Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Those of us who are Christians have undoubtedly heard and prayed this line hundreds, even thousands of times.
Trapped in our modern time, it is easy to glide over the words without considering how the Apostles processed this the first time they heard it.
Jesus and the Apostles were devout, practicing Jews who were intimately familiar with what we call The Old Testament.
In earlier posts, I discussed how "name" meant more than our verbal handle. It also mean "family" and "tribe" and a reciprocal relationship of duties and privileges.
The word "hallowed" is a form of the word "holy" which can be translated as "to be set apart for a special purpose".
So it is likely that the line pushed a lot of buttons for the Apostles because they would have heard "hallowed be thy name" as "...a people set apart" which sounds much like Leviticus 20:26 and Deut 14:2
“You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”
and
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”
That is a reminder to us Christians that the first line in The Our Father is, in part, a reminder that God calls us to a special purpose, or to use modern language, a unique and special mission. Our job is to figure out what that mission is.
Not everybody is called to stand on the street corner and hand out Bibles. Nor is everybody young enough to perform strenuous, physical activity. For many of us, our primary mission for the remainder of our lives will be to provide care-and-comfort to our spouse and to set a good example for young people.
Jesus didn't speak this language to begin with, all of his teachings were written down by non-realized beings decades after his passing, was controlled by the Catholic Church for centuries (and "translated" by them as well), yet is treated as "gospel" by over a billion. Sorry, I prefer the word of realized beings who write it down themselves.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Tower of Babble enters the chat...
DeleteIf you believe in God, just how BIG is your God?
Proverbs 30 The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.
This man’s utterance to Ithiel:
1 “I am weary, God,
but I can prevail.[a]
2 Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
I do not have human understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Whose hands have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is the name of his son?
Surely you know!
5 “Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
7 “Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
Is your God that big that He created the Heavens and the Earth, gathered the wind and water in His cloak?
Or is He the necklace size I only pray when I am in TROUBLE god (lower case intended).
If Hs is the Creator of Heaven and Earth MAYBE, JUST MAYBE Oh WISE Anon HE CAN Communicate to His People even today in their speech-tongue.
But looking at the bright side of gold necklace god, you can sell it for a bit of grocery money when your bad decisions put you in need.
Your starting premise is flawed. Zero modern translations used the Vulgate Bible as a primary source.
DeleteShema, Yisroel. Adonai ilohenu, Adonai echod! Hear, o Israel. The Lord is our God, the Lord is One!
ReplyDeleteBaruch atoh, Adonai, ilohenu Melech ha-Olam. Praise to you, Lord, to us King of the World.
Thank you, Anon.
ReplyDeleteGood job Joe. Short and to the point.---ken
ReplyDelete