The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Spiritual Message of the Aramaic Jesus

by Neil Douglas-Klotz

In two previous books, Neil Douglas-Klotz pioneered a radical new way of translating the words of Jesus---filtering them through the imagistic worldview of the Aramaic language which Jesus himself spoke. Seen through this lens, familiar sayings such as "Blessed are the meek" come into vibrant contemporary focus as "Healthy are those who have softened what is rigid within." In The Hidden Gospel , Douglas-Klotz employs this approach to decode the spiritual and prophetic messages hidden within key words and concepts in the sayings and stories of Jesus. We learn to our delight, for instance, that when Jesus spoke of "goodness" he used a word which in Aramaic means "ripe" and refers to actions which are in time and tune with the Sacred Unity of all life. The Hidden Gospel aims to bridge the gap between the historical Jesus of the scholar and the Jesus of faith of Christian believers. It will appeal to everyone looking for an alternative spiritual vision of Jesus and his message.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Historical, Christianity, Christian, History

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Neil Douglas-Klotz, Ph.D. is a renowned writer in the fields of Middle Eastern spirituality and the translation and interpretation of the ancient Semitic languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic. Living in Scotland, he was for many years co-chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion. A frequent speaker and workshop leader, he is the author of several books. His books on the Aramaic spirituality of Jesus include Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus, Prayers of the Cosmos, The Hidden Gospel, Original Meditation, and Blessings of the Cosmos. His books on a comparative view of Native Middle Eastern spirituality include Desert Wisdom: A Nomad’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions and The Tent of Abraham (with Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Sr. Joan Chittister). His books on Sufi spirituality include The Sufi Book of Life: 99 Pathways of the Heart for the Modern Dervish and A Little Book of Sufi Stories. His biographical collections of the works of his Sufi teachers include Sufi Vision and Initiation (Samuel L. Lewis) and Illuminating the Shadow (Moineddin Jablonski). He has also written a mystery novel set in the first century C.E. Holy Land entitled A Murder at Armageddon.
In addition, he recently edited five “Little Books” published by Hampton Roads, four devoted to a new selection of the work of Lebanese American writer, poet, and mystic Kahlil Gibran, and one dedicated to Wild Wisdom, a collection early ecological writers and mystics.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

These interpretations of the sayings of Jesus are God-breathed, pointing to the desire for all people to understand themselves as one with each other and creation. It possesses the potential for helping Christians, Jews, Muslims, and all other wisdom traditions that seek peace, harmony, and fulfillment to recognize their roots and their final goals are the same. A book that helps me to become more loving, compassionate, kind-hearted, and seeking harmony with my neighbors is a breath of fresh air in the religious realm today. It reflects the image of both Jesus and ultimately, God, rather than pointing to differences of opinion about the Unknown. It's too bad that the connotation "New Age" is a four letter word to those people who strive to hold onto old traditions and thought as if the past is more concrete and solid than the present. This book seeks to participate in bringing the kingdom of heaven closer to reality today. Douglas-Klotz points to the wisdom and message of Jesus as equally, if not more, important than the worldly elements of birth, death, and resurrection...material things that Christians feel more inclined to defend and argue.

[Neil Fix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some people have some strange ideas. When they are personal ones, someone meditating on questions for themselves, that’s one thing, but when they say that their meditations are truth, that’s quite another.
Especially when some of the things he says are not factually true. For instance, saying the word ‘Adam’ comes from ‘a’ and ‘dam’, meaning ‘blood, essence, coming from the beginning’. It doesn’t: it comes from the word ‘adamah’ which means earth, ground. Or talking about the Aramaic roots of words that come from documents written in Greek.
Also, the fact that he works mostly from the Gospel of Thomas doesn’t help. This was written in the second century in the Syriac language. Wherever the writer got his ideas (and it definitely wasn’t Thomas), it didn’t come from Jesus. So that means anything used from there isn’t historical in the first place.
Possibly has some use as a meditational aid.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm absolutely in love with this book, not only its mystical message de-mystifying the nondual mystery, but also its author's idea of "experiencer response," of interpretation as spiritual play rather than academic pursuit, of poetic wordplay in Yeshua's teachings. So far, so "Wow"!

