Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Repeat after me: Abba does not mean Daddy.



I'm glad to see that I am not the only person who is habitually troubled with the whole "'Abba' means 'Daddy'" meme. (Keep fighting the good fight, Doug!)

You may have heard on the Internet, or through a sermon, or even may have read in a number of books that the Aramaic word "abba" is akin to the English word "daddy."

Unfortunately, this anecdote is just as true as "the eye of the needle" being a gate in Jerusalem or a rock formation where one had to dismount their camel in order to get through. (Read: It's a myth. It's false. It's not the case.)

If you'd like to learn more, please check out my earlier post on this issue, here where everything is dealt with in greater detail.

Peace,
-Steve
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2 comments:

  1. JaymesJune 9, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    Can you please provide a source that verifies this? What is the proper translation of Abba?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steve CarusoJune 10, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    Jaymes,

    Be sure to read the original article I linked to here which has sources and discussion:

    http://aramaicdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/06/abba-isnt-daddy-traditional-aramaic.html

    "Abba" simply means "father" with no affinity towards "dad," "papa" or "daddy" and is used by individuals of all ages (children to geriatrics) to refer to fathers of any stripe (both their own and others').

    Peace,
    -Steve

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