Latin in Barnabas

Bart Ehrman behrman at email.unc.edu
Thu Apr 20 08:20:42 EDT 2000


   Lake is following the old tradition of not offending the sensitivies of
English readers, a tradition widespread among translators of the 19th
century (his Loeb translation of course was 1912-13) and seen for example
in passages (*long* ones) in the ANF (e.g., in Clement of Alexandria's
STromateis).  THe idea was that if a text was highly charged in terms of
sexual content, it was to be rendered into Latin to prevent offence but to
allow scholars access to it.  (In this case, I believe, Lake didn't
translate into Latin but used the surviving Latin version; the editors'
later English translation, I might add, is none too good -- completely
misses the point about the rabbit!)

   It's a terrific question you've asked though.  Does anyone know more
about when the practice began and if there is any explicit discussion of
it among 19th century (or earlier) English translators?

-- Bart Ehrman
   University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


On Thu, 20 Apr 2000, Jason Hare wrote:

> One and all,
> 
> Why is it that in the English translation by Kirsopp
> Lake (unedited) in the Loeb Series 10.6-10.8 are in
> Latin?  I have the newer version also, which has it in
> English.  Why would he deliver an old Latin
> translation instead of the English (for the sake of
> his readers)?
> 
> Jason Hare
> Ozark Christian College
> 
> Text: (10.6) 'Sed nec "leporem manducabis."  Non eris,
> inquit, corruptor puerorum nec similabis talibus. 
> Quia lepus singulis annis facit ad adsellandum singula
> foramina; et quotquot annis vivit, totidem foramina
> facit.  (7) Sed "nec beluam, inquit, manducabis"; hoc
> est non eris moecus aut adulter, nec corruptor, nec
> similabis talibus.  Quia haec bestia alternia annis
> mutat naturam et fit modo masculus, modo femina.  (8)
> Sed et quod dicit mustelam odibis.  Non eris, inquit,
> talis, qui audit iniquitatem et loquitur immunditiam. 
> Non inquit adhaerebis immundis qui iniquitatem faciunt
> ore suo.'  (Pardon any spelling errors; I typed this,
> not knowing Latin.)
> 
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