The Gospel According to John Reconstructed From Victor Alexander's Notes on His Translation From the Ancient Aramaic
I always encourage those who can afford Victor Alexander's translations from ancient Aramaic to get them while they can, if they can, but I also warn that Victors products are, um, informal. Don't get me wrong, the quality of the binding, the print and the paper are fine, it is just that Vic is a single man -- educated, sure -- but just a decent guy who realized that there was no adequate translation from the ancient sacred scribal language WHICH HE HAPPENED TO BE EXPERT IN available to us. So he is making one himself.
One of the great things about my other Bible, Bullinger's KJV Companion Bible, is it teaches you the need to correct your Bible. Just the other day I was listening to/reading appeals for the correct and perfect version of the King James. The zealots who think the Pure Cambridge Edition is perfect are applying the attributes of Christ, the Perfect Word of God, to the book! It don't work that way, guys.
Anyway, I have been correcting my Bibles for decades now and really appreciate Alexander's footnotes. The trick with his translations is to apply his footnotes to the text itself. This yields an entirely different version, one much more in agreement with what I have learned of mystical interpretation. Of course, you may learn other things from other sources, but apply those to where appropriate. For example, Alexander has said elsewhere that brasheeth, the first word in both Genesis and John, means 'before the beginning' AND that this actor is the SON of God, God's verb. You are not getting THAT out of any King James version.
I thought I would take the digital version of Alexander's first chapter of John and incorporate his notes right into the text as an example of how different the text's meaning becomes:
Gospel of John chapter 1
Reading and Interpretation by Vic Alexander
From the Ancient Aramaic Scriptures
Youkhanna
John 1
1. Before the beginning [of creation] there was the Milta, the Manifestation of Allaha; and that Manifestation was with Allaha; and Allaha was [the embodiment of] that Manifestation. 2. This was before the beginning with Allaha. 3. Everything was within his hand, and without his hand, not one [thing that] became would have become. 4. Through him [there] were Lives, and Lives became the Light of humanity 5. And that [ensuing] Light lights the darkness and darkness does not overshadow it.
6. There was a man sent by Allaha, his name [was] John [the Baptist]. 7. He came for that testimony, to testify [concerning] the light, so that every human [being] may [come] to believe by his [hand]. 8. He was not the light, except that he was to testify [concerning] the Light.
9. There was the light of the truth, that which gives Life to everyone who comes [people, or] to the universe.
10. He was with the universe, and he created them, and the people did not know Him. 11. He came to his own and his own did not receive him.
12. But all those who did receive him, He assigned them to be Sons of Allaha, [to them] who believed in his name; 13. They who [did not become so] through blood, nor through the will of the flesh and neither through satisfaction of man; except they became born [so] from Allaha.
14. And the Manifestation became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us, and we saw His glory, glory as [that] uniquely [of the nature] of the Creator, Full of grace and blessing.
15. John [the Baptist] testified to him and cried out, saying, “This is the one [of whom] they said, 'The one who comes after me And yet is ahead of me, because he arrived first.’“
16. And from his fulness we have all been satisfied, grace in place of grace. 17. The Law came to us by the hand of Moses. [But] the truth and grace was through Eashoa the Messiah. 18. No human [being] ever saw Allaha, except for the only born Allaha, He who existed in the bosom of his Father, [Who] spoke of Him.
19. And this is the testimony of John [the Baptist], as Jews of Jerusalem sent high priests and Levites, to ask him, “Who are you?” 20. And he informed them, and did not deny it, informing, “I am not the Messiah.” 21. And they asked him, “Then what, are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” Are you a prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22. And they said to him, “Who are you? So we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23. He said, “‘I am the voice that cries in the wilderness, lay out the path [for] Maryah' as Isaiah the prophet proclaimed.”
