Hey, fellow “Cultural Catholic!”
Very unusual metaphor. What would have trouble fitting through the eye of a needle? Oh, I dunno – lots of stuff. How about a camel? Yeah, why not! Camels are big and hairy and smelly. Just try shoving one through the eye of a needle! Good luck, Jesus!
I’ve seen some theories that it refers to a type of sailing knot/rope and got lost in translation.
So imagine trying to fit a boat rope through a needle eye. It’s not going to happen. Same idea, possibly translation weirdness.
Could also be one of those off the cuff things. He looks around sees a camel is like, yeah that’s big, that’ll work.
It’s certainly interesting to wonder about what was lost in the translation from the spoken Aramaic to Greek and then to Latin and finally to English. There’s probably a good book about this somewhere. I wonder if I have time to read the 100,000 books I’d like read? C’mon immortality serum!
We were always taught (in Catholic school) that the eye of the needle was a small gate in Damascus or Jerusalem or somewhere like that, that a pack-laden camel would have difficulty navigating.
I believe it actually to the shape of narrow doorways found In Jerusalem (and elsewhere in the Middle East I’m sure) that we’re made to ally a people through but not camels. Narrow on the bottt, flaring out on top.
Those sound like excuses rich people came up with.
Jesus was pretty explicit about it.
“How do I get into heaven?”
“Sell all your shit and give it to the poor.”
I don’t think Latin is a necessary intermediary in New Testament translations?
It isn’t. One of the biggest challenges is which Greek texts to translate from. They’re not all the same, by a long shot.
Many moons ago when I was studying this stuff, Bruce Metzger’s books were my go-to.
We were always taught if you focus on hoarding wealth that is your true God. No heaven for you.
Clearly they just need better lobbyists.
Or smaller camels.
Genetically modified Noodle Camels? Checkmate, Jesus!
Yeah it was that story of a couple where the wife didn’t sell all her shit to join the hippy commune and kept some for themselves. Jesus found out and got very mad. Probably Luke?
Oops, it was the Holy Spirit that kills them.
Same thing. :)
Jeez, sounds like the New Testament God rolls old-school from time to time.
In my headcanon, Jesus is played by Mos Def.
It’s pretty dope.
Have you heard the good news about the time Jesus cursed a fig tree? No? Let me tell you.
Jesus wanted a fig so he goes over to a fig tree but there are no digs on it because, and this bears emphasis, it was not the right time of years for figs so Jesus gets mad and Says “May you never bear fruit again,” and the tree immediately withers and dies.
His disciples are like, “Whoa. What the fuck?” And Jesus is like, “It’s because I have faith in god. I could tell that mountain over there to throw itself into the sea and it would happen because I have faith. And the disciples are like, “We believe you. Please don’t do that.”
True story. Look it up.
It’s an older code, but it checks out:
https://web.archive.org/web/20030812175829/http://godhatesfigs.com:80/www_godhatesfigs_com.html