[Willa Guadalupe Grant · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was not too wild about this book- it seemed too new age-y and the gospel was watered down. It simply did not speak to me in a voice I recognized as divine.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book re-examines Jesus' words in what are essentially Sufi terms by translating "original" Aramaic and considering his words in the context of his times.

While I agree with the idea in principle, parts of translation seem a stretch, particularly ideas concerning Hokhmah (Holy Wisdom). But other ideas seem credible, especially the erroneous KJV translation from "unripe" to "evil." This is an interesting, if biased, look at what Jesus could have meant via the practice of midrash.

But of course men twist the words of others to mean what men think they say. Perhaps, a message of brotherhood and unity has sparked religious wars and killed millions. Somehow, I do not think Jesus would have been surprised.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! The author introduces the world-view of those who spoke Ancient Aramaic--including the one an entire religion was based on--requiring a page of poetry to "translate" one line! The "Lord's Prayer" (the "Mother/Father Creative Impulse That Breaths Through the Entire Universe's Prayer" !) sounds COMPLETELY different when viewed from the perspective of the language it was originally spoken in. The words that were actually spoken are much more of a celebration of our oneness with all life and a guide for how we can find, experience, benefit from and share that experience of oneness. Amazing.

[Valerie Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author on page 27 decides to "translate" the Holy Bible incorrectly and says the word God is "Alaha" and he goes on to say that this is the same name the Muslims worship and the same name of the Middle Eastern great goddess. First off, the author translates this word from the Holy Bible incorrectly. In Hebrew the word for God is El, Elohim, and YHWH. This author is promoting Islam and I later found out that he is a Sufi, which is the mystic and ascetic Muslim religion. He even teaches meditation, which is extremely dangerous! He does not promote prayer to the God of the Bible.
This book is full of false doctrine and teaches that Jesus was a prophet NOT the Son of God.

[Steve Lee Sr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author/narrator takes about a dozen words and explains their deeper spiritual meaning beyond the simple English translation commonly associated with the text. He then uses some of the words/phrases in short songs which can be used as a guide in meditation.

It was good but didn't make an emotional connection with me, which is generally required to get more stars from me, especially in a book of spirituality/theology.

[Linda Branham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Douglas-Klotz translates the prayers and words of Jesus from the original Aramaic into english. It show a much more beautiful meaning than the King James version

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

[Ameliedanjou]

Having a hard time reading this -- I like some of his ideas on a fresh translation, but so much of it comes across as so "hippie-dippie" that I can't keep reading. May or may not finish.

[Lars Winky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book of solutions. Next book of the course. Until now we have seen all the things that don't work. Here it gives the solution of what is the universe, what is love, what are we... Tells how everything is sacred, us, every moment. Nature, our breath. And with easy meditation practices how to connect with all existence, with love and understanding and to extend this to everyone we meet and every action we perform. Powerful. S book for the bed table.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written book by Klotz. The meditations throughout the book are great and a wonderful way to bring the ideas he is presenting about Middle Eastern spiritual interpretation as well as culture in Jesus' time, to a more realistic experience for the reader. A must read for anyone who is pondering biblical translations and Jesus' Aramaic.

[Rachel Rausch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read this kind of commentary on Jesus’ words, and it’s interesting to learn more about how his teachings would have been received and interpreted by his Jewish followers. Definitely inspired me to learn more about Aramaic and practice breath work. This is a great book for people stepping away from dogma or religion and searching for a Christian spirituality.

[Jason Comely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several times I was ready to give up on this book because it's so mystic and new-age... then it'd wallop me with some mind-blowing insight that made it all worthwhile.

[Daniel Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books that found me at precisely the right time.

A glimpse into the infinite depth we may miss by only reading modern English translations of the ancient Biblical texts.

[Sr. Claire Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only I had been offered this interpretation when I was younger... My God, the possibilities.

[Ben]

From reading the description inside the dust-jacket, it seems to provide a new and interesting perspective on scriptural interpretation. Suggesting that if it strikes us to interpret the words of the New Testament, we must understand them as they were first written, not as we understand their translations in modern English. Echoing sentiment felt towards the Qur'an and the validity of its translated versions, Douglas-Klotz posits that words are not the only things lost in translation, but also the concepts a people connects with them.

[Ginaluna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Life changing when it comes to re-reading the Gospels.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives much clarity to Westernized Christianity. It opens like a flower, maturing the heart into deeper levels of love.