Noohra Foundation: Aramaic was the written and spoken language of Jesus. There has been a great deal of interest and study in the Aramaic translation of the Bible – both Old and New Testaments. It was begun by Dr. George Lamsa, who grew up in a village in northern Iraq, where Aramaic was still spoken and many of the cultural traditions of Jesus' time were still in place during the 20th Century. He knew these cultural traditions and linguistic nuances firsthand. His translations of the Bible are enlightening and available.

How the Bible became the Bible points out the miscommunication that occurred as the Mid-Eastern Jewish language and customs was misunderstood by the Hellenistic (Greek) congregations throughout Asia Minor. If we, today, are still getting word meanings confused in our English Bible translations, it underscores the point that Hellenistic groups, who authored much of the New Testament writings, got confused and misunderstood much of Jesus' original message.

Lamsa's work is being carried on by Dr. Rocco Errico, of the Noohra Foundation. Errico's two important books, Let There Be Light – The Seven Keys and And There Was Light (both published by the Noorha Foundation) are simply excellent.  For information on Lamsa or Errico, see http://www.Noohra.com.

In fact, I would go so far as to suggest if one were to read my book, How the Bible became the Bible, followed by, in order, Let There Be Light - The Seven Keys then And There Was Light by Dr. Errico, readers would gain a vivid perspective of the Bible and biblical times that would enlighten and enliven the scriptures in an almost magical way.

Miltha Ministries: This is another good resource available dealing with biblical studies from an Aramaic perspective.  For sample studies and free information send an email request to James DeFrancisco, Ph.D. - Miltha Ministries - at james.j.defrancisco@gte.net Miltha, in Aramaic, means Word.

Aramaic Jesus: Rahmaneh and husband Tomas delight in sharing the meanings of Aramaic words that Jesus most likely used. She teaches the power and importance of understanding Jesus's teachings from a Semitic perspective, both in terms of giving us fresh insight into the greatness of authentic Christianity and also to facilitate appreciation of other Semitic religions, ie Judaism and Islam. She interweaves song, story, revelatory information, interactive sharing, and more. She is available to travel and teach. Email contact: rahtomas@aramaicjesus.org   Web site is http://www.aramaicjesus.org

The Jesus Seminar: Organized in the mid-1980s and sponsored by the Westar Institute. Its home page is http://www.westarinstitute.org/Jesus_Seminar/jesus_seminar.html  The goal of the Seminar is to provide a forum to pursue the Historical Jesus and other New Testament figures and events. Several of the authors in the bibliography of How the Bible became the Bible are Jesus Seminar Fellows.

The Association of Unity Churches International:  Founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. The home page is http://www.unity.org/index.shtml

Religious Science International (RSI):  Founded by Ernest Holmes. The home page is http://rsintl.org/

United Church of Religious Science (UCRS): (Split from RSI over administrative issues.) The home page is http://www.religiousscience.org/xindex02.html

Christian Science:  (Also known as Church of Christ, Scientist).  Founded by Mary Baker Eddy. The home page is http://www.christianscience.com/