Pointing out an error in AGO …

A reader writes:

I was just reading and enjoying your book, A Generous Orthodoxy. That’s the carrot. But here’s the stick: On page 74 you repeat the commonly held misconception that “Abba” means “daddy” in Aramaic. It doesn’t. Sorry if this has been pointed out to you before. If you think about it, the idea of such informality in the highly hierarchical and traditional societies of the Middle East just doesn’t make sense. A minor point to be sure, but one that has annoyed me for years. The last time I heard someone repeat it in church I held my tongue but promised myself to correct it the next time I heard it, and that just happened to be you. Otherwise an interesting, well-written, and thought provoking book.
Keep on keepin’ on,
P.S. You can read more about this myth here
http://aramaicdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/06/abba-isnt-daddy-traditional-aramaic.html

Thanks. This is the first time I’ve ever heard that widely-preached understanding of “abba” challenged. I always appreciate it when readers let me know that things I’ve passed on as “common knowledge” may be common but shouldn’t be knowledge. I stand corrected – and grateful for the correction.
(By the way – the carrot-stick image has similarly been debated – carrot-on-stick or carrot-or-stick?
http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/carrot.html. It looks like “carrot or stick” is more reliable.)