24. And the ones who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25. And they asked him, saying (to him), “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Anointed One, nor Elijah, nor a prophet?” 26. [Then] John answered them, saying, “I am baptizing with waters, but amongst you stands one whom you do not know, 27. “He who comes after me, whose shoe laces I am not worthy of untying.” 28. These [events] occurred in Bethany, by the other side of [the] Jordan [river], where John was baptizing. 29. And the following day John saw Eashoa approaching him, and he said, “Behold the Lamb of Allaha, who takes away the sin of the universe. 30. “This is the one of whom I said, 'After me comes a mighty man who [goes] before me, for he was [always] ahead of me.' 31. “And I would not know him, except that he was to be known to Israel, [and] because of this came I baptizing with waters.” 32. And [thus] testified John and said, “You shall see the Holy Spirit like a dove nestling upon him. 33. “And I would not have known him, except for the [one who] sent me to baptize with the waters, the one who told me, 'Whoever you see upon whom the nestling Spirit holding firmly, he shall baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34. “And I saw and am testifying that he is the Son of Allaha.”
35. And on the second day [there] stood John with two of his disciples. 36. And he gazed upon Eashoa as he walked, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of Allaha!” 37. And both his disciples heard it as they heard, and they followed Eashoa. 38. And Eashoa turned and saw them coming after him, and he said to them, “What do you want?” They said to him, “[Our] Teacher (Increaser), where dwell you?” 39. He said to them, “Come on and see [for yourselves.]” And they went and saw where he was, and they remained with him that day--and it was the tenth hour. 40. But one of the two who had heard it from John and had followed him, was Andrew, the brother of Simon. 41. He first found his brother Simon, and he said to him, “We have found the Anointed One!” 42. And he brought them to Eashoa. Eashoa gazed at [Simon] and said, “You are Simon, the son of the Holy Spirit, you shall be called Rock.”
43. On the following day, it pleased Eashoa to go to Galilee, and he found Philip, and he said to him, “Follow me.” 44. But Philip was from Bethsaida, from the town of Andrew and Simon. 45. Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, “The one of whom wrote Moses in the Law and the prophets, we have found him, [he is] Eashoa, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth;” 46. [But] Nathaniel said to him, “From Nazareth, is it possible anything good can [come out] of there?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47. Eashoa saw Nathaniel approaching him, and he said to him, “Behold a true son of Israel, in whom there is no duplicity!” 48. And Nathaniel said to him, “From when did you know me?” Eashoa answered him, saying, “I knew you before Philip called you, as I saw you [sitting] under the fig tree.” 49. [And] Nathaniel replied, saying, “Master, you are the Son of Allaha! You are the King of Israel!” 50. Eashoa replied and said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see a great [deal] more than these!” 51. He said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, from now on you shall see the heaven [that I have] opened and the angels of Allaha as they ascend and descend to the Son of Humanity”
Footnotes:
Brackets Alexander, parenthesis in verse 38 mine.
1:1 [all instances] Literal Aramaic word retained: “Manifestation.” “Milta” or “Miltha” is an Aramaic word that has been set aside for only sacred use. Only the Messiah Eashoa is ever to be called the Milta. Grammatically, “Milta” means the essential connotation for a person or thing. There is no true English language equivalent for this word. -- 1:3 Literal Aramaic [Aramaic]: “[In his] hand.” -- 1:4. 1 “And without his hand, not one [thing that] became would have become.” -- 1:4. 2 “Lives,” whenever it represents: “life everlasting” is stated in the plural. When used in this sense it will always be capitalized in this translation and appear as “Life.” -- 1:4. 3 “Light.” -- 1:5 “Light.” -- 1:7 “Hand.” -- 1:8 “The light.” -- 1:9. 1 “Gives Life to.” -- 1:9. 2 “Comes to [people, or] the universe.” -- 1:10. 1 “The universe.” -- 1:10. 2 Aramaic expression: He created them. -- 1:12 “Sons of Allaha.” -- 1:13. 1 “Will.” -- 1:13. 2 Literal expression: “Through satisfaction of man [or power of maturity.]” -- 1:16 Literal expression: “And from his fullness we have all been satisfied, grace in place of grace.” -- 1:18 “Spoke of.” -- 1:20. 1 “Informing.” -- 1:20. 2 The Messiah. -- 1:26 “Waters.” -- 1:30 “Mighty [man.]” -- 1:31 “Waters.” -- 1:37 “As they heard.” -- 1:38. 1 “Rabban.” -- 1:38. 2 Literal expression: “Where dwell you?” -- 1:42. 1 Literal The Holy Spirit. -- 1:42. 2 Aramaic name retained: “Rock,” which is Anglicized as “Peter.” -- 1:51 “Bar-nasha,” is a theological concept when used in this construction. Sometimes it means: “humanity,” other times: “a human being.”
