RESURRECTING ARAMAIC

The ancient city of MALULA, SYRIA is one of three hamlets where residents still speak the Aramaic that Jesus spoke. These three outposts were not swept up in

the Arabic of Islam.

Syria instituted a series of language courses to preserve its ancient heritage. Aramaic,

a 3000 year old language was the language of the ancient Middle East. The picture above is the Aramaic Institute, located in Malula.

Controversy bloomed early on with criticisms that the alphabet closely resembled the alphabet used in modern Israel. The Syrian government froze the program, which hopefully start up again this summer.

While both alphabets have similarities, Aramaic began using square lettering alphabet around the 12th century BC, whereas the Hebrew, now used began only 700 years after the ancient Jewish kingdom in 500 BC. The Persians adopted Aramaic ,as did the Babylonians like the Jews until 700 AD.

Some will be surprised to learn that not all peoples in the Middle East are not Muslins. Christianity is still alive and well in many of the countries e.g.The Syrian Orthodox Church, at least where U.S and U.K. led wars and persecutions have not eradicated the believers, or caused them to flee into exile.

Modern branches of the language are still spoken across southeast Turkey, northern Iraq, and northwest Iran. But the dialect spoken by Malula inhabitants – as well as the residents of two nearby, mostly Muslim, villages – is the only survivor of Western Aramaic, the closest modern descendant to the language spoken by Jesus and his disciples.

Although not a "normal" language, it is the language of Jesus of Nazareth and

therefor important to keep alive.

With Love and Kindness,

THE HATMAN