While compiling (and editing and re-editing) my Rosary for Anglo-Catholic Use, it dawned
on me that the prayers usually accompanying it, whether said in a Roman setting
or an Anglican setting, were in “church”
language. You know what I mean: “thee”,
“thou”, “doest”, “beseech”, “hallowed”, “art”, “thy”, “thine”, etc.; what folks
call Elizabethan or King James English, just like Shakespeare’s plays and the
“Authorized Version” of the Bible. Roughly
equal to mouthing ecclesiastical Latin during an old style Mass and not really
feeling what is said in such a foreign sound, no matter how beautiful to the
ears.
At around the same time, looking through the histories of
some of these prayers, I discovered that many of the better known English
language texts were based on translations which left something to be desired. That, and the fact that there were older,
simpler versions of the prayers in early, sometimes obscure manuscripts.
The best way to go about this is, for each prayer in turn,
to give the familiar, churchy-language version first, then my revision,
followed by an explanation of the changes.
First up is the Lord’s Prayer, also called the Our Father or
Paternoster.
Old, familiar version:
We’ll start with the one nearly every Christian knows, the
Lord’s Prayer, or as it is known in Latin, the Paternoster. The version
almost all, regardless of denomination, are familiar with is this version from
*PECUSA’s 1928 Book of Common Prayer
(BCP), itself a slightly revised version of the rendition in the **CoE’s 1662
BCP:
“Our Father who (which)
art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive those (them)
who trespass against us. Lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen.”
*Protestant Episcopal
Church in the USA
**Church of England
The plain text is that of the 1928 BCP, the two words in
parentheses and italics belonging to the version found in the 1662 BCP, which
itself is almost entirely the original translation by William Tyndale for his
edition of the New Testament, which Thomas Cranmer chose for the first BCP in
1549 despite more accurate translations at hand. So, in essence, when nearly every
English-speaking human on Earth says the Lord’s Prayer, they are saying the
Lord’s Prayer According to Tyndale and/or Cranmer.
Updated and revised version:
Father, blessed
be your name. May your dominion come and
your will be done. Let your Holy Spirit
come upon us and cleanse us. Give us
what is sufficient day-by-day. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive
those indebted to us. And save us from succumbing to temptation. Amen.
Notes on the Lord’s Prayer
Yes, I realize this must look quite different to the eyes of
most Christians of native English-speaking parts. This is because the Lord’s Prayer According
to Tyndale & Cranmer was/is based on the version found in the Gospel of Matthew (6:9-13), while the
version just presented, which one might call the Lord’s Prayer According to
Chuck, is based on the formula found in the Gospel
of Luke (11:2-4). If you’re looking
at the KJV translation of the Lucan formula, which is merely copied straight
from the Geneva Bible of 1560, you will notice many differences between that
and the one here. The basis of my
version is from later translations which have dropped the additions by “pious
fraudsters” trying to make the versions in the two gospels identical.
Nearly universal scholarly opinion holds that the Lucan
formula is the elder version of the two and closer to the original.
1) On “Father” instead of “Our Father in heaven”:
In the oldest manuscripts, the prayer is addressed to
“Father” rather than “Our Father” largely because in the context in both
gospels is private rather than corporate prayer. “Our Father” as opposed to just “Father”
represents the accretion of liturgical practice into scripture, much like the
formulae for the consecration of bread and wine into Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, which
is clearly an interpolation by a later editor.
The word in Aramaic, “Abba”, by the way, simply means
“Father”. It does not, I repeat, does
not mean and has never meant “Daddy”, an urban myth among evangelicals.
2) On “blessed be” instead of “hallowed be”:
“To hallow” is so archaic that the last time it was used in America was by
President Lincoln in the Gettysburg
Address.
3) On “Your dominion
come” instead of “Your kingdom come”:
Besides being gender neutral for the most part, “dominion”
is less anthropomorphic and less prone to anthropopathy.
