Back in June, I received an email with an ancient-looking symbol inside from my co-worker Ty’Ann Brown, manager of OurPrayer. “Random question…is the symbol below for love in Aramaic correct?” she wrote.
Ty’Ann wasn’t asking because I’m some kind of language expert. Quite the opposite. Let’s just say, after two years of studying Italian in college, all I remember is the phrase “in bocca al lupo,” the Italian version of “break a leg.” My family doesn’t share my language struggles, though. My parents, who were born in Turkey, speak four languages–English, Turkish, Arabic and Aramaic, aka the language of Christ. Hence Ty’Ann’s question.
Read More: Finding Inspiration from Our Ancestors
I forwarded Ty’Ann’s email to my dad, who speaks Aramaic but doesn’t really remember how to write it after all these years. He emailed back saying the symbol in Ty’Ann’s email was similar to the word for love. What in the world did that mean? I emailed him again, hoping to get clarification, but he didn’t write back. And, the next time I saw my dad, I forgot to ask him about Ty’Ann’s query.
A few weeks later, though, Ty’Ann called and reminded me. There was a reason she was so interested. “I want to get a tattoo of ‘love’ in Jesus’ language,” she said.
Okay, this was serious business. Permanent ink was involved! I searched online, but found no clear answer. Next, I turned to my mom.
“The word for love is ‘khuba,’” she told me. But she wasn’t sure how to write it. “I’ll ask someone at church,” she promised. Sure enough, she returned from church one Sunday with the symbol scribbled on a scrap of paper. I sent it to Ty’Ann, the mystery solved.
I must say there was something sort of wonderful about figuring out how to say love in Aramaic. And imagining Jesus saying the word himself. The one word so central to all of his teachings. Khuba.
I may not have an ear for language. But, thanks to the little scavenger hunt Ty’Ann sent me on, I’ll always know Jesus’ word for love
