First Corinthians 13: The only way to really translate the passage today into English is to use "caritas" directly, or ἀγάπη, agapē. A modern-language word just won't work: they're too overloaded with being "imprecise metaphors" and connotations that distort the original idea. One might as well use the old words as they take less explanation than "undoing" the modern word!
The original meaning of the Greek agapē, recorded in Homer, was to greet or show hospitality, from the verb ἀγαπέω, agapáō. I suspect at heart it has the idea of justice, to show justice by properly greeting or showing right respect, as for the dead, or visitors. (The idea reminds me of the Irish fáilte, the proper welcome guests can expect, though now it is too often used as an Irish equivalent for the English "parlor polite" thank you or the German bitte.)
Therefore, should your English-language Bible in First Corinthians 13 use "love" instead of "charity", it is simply a bad translation, for "love" can mean a host of quite different affections. The real problem is "charity" – why it was dropped in the past 60 years. in popular English it now means something different than "caritas". Etymonline.com says the English word "charity" is from: late Old English, "benevolence for the poor," also "Christian love in its highest manifestation," from Old French charité "(Christian) charity, mercy, compassion; alms; charitable foundation" (12c.), from Latin caritatem (nominative caritas) "costliness; esteem, affection," from carus "dear, valued," from PIE *karo-, from root *ka- "to like, desire."
AnP again: You can see why, from an Old English "benevolene for the poor" the modern English "charity" would be entirely used for the crass "social justice" bureaucratic maintenace of the "poor". "Charity case" or "I don't need your charity." Etc.
My wife noted that "Carissimo / carissima" means "dear, dearest", come from the Latin had cárus, dear.
See Wikionary here for semantically related Semitic words, such as may have been used in Aramaic that Our Lord spoke.
Irish
There's also the modern Irish word "cara", friend – Scottish Gaelic "caraid" – from the Old Irish "cara" (Krarant is a possible recreation of the oldest form of the word.) The Old Irish verb was carim, caraim, "I love". (Today one uses the lovely word "grá" for romantic love, as in "Tá grá agam duit.") Welsh had caraf, Breton quaret, and the Gaulish was carantus, perhaps as in the name Caractacus of the Catuvellauni, a name cognate with Welsh Caradog, Breton Karadeg, and Irish Carthach.
Here is the Douay-Rheims (1899) of 1 Corinthians 13:
13 If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;
5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.
12 We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.
13 And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.
This is so interesting. And tragic that the even the English translations of the Douay-Rheims Englih transation in the Bibles approved by the USCCB, such as The New American Bible, are really terrible and for those who don't know the meanings of some of the words, and don't know how different some are compared to the DR, also don't know how they have both been robbed of understanding the faith better but, I argue, the translator's purposefully used words to convey either their own prejudices (i.e., deviances from the Church's perennial teachings)or teach the errors of the faith introduced in and after Vatican II.
ReplyDeleteHere is one example from 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13, verse 6:
The DR: "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;"
The New American Bible: "it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth."
The word "iniquity" was replaced with "wrongdoing". In my opinion, the word iniquity expresses a much better theology of sin than wrongdoing, particularly in our time and age when "wrongdoing" is almost a matter of personal opinion. Iniquity is gross injustice, wickedness, debauchery,depravity, immorality. Wrongdoing can be expressed merely as "improper behavior" which, I stated, in our day and age is merely subjective.
Proper words are so important.