Yesterday I had the privilege of dialoging with Aramaic scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz with an audience of over 1200 people on zoom, he in Scotland where he lives and I in northern California. The title of our event was “Cosmic Christ and the Aramaic Jesus.”
I was pleased years ago to write a Foreword to Neil Douglas Klotz’s first book, Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus where he translates the “Our Father” prayer and the Beatitudes from the Aramaic language which Jesus himself spoke.
I began that Foreword with these words: “Reader beware: though this book is brief, it contains the seeds of a revolution.” I do not think history has proven me mistaken.
To challenge language is revolutionary, and we can easily miss the point when we leave out the language that Jesus spoke. As if we could ever receive the full nuance and expression from Jesus’s heart to our own hearts by way of Greek (which Jesus did not speak but the gospel editors wrote in) or Latin or German or English, etc.
Klotz therefore has gone back to the primary text. We can easily miss the meaning of a poetic or mystical text if we translate outside the context and culture of the person speaking. This is why Klotz’s method and purpose is so valuable.
His new book, Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus, comes out in two weeks and I wrote a Foreward to that book also.
We often use Klotz’s translation of the “Our Father” prayer in our Cosmic Masses and invariably people come up afterwards and say, “Where did you get that translation of the Lord’s Prayer? I want a copy.”
This has taught me a very valuable lesson: Much too much of religious language has become rote. Religion easily dies when it succumbs to rote. The Aramaic translations of Klotz cut through the rote and bring us to the deeper meanings of Jesus’s teachings that can still touch our hearts, move our souls, and ignite our action.
What does “rote” mean? Webster’s Dictionary defines “learning by rote” this way:
’Learn by rote’ means the use of memory usually with little intelligence;
–Routine or repetition carried out mechanically or unthinkingly;
–A joyless sense of order;
–A commercial hustle.
Do any of these observations speak to your experience of religion today?
Adapted from Matthew Fox, “Foreword: Beyond Religion as Rote,” in Neil Douglas Klotz, Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus (Charlottesville, Va: Hampton Roads, 2022), pp. ix-xi.
See also Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest, pp. 155, 352
See also Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ
and Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus, Stations of the Cosmic Christ.
To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: “Jesus Teaches the People by the Sea.” Painting by James Tissot (1836–1902) in the Brooklyn Museum. Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
Have you experienced religious prayer at times “by rote”? What efforts do you make to spice it up and get to a deeper and fresher meaning? To take your experience as the starting point?
Recommended Reading
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine.
“The eighth wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe.
“This book is a classic.” Thomas Berry, author of The Great Work and The Dream of the Earth.
Stations of the Cosmic Christ
By Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus.
This is a book of meditations on the Cosmic Christ, accompanying the images of 16 wonderful clay tablets by Javier Ullrrich Lemus and M.C. Richards. Together, these images and meditations go far beyond the traditional Stations of the Cross to inspire a spirit awakening and understanding of the cosmic Christ Consciousness, Buddha consciousness, and consciousness of the image of God in all beings, so needed in our times.
“A divinely inspired book that must be read by every human being devoted to spiritual and global survival. It is cosmically brilliant.” — Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
19 thoughts on “The Work of Neil Douglas-Klotz vs Religion by Rote”
Matthew, Today you tell us of the work of Neil Douglas Klotz’s, and his book, Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus. And you speak to us of how hearing the words of Jesus in his own language seems to mean so much more. You even say that this has “taught me a very valuable lesson: Much too much of religious language has become rote. Religion easily dies when it succumbs to rote. The Aramaic translations of Klotz cut through the rote and bring us to the deeper meanings of Jesus’s teachings that can still touch our hearts, move our souls, and ignite our action.” You ask us if we have experienced religious prayer at times “by rote”? Yes, whenever I go to Church or Mass. So then, what do I do to find deeper and fresher meaning? To take your experience as the starting point? Ellen White, a woman religious leader in the 1800s once wrote that “Prayer is speaking to God like a friend.” And that’s how I pray except the Our Father and Hail Mary…
Todays meditation really spoke to me as of course I learned the words of the Lords Prayer early in my life. I am now 81 years old and am anxious to delve more closely the Aramaic version of that prayer. Is it possible to get copies of Neil Douglas Klotz’s books?
