Our Father in Heaven

Jesus spoke the language of Aramaic, a language of the Jews after Hebrew had become a sacred language alone. This is a transliteration of the whole Lord's Prayer :

Abwoon d'bwashmaya
Nethqadash shmakh
Teytey malkuthakh
Nehwey tzevyanach aykanna d'bwashmaya aph b'arha.
Hawvlan lachma d'sunqanan yaomana.
Washboqlan khaubayn (wakhtahayn)
aykana daph khnan shbwoqan l'khayyabayn.
Wela tahlan l'nesyuna
Ela patzan mm bisha.
Metol dilakhie malkutha wahayla wateshbukhta l'ahlam almin.
Ameyn.



This is the Lord's Prayer in English, also in full:

6:09 "Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
6:13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

(Matthew 6:9 - 13, New Revised Standard Version)

The Aramaic offers this extended translation prayer of the first part, Our Father in heaven - it vividly describes God:

O Birth Giver! Father-Mother of the Cosmos, you create all that moves in light.
O Thou! The Breathing Life of all, Creator of the Shimmering Sound that touches us.
Respiration of all worlds, we hear you breathing - in and out - in silence.
Source of Sound: in the roar and the whisper, in the breeze and the whirlwind, we hear your Name.
Radiant one: You shine within us, outside us - even darkness shines - when we remember.
Name of names, our small identity unravels in you, you give it back as a lesson.
Wordless Action, Silent Potency - where ears and eyes awaken, there heaven comes.
O Birth Giver! Father-Mother of the Cosmos!

(By Klotz, 1990, 12: Birther becomes Birth Giver)

This prayer then is based on Abwoon d'bwashmaya.

Abwoon has a sound based meaning:

The word d'bwashmaya also needs breaking down:

(See Klotz, 1990, 13-14)



Full Prayer (using the Aramaic)

O Birth giver! Father-Mother of the Cosmos
Direct the light to us
And clear the space inside for the Holy Name to live -
So that it may reign and do its work.
We desire the heavenly light and love as our earthly reality
Grant our life and soul and our bodily food for fulfilment.
Restore the unburdened state by removing all binds and debts:
As we do.
Free us from delusions and inappropriate actions that hold us back
There is, we know, the fertile abundance, the ability and the energy from time to time of Holy earthly renewal.
May these words truly be the basis of actions:
This is our oath.

(After Klotz, 1990, 10-41, own version derived; the prayer can be used as a responsive Lord's Prayer)

Taken from: Klotz, N. D. (1990), Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus, HarperSanFrancisco, 10-14.



A. Worsfold

Pluralist - Liberal and Thoughtful