Full translation: "You betray[?!] the Son of Man with a kiss"
I don't know Aramaic so I'm not sure if this translation (which includes the verb "betray") is more correct than the previous one (which omitted the verb "betray"). Either way the sense is clear, but if the verb "betray" is indeed included it means the aramaic segment of the commercial was not edited for time as some people previously had claimed.Actor Jim Caviezel opens the political ad with a brief statement in Aramaic, the common tongue of biblical-era Palestine and the language of Mel Gibson's blockbuster movie, saying: "Le-bar nash be-neshak."
Bill Fulco, the Loyola Marymount professor who translated Mr. Gibson's script for "Passion" and coached the actors on the ancient language, told The Washington Times yesterday the phrase means: "You betray the Son of Man with a kiss," a reference to Judas' betraying Christ and a phrase used in the Greek of Luke's Gospel.
Cathy Cleaver Ruse, a spokeswoman for Missourians Against Human Cloning, which produced the ad, said the group had Mr. Caviezel say the Aramaic phrase in a contemporary setting but without subtitles "to make the ad a little more intriguing."
When presented with Mr. Fulco's translation, which was confirmed by several other Aramaic scholars, the group agreed to release the exact translation exclusively to The Times.
"It means 'You betray me with a kiss,' which means Amendment Two is a betrayal because it is deceptive," Ms. Ruse said. "It promises one thing and delivers another." [More...]
Update: Bill on his blog Political Videos disputes the translation offered by the Washington Times and I think he has a point. I don't see where "betray" appears in the original and I'm not sure why the Washington Times is claiming that it does.


































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