Why did Jesus use the word "Paraclete"?
Why did Jesus use the word "Paraclete" when he predicted the coming of the Comforter after him?
According to the Aramaic Bible Society, the word "Paraclete" back then meant the "Praised One". Muhammad's name was "Ahmed". Both Muhammad and Ahmed in Arabic mean "The Honored One" or the "Praised One".
The following was taken from http://www.aramaic.org/PARAVLETE.html
Q. I am curious why in the Aramaic scriptures the word "paraclete" is used
when talking about the "comforter" and the "advocate". Can you
enlighten me on this? I believe as you, that Jesus only spoke Aramaic, not Greek.
Thanks, Ken.
A. Dear Ken,
You have raised an important question. Why indeed are there any Greek words in the
"Aramaic Scriptures?" The short answer is that you were working with the
"Peshitto" which is otherwise known as the West Palestinian "Peshitta"
that was made to conform to the pre-Christian Septuagint of the Greek church. We know that
Jesus did not speak Greek because the Aramaic speaking people in the time of Jesus
considered it sinful to speak any other language. This had to be true because the Aramaic
Estrangelo Script was the lingua franca in Palestine at the time of Jesus. Aramaic in this
script is similar to Arabic and this was the language of commerce and industry. A growing
number of scholars now recognize that Jesus spoke this form of Aramaic, not Greek. The
square letter Aramaic in Hebraic characters came much later. (See "Western Christian
Scholars Awaken to Truth" in the Table of Contents on the Aramaic Bible Society
Website). See Eusebius' "Ecclesiastical History", first published in 1928! Also,
"The Age of Faith", Will and Ariel Durant's "The Story of
Civilization", Vol. 4.
Follow me as we trace the Biblical history of this Greek word "Paraclete".
Startling as it may seem, at one time the word read "Periklytos" and
"Paraklytos", which is the name for "Muhammad" in Greek. Surprising?
It should not be because both words mean "Praised" or "Celebrate," the
meaning and character of the man "Muhammad." (1 Jesus in The Qur'an, One World
Publications, (c) Geoffrey Parrinder 1965, 1995, ISBN 1-85168-094-2. Knowing this, there
is a need for us to study the life of Prophet Muhammad in depth to see if it all stands
up. Surprisingly it does.
Of special interest always is what the name for Muhammad was in his mother tongue,
Palestinian Aramaic. For this we have to look to the Hebrew and Aramaic scriptures.
According to the present day Aramaic scriptures, the word for Muhammad would read
"Paraqleyta" or "Paraklytos" in Greek and "Menahem" in
Hebrew! In the ancient Aramaic scriptures, before these changes, it read
"Ahmad," then Munahammana" which is the Aramaic/Syriac rendering for the
name "Muhammad." These are names, not simply words, and they mean
"Comforter" or "Muhammad" in Arabic.
There is no Aramaic dictionary where you'll find the word "Paraqleyta" because
there is no such word in that language. Therefore, two questions are asked:
1.Why was "Periklytos" changed to
"Paraklytos"?
2.Why was Ahmad changed to "Munahammana" and then to
"Paraqleyta?"
History tells us that Muhammad was the only prophet who came shortly
after Jesus and did everything Jesus said he would. But, you ask, what is the
meaning of all of this? The answer is given in Luke 6:40, "There is no disciple who
is more important than his teacher; for every man who is well developed will be like his
teacher" (Lamsa) or "The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is
perfect shall be as his master" (KJV). Christians are often told that no one can go
to heaven except by Jesus. This tells us that the only way anyone can go to heaven is to
be Christ-like. Muhammad was such a man. Muslims make a stronger case. They say that Jesus
says the only way one can be with Jesus in Heaven is to be as Him, i.e., one who submits
to Alaha's Will (Aramaic), Allah's Will (Arabic). To do this is to be a Muslim! But let us
return to the study of the word "Comforter."
