Latest news with #Aramaic
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Jesus did have children with 'wife' Mary Magdalene 'lost Gospel' proves
A controversial manuscript that is nearly 1,500 years old claims that Jesus Christ was married to prostitute Mary Magdalene and the couple had two children - despite no historical accounts of the marriage A bombshell manuscript said to be nearly 1,500 years old has sparked fresh debate by suggesting Jesus Christ was wed to Mary Magdalene and the pair had children. Dubbed the "Lost Gospel", the document, which surfaced in the British Library, reveals these shocking claims after translation from Aramaic as reported by The Sunday Times. While many scholars have historically downplayed Mary Magdalene's role, translators of this text believe she held much more prominence. Professor Barrie Wilson and writer Simcha Jacobovic devoted months to translating the ancient text, concluding that it identifies the original Virgin Mary as Jesus's spouse rather than his mother and asserts they conceived two children. Mary Magdalene's presence is woven throughout traditional gospel narratives, witnessing key events in Jesus's life, but this "Lost Gospel" isn't the pioneer in proposing she was Jesus's wife, reports the Express. The audacious idea previously surfaced in Nikos Kazantzakis's 1953 novel "The Last Temptation of Christ" and was famously echoed by Dan Brown in his bestseller "The Da Vinci Code". Known from the four canonical gospels as a devout follower who journeyed with Jesus, Magdalene's story remains interlaced with his, her significance perhaps greater than ever imagined. She is also thought to have been present at his crucifixion and subsequently, his resurrection. She is named a dozen times in the canonical gospels - more than most of the apostles. It's widely acknowledged among secular historians that Mary Magdalene, like Jesus, was a real historical figure. She is also referred to more than any other woman in the gospels, apart from Jesus's family. Magdalene is recognised as a saint by several religions including the Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran churches. In 2016, Pope Francis elevated the level of liturgical memory on July 22 from memorial to feast, and declared her to be known as the "Apostle of the apostles". In some Protestant Churches, she is celebrated as a heroine of the faith, while the Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates her on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers. During the Counter-Reformation in Roman Catholicism, the descriptor "penitent" was appended to her name on her feast day.
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Lost Gospel' claims Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had two children
A controversial new claim, countering traditional narratives, alleges Jesus Christ tied the knot with 'prostitute' Mary Magdalene and fathered two kids. This bombshell is based on a nearly 1,500 year old manuscript unearthed in the British Library. Labelled as the "Lost Gospel" and translated from ancient Aramaic, the document reportedly includes these shocking revelations, as reported by The Sunday Times. Despite the tendency of many scholars to dismiss the historical influence of biblical figures, this newly interpreted gospel paints Magdalene in a far more pivotal role than previously assumed. After extensive work on the translation, Professor Barrie Wilson and author Simcha Jacobovic assert that the text confirms Jesus's parenthood of two children and identifies the real Virgin Mary as his spouse rather than his mother. Mary Magdalene's presence intertwines throughout the prevailing gospels, witnessing many crucial events of Jesus's life. However, this "Lost Gospel" isn't the inaugural suggestion of a marital bond between her and Jesus, reports the Express. The notion was famously echoed by Nikos Kazantzakis in "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1953) and quite notably by Dan Brown in his blockbuster novel "The Da Vinci Code", both weaving the same claim into their stories. Magdalene maintains a significant presence in Jesus's tale, remembered as a key follower who accompanied him as per the four canonical gospels. She is widely believed to have witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and also his resurrection. Mary Magdalene's name appears a dozen times across the canonical gospels, which is more than many of the apostles. There is a broad consensus among secular scholars that Mary Magdalene was as much a historical figure as Jesus himself. Moreover, apart from the family of Jesus, she is the most frequently mentioned woman in the gospels. Regarded as a saint by various Christian faiths, including Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Lutheranism, Magdalene holds a revered place in religious history. In a significant move by the Vatican in 2016, Pope Francis elevated Mary Magdalene's July 22 memorial to the rank of a feast day and declared her the "Apostle of the apostles". Within certain Protestant denominations, she is celebrated as a beacon of faith, while the Eastern Orthodox Church honours her annually on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers. The Roman Catholic tradition, particularly during the Counter-Reformation, began denoting her with the title "penitent" when referring to her on her feast day.
