Liturgy evolves with language

by Letters Editor · July 24, 2014

From Chris Busschau, Johannesburg

I enjoyed reading the letter by Fr Henry Ratering CMM (June 25) in response to my article of May 28. He has raised a number of good questions that I should have thought of when I wrote to you!

One overarching issue is that the English wording used in both the Apostles� Creed and in the Nicene Creed are the same ones that have been used for centuries.

Firstly, the Apostles� Creed. The wording �descended into hell�, as the English translation for �descendit ad inferos� (meaning �descended into the lower world, or the world of the dead�), was used in the Middle Ages.

It is in fact �old English�, and was used in a time when medieval theologians, in Western Europe, described the underworld (�infero�, �sheol�, �Gehenna�, �hell�, �hades�, �infernum�) as divided into four distinct parts: Hell of the damned (which some call Gehenna), purgatory, limbo of the fathers or patriarchs, and limbo of the infants.

The Nicene Creed wording identified by Fr Ratering, �for us men� as the translation of �Qui propter nos h�mines�, is a usage that remained the general standard for many centuries � in fact, until only a few years ago � namely that the English words �man� and �men� has two distinct meanings.

One meaning refers to the males of the human species (Latin �Vir�), the other refers to all human beings or all people (Latin �hominis�). This is once again a translation that has been used for centuries and has acquired the strength of traditional usage.

So, far from these being some recent inaccurate or inappropriate translations, we are dealing here with usage that has been customary for many hundreds of years and which is the wording that we have learned by heart.

These translation usages are pretty well standard throughout the English-speaking world, with the Anglican and Lutheran churches continuing to use these translations after the Reformation and many other Christian denominations having adopted them.

Fr Ratering�s final comment is indeed important. He says that �the real issue, which is linguistic sensitivity, namely that words, besides having literal meanings, also have emotive and evocative qualities�.

Fr Ratering�s observation is both insightful and sensitive. One of the difficulties faced by the translator is the subjective nature of the task.

Vernacular translation of the Order of the Mass is a very recent development in the Church, being only a matter of about 45 years in the making, and institutions such as Vox Clara and ICEL (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) have acknowledged that the process of translation is probably never-ending due to the constant evolution of the usage of language.