If you could spend Christmas with only one person who is no longer on this Earth who would it be and why?

My father because I miss him.

My grandmother who died in May because she always made a big deal over Christmas and it won't be the same this year.

The person I would be my mother's boyfriend. He's been dead for 10 years, and I really miss him.

Well, Jesus I guess.

I'll make a big cake with 2000 candles on it and invite him over,
When he comes he'll say, "Today isn't even my birthday."
But I won't be able to understand him,
because I don't speak Hebrew,
so I'll just smile and nod.

My Dad, because well, he's my Dad!

I like the people I spend it with, and none of the people I traditionally spend it with has died yet.

Jesus spoke Aramaic.

> Jesus spoke Aramaic.

You know, I knew that, I thought hebrew just sounded funnier
still, he spoke both.
The Torah is in Hebrew.

Ooh, tough question. Nobody close to me died yet.
I'd have to pick Earl of Rochester

My mother. I need not say why.

That doesn't mean he spoke Hebrew, though. Being able to read or understand a language isn't the same as being able to speak it. As a carpenter from northern Palestine, he wouldn't necessarily have known Hebrew. And there were probably already Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible (Torah is only the Pentateuch; the Hebrew Bible includes the rest of what you would call the Old Testament) in Jesus' time.

someone....who has had an impact on the world so i could quiz the hell out of them......... Einstein or some such

That is a VERY hard question to answer because I have two that I would like to pick. I have a close friend Steve, that died from AIDS shortly after college, and I miss him SOOOO much.
He affected my life in tremendous ways that will stay with me forever, and for that I am forever grateful. He is the one person who got through to me that "timing is everything", and I have learned that it rings true in all circumstances.
But I think my friend Steve would understand why I would choose my sister-in-law, Melissa to spend one more Christmas with.
Melissa met my brother when I was 11 years old - and was the closest thing to a sister I ever had. She died when I was 21 from Chron's disease. 2 years later, I found out my best friend in the whole world is fighting the same disease. The past decade or so have been both amazing and hard, but I know that I would NEVER have gotten through them, and I would never be as strong of an individual as I am now - if it weren't for her. I would never be able to support my friend, like I do, without the foreknowledge of what she went through. You just don't get closer to a person than washing their hair and shaving their legs for them, and helping them to the bathroom, when they can't. No one should ever have to go through that. Losing her nearly killed me. But - -her allowing me to be there for her made me strong. And now...I know why she gave me that...because I lent my strength to someone else - and now that person is giving it back. My friend had a really close call last year and her experience while in the hospital peaked her awareness of the needs of other new patients. She has written a grant proposal and is in the process of creating a foundation based on her experiences. This will help so many other Chron's patients in the future. I am so proud of her.
I wish Melissa could see how she has "payed it forward."

father and mother, ok it's two people.

Jesus read from the Pentateuch out loud, and taught in the temple,
he was teaching in the temple on the scriptures even from a young age.
It would have been in his interests to know Hebrew.

I can't think of anyone..

Guess I'm doing pretty good.

A former boss and friend of mine who died as a result of breast cancer. She has been gone 4 years now.

How do you know what he was doing from a young age? The gospels don't say anything about his youth, do they?
Jesus wouldn't have been speaking to people who knew Hebrew. In his period, when the Bible was read aloud to the community at certain assigned times, it was simultaneously translated into Aramaic so that the people listening could understand it. Those people, the common people, are the ones that Jesus would have been interested in talking to, and they would have known the Bible in Aramaic. The priests and scribes would have known the Hebrew, and while it would also have been in Jesus' interest to know the original language of the text when talking to them, that does not mean that he would have been able to speak Hebrew, or have needed Hebrew to speak to them. I suppose it's possible that he could speak Hebrew, but I've always heard that he spoke Aramaic. And he's cited as speaking Aramaic in the gospels, isn't he?

My dad because it would be nice for my son to see his grandpa again. My dad passed away in 1983 just 3 days before my son's 3rd birthday and that was one of the hardest things to tell my son...that grandpa was gone.

www.biblegateway.com

There was a Hebrew-Aramaic polyglot during that time, it was not uncommon for many to speak two or even three languages.