CairoScene
22-05-2025
- CairoScene
This Saudi Oasis Is Where Kings Fled & Dreamers Looked to the Skies
This Saudi Oasis Is Where Kings Fled & Dreamers Looked to the Skies In the vast, sun-scorched expanse of northwest Saudi Arabia, where desert dunes ripple like a restless sea, lies Tayma—an oasis cradled by mystery and ancient whispers. More than just a patch of green in the sand, Tayma is a forgotten throne room of kings, an astronomers' sanctuary, and a silent witness to lost civilizations buried beneath centuries of shifting sands. The city's dusty stones hold tales older than time itself, where the footsteps of Babylonian monarchs once echoed. King Nabonidus, the enigmatic ruler who abdicated Babylon's throne in the 6th century BCE, made this oasis his refuge and his realm for a decade. Why he fled to Tayma remains cloaked in mystery, yet his reign here marked a chapter of quiet power far from Mesopotamia's cradle of civilization. Inscriptions etched in ancient Aramaic and Thamudic script bear witness to a thriving community, one that survived on knowledge, culture, and an unyielding curiosity about the heavens. Look closely at Tayma's rocky walls, and you'll find carvings that map out celestial journeys, a constellation of stories linking the earth to the skies. Long before modern observatories, Tayma's stargazers charted the heavens, their eyes lifted above the desert's unending horizon. It is here, in this oasis, that early Arabian astronomers gazed up and found order in the chaos of night. Beneath the surface, the secrets run deeper still. Tayma's ancient water systems—intricately engineered and remarkably preserved—tell a story of innovation. In a land where water is life, these channels and reservoirs sustained the oasis, shaping its destiny as a sanctuary amid the arid vastness. Today, Tayma remains a quiet sentinel, its ruins scattered across the landscape like fragments of a half-remembered dream. The sun bleaches the stones, and the wind carries away the whispers of forgotten empires. It is a place where history is not shouted but whispered, where every carved symbol and eroded inscription invites the curious to lean in close and listen. Tayma is not just an archaeological site—it is a portal to a lost epoch, a junction between earth and sky, past and present. For the traveller willing to wander off the beaten path, to seek the stories written in sand and stone, Tayma offers a rare encounter; a step back into a time when kings ruled beneath open skies, and humans looked to the stars not just for guidance, but for wonder.
Asharq Al-Awsat
05-05-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
AlUla Languages Institute Launches Reviving Ancient Languages Program
The AlUla Languages Institute, affiliated with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), launched the Reviving Ancient Languages Program. The program aims to raise awareness of AlUla's linguistic heritage and enable residents to explore the region's rich history of languages and inscriptions. The program offers several specialized courses in ancient languages historically used in AlUla, including Aramaic, Thamudic, Dadanitic, Lihyanite, Musnad-al-Janubi, and Nabataean, as well as a course on the origins of writing. Registration for the program opened Sunday via the AlUla Languages Institute website. Through this program, RCU aims to offer learning opportunities to AlUla residents and strengthen their connection to their rich cultural heritage.