4) On “Let your holy Spirit come upon us and
cleanse us”:
At least two manuscripts of the four gospels, substitute (or
maintain) the former over the latter.
The eleventh century Miniscule 700 and the twelfth century Miniscule 162
are called “miniscules” because of the type of script used, not because of
their size.
As the first is also found in the Gospel of the Lord brought to Rome by theologian Marcion of Sinope
in the mid-second century, it is not unreasonable to conclude that his reading
is the original. Though some scholars
prefer to claim that Marcion’s gospel is the Gospel of Luke with parts removed or altered, it is more likely
that his was an earlier version of that gospel, which was not finalized until
the last decade of the second century.
(Note: Marcion also
brought with him to Rome all the seven universally recognized epistles of Paul,
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians,
and Philemon; the rest—Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2
Timothy, and Titus—being pseudepigraphal, and Hebrews more likely written by
James the Just.)
The late Church Fathers Gregory of Nyssa (late fourth
century) and Maximus the Confessor (early seventh century) both used the first
clause, while Tertullian, the second-third century theologian, uses it in place
of “hallowed (or blessed) be your name” (and also reverses the other to “Your
will be done on earth as in heaven. Your
kingdom come”).
In the earlier formula, this petition came after “your name
be sanctified”. Since “as in heaven”
modifies the other three opening petitions, this one had to be moved.
5) On “Give us what is
sufficient day-by-day”:
The problem with the translation of this sentence is that
the Greek word often translated “daily bread” or sometimes “bread for
tomorrow”—“epiousios”—is specific to these verses of Matthew and Luke in all
of Greek literature. After perusing
several versions, translations, and opinions, this is the one that seems best
to me, or at least the one I prefer.
Most translations of Luke use the phrase usually “daily
bread”, but some agree with the version in the early second century Didache (“The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles to the Heathen”) which had
“bread for tomorrow”. For the versions
in Matthew, the early Latin
translations, called collectively the Vetus Latina, used “quotidianum”, literally meaning
“daily”, while the later Vulgate of St. Jerome (a translation with numerous
problems) translates the same Greek word as “supersubstantialem”, or “supersubstantial”.
I have used the
phrasing I provided here because “give us what is sufficient day-by-day”
preserves the senses of both “daily” and “for tomorrow”.
6) On “Forgive us our
debts, as we forgive those indebted to us”:
Tyndale translated the “debts” as “trespasses”, and an
uncharitable person might think this was to prevent the suggestion that debtors
should have the obligations of their debts removed. The translators of the KJV (and plagiarists
of the Geneva Bible) preferred to use the word “debts”, and modern translators
have almost universally agreed this is more accurate. In fact, The
Encheiridion, a manual for private devotion according to Sarum Use published
between 1528 and 1530 translated this segment of the Lord’s Prayer as “And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive out debtors”.
Trespass has a much different connotation in the
twenty-first century than it did in Tyndale’s day. His translation, or rather mistranslation,
always makes me think to those signs that say, “No Trespassing: Violators Will
Be Shot. Survivors Will Be
Violated”. Much the same as when we said
the old version of the Nicene Creed* when I was a kid that every time we talked
about Jesus coming back to judge “the quick and the dead”, I would get afraid that I was going to hell
because I couldn’t run very fast. In
addition, debts and forgiving debts have so much broader and inclusive meaning
that simple “trespasses”.
Unfortunately for their credibility and to the deficit
spiritually of those who may follow their suggestion, the English Language
Liturgical Commission (ECCL; formerly International Consultation on English
Texts, or ICET) took the same cop out or intentionally misleading route as did
Cranmer and Tyndale before them. Their deficient text substitutes “Forgive
us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” for “Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. This, despite
the fact that every single modern translation without, or nearly without, exception
renders that clause “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those indebted to us”.
The original vernacular of the Lord's Prayer before Tyndale
and Cranmer got their hands on it was “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors” (see the 1868 republished edition of The Encheiridion,
published originally in 1531), so there is no excuse.
