Ancient Language Experts: What the Vatican is Hiding About Jesus | Ammon Hillman & Luke Gorton
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Classics, linguistics, and biblical studies often operate in isolated academic silos, hindering interdisciplinary understanding.
- ❖Ammon Hillman's dissertation on Roman recreational drug use was censored by his department head, who claimed 'the Romans just wouldn't do such a thing.'
- ❖The term 'Christ' (Christos) is a Greek past participle meaning 'anointed one,' a translation of the Hebrew 'Mashiach.'
- ❖Ammon Hillman argues that the Greek word 'Christing' (a neologism he uses) was overwhelmingly associated with drug application in ancient texts.
- ❖Dr. Luke Gorton emphasizes that 'Christing' is not a Greek word, and 'Christos' (anointed one) has a distinct etymology from general terms for applying substances.
- ❖The 'Greater Questions of Mary,' a 4th-century text, describes a Gnostic heresy where Jesus offers Mary his semen, interpreted as a 'shameful act' by the author.
- ❖Ammon Hillman controversially claims the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) was the original text, from which Hebrew versions were derived, citing linguistic sophistication.
- ❖Luke Gorton refutes the Septuagint claim with archaeological evidence of earlier Hebrew texts (e.g., Ketef Hinnom scrolls) and linguistic principles of translation.
- ❖Jesus likely spoke Aramaic as his native language, with Greek being a colonial, cosmopolitan language in the region.
- ❖Ancient Greek was the global lingua franca, similar to English today, influencing cultures from Spain to India.
Insights
1Censorship of Ancient Drug Use in Academia
Ammon Hillman's doctoral dissertation on Roman pharmacy, which included a chapter on recreational and sacramental drug use, was censored by his department head. He was forced to remove all references to recreational drugs, with the justification that 'the Romans just wouldn't do such a thing.' This incident highlights institutional resistance to certain historical interpretations, even when supported by textual evidence.
Ammon Hillman's personal experience with his PhD dissertation at Ohio State, where the head of the department demanded deletion of drug references post-defense. The department later denied the chapter's existence, but it was found in the library's deposit.
2The 'Greater Questions of Mary' and Early Christian Diversity
A 4th-century text by Epiphanius, cataloging Christian heresies, describes a Gnostic group that believed Jesus taught Mary to consume his semen. This text, though considered heretical by Epiphanius, demonstrates the extreme diversity of beliefs and practices within early Christianity before orthodoxy was established by figures like Constantine.
Epiphanius's writings on Gnostic heresies, specifically the 'Greater Questions of Mary,' which details Jesus instructing Mary in a 'shameful act' (interpreted by Hillman as fellatio and semen consumption).
3Paul's Viper Bite and Ancient Pharmacology
The biblical account of Paul surviving a viper bite without ill effect (Acts 28) is interpreted by Ammon Hillman as evidence of Paul's use of an antidote, possibly a 'theak' (a complex pharmaceutical concoction) similar to those described by Galen. This suggests a biochemical, rather than miraculous, explanation for Paul's survival, aligning with ancient medical practices.
The Book of Acts (28:3-6) describes Paul being bitten by a viper and shaking it off without harm. Hillman connects this to contemporary texts like Galen's 'Theak,' which describes antidotes containing viper venoms and other substances used for protection against poisons.
4The Septuagint: Greek Original or Hebrew Translation?
Ammon Hillman argues that the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, was actually the original text, from which Hebrew versions were later derived. He bases this on the perceived linguistic sophistication of the Greek terms (e.g., 'aoratos' and 'akatastatos' in Genesis 1:2) compared to their simpler Hebrew equivalents ('tohu' and 'bohu,' meaning 'empty'). Luke Gorton strongly disputes this, citing archaeological evidence of earlier Hebrew texts and established linguistic principles of translation and cultural context.
Hillman's analysis of Genesis 1:2 in the Septuagint (Greek) vs. the Masoretic Text (Hebrew), arguing the Greek terms are more philosophically complex. Gorton counters with archaeological finds like the Ketef Hinnom silver amulets (7th century BC) containing Hebrew biblical text, predating the Septuagint by centuries.
5'Christ' as a Pharmaceutical Term vs. 'Anointed One'
Ammon Hillman asserts that the Greek verb 'creo' (to anoint/smear) and its derivatives, including 'Christos,' were overwhelmingly used in ancient texts in contexts related to drugs, poisons, and medical applications. He uses the neologism 'Christing' to emphasize this active application. Luke Gorton clarifies that 'Christos' is a past participle meaning 'anointed one,' a direct translation of the Hebrew 'Mashiach' (Messiah), referring to a person consecrated with oil. Gorton argues that while 'creo' could refer to applying drugs, the specific term 'Christos' in a religious context refers to a kingly or priestly anointing, and any drug association is a misinterpretation by Greeks unfamiliar with Jewish customs.
