Podcast Memra (Word of God / Logos)

[Lori Jane]

Show Notes:
This episode explores how the "Word of God" (Aramaic: "memra") was used to explain the activity of the God of Israel in the Jewish Targum Onkelos. After organizing the various ways that Onkelos understands and uses the "memra" of God in the Torah, we look at John 1:1-18 to see if our reading of that passage is illuminated by the Jewish context created by Targum Onkelos. We conclude that the memra of God in Targum Onkelos is not a preexisting, conscious person alongside the God of Israel.

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Conclusion

Targum Onkelos, an early Jewish interpretation of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy from either the late first century or second century CE, frequently spoke of God and his Word. In fact, the Targumist interpreted the actions of the God of Israel in terms of his memra--the Aramaic equivalent to “word” over 200 times. We were able to organize the various ways that the Targumist understood the meaning of the relationship between God and his Word.

We first noted that the memra was just another way of speaking of God, indicating that God’s word was basically another way of talking about God himself. There was no indication that God’s Word was a conscious person distinct from the God of Israel. Second, we observed that the memra of God was frequently used to bridge the perceived gap between God and his creation. In places where God’s presence was considered to be too close to humanity, the Targumist interpreted this as God’s word being close instead. Third, we noted that God’s word was a way to convey the inner deliberations and thoughts of God, like when God was sorry or was thinking something in his heart. Fourth, the memra was, naturally, interpreted in light of God’s commands, speech, and personal voice. In other words, God’s word was used to understand the many things God said. Lastly, we noted that God’s word was the agent through which God created the world.

When we took the evidence of the memra of God from Targum Onkelos and used it as a lens through which to interpret the Prologue of John’s Gospel, we saw that the data from the targum greatly illuminated the text. The traditional reading of John 1, which depicted the activity of God and his creative speech in the beginning of Genesis, was confirmed by Targum Onkelos. Furthermore, the definition of God’s Word that indicated that it was a personification of God’s creative and powerful speech, rather than being a conscious person alongside God, was also confirmed in Onkelos. In other words, the memra of God in Targum Onkelos was not a preexisting conscious person. In short, we can safely say that situating John 1 in its Jewish context, including the Jewish targum Onkelos, confirms the contextual connection between John 1 and Genesis 1, rather than severing it.

 

[Lori Jane]

And here is part 2



Show Notes:
In this episode, we explore how the concept of God's "word" (Aramaic: "memra") is used in Targum Neofiti. After surveying the four ways in which this Aramaic Targum interprets the activity of the God of Israel in light of his word/memra, we turn to the prologue of John's Gospel (John 1:1-18) in order to see how the context created by Neofiti's use of word/memra helps us better understand God and his Logos. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
To offer financial support to the Biblical Unitarian Podcast, click here: https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks

Notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18...

The Biblical Unitarian Podcast - by Dustin Smith, PhD

Episode 179–The Logos and Targum Neofiti

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Introduction

In this week’s episode of the Biblical Unitarian Podcast, we will, like last week, explore an early Jewish targum in order to see how it uses the concept of God’s word (Aramaic: “memra”) in hopes of better understanding the Jewish context of John’s prologue (John 1:1-18)

1. Targum Neofiti and its Use of the Memra

• Targum Neofiti - discover in the Vatacin Library in the mid-20th century, contains some data that scholars have dated to the 1st century, while revisions of it, which can be detached in the text itself, perhaps come from the second and third centuries.
• Targum on the Torah, first five books,and the largest targum on the Torah (much larger than Onkelos).

1a. Just another way of talking about God’s activity

-So the LORD said, "I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created (Gen 6:7 NRS)

So the memra of Yahweh said, I will blot out….I have created

-For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it." (Gen 19:13 NRS)

the memra of the LORD has sent us to destroy it

-Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." (Gen 22:8 NRS)

Abraham said, the memra of the LORD will provide the lamb

-Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your ancestors and to your kindred, and I will be with you." (Gen 31:3 NRS)

…and my memra will be with you



1b. Bridging the perceived gap between God and his creation

-When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. (Gen 17:1 NRS)

…the memra of the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God of heaven

-When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." (Exo 3:4 NRS)

…the memra of the LORD called to him out of the bush

-I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exo 3:8 NRS)

In my memra, I have come down to deliver

-The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting (Num 1:1 NRS)

The memra of the LORD spoke with Moses in the wilderness of Sanai, in the tent of meeting



1c. Memra is another way to talk about God’s commands, words, or voice

-And he believed the LORD; and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:6)

And Abram believed in the name of the memra of the LORD

-And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. (Lev 8:4 NRS)

And Moses did as the memra of the LORD commanded him

-all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you listen to the LORD your God (Deu 28:2 NRS)

If you listen to the memra of the LORD your God

-Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. (Deu 34:10 NRS)

..whom the memra of the LORD knew speech to speech


1d. God creates through his powerful word

-Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. (Gen 1:3 NRS)

Then the memra of YHWH said, Let there be light, and there was light according to the decree of his memra

-And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. (Gen 1:4 NRS)

…and the memra of YHWH separated the light from the darkness

-God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. (Gen 1:5 NRS)

The memra of Yahweh called the light day and the darkness he called night

-And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." (Gen 1:6 NRS)

And the memra of YHWH said, Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters…

-So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. (Gen 1:7 NRS)

…and it was so according to his memra

-God called the dome Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. (Gen 1:8)

The memra of YHWH called the dome heaven

-And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. (Gen 1:9 NRS)

And the memra of YHWH said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so according to his memra.


-23 occurrences of memra in Genesis chapter 1, the largest concentration of “memra” occurrences in all of Targum Neofiti.

26 occurrences of memra if you count the entirity of the first creation accounts from Gen. 1:1-2:4.

1. Relevance to John 1 and the Logos that was with God

If we take the four ways in which memra was used in Targum Neofiti, we have a working hypothesis for understanding the Jewish flavor of the Logos in John 1:1-18 as it would have been understood in the first century.

• 1a. Just another way of talking about God’s activity
  • John 1:1c - and the word was God (fully expressive of God)
• 1b. Bridging the perceived gap between God and his creation
  • God is in heaven, but the word was in the world, and the world did not recognise the word, but those who believed in his name became children of God (1:10-13)
• 1c. Memra another way to talk about God’s commands, words, or voice
  • Obeying God is akin to obeying God’s commands, and as the embodied word, Jesus speaks the commands of God
• 1d. God creates through his powerful word
  • John 1:3 - all things were made through the Logos
  • John 1:10 - the world was made through the Logos

Importantly, Targum Neofiti did not regard the memra as a preexisting person alongside God. Nor was the memra portrayed as a separate person from God. Rather, the memra was another way of talking about the one God in his activity and behavior.

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Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of the BUP!

Join us next week as we look at Titus 2:13, which is one of those dubious texts that might call Jesus “the great God and savior” or it might not. This next episode will look at this language determine if Jesus is being called the great God, and what that might even mean to the original audience of the Letter to Titus.

Please look forward to it.

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Producer and Editor: Dustin Williams | Host: Dustin Smith

 

[Lori Jane]

Importantly, Targum Neofiti did not regard the memra as a preexisting person alongside God. Nor was the memra portrayed as a separate person from God. Rather, the memra was another way of talking about the one God in his activity and behavior.

the memra of God in Targum Onkelos was not a preexisting conscious person. In short, we can safely say that situating John 1 in its Jewish context, including the Jewish targum Onkelos, confirms the contextual connection between John 1 and Genesis 1, rather than severing it.

Great takeaways!