The language spoken by Jesus Christ is making a modest comeback in the Middle East, with a little help from friends in Scandinavia.

 

Christian children in the Palestinian village of Beit Jala, located next to the city of Bethlehem, are learning Aramaic from elders. It is the language used by Christ more than 2,000 years ago, but it has largely disappeared from the world.

 

Aramaic is also being taught in the Arab-Israeli village of Jish, located in northern Israel, because the Maronite Christian community still uses the language in their prayers.

 

Helping these teaching endeavors is an Aramaic-speaking television channel based in Sweden, where an immigrant community numbering in the tens of thousands, has kept the ancient tongue alive. There is even an Aramaic soccer team, Syrianska FC, located in the city of Södertälje, which plays in Sweden’s top division.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Villages in the Holy Land Seek To Revive Jesus’ Aramaic Language (by Billy Hallowell, Associated Press)