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In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus literally said "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (debts=Aramaic "choba").
William Tyndale purposefully translated it as "trespasses" because he feared English readers would think Jesus wanted monetary debt abolished.
William Tyndale purposefully translated it as "trespasses" because he feared English readers would think Jesus wanted monetary debt abolished.
Choba meant both sin and debt.
I think Jesus knew exactly what he meant. Sin was debt and debt was sin. A rich theological ambiguity that reflects both Jesus' concern for forgiveness and the command for Jubilee.
I think Jesus knew exactly what he meant. Sin was debt and debt was sin. A rich theological ambiguity that reflects both Jesus' concern for forgiveness and the command for Jubilee.
It is vaguely hilarious that a 16th language scholar was worried that regular people would see the Bible as justification to cancel debts - and that he felt it his mission to put a lid on such a literal reading.
But the truth of the matter is that Jesus directs his followers to pray EVERY DAY for debt to be abolished.
Jesus envisions a permanent Jubilee. Forgiveness of debts and forgiveness of debtors.
Jesus envisions a permanent Jubilee. Forgiveness of debts and forgiveness of debtors.
(I wrote about this in Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks -- pp. 161-173)
A paraphrase (from Grateful):
Free us from debt,
from holding others in debt,
and from anger against those who hold us in debt.
Release us from the entanglement of debt slavery.
Free us from Caesar's yoke.
We long to live only in gratitude to God.
Free us from debt,
from holding others in debt,
and from anger against those who hold us in debt.
Release us from the entanglement of debt slavery.
Free us from Caesar's yoke.
We long to live only in gratitude to God.
If one takes Jesus seriously, one needs to understand that Jesus dreamed of a debt free world.
And I love that the Reformers understood the radical implications of their project, even as they worried that God's people couldn't entirely be trusted with the power of the Word.
But hey, Pandora meet box.
But hey, Pandora meet box.