One of the great things about my other Bible, Bullinger's KJV Companion Bible, is it teaches you the need to correct your Bible. Just the other day I was listening to/reading appeals for the correct and perfect version of the King James. The zealots who think the Pure Cambridge Edition is perfect are applying the attributes of Christ, the Perfect Word of God, to the book! It don't work that way, guys.
Anyway, I have been correcting my Bibles for decades now and really appreciate Alexander's footnotes. The trick with his translations is to apply his footnotes to the text itself. This yields an entirely different version, one much more in agreement with what I have learned of mystical interpretation. Of course, you may learn other things from other sources, but apply those to where appropriate. For example, Alexander has said elsewhere that brasheeth, the first word in both Genesis and John, means 'before the beginning' AND that this actor is the SON of God, God's verb. You are not getting THAT out of any King James version.
I thought I would take the digital version of Alexander's first chapter of John and incorporate his notes right into the text as an example of how different the text's meaning becomes:
Gospel of John chapter 1
Reading and Interpretation by Vic Alexander
From the Ancient Aramaic Scriptures
Youkhanna
John 1
1. Before the beginning [of creation] there was the Milta, the Manifestation of Allaha; and that Manifestation was with Allaha; and Allaha was [the embodiment of] that Manifestation. 2. This was before the beginning with Allaha. 3. Everything was within his hand, and without his hand, not one [thing that] became would have become. 4. Through him [there] were Lives, and Lives became the Light of humanity 5. And that [ensuing] Light lights the darkness and darkness does not overshadow it.
6. There was a man sent by Allaha, his name [was] John [the Baptist]. 7. He came for that testimony, to testify [concerning] the light, so that every human [being] may [come] to believe by his [hand]. 8. He was not the light, except that he was to testify [concerning] the Light.
9. There was the light of the truth, that which gives Life to everyone who comes [people, or] to the universe.
10. He was with the universe, and he created them, and the people did not know Him. 11. He came to his own and his own did not receive him.
12. But all those who did receive him, He assigned them to be Sons of Allaha, [to them] who believed in his name; 13. They who [did not become so] through blood, nor through the will of the flesh and neither through satisfaction of man; except they became born [so] from Allaha.
14. And the Manifestation became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us, and we saw His glory, glory as [that] uniquely [of the nature] of the Creator, Full of grace and blessing.
15. John [the Baptist] testified to him and cried out, saying, “This is the one [of whom] they said, 'The one who comes after me And yet is ahead of me, because he arrived first.’“
16. And from his fulness we have all been satisfied, grace in place of grace. 17. The Law came to us by the hand of Moses. [But] the truth and grace was through Eashoa the Messiah. 18. No human [being] ever saw Allaha, except for the only born Allaha, He who existed in the bosom of his Father, [Who] spoke of Him.
19. And this is the testimony of John [the Baptist], as Jews of Jerusalem sent high priests and Levites, to ask him, “Who are you?” 20. And he informed them, and did not deny it, informing, “I am not the Messiah.” 21. And they asked him, “Then what, are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” Are you a prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22. And they said to him, “Who are you? So we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23. He said, “‘I am the voice that cries in the wilderness, lay out the path [for] Maryah' as Isaiah the prophet proclaimed.”
24. And the ones who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25. And they asked him, saying (to him), “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Anointed One, nor Elijah, nor a prophet?” 26. [Then] John answered them, saying, “I am baptizing with waters, but amongst you stands one whom you do not know, 27. “He who comes after me, whose shoe laces I am not worthy of untying.” 28. These [events] occurred in Bethany, by the other side of [the] Jordan [river], where John was baptizing. 29. And the following day John saw Eashoa approaching him, and he said, “Behold the Lamb of Allaha, who takes away the sin of the universe. 30. “This is the one of whom I said, 'After me comes a mighty man who [goes] before me, for he was [always] ahead of me.' 31. “And I would not know him, except that he was to be known to Israel, [and] because of this came I baptizing with waters.” 32. And [thus] testified John and said, “You shall see the Holy Spirit like a dove nestling upon him. 33. “And I would not have known him, except for the [one who] sent me to baptize with the waters, the one who told me, 'Whoever you see upon whom the nestling Spirit holding firmly, he shall baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34. “And I saw and am testifying that he is the Son of Allaha.”
