LAKESIDE, CA, March 10, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Cenit Martinez Hernandez has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Cenit Hernandez was born on October 14, 1935, in the southern part of Los Angeles, CA, in a place known by the Hispanic Nation as Norwalk, or Barrio Carmelas. Some of his earliest memories involve his father, Dr. Jose Lemus Hernandez, having religious meetings with some local people, "I recall he had a Remington typewriter," said Mr. Hernandez. "After the meetings, he would go home and do some typing." From a very young age, Dr. Hernandez had been considered an autodidact, largely self-taught. Soon, his family moved to Watts, CA, to be closer to his work.
One fateful day, Mr. Hernandez heard heavy knocking on the front door. The family was shocked to find government agents on the other side, with guns and badges, looking for Dr. Hernandez. They accused him of teaching and spreading communism. At the time, in the early 1940s, the United States was embroiled in a second Red Scare, and anti-communist sentiment was high. In fact, what Dr. Hernandez had been doing was teaching new findings he had discovered from UCLA library books, which pertained to sixth century Peshita Holy Scriptures. Nevertheless, Dr. Hernandez was taken from his family, not to return for many years thereafter. During his absence, Mr. Hernandez noted that people would still meet and discuss his father favorably, saying that he was illuminated, sent from higher up. The arrest, they claimed, was a stigma, but that he would disprove it with the truth.
When Dr. Hernandez returned to California many years later, he met Dr. George M. Lamsa, who became his tutor for a time. Dr. Lamsa had discovered more than 10,000 mistranslations of Biblical passages from the Greek language, to Latin, and then to English then to Castilian Spanish. As a speaker of these languages himself. Then came Dr. Lamsa who was able to identify cases in which key meanings had been lost through these translations. Mr. Hernandez's relationship with these two men made him think more seriously about the direction his life was taking, and how he should prioritize his future.
Sadly, Dr. Hernandez died on October 3, 1988. After more than six decades researching and comparing passages on translation of the entire holy scriptures. In 1992, the Hernandez remnants published the entire translation of these scriptures from the sixth century for the first time in history, converting them from Aramaic to Spanish. Dr. Hernandez had already published a version in 1971, titled, "The Four Narratives of the Gospel." Later, in 1986, he published "The First Five Books of Moshe," translated from Ancient Aramaic to Spanish. To this day, Mr. Hernandez recalls, people are baffled that his father found the time to handwrite an entire translation from the Peshita Aramaic scriptures to Spanish, nor did anyone understand how he managed to revise, proofread, research history, learn various languages and more.
By 1993, it had come to Mr. Hernandez's attention that several individuals from Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico, had plagiarized his father's work. He filed a complaint in federal court in San Diego, CA, and emerged triumphant. When he announced the judgment, the presiding judge said, "Mr. Jose L Hernandez, father of plaintiff Hernandez, was the original author and creator of a Castillian translation of the Galilean Aramaic Bible." This translation was entitled "La Escritura Santa." Elim Church, the defendants in the case were ordered by the San Diego federal court judge to pay $200,000 to the plaintiff. A letter rogatory was immediately written and sent to the federal court judge in Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico. The Mexican judge, after reading the letter rogatory, also agreed with San Diego judge, though he added, "The Hernandez Bible translation [from] Aramaic to Spanish is authentic and original. The defendants are ordered to pay $200,000 to the Plaintiff Hernandez."
Although Mr. Hernandez was victorious in court, justice has not yet been served on this case, as the judgment he is owed is still unpaid. Mr. Hernandez is dismayed by this outcome, citing the Fifth and 14th amendments, both of which emphasize the importance of "due process of the law."
When asked about mentors and inspirational figures in his life, Mr. Hernandez was quick to name his father, and he wishes to expound on his life stories and experiences. Lauded as a collector of rare books, Dr. Hernandez's research earned recognition from numerous luminary figures, including President George W. Bush, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, and President Elias Serrano of Guatemala.
In his capacity as a curator, Mr. Hernandez has largely been responsible for the marketing and promulgation of his father's body of work, including "Escritura Sagrada," which offers the original sacred scriptures in simple Spanish text, and "El Arameo, Lengua Original de las Escrituras Sagradas," a compilation of Dr. Hernandez's six-decade-long investigations of the Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin and Greek versions of the Peshita.
A true example of rags to riches, Mr. Hernandez feels a great sense of pride in having come "from the ghettos" to achieve success in his field and earn the respect of his peers. In the coming years, he hopes to establish a museum related to his family's Biblical scholarship. As part of this project, he is looking into the possibility of commissioning a mural of Dr. Hernandez, which will hopefully stand for years to come. On a more personal level, he credits his success to his resilience and studiousness in preserving the work originally embarked upon by his father. In addition to his professional triumphs, Mr. Hernandez considers his 62-year marriage to his beloved late wife, Dora, to be one of his greatest achievements.
To learn more about the Hernandez family, please contact Cenit Hernandez at [email protected].
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