Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, the language many scholars believe Jesus spoke
The Aramaic Cycle, created by Saadi (Neil Douglas-Klotz, PhD), consists of eight dances that take us through the entire Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, the language many scholars believe Jesus spoke. Translations directly from the Aramaic convey depths of meaning often lost in the King James version, which was translated from Greek — a language very different from Aramaic. Here’s the prayer in Aramaic: Abwoon d’bashmaya Nethqadash shmakh Teytey malkuthakh Nehwey tzevyanach aykanna d’bwashmaya aph b’arha. Hawvlan lachma d’sunqanan yao mana. Washboqlan khaubayn (wakhtahayn) aykana daph khnan shbwoqan l’khyyabayn. Wela tahlan l’nesyua Ela patzan min bisha. Metol dilakhie malkutha wahayl wateshbukhta l’ahlam almin. Ameyn. And here’s a translation (one of those offered by Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz): O Birther! Mother-Father of the Cosmos, the Breathing Life of all, you create all that moves in Light! Focus your light within us. Clear a space inside of busy forgetfulness,, that we may breathe one holy breath, feeling only you. Unite our “I can” with yours, that we may walk as kings and queens with every creature, bringing forth a new world of peace and justice. Your one desire then acts with ours, heaven and nature united in divine cooperation and passionate purpose. Give us the food and understanding we need to grow through each new day. We ask no more and no less. Loose the cords of mistakes binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others’ guilt. Untangle the knots within so that we can mend our hearts’ simple ties to others. Don’t let surface things delude us or lead us into forgetfulness, but break the hold of inner stagnation and free us to walk your path with joy! Out of you the astonishing fire, the birthing glory, the power and life to do, the song that beautifies all, from age to age it renews. Truly power to these statements. may they be the ground from which all my actions grow: sealed in trust and faith. Amen. “To become holy in an Aramaic sense then means to create separate space for whatever becomes the pivot of our lives, the axis on which our universe turns. In this way, we clarify the essence of our being so that we can find our unique place in the cosmic Unity.” ~ Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz
