Westminster Μικροτέρα Κατήχησις
Posted: August 4th, 2011, 6:50 pm
For composition practice, I'm rendering questions form the Westminster Shorter Catechism into idiomatic Koine. Advice and corrections welcome. The English is available here
So far, I'm not sure how to handle the odd singular-plural in question #2. "Of the old and new covenants" in English is ambiguous. It's referring to a singular old covenant and a singular new covenant that, taken together, constitute the plural "covenants." But, grammatically, it could be referring to multiple old and multiple new covenants. I'm not sure I've encountered a parallel phenomenon in Greek.
Also, concerning #4, I think το ειναι is an acceptable rendering of "being," but I don't think my syntax communicates clearly the meaning of the answer.
Westminster Μικρότερος Κατήχησις
1. Επερώτημα: τί εστιν τὸ *αρχιτέλος* ανθρωπου;
Απόκρισις: τὸ αρχιτέλος ανθρώπου ἐστὶν θεὸν δοξάζειν καὶ ἐμπιπλάναι εις τὸν αιῶνα.
2. Ε: τίνα κανόνα τοῦ αὐτὸν δοξάζειν καὶ ἐμπιπλάναι ἡμίν Θεός δέδωκεν;
Α: Θεοῦ ὁ λόγος ὁ εν ταῖς τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ καινῆς διαθήκης γραφαῖς κατεχόμενος ἐστιν ὁ μόνος κανών τοῦ αὐτὸν δοξάζειν καὶ εὐδοκεῖν.
3. Ε: τίνα μάλιστα διδασκεῖ αἱ γραφαί;
Α: αἱ γραφαὶ μάλιστα διδασκεῖ τε τὰ ανθρώπους δεῖ πιστεύειν περὶ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ θεός εκζητεῖ τῶν ανθρῶπων.
4. Ε: τί εστιν θεός;
Α: Θεός εστιν πνεῦμα ἄπειρον αί̈διον καὶ ἀμετάθετον ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοῦ σοφιᾳ δυναμει ἁγιάσμῳ δικαιοσύνῃ αγαθωσυνῃ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ.
So far, I'm not sure how to handle the odd singular-plural in question #2. "Of the old and new covenants" in English is ambiguous. It's referring to a singular old covenant and a singular new covenant that, taken together, constitute the plural "covenants." But, grammatically, it could be referring to multiple old and multiple new covenants. I'm not sure I've encountered a parallel phenomenon in Greek.
Also, concerning #4, I think το ειναι is an acceptable rendering of "being," but I don't think my syntax communicates clearly the meaning of the answer.
Westminster Μικρότερος Κατήχησις
1. Επερώτημα: τί εστιν τὸ *αρχιτέλος* ανθρωπου;
Απόκρισις: τὸ αρχιτέλος ανθρώπου ἐστὶν θεὸν δοξάζειν καὶ ἐμπιπλάναι εις τὸν αιῶνα.
2. Ε: τίνα κανόνα τοῦ αὐτὸν δοξάζειν καὶ ἐμπιπλάναι ἡμίν Θεός δέδωκεν;
Α: Θεοῦ ὁ λόγος ὁ εν ταῖς τῆς παλαιᾶς καὶ καινῆς διαθήκης γραφαῖς κατεχόμενος ἐστιν ὁ μόνος κανών τοῦ αὐτὸν δοξάζειν καὶ εὐδοκεῖν.
3. Ε: τίνα μάλιστα διδασκεῖ αἱ γραφαί;
Α: αἱ γραφαὶ μάλιστα διδασκεῖ τε τὰ ανθρώπους δεῖ πιστεύειν περὶ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ θεός εκζητεῖ τῶν ανθρῶπων.
4. Ε: τί εστιν θεός;
Α: Θεός εστιν πνεῦμα ἄπειρον αί̈διον καὶ ἀμετάθετον ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοῦ σοφιᾳ δυναμει ἁγιάσμῳ δικαιοσύνῃ αγαθωσυνῃ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ.