Changes

Another example is the last utterance on the cross by Jesus, typically translated as "it is finished."<ref>John 19:30 (King James Version).</ref>  In the 20th century it was discovered that the actual Greek term used by John had this meaning in commerce in the 1st century: "paid in full."  So now some translate these final words by Christ "it is accomplished."  But even that may not fully capture the concept of redemption of the sin ("paid in full") that existed in Greek.  Check your Bible to see how it translates John 19:30.

Another example is the last utterance on the cross by Jesus, typically translated as "it is finished."<ref>John 19:30 (King James Version).</ref>  In the 20th century it was discovered that the actual Greek term used by John had this meaning in commerce in the 1st century: "paid in full."  So now some translate these final words by Christ "it is accomplished."  But even that may not fully capture the concept of redemption of the sin ("paid in full") that existed in Greek.  Check your Bible to see how it translates John 19:30.

   

   

Recall that the language of Mesopotamia was cuneiform, based on wedge-like characters. Can you imagine such primitive writing conveying the concept of "Holy Spirit" or "sin" or "redemption" or "faith"?  It was an inadequate language for religion, far too primitive for the needs of the powerful concepts of Christianity.

Recall that one of the writing systems of Mesopotamia was cuneiform, based on wedge-like characters. Because these were phonetic (characters representing sounds), any language that can be spoken can be written in this writing system - so one could (if one wanted) write English or Greek or Japanese in cuneiform.

But in the 1000s B.C., and perhaps earlier, a marvelous new form of language developed among the traders on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where Lebanon is today.  The Phoenicians lived there and established towns such as Byblos, a religious center after which the Bible is named because the town exported papyrus.  The Phoenicians had ports and sea-traders would pick up exports such as fine linen, cedar, pine wood, dyed cloth, wine, glass, salt, dried fish, and embroideries.  The Phoenicians traded with the Hebrews, who used the cedars of Lebanon to build Solomon's temple.  Colonies of the Phoenicians included Tyre, Sidon and, along the coast of Northern Africa, Carthage.  Carthage later became powerful enough to compete with Rome.  The Assyrian empire, which was the world's first real empire, invaded the Phoenicians in the 500s B.C., causing them to collapse.

But in the 1000s B.C., and perhaps earlier, a marvelous new form of language developed among the traders on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where Lebanon is today.  The Phoenicians lived there and established towns such as Byblos, a religious center after which the Bible is named because the town exported papyrus.  The Phoenicians had ports and sea-traders would pick up exports such as fine linen, cedar, pine wood, dyed cloth, wine, glass, salt, dried fish, and embroideries.  The Phoenicians traded with the Hebrews, who used the cedars of Lebanon to build Solomon's temple.  Colonies of the Phoenicians included Tyre, Sidon and, along the coast of Northern Africa, Carthage.  Carthage later became powerful enough to compete with Rome.  The Assyrian empire, which was the world's first real empire, invaded the Phoenicians in the 500s B.C., causing them to collapse.