Thanks, Annie DeGuerin
Tom Leonhardt, author of “Giving Thanks With the Aramaic Jesus” my spiritual director for 55 years, died of Covid, Dec. 2, 2021. He regularly corresponded with Neil Douglas-Klotz who endorsed his book on the back cover along with your, endorsement there as well. This is one sample of Tom’s multiple interpretations antiphonally expressed in his book of Aramaic liturgies: I share this here, as one small part of Tom’s liturgies. “So Yeshua told them to form a circle, holding one another’s hands, while he stood in the middle. Instructing them to answer “Ameyn,” Yeshua began to intone a mystical chant:” TO THE UNIVERSE BELONGS THE DANCER; AMEYN.” “THOSE WHO DO NOT DANCE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. AMEYN” NOW YOU WHO DANCE, CONSIDER WHAT I DO…” At that time Yeshua also took bread and wine, blessed the Abwoon, and gave to those friends gathered saying: TAKE! EAT! DRINK! MY BODY! MY BLOOD! FOR YOU! REMEMBER ME, SPROUT ACTS OF COMPASSION FOR ALL CREATURES.
FWI: My task now, as Tom’s student, is to find an avenue to publish again, Tom’s book of liturgies, now, unfortunately, out of publication. Everyone of your prayers, who read this post, is appreciated towards my task, of republishing his book, for his wife, Carolyn Horvath, and all communities, who survive him, as she devotes her energies towards continuing a community of worship in Cleveland, Ohio, “The Hope House of Pray” and she also is supporting all communities, doing the same.
Thank you for today’s wonderful meditation. Is there any chance that the zoom conversation between Matthew and Neil was taped? I’m sorry I missed it. Is there a mailing list to stay up to date with events like this?
Thank you.
Where can we find the Aramaic translations of the Lord’s Prayer Matthew read from…. I found this inspiring and very helpful!
William, You can find it all in Neil Douglas Klotz’s book, Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus where he translates the “Our Father” prayer and the Beatitudes from the Aramaic language which Jesus himself spoke!
Thank you Mathew, this sharing is not only beautiful but deeply powerful and moving.❤️
I’m so looking forward to Neil Douglas Klotz’s latest book 🙂
In my personal reading of Klotz’s books, which translates the Aramaic words of Jesus, my perceptional understanding has been vastly expanded, beyond the tensions of rigidity within long held religious absolutes. The concept of midrash in my understanding, is perceived as an invitation to go deeper, to discover fresh meanings, founded on personal experience… which is richly and uniquely diverse within its expressions. In my experience, it’s a pathway of perceiving and understanding through the intuitive sixth sense of the heart, tethered to the imagination… which are the virtues of the mystic, of the Sacred Feminine, the Divine Mother Heart of God, whose creative wisdom is infinite.
Well said, Jeanette !!!
Indeed it is hard, when we have recited a prayer all our lives, to newly experience the meaning of it as we recite it once again. My church at least begins the prayer, “Our God among us and within us.” But for me, it isn’t just in the Lord’s Prayer from which I find it hard to get to a deeper and fresher meaning. It’s all of scripture! No matter how many Christian contemplatives I meet and study with, or how many times I try to understand things in a new light, once I turn back to scripture it is very, very difficult to see the teachings in a new light. So I admit, I seldom actually read the Bible. When I want to see a deeper meaning, reading scripture with my life partner, David, helps. David’s guru was Claudio Naranjo who passed away some two years ago—a perceptive teacher who guided him into The Fourth Way and Buddhism. When David reads passages—such as Jesus calling Peter to come out to him on the sea—he finds concepts I’ve never been able to unwrap. I’ve been a spiritual seeker my whole life. I left conservative Christianity in the 80s and I’ve continued studying spiritual paths since then with Ram Dass and with many progressive Christian teachers. Nonetheless, the fog of lifelong indoctrinations makes it hard for me to see clearly when I actually read the Bible. Encountering passages without the buffer of lifelong Christian church teachings, David can more easily discover deeper metaphorical, spiritual meanings and that helps.