It should be noted, however, that the third century theologian Origen, one of the most prominent of his day, substituted "trespasses" and "those who trespassed against us" for "debts" and "our debtors".
It should be noted, however, that the third century theologian Origen, one of the most prominent of his day, substituted "trespasses" and "those who trespassed against us" for "debts" and "our debtors".
*I have never said the
Nicene Creed, never in my life, and neither has any other living Christian of
whom I know. The name is properly the
Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.
7) On the omission of “deliver
us from evil”:
This is absent from all manuscripts of Luke. In Matthew, different manuscripts testify
to “deliver us from evil” or to “deliver us from the evil one”.
8) On the omission of the concluding doxology:
This ending, “for yours are the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory, forever and ever” in Matthew
and “for the power and the glory are yours” in the Didache, has always been omitted from the passage in Luke.
Modern scholars regard it as an interpolation in Matthew, and most modern translations omit it entirely or consign
it to a footnote.
In the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox churches, the
Lord’s Prayer concludes with this doxology:
“For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory; of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of
ages.”
According to Orthodox Wiki, this and its forerunner in the Gospel of Matthew are an allusion to 1 Chronicles 29:11: “Thine, O Lord, is
the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty:
for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom,
O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.”
Other notes on the LP
One cannot help but notice that, despite Jesus addressing
private prayer in the scenes that introduce the Lord’s Prayer in both Matthew and Luke, in both, even when addressed to “Father” instead of “Our
Father” in Luke, that the form of the Lord’s Prayer as presented is communal
and corporate as all the petitions use the collective “us” rather than the
individual “me”. This proves more or
less beyond doubt that these gospels were composed well after members of The
Way, or the Nazarenes, soon to become known as Christians, first started
formalizing worship.
Other older renderings of the Lord’s Prayer less often seen
than Tyndale’s rendition, either from the King James Version or using
Elizabethan English:
Matthean version:
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily (or supersubstantial) bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
Traditional Lucan version:
“Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us day by day our
daily bread. And forgive us our debts;
for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into
temptation.”
Early Lucan version: “Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy holy
Spirit come upon us and cleanse us. Give
us day by day our daily bread. And
forgive us our debts; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Tertullian’s version: “Father in heaven, thy holy Spirit come upon
us and cleanse us. Thy will be done, on
earth as it is in heaven. Thy kingdom
come. Give us this day our daily
bread. And forgive us our debts; for we
also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation,
but take us away from the evil one.
Amen.”
English vernacular
version, early sixteenth century: “Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done, on earth as it
is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread. And forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors. Lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”
Earlier edition of this contemporary version: Father, your name be sanctified. Your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse
us. Your dominion come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those indebted to us. And lead
us away from temptation. Amen.
1 comment:
WOW!! As a neophyte biblical scholar in the mid-80s I attempted to do (and gave up) what you did in this post. Very Well Done!!
I very much like your rewrites (both version). It is an assignment I often give to those who are seeking Confirmation (of Baptismal Vows Made on Their Behalf) and/or Membership in the United Church of Canada, as an effort to make this faith their own.
In our United Church of Canada congregations in rural southwest Manitoba (Canada) we are exploring the Lord's Prayer by using different versions - those authorized for use by "institutional" churches as well as contemporary 'rewrites' which may not be 'duly authorized'.
I am seeking your permission to use a) your rewrites (both versions) and b) your research in our services. In the pandemic currently use Zoom platform for Live worship and we post for the 13 days following a recording of the Zoom event on Facebook pages.
Appropriate references to you and your blogsite will be given in all print, 'Powerpoint' and online versions.
Please let me know as soon as possible. Today's date is Jan 25th.
Thank you for your response.
h
(Rev.) Heather Sandilands
Diaconal Minister among the People of Cornerstone Pastoral Charge
Waskada MB (Treaty 2 Territory)
cstonepc@gmail.com or Landline: 204-634-2276 Text: 204-264-0933
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