Yes, Jesus teaching in the temple at a young age is mentioned in the new testament.

Luke Chapter 2:41
Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?

A Hebrew-Aramaic polyglot would have been a rare item for someone to actually own, probably limited to scribal schools and the Temple. It wouldn't have been a common household item, and like I said, the Bible had to be translated into Aramaic for large groups of people to understand it. Which would suggest that most people spoke Aramaic and not Hebrew.

My Dad. because I miss him the Most

> A Hebrew-Aramaic polyglot would have been a rare item for someone
> to actually own, probably limited to scribal schools and the Temple.
> It wouldn't have been a common household item, and like I said, the
> Bible had to be translated into Aramaic for large groups of people
> to understand it. Which would suggest that most people spoke Aramaic
> and not Hebrew.

Bible scholars all over the world are still trying to seperate all the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
I think you are just being contradictory on this point. It is historic fact, the world was in a state of change and at the time the world consisted of the melting pot of the Roman Empire.

Matthew 21:9
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna[ 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning "Save!" which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15] to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"[ 21:9 Psalm 118:26] "Hosanna[ 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning "Save!" which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15] in the highest!"
(Whole Chapter: Matthew 21 In context: Matthew 21:8-10)


Mark 8:29
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ.[ 8:29 Or Messiah. "The Christ" (Greek) and "the Messiah" (Hebrew) both mean "the Anointed One."] "
(Whole Chapter: Mark 8 In context: Mark 8:28-30)

Even above the cross his accusation is written in three languages!

That is the happiest thought... and a birthday cake with 2000 candles would be so bright. Maybe words wouldn't be needed at all. My first thought was Jesus too. What other reason is there for Christmas? In fact, I don't even have a close second person I can think of right now.

I thought a polyglot was a person who spoke several languages...

I am a Bible scholar.
And what do you mean by "still trying to seperate [sic] all the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic"? There's no need to separate them--they are different languages, and are obvious to any biblical scholar who comes across them. One is not easily mistaken for another. There's no separating involved.

Knowing a few phrases of a language, in particular ones which were important theological terms, is not the same as knowing a language. How many single expressions in foreign languages do you know? And how many of those languages can you actually speak? You know the words "amen" and "messiah," and yet I'm guessing you don't speak Hebrew.

I believe the term can apply to people as well as to written texts. A polyglot text is one which contains translations of the same text in different languages.

Please excuse me for over simplifying that statement
Oh Exalted and Enlightened Bible Scholar

I made a simple little comment about making a cake for jesus on his birthday,
poking fun at the irony that it is not even his birthday.
Lighten up.

1CO 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? [21] For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. [22] Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, [23] but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, [24] but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

An astronaut - so that I could be in space as well

I'd like to spend Christmas with my deceased husband. He was the finest person I've ever met and he made me feel so very good about myself.

Prov. 18:2 The fool does not desire understanding, But only to air his thoughts.

Perfect

> Prov. 18:2 The fool does not desire understanding, But only to air
> his thoughts.

PS 14:1 The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.

...Must we? You are one of my favorite people here.

You are right and....

You are right so....

Quit throwing Bible verses at each other because that's not what they were intended for. We all know you could do it till kingdom come. There was alot going on during that time in the world. We may never know for certain. So kiss and make up.

Gene Roddenberry. He's one of the only people I can think of that is literally no longer on this Earth.

It would without a doubt , be Elvis Presley? I thought he was so cute and very handsome and a hunk. That day he died back in 1977, I cried my heart out. I would love to spend Christmas with Elvis Presley just one time? He had the most sexy body and he could swing those hips.

I am? I find that surprising...
I wasn't really trying to pick a fight, and I did appreciate the humor of your comment. I guess I get a little carried away sometimes when I see what I feel are misconceptions about the Bible and the context out of which it arose.

My mother or my father. Because I miss them.

It's so hard being smart. I freak out on people all the time for getting things wrong. Example: I was recently working on a play. I was making the costumes. Most people kept foregetting whether Alexander the Great was Greek or Roman. I swear, heads were flying. And the director wanted me to get a toga for Alexander. Blasphemy...

