I have some rants to share, most of these were things that annoyed me as I was preparing for Mass this morning.
I cannot wait for the new Lectionary to come out this Advent. I have a lot of love and respect for Fr Henry Wansbrough OSB, ¹ but some of his translations, I feel, are wanting. It loses a lot of subtlety, and I don't see that it would e.g. make it easier to comprehend. Consider today's Epistle:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ 1 Peter 5:5-14 │░░ │ │░░ ├─────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────┤░░ │ Jerusalem Bible │ Latin official text │English Standard Version │░░ │ (current translation) │ (Neovulgate I think) │ (upcoming translation) │░░ └─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┘░░ │All wrap yourselves in │ Omnes ínvicem │Clothe yourselves, all of│░░ │humility to be servants │humilitátem indúite, quia│you, with humility toward│░░ │of each other, because │Deus supérbis resístit, │one another, for “God │░░ │God refuses the proud and│humílibus autem dat │opposes the proud but │░░ │will always favour the │grátiam. Humiliámini │gives grace to the │░░ │humble. Bow down, then, │ígitur sub poténti manu │humble.” │░░ │before the power of God │Dei, ut vos exáltet in │ Humble yourselves, │░░ │now, and he will raise │témpore, omnem │therefore, under the │░░ │you up on the appointed │sollicitúdinem vestram │mighty hand of God so │░░ │day; unload all your │proiciéntes in eum, │that at the proper time │░░ │worries on to him, since │quóniam ipsi cura est de │he may exalt you, casting│░░ │he is looking after you. │vobis. │all your anxieties on │░░ │Be calm but vigilant, │ Sóbrii estóte, │him, because he cares for│░░ │because your enemy the │vigiláte. Adversárius │you. Be sober-minded; be │░░ │devil is prowling round │vester Diábolus tamquam │watchful. Your adversary │░░ │like a roaring lion, │leo rúgiens círcuit │the devil prowls around │░░ │looking for someone to │quærens quem dévoret. Cui│like a roaring lion, │░░ │eat. Stand up to him, │resístite fortes fide, │seeking someone to │░░ │strong in faith and in │sciéntes eádem passiónum │devour. Resist him, firm │░░ │the knowledge that your │ei, quæ in mundo est, │in your faith, knowing │░░ │brothers all over the │vestræ fraternitáti │that the same kinds of │░░ │world are suffering the │fíeri. Deus autem omnis │suffering are being │░░ │same things. You will │grátiæ, qui vocávit vos │experienced by your │░░ │have to suffer only for a│in ætérnam suam glóriam │brotherhood throughout │░░ │little while: the God of │in Christo Iesu, módicum │the world. And after you │░░ │all grace who called you │passos ipse perfíciet, │have suffered a little │░░ │to eternal glory in │confirmábit, solidábit, │while, the God of all │░░ │Christ will see that all │fundábit. Ipsi impérium │grace, who has called you│░░ │is well again: he will │in sǽcula sæculórum. │to his eternal glory in │░░ │confirm, strengthen and │Amen. │Christ, will himself │░░ │support you. His power │ Per Silvánum vobis │restore, confirm, │░░ │lasts for ever and ever. │fidélem fratrem, ut │strengthen, and establish│░░ │Amen. │árbitror, bréviter │you. To him be the │░░ │ I write these few words│scripsi, óbsecrans et │dominion forever and │░░ │to you through Silvanus, │contéstans hanc esse │ever. Amen. │░░ │who is a brother I know I│veram grátiam Dei; in qua│ By Silvanus, a faithful│░░ │can trust, to encourage │state. │brother as I regard him, │░░ │you never to let go this │ Salútat vos, quæ est in│I have written briefly to│░░ │true grace of God to │Babylóne, coelécta et │you, exhorting and │░░ │which I bear witness. │Marcus fílius meus. │declaring that this is │░░ │ Your sister in Babylon,│Salutáte ínvicem in │the true grace of God. │░░ │who is with you among the│ósculo caritátis. │Stand firm in it. She who│░░ │chosen, sends you │ Pax vobis ómnibus, qui │is at Babylon, who is │░░ │greetings; so does my │estis in Christo. │likewise chosen, sends │░░ │son, Mark. │ │you greetings, and so │░░ │ Greet one another with │ │does Mark, my son. Greet │░░ │a kiss of love. │ │one another with the kiss│░░ │ │ │of love. │░░ └─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┘░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Let’s break down some of my annoyances. I could go into greater detail, but I will spare you. So here they are as a list:
In all these my problem is with the idea of “dynamic equivalence” being taken too far. Yes, there may be a few concept that need careful consideration, unpacking, or even substituting. But this dynamic equivalence of the Jerusalem Bible is so radical that we miss out on so much subtlety of the Bible. And actually it is there that its strength lies: the carefully chosen wording that was very often intended by the authors to be multivalent just get reduced to a single meaning, as chosen by the translator, and therefore limiting the ways in which the Bible can speak to one’s heart. Sometimes it is the very “strangeness” of the text that makes one stay with it for longer, to reflect and dwell upon its meaning, and in that process the chances for a prayerful encounter increase.
So there are various ways this issue can be tackled, we could cite the Synod of Whitby ² or other things, but it was interesting to find another argument against one of my pet peeves.
Our Diocese has a very strong Celtic Christian past. The Celtic church had a lot of interesting and unique features, and these days I have often found that "interesting and unique" takes (read: dissent from the tradition and the law of the Catholic Church) are justified with "well in our parts we follow the Celtic tradition". The "Celtic" tradition, of course, is whatever they make it out to be; and always, somehow, in opposition to / divergence from the "Roman" tradition.
Well, that's tosh. And St Mark is one reason why: just read the last lines of that Epistle above. St Peter, the first Pope, and the first bishop of Rome, calls Mark his "son". St Mark was his translator and secretary; kind of the first "papal chaplain". The Gospel of Mark is entirely Petrine: as Butler's Lives of the Saints points out, it was even called "Peter's Gospel", and the intimate details sometimes provided in St Mark's Gospel portray eye witness testimony. ³ So Mark and Peter were really, really close.
St Mark eventually became the first bishop of Alexandria - and indeed moved into the Egyptian desert and so became the first of the many, many hermits and monks to follow: St Mark was the patriarch of the Desert Fathers. The monastic discipline of the Egyptian desert was then exported to Celtic Ireland, from where it made it to Iona, and from there, to my part of England. So, to cut it short, “Celtic” traditions were St Mark’s traditions, and “The Celtic Tradition” was in absolute obedience to Rome. So, when my dear brothers and sisters here wish to falsely legitimise their latest Bright Ideas ™️ with the idea that it is somehow “Celtic”, well, they can get in the sea. (Like St Cuthbert. To Pray all night. Of course).
I have to confess that this detail about St Mark being directly mentioned by St Peter was a new detail to me that somehow escaped my attention thus far. Or perhaps I thought it was in reference to another Mark. But reading up on him I was so amazed! His closeness to Peter, the intimate knowledge of Christ that is communicated to us through his Gospel, and, as I always had a thing for the (desert) monastic tradition, discovering his crucial role in its development was quite amazing. I was looking up some of the details and I discovered, for example, that the Cathedral church in Alexandria was built in 42 AD! This is some OLD Christianity…
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=> ¹ Gemipedia: Henry Wansbrough OSB | ² Gemipedia: Synod of Whitby | ³ Butler's Lives of the Saints (1894): April 25 - St Mark This content has been proxied by September (ba2dc).Proxy Information
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