The National
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
'We need hope for the Middle East': What the region's clergy are looking for in a new pontiff
In Aramaic, English and Arabic, Christians from Iraq's Chaldean community prayed for Pope Francis during a private mass at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, where their beloved pontiff was buried a day earlier. Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, the Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, travelled from Iraq for the funeral and led the mass in the majestic church with its Corinthian colonnades and delicate frescoes. Packed with devoted worshippers, the service was a testament to Pope Francis's popularity in the Middle East. His 2021 visit to Iraq, the first papal trip to the country, followed years of war and persecution under ISIS rule and remains a memorable moment for Iraq's dwindling Christian communities. Speaking to The National, eight members of the Middle Eastern clergy called for the next pope to preserve Francis's legacy by maintaining the Vatican's outreach to the region and its efforts to bring peace. 'We will always remember him in our prayers. All the people of Iraq respect and love him for this,' Bishop Basel Salim Yaldo, the Curial Bishop of Baghdad and co-ordinator of the visit, told The National after the mass. 'We hope the next Pope will visit our country because we need hope for the Middle East." Bishop Yaldo is one of many representatives of the Eastern clergy who have praised Pope Francis's legacy in the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity and now home to a patchwork of Christian communities. His papacy was marked by iconic moments, from his daily calls with a Gaza parish during the war, to his historic first visit to the Arabian Peninsula, where he signed the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity with Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb, the highest authority among Sunni Muslims, committing to interfaith dialogue. The clergy members who spoke to The National reflected on the void left by Pope Francis and the uncertainty surrounding his succession. 'Sometimes the church moves with quick steps; sometimes it does not move forward at all," Father Jad Kossaify, procurator of the Lebanese Maronite Order to the Holy See, told The National. "With Pope Francis, it made giant strides. A new pope might remain silent on some issues where Francis had been a driving force. 'His legacy could be at risk; it all depends on the style of the next pope, whether he is close to Pope Francis's inclusive theology. Each Pope has his own personality and charisma and, as of now, everything is possible." For Lebanese priest Rafic Warsha, the procurator of the Maronite Patriarch to the Holy See, one of the most notable legacies to be pursued by the next pontiff is Pope Francis's commitment to interfaith dialogue. The historic pledge of fraternity signed by Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar in 2019 called for an end to wars in the Middle East and for peaceful coexistence among nations, religions and races. 'This document is a cornerstone,' Mr Warsha told The National. 'It must be put into practice even more and be taught in schools and universities, and all generations must work to uphold it'. Religious representatives across the Middle East also praised Pope Francis's personal engagement to the region and his leading role in promoting peace, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon. 'We need a Pope who can help stop these wars, whether through spiritual or diplomatic means; the Vatican has an important political role to play,' Athanasius Firas Dardar, the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Vicar in Basra and the Arabian Gulf, told The National. 'Pope Francis could serve as a model for the next pontiff,' said Archibishop Dardar, who travelled from Iraq. In November, Pope Francis called for an investigation to determine whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza could be classified as genocide. His stance was vigorously criticised by Israel, which sent a low-level delegation to his funeral, marking a low ebb in relations with the Vatican. His position on Gaza has also been divisive even within the clergy itself, and while calls for peace are expected from any new pontiff, such a specific stance is not to be taken for granted, members of the clergy say. 'He even called a priest in Gaza every single day, something that had never before been done by a Pope. He stepped somewhat outside the usual protocol and tradition,' Bishop Warsha said. Flaviano Rami Kabalan, Syriac Catholic bishop and procurator of the Patriarchate to the Holy See, said he remains confident any new pontiff will show special attention to the region. 'After all, the Middle East is the land of the first evangelisation, from where it spread to the entire world,' he told The National. The new pontiff is expected to face a series of challenges. Pope Francis's liberal positions, including efforts to reform the Church's central governing body through decentralisation and by giving greater roles to lay people and women, shook the Catholic Church deeply. 'He left a deep and complex legacy, with the idea that every priest should be serving – and not be served,' said Naim Khalil, procurator for the Basilian Salvatorians, a monastic order within the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Although he was popular among the people, the late Pope faced significant opposition within parts of the clergy for breaking with centuries-old traditions, exacerbating certain tensions. In the Middle East, despite being widely cherished for his message of peace, he also clashed with the Eastern churches, known for their more conservative stances. Chris John, a pilgrim of Iraqi origin travelling from California, told The National he hopes for a more conservative Pope. 'I would say traditionally our values are a bit more conservative in our Chaldean Church,' he explained. His successor will also face the burdensome task of navigating between conservatives and liberals in a polarised church. But the "Pope of the People" knew how to address everyone, beyond the divides. 'He knew how to put on his Middle Eastern goggles,' Father Jad Kossaify said. Khalil Karam, president of the Lebanese Maronite League, told The National the succession marks a crucial moment for the Catholic Church. 'We are in a period where the church is questioning many things and he had the courage to address many taboo subjects,' he said. 'The Middle East needs a pope like him, someone with the courage of his convictions – even if it doesn't please everyone." The Vatican has said cardinals will begin the process of choosing Pope Francis's successor on May 7.
