In Deuteronomy, we read, “ … publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.” Let in the Light Publishing founder, Roy Gessford, has been following this biblical instruction while touring the Southern region of the United States giving talks on the Aramaic version of the Lord’s Prayer and sharing information on Chaldeans with the local Christian communities.
Gessford spent Easter of 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. The following Saturday, Gessford shared his talk with local folks from Jackson, as well as others, some who had driven four hours from Louisiana. Next, Gessford spoke to interested groups in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina. Yesterday, Sunday, May 22, Gessford shared ideas with church members in Murfreesboro, TN.
Attendees at these talks are given an opportunity to share examples of how the Lord’s Prayer has played a role in their lives. Although few are familiar with the Aramaic version of the Lord’s Prayer or know that Aramaic is still spoken today, all have stories about the importance of the Lord’s Prayer in their life. Several have said they would not be alive today if not for knowing Jesus’ prayer.
These Southern residents have been scooping up copies of new releases by Let in the Light. Chaldean Nation, written by Fr. Michael Bazzi, with its beautiful high gloss images, maps, and charts tells the story of the Chaldean people. Fr. Bazzi also recently wrote, The Life of Tilkepnaye, which captures what village life was like in Tilkepe, Iraq, one of the last Aramaic speaking villages in the world. Fr. Bazzi’s original Master’s thesis, Tilkepe: Past and Present, will soon be released as an ebook.
Fr. Bazzi, along with his co-author Dr. Rocco Errico, also recently released Classical Aramaic II, a sequel for intermediates to their first instructional book Classical Aramaic I. Several of the participants at these talks have signed up to learn the Aramaic language through tutoring services supplied by Let in the Light Publishing. In Gessford’s recent release, Preserving the Chaldean Aramaic Language, one his findings was that teaching Aramaic was one of the best ways to preserve the language. How wonderful it has been to see the Bible Belt of America, as the Southern Region of the United States has been called, embrace Aramaic and it’s living speakers, especially the Chaldeans!
