍使用亞蘭語的地方。

亞蘭語是耶穌和門徒時期流行的語言之一，很多福音書卷，以及塔木德經和死海古卷也是用這種閃族語寫成的。

不少人專程前去馬盧拉，為的是要一聽這已有三千年歷史，與希伯來語十分相近的純正亞蘭語。對馬盧拉的基督徒而言，保存亞蘭語是一個呼召。St. Sergius教堂的Toufic Eid神父表示很有興趣保存亞蘭語，因為它是耶穌基督的語言。

當地人正與敘利亞政府展開對話，認真研究保存亞蘭語這國家級珍寶的方法，並開辦了一所專門教授亞蘭語的學校。學生年紀由五到五十歲不等，並首次教導亞蘭語的書寫方法。村落的孩童為此感到十分自豪。其中一名學生表示他們每個人也想學習祖父母時代所用的語言。

馬盧拉因地理位置與外界隔離，所以長久以來避開了外敵的入侵，同時亦避免了亞蘭語受到其他語言影響。亞蘭語曾經是世界性語言，遠至東方的中國也用作貿易、交易和溝通。直至現代科技的出現才令亞蘭語的存在大大削弱。

到了現在，亞蘭語就像與馬盧拉結下不解的緣份，由當地的五千名人民延續下去，保存這屬於耶穌時代的語言。