---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 13:08:31 +-300
From: msyuey <msyuey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: the bible and "truth"
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 01:49:35 -0500 (CDT)
From: dent@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: the bible and "truth"
I was curious as to what Greek word was used for "truth" in the Bible's
original translations.. I know the first enscriptions were in Greek, Hebrew
and Latin. Heidegger points out how a major turn in Western ontological
thinking was when the Romans translated "aletheia" into "veritas". I know
that came later, but I was still wondering as to what Greek and/or Latin
and/or Hebrew word is used.
thanks in advance
Loren
I don't know about Greek and Latin. The Hebrew word for truth, in the
bible and elsewhere, is "emet", which as far as I can tell means the same
as "truth". If you wish to give specific quotes from the bible which interest
you I can look them up and tell you what word is used in Hebrew.
It is interesting though that I couldn't find now in the Torah a use the word
in reference to God's sayings - of them it is only said that following them
is worthwhile. I didn't look through the prophets. In the Jewish (orthodox)
prayer book the word quite often refers to God's sayings.
Also I think in the old Jewish sources truth is more often contrasted with
lie (sheker) than with mistake/falsehood/being wrong (ta'ut).
I hope this is of some help,
Debbie
"If at the base there has not been the work of thought...we know that
[reform] will be swamped, digested by modes of behavior and institutions
that will always be the same."
-Michel Foucault, _Liberation_ interview, May 1981
"[H]umanism...presents a certain form of our ethics as a universal model for
any kind of freedom...[T]here are more secrets, more possible freedoms, and
more inventions in our future than we can imagine in humanism as it is
dogmatically represented on every side of the political reainbow: the Left,
the Center, the Right."
-M.F., TECHNOLOGIES OF THE SELF, 1982
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