Hillman cites 'thousands' of references to 'Christing' compounds in ancient Greek texts, particularly medical and magical papyri, linking it to drug application. Gorton explains 'Christos' as a direct Greek translation of the Hebrew 'Mashiach' (anointed one), referring to the Jewish custom of anointing kings with olive oil, drawing an analogy to a Polynesian 'bitten one' ruler.
Bottom Line
The widespread use of recreational and sacramental drugs in ancient Roman society, as evidenced in pharmacological texts, was actively suppressed and denied by academic institutions due to perceived cultural impropriety.
This suggests a significant blind spot in mainstream historical narratives, potentially obscuring a more complex and 'drug-infused' reality of ancient life. It implies that modern biases can distort academic inquiry into the past.
Further interdisciplinary research combining classical philology with forensic pathology and chemical analysis of ancient artifacts could uncover more evidence of psychoactive substance use, challenging established historical paradigms.
The linguistic sophistication of the Septuagint's Greek, particularly in philosophical and scientific terminology, may indicate it was an original composition rather than a mere translation from a less developed Hebrew, suggesting a re-evaluation of the Hebrew Bible's textual origins.
If the Septuagint predates or is linguistically superior to extant Hebrew versions, it fundamentally alters the understanding of biblical authority and the historical development of Jewish religious thought, potentially shifting the 'original' source of key theological concepts.
A comprehensive linguistic and philosophical comparison of the Septuagint with all available ancient Hebrew texts, free from theological bias, could lead to a radical re-dating and re-contextualization of biblical literature.
The term 'Christ' (Christos) in its ancient Greek usage was predominantly associated with the application of substances, including drugs and poisons, suggesting a possible 'pharmaceutical' understanding of Jesus's title among early Greek-speaking converts.
This interpretation challenges the purely theological understanding of 'Christ' as 'anointed one' and opens the possibility that some early Christians perceived Jesus through the lens of ancient pharmacology and magical practices, potentially viewing him as a 'healer' or 'initiator' in a drug-related context.
Investigating the intersection of early Christian texts with ancient medical and magical papyri, specifically focusing on the semantic fields of 'creo' and 'Christos,' could reveal previously unacknowledged dimensions of early Christian belief and practice.
Key Concepts
Academic Silos
The tendency for academic disciplines (e.g., classics, linguistics, biblical studies) to operate in isolation, with limited interdisciplinary communication, leading to fragmented understanding and missed connections in research.
Methodological Rigor
The critical importance of a systematic and transparent approach to gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data (especially ancient texts) to arrive at conclusions, contrasting 'sloppy' versus 'careful' ways of knowing.
Linguistic Evolution & Semantic Drift
Languages and word meanings change over time. Interpreting ancient texts requires understanding the specific historical context and linguistic nuances, avoiding anachronistic interpretations based on later meanings (e.g., the 'Dick Nixon' analogy for semantic shift).
The 'Sounds Like' Principle (and its flaws)
A flawed methodology where connections between words or concepts are made purely based on phonetic similarity, without rigorous historical linguistic analysis, leading to speculative and often incorrect etymologies.
Lessons
- Always question the methodology behind historical and linguistic interpretations, understanding that academic consensus can be influenced by cultural biases and incomplete data.
- Recognize the limitations of translation; direct engagement with original ancient languages is crucial for nuanced understanding, as meanings and contexts are often lost or altered.
- Approach ancient texts with an interdisciplinary mindset, integrating insights from linguistics, classics, archaeology, and pharmacology to build a more comprehensive and accurate historical picture.
Notable Moments
Ammon Hillman recounts his PhD dissertation on Roman pharmacy being censored by his department, who denied Romans used recreational drugs, despite his textual evidence.
This illustrates institutional resistance to challenging conventional historical narratives and highlights how academic biases can suppress inconvenient truths about ancient cultures.
Luke Gorton introduces the 'Dick Nixon' analogy to explain semantic drift, where a word's meaning changes over time, leading to misinterpretations if historical context is ignored.
This analogy effectively clarifies a core linguistic principle critical for understanding how ancient terms, like 'Christos,' can be misinterpreted when divorced from their original cultural and temporal contexts.
The intense debate over the Septuagint's origin, with Hillman claiming Greek primacy and Gorton defending Hebrew originality with archaeological evidence, showcases the deep divisions and passion within ancient language scholarship.
This exchange demonstrates how fundamental disagreements on textual origins can lead to radically different understandings of religious history and the nature of sacred texts.
Quotes
"Pulling a Dick Nixon is pointing out a word that could be dirty or could mean a certain thing, but it might not. It might mean something else."
"A translation can never be superior to the original... an original document in its original language is always superior to any translation."
"Without the classicist, you've got the Bible scholars and they're not up to snuff. They really don't work with these texts."
Q&A
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