Michele, Today you says that when you turn back to scripture “it is very, very difficult to see the teachings in a new light. So I admit, I seldom actually read the Bible.” On the other hand you says you “I left conservative Christianity in the 80s and I’ve continued studying spiritual paths since then with Ram Dass and with many progressive Christian teachers.” I too did that–I studied with Ram Dass too for a number of years, but then I met Matthew and there was no turning back. You also say that “lifelong indoctrinations makes it hard for me to see clearly when I actually read the Bible.” But encountering passages of scripture without the buffer of lifelong Christian Church teachings–as in Neil Douglas-Klotz Aramaic translations–makes it more easy to go deeper into metaphorical, spiritual meanings, “and that helps.”
“0ur Father~Mother Creator…” – this first line of the Aramaic translation, alone could have been spiritually transforming and revolutionary in Christian human history by beginning to value the Divine Feminine in all our human spirituality, lives, and values. Instead, the Christian church became one more patriarchal institution with unbalanced and toxic patriarchal values, and lost its spiritual opportunity, except for a few saints and mystics, to our present day of contributing more deeply to the needed spiritual transformation of our personal humanity, earth, and society… However, in God’s eternal time, the Divine Feminine Spirit of Love, Wisdom, and Creativity is still very much Alive and Present with-in our hearts/consciousness, sacred Mother Nature, and our evolving co-Creation~Cosmos in Diverse Loving Oneness… In God’s Mercy, Wisdom, Compassion, and Transformative Power, may God’s sacred Earth and all living species, including our own, be spiritually healed and transformed….
Blessings 🔥❤️🌎🙏
Thank you, Matthew. Was Douglas-Klotz trying to save Jesus – the handyman- from sexism by translating the Aramaic ‘Father’ into ‘birther?’ I can’t imagine saying Abba Birther.
Bill, I guess that one way you can translate it…
I think we can find meaning in the most familiar prayers or scriptures if we look more deeply and metaphorically. In the Lord’s prayer as it is, I always emphasize certain words like “our” and “your will” to mean that we are all in it together and we must be very attentive to what God’s will is as opposed to our own ego–contemplative practices are necessary for this, in my experience. The value to some of us in the familiar prayers and sayings, even the creeds, is not that they are rote or true but simply in the fact that they have been spoken in the same way for centuries by untold numbers, and that connects us in a way to our ancestors and so great a crowd of witnesses. That can have real meaning. The new translations are beautiful and refreshing and carry levels of meaning as well. I wish that you would include the link to the video of the discussion between Matthew and Neil Douglas-Klotz–I got the e-mail with the video but could not figure out how to post it. It was wonderful.
“The value to some of us in the familiar prayers and sayings, even the creeds, is not that they are rote or true but simply in the fact that they have been spoken in the same way for centuries by untold numbers, and that connects us in a way to our ancestors and so great a crowd of witnesses.” Well said Sue !
I love the prayer as he translated it, it is so much more poetic and “full” of cosmic consciousness! I look forward to the new book. I stumbled upon a better wording, (imho) for the line “lead us not into temptation”. It is a sort of negative or passive line, I think. I like “lead us away from temptation”. It is a positive request, and will allow divine creativity to keep us away from what will undermine us. And it is easy to say, in the rhythm we are used to!
I have always been energized by Neil Douglas Klotz translations. Sometimes, however, I do sing those rote prayers I was taught as a little Catholic girl. It helps to break through to real praying. Thanks for sharing.