Targumim
Targumim
The Targumim is an ancient Aramaic paraphrase or interpretation of the Hebrew Bible(Tanakh) , of a type made from about the 1st century AD when Hebrew was declining as a spoken language.an ancient Aramaic paraphrase or interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, of a type made from about the 1st century AD when Hebrew was declining as a spoken language.
A Targum was created to make the text accessible to Jewish communities who spoke Aramaic instead of Hebrew, particularly during and after the Babylonian exile. These translations range from literal to interpretive, often acting as a commentary, and were used in synagogue services.
The Targums were primarily developed and written by early Rabbinic scholars in Judea and Babylonia between the 1st and 5th centuries CE, rather than specific, separate sects. Key contributors included 1st-2nd century Judean scholars, such as those responsible for Targum Onkelos, and it was later when Babylonian sages who were the ones who finalized these texts as authorized translations.
Of course it includes interpretations of Moses based on some of the same thinking as we see with the Pharisees that may have caused many to not know Christ and even oppose him.
Some Pharisees like Simon the Pharisee did recognize Christ along with thousands at Pentecost. Even John the Baptist who had an Essene connection and may have studied in Parthia had his own eyes opened by the teachings of Jesus. And of course, the Paul the Apostle was converted realizing that what he had learned as a scholar was counted as dung.[1]
The Targumim may contain bias like what we find in the Midrash and the Masoretic text.
- ↑ Philippians 3:8, the Apostle Paul refers to his previous religious pedigree, accomplishments, and legalistic righteousness as "dung" (or "rubbish/garbage," depending on the translation) compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ. The original Greek word used is skubalon, which refers to excrement, refuse, or table scraps thrown to dogs.