The fact that this word [Abba] is given here [in Gal 4:6], and also in Rom 8:15, in both Aramaic and Greek indicates the bilingual character of early Christian worship. Throughout the history of the church various Christian groups have attempted to canonize one particular language as the authorized sacred tongue of religious discourse. Some Orthodox Christians have done that with Greek, traditional Roman Catholics with Latin, and certain Protestants with the English of the King James Version. However, the fact that in Jesus Christ there is no longer Jew or Gentile does not mean that we must stop speaking Hebrew/Aramaic or Greek. The Spirit who cries out “Abba, Father” from our hearts enabled the gospel to be heard in many of the world’s languages on the Day of Pentecost. The same Holy Spirit still blesses the translation of the Scriptures into the many diverse languages and dialects of the world today.
Answering a Question I Get All the Time: The Places to Start in Studying New Testament Textual Criticism
Updated February, 2024. I regularly get questions just like this: Mark, I am thankful for your book Authorized, which I recently finished. I currently pastor a church that is KJV-Only and I am personally reviewing that position for myself and in the future of possibly...
Ah, this is good! Thanks!
Here’s an interesting point that first struck me decades ago. Hebraists have sought in vain for any clear sign of systematic rhyme or metre in Hebrew poetry. Even wordplay such as we find in Is..5 is extremely rare. Poetry differs from prose basically by virtue of the parallelism. This is fully translatable into any known language without any manipulation of the sense.
Also Maranatha in 1 Cor 16:22
Outstanding commentary! (Even though I argue with him. A Lot.)
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3