The Our Father (Lord's Prayer) in Latin

So here it is...in the common way of writing Latin today.


PATER NOSTER, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.


But this is not the way it would have been written two thousand years ago. There were no punctionuation marks. No capital letters. No spaces. More like this....

paternosterquiesincaelissanctificeturnomentuumadveniatregnumtuumfiatvoluntastuasicutincaeloet interrapanemnostrumquotidianumdanobishodieetdimittenobisdebitanostrasicutetnosdimittimusdebitoribus nostrisetnenosinducasintentationemsedliberanosamaloamen


Why is that important? And why am I even mentioning it? Well...Curt is learning Greek and Latin. And saying the rosary in Latin...Which includes the Our Father. So we were discussing it. and the exact meanings of some of the words versus the way we've translated them over the years.


One of the words/phrases he thinks was a poor translation was "Daily bread". He feels it should really have more of a emphasis...like that which we must have to continue to live. That at the time of writing people thought food was more important than water or air to survival...which we know now is not the case. But the idea of that which we must have to continue to live...sounds an awful lot to me like what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. That the water of the well would only last for a short time...but he could give her water so she would never thirst again.

Another phrase we spoke about was the "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Curt mentioned that he was talking his way thru this with his priest....because he felt after reading this that the wording was more like "You forgive us when we do wrong in the same way that we forgive people who hurt us." Which lead Curt to think...Wow...I'd better do a better job of forgiving people. So he now has a new thing to pray for each night. He picks the one person from the day that he is most frustrated with...and prays for them.

And as to the last...Curt said he felt like the translation should have read..."And do not cause us to be tested, but save us from the Evil." More like asking a teacher to not give the final in a class, lest we fail it utterly. And asking for protection from the terrible Evil one roaming the earth.

I kind of like these translations. Gives me lots to think on.....