ABSTRACT
Without learning Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—the original languages of the Bible—a person who wishes to read the Bible must rely on a translation. Those who translate the Bible must try to understand the vocabulary, syntax, and grammar of the biblical languages so that the meaning and sense of the text can be rendered intelligibly in translation. The knowledge of the Hebrew biblical texts and of the Targum material has increased dramatically with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the caves of Qumran. Both Hebrew biblical texts and Targum fragments were found there and date from the time of Jesus or before. The New Testament account of Jesus and his ministry is separated from the historical Jesus not only by several decades but also by the translation of Jesus' words from Aramaic into Greek. It is not clear that the New Testament Gospels are the earliest written documents pertaining to the life of Jesus and his ministry.