35. And on the second day [there] stood John with two of his disciples. 36. And he gazed upon Eashoa as he walked, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of Allaha!” 37. And both his disciples heard it as they heard, and they followed Eashoa. 38. And Eashoa turned and saw them coming after him, and he said to them, “What do you want?” They said to him, “[Our] Teacher (Increaser), where dwell you?” 39. He said to them, “Come on and see [for yourselves.]” And they went and saw where he was, and they remained with him that day--and it was the tenth hour. 40. But one of the two who had heard it from John and had followed him, was Andrew, the brother of Simon. 41. He first found his brother Simon, and he said to him, “We have found the Anointed One!” 42. And he brought them to Eashoa. Eashoa gazed at [Simon] and said, “You are Simon, the son of the Holy Spirit, you shall be called Rock.”
43. On the following day, it pleased Eashoa to go to Galilee, and he found Philip, and he said to him, “Follow me.” 44. But Philip was from Bethsaida, from the town of Andrew and Simon. 45. Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, “The one of whom wrote Moses in the Law and the prophets, we have found him, [he is] Eashoa, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth;” 46. [But] Nathaniel said to him, “From Nazareth, is it possible anything good can [come out] of there?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47. Eashoa saw Nathaniel approaching him, and he said to him, “Behold a true son of Israel, in whom there is no duplicity!” 48. And Nathaniel said to him, “From when did you know me?” Eashoa answered him, saying, “I knew you before Philip called you, as I saw you [sitting] under the fig tree.” 49. [And] Nathaniel replied, saying, “Master, you are the Son of Allaha! You are the King of Israel!” 50. Eashoa replied and said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see a great [deal] more than these!” 51. He said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, from now on you shall see the heaven [that I have] opened and the angels of Allaha as they ascend and descend to the Son of Humanity”
Footnotes:
Brackets Alexander, parenthesis in verse 38 mine.
1:1 [all instances] Literal Aramaic word retained: “Manifestation.” “Milta” or “Miltha” is an Aramaic word that has been set aside for only sacred use. Only the Messiah Eashoa is ever to be called the Milta. Grammatically, “Milta” means the essential connotation for a person or thing. There is no true English language equivalent for this word. -- 1:3 Literal Aramaic [Aramaic]: “[In his] hand.” -- 1:4. 1 “And without his hand, not one [thing that] became would have become.” -- 1:4. 2 “Lives,” whenever it represents: “life everlasting” is stated in the plural. When used in this sense it will always be capitalized in this translation and appear as “Life.” -- 1:4. 3 “Light.” -- 1:5 “Light.” -- 1:7 “Hand.” -- 1:8 “The light.” -- 1:9. 1 “Gives Life to.” -- 1:9. 2 “Comes to [people, or] the universe.” -- 1:10. 1 “The universe.” -- 1:10. 2 Aramaic expression: He created them. -- 1:12 “Sons of Allaha.” -- 1:13. 1 “Will.” -- 1:13. 2 Literal expression: “Through satisfaction of man [or power of maturity.]” -- 1:16 Literal expression: “And from his fullness we have all been satisfied, grace in place of grace.” -- 1:18 “Spoke of.” -- 1:20. 1 “Informing.” -- 1:20. 2 The Messiah. -- 1:26 “Waters.” -- 1:30 “Mighty [man.]” -- 1:31 “Waters.” -- 1:37 “As they heard.” -- 1:38. 1 “Rabban.” -- 1:38. 2 Literal expression: “Where dwell you?” -- 1:42. 1 Literal The Holy Spirit. -- 1:42. 2 Aramaic name retained: “Rock,” which is Anglicized as “Peter.” -- 1:51 “Bar-nasha,” is a theological concept when used in this construction. Sometimes it means: “humanity,” other times: “a human being.”
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