🚀 go-pugleaf

On Tue, 25 Jan 2000 16:44:37 -0600, "Alex M." <alexm@lucent.com>
wrote:

> 
> Biblical verses can only be understood by studying the 
> original Hebrew text -
> which reveals many discrepancies in the Christian translation. 
> 
> A. VIRGIN BIRTH 
> 
> The Christian idea of a virgin birth is derived from a verse in Isaiah
> describing an ?alma? as giving birth. The word ?alma? has 
> always meant a young woman, but Christian theologians came centuries later and 
> translated it as  ?virgin.? This accords Jesus' birth with the first century 
> pagan idea of mortals being impregnated by gods. 
> 
> 
> B. CRUCIFIXION 
> 
> The verse in Psalms 22:17 reads: "Like a lion, they are at my 
> hands and feet." The Hebrew word ?ki-ari? (like a lion) is grammatically 
> similar to the word "gouged." Thus Christianity reads the verse as a reference
>to 
> crucifixion: "They pierced my hands and feet." 
> 
> 
> C. SUFFERING SERVANT 
> 
> Christians claim that Isaiah 53 refers to Jesus. In 
> actuality, Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the 
> exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in the
>singular 
> form because the Jews (?Israel?) are regarded as one unit. The Torah is filled 
> with examples of the Jewish nation referred to with a singular pronoun. 
> Ironically, Isaiah's prophecies of persecution refer in part to the 11th
>century 
> when Jews were tortured and killed by Crusaders who acted in the name of 
> lord Jesus. From where did these mistranslations stem? St. Gregory, 4th century 
> Bishop of Nanianzus, wrote: "A little jargon is all that is necessary to 
> impose on the people. The less they comprehend, the more they admire." 
> 
>
> D. INVOLVEMENT IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD
> 
> Christianity often treats the physical world as an evil to be 
> avoided. Mary, the holiest Christian woman is portrayed as a virgin. Priests
>and 
> nuns are celibate. And monasteries are in remote, secluded locations. By 
> contrast, Judaism believes that God created the physical world not to frustrate
>us, but 
> for our pleasure. ewish spirituality comes through grappling with the mundane 
> world in a way that uplifts and elevates. Sex in the proper context is one of
>the 
> holiest acts we can perform. The Talmud says if a person has the opportunity 
> to taste a new fruit and refuses to do so, he will have to account for that in
>the
> World-to-Come. Jewish rabbinical schools teach how to live amidst the bustle of
> commercial activity. Jews don't retreat from life, we elevate it
>
> by Rabbi Shraga Simmons 
> http://www.aish.edu/issues/belief.htm

There is one important remark to be made. Obviously, the missing link
here is the the Septuagint,the LXX, the translation into Greek of the
Tanak. In the first example you mention the word 'alma' has been
translated into Greek by 'parthenos', which can mean both young girl
and virgin.
It is quite clear ALL citations from the Tanak in the NT were taken
from the LXX, not directly from the Hebrew.
Many of the misunderstandings arose
a from the LXX (which never has been accepted by Jewish leaders as
official translation into Greek)
b after 70 CE, the sack of Jerusalem, most christians were of
non-Jewish (greek and roman) origin

Regards,
Sybrand Bakker