The Gospel and the Jubilee

copyright 2008 Stephan Huller

by Rory Boid (personal correspondence)

I have read the section of the Samaritan Arabic commentary on the Torah. The announcement is on the Day of Atonement of the 49th year. The 50th year starts on the first of the first month of the following year. The reason the announcement is nearly six months before is to allow enough time FOR HERALDS TO TRAVEL TO OTHER COUNTRIES.

The Samaritan Arabic commentary on the Torah, on Leviticus XXV:9. Slightly condensed and slightly re-arranged translation. “The High Priest and the King acting together are to send heralds out on the Day of Atonement to go into all countries over the next six months blowing the shofar in every land and region [not just Canaan] with the announcement [bashâ’ir, plural of bashîrah] of the information of the approach of the Jubilee Year and the release of captives SO THAT IT REACHES THE WHOLE NATION”. The Arabic bashîrah = the Hebrew bassorah. The person doing it is the mubashshir = Hebrew mevasser, or the bashîr. Notice carefully that the bashîrah is not the information, but the announcement of it. This is the connotation of the Greek euangelion. Notice that the meaning only becomes clear and sharp in the context of the SAMARITAN halachah. Please put this in the book somewhere in my name.

As said, the Samaritans never use the expression “Land of Israel”. It is always Canaan in a religious context and Palestine in a geographical context, whether writing in Hebrew or Aramaic or Arabic