It's not so much being smart as just having a particular area of interest and knowledge where you turn into a vicious geek when people get the facts wrong.

My Grandpa Tom. I miss him. Hard. Also, it kills me that my husband never had a chance to know him.

My Grandma

I'm Jesus would be able to speak English or any language for that matter, after all he is the Son of God.

Bless you for helping me follow this survey. I don't know either of the languages and I still trust that the folks who do are truthfully interpreting the Word. I was wondering, would Jesus have spoked more than one language?

I think it's unlikely that Jesus spoke more than one language. (Of course, I don't know for sure, and I could be wrong.) Aramaic was pretty wide-spread during his time, and most Jews in the area spoke it. I suppose it's possible that he would have known some Greek, and it's likely that he would have known phrases of Hebrew, but I think it's unlikely he would have spoken it. Admittedly New Testament and Jesus aren't my areas of specialization--I'm a Hebrew Bible person. But I do know about the general history of the period, what languages were being spoken, what was going on in the area in general during Jesus' time.

It's always important, when you're reading a translation of the Bible, to know that you are also reading an interpretation of it. I'm glad to see that you realize that! For the most part, the well-known translations are fairly reliable. But it's also a good idea to read more than one translation, to compare them and see how they differ.

Thanks, that's good to know. Do you think Jesus knew Latin? He was taken before Roman for his trial. Do you think he know what they were saying?

Jesus

My Mom. Because Christmas isn't Christmas without her.

I doubt he knew Latin. He was probably taken before people who knew Aramaic--weren't most of the local Roman officials from the area? I'm not sure about Pilate, but I'm pretty sure Herod was from the area and would probably have spoken Aramaic and/or Greek. Otherwise, I'm sure they would have had translators around! I don't think that region of the world ever became Latin-speaking, even when it was part of the Roman Empire.

That sounds reasonable. Generally the one's who go to the new area learn the local language, not the other way around. It seems to me that the Romans relied on local government. Ancient History is ancient history, I took my course in the subject in the late 1970s.

I think the Romans used a lot of locals, although they definitely set up their own way of doing things.

Yes, that's what I remember too.

my grandpa

My mother. To talk about the things that we didn't have the chance to talk about before she died. I had 36 hours from being informed that she was definitely dying, but she wasn't up to much talking during that time.

My father. I miss him.

lincoln

The Baby Jesus?

Actually, Alexander the Great was neither; he was Macedonian.

Shut up.

mad smiley

Okay, sorry.

Sorry, not only am I a pompous bastard, I'm pedantic as well...

My Grandma. She died about 15 years ago and I've been thinking about her a lot lately. I miss her, but I have many happy memories.

I know. I corrected an English major today, they said 'anyways'.

Now that is pedantic!

I'd rather spend it with someone that's still alive, just not nearby anymore.

okay one thing, if Jesus could walk on water, and turn water to whine and all that fly stuff, im pretty sure he could speak ANY language he wanted to. think out side the box people

If jebus can walk on water he can speak EVERY language, dont read too much into, its jesus!!

Thats a hard one, theres more than one who is no longer on this Earth Id like to spend Christmas with.

My friend Eddie who was like a brother to me, he just past away in july and I miss him terribly, he loved Christmas, my family and I have spent christmas with him for the past 17 years and this is my first christmas without him and his first Christmas in heaven.

Probably Jesus so I can wish Him happy birthday.

my (soon-to-be) cousin: who died only a month before his wedding and he was my only role model and he died from all his friends being drunk, i looked up to him because he almost never drank and did stuff like that. I really wish that i could see him again.

Santa Claus

Difficult to say, because I know many....they're all important....Because it being Christmas...I will say Jesus Christ...for giving us another chance, for being who he is....

My grandma Emma. I love and miss her very much, and I would love to have her apple pie and sage stuffing just one more time. My mom has her recipes, but they just don't taste quite the same.

My Dad, as he died before i was born

MY PAPA BECAUSE HE WAS THE BEST