John 16:7-13
But I tell you the truth, It is better for you that I should go
away; for if I do not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I should go, I will
send him to you. And when he is come, he will rebuke the world concerning sin, concerning
righteousness, and concerning Judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
Concerning righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you will not see me again;
Concerning judgment, because the leader of this world has been judged. Again, I have many
other things to tell you, but you cannot grasp them now. But when the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all the truth: for he will not speak from himself, but what
he hears, that he will speak: and he will make known to you things which are to come in
the future. He will glorify me; because he will take of my own and show to you. Everything
that my Father has is mine; this is the reason why I told you that he will take of my own
and show to you. (Lamsa)
The difference between Muslims and Christians is that Muslims use the original words that
Jesus and all the prophets used. In speaking of John 16:7-13, most Christians will tell
you that the "Comforter" Jesus will send is the Holy Ghost. But keep in mind
that the Holy Ghost was around before Jesus. In the Aramaic we see that the translation is
"Spirit." Jesus, peace be upon him, was talking about the one who would ONLY
appear when He joined His Father in Heaven*. In other words, this
Spirit of Truth (a man) was never around before. The man Jesus sent was Muhammad.
If this information is surprising to you, let me take it a step further. Christians and
Jews alike have forgotten the history of the Great Nation that was to come out of Ishmael,
and the 12 princes that came out of him. Where is the conclusion of the story of Ishmael,
and why was it unfinished? Was Ishmael really a bastard, or was there jealousy involved?
If Ishmael was a bastard, Isaac was a greater bastard because he was born through incest;
Abraham and Sarah were brother and sister (Genesis 20:12). This is in the Christian Bible
and in the Torah! Muslims do not say this. Jealousy and hatred towards anyone will always
make one degrade the one that is hated.
Having cited the historical shortcomings of the Christian Bibles in matters relevant to
its own history and the great nation of Islam, it behooves us to give a brief account of
the latter. When God brought Islam, the Muslims won remarkable victories, conquering the
Byzantines as well as all other nations. As time went on and the Muslim dynasty
flourished, the Muslims developed an urban culture for learning which surpassed that of
all other nations. When the Christians forced the Spanish Muslims to accept Christianity,
the Christians collected the works of the Muslim physicians and scholars and this work
spread all over Europe and of course giving Christians the credit. But it was the Arab
caliphs who had supported intercultural institutions like the university at Jundishahpur
and the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. It was Arab medicine that had blossomed magnificently.
It was the great physicians of the Islamic world who illuminated Europe in the Dark Ages
with a well-elaborated science whose outlines are still familiar today.
The story of the rise of the Muslim empire is not unlike that of Nestorius. (See "The
Lynching of Nestorius" in the ABS Table of Contents) When Nestorius, patriarch of
Constantinople, 428-431, was forced into exile he and some of his people took the
enlightenment of math and the sciences into Persia and even into China. Marco Polo
discovered the ruins of the Church of the East erected in the eighth century A.D., long
after the death of Nestorius.
In Service To God,
Ramazan M. M. Zuberi
(Christian Supplements by Robert E. Allen, Jr., President, The Aramaic Bible Society,
Inc.)
* The real message of the life and teachings of Jesus, Muhammad and Nestorius can be
likened to that of the Peshitta and the Qur'an. The Church of the East claims that every
copy of the Peshitta ever made was certified by every Bishop to be a true and clean copy,
the meaning of the word "Peshitta" itself. The Qur'an is likened unto it. The
Peshitto or Peshitta of the West was changed, not so often as present day Christian Bibles
but changed in ancient times. The Torah was destroyed with the destruction of Jerusalem in
70 A.D. and since has suffered a worse fate. There were only two such scrolls at the time.
One was held by the priests, the other by the King. In those times families were charged
with the memory of whole books and what was created has been re-written many times to suit
the purpose of the writers as with the many versions of the Christian Bible.
* The Muslim view of the phrase, "He joined His Father in Heaven," is that Jesus
never joined God, but is in the second heaven waiting until God sends him on his
"second coming". Also, it should be pointed out that Muslim's do not praise even
Muhammad's name although it means "the praised one".
Back to Muhammad in the Bible section.