New Translation Monday: Eucharistic Prayer IV, Part IV (Anamnesis and Second Epiclesis)

As a reminder, past editions of the New Translation Catechesis can be accessed via the top menu bar.

This is the penultimate post in this year-long series.  We take up the Anamnesis and the second Epiclesis in the fourth Eucharistic Prayer.  We begin with the Anamnesis.  For a description of this prayer, see the corresponding post from the Roman Canon.

The current text reads:

“Father, we now celebrate this memorial of our redemption. We recall Christ's death, his descent among the dead, his resurrection, and his ascension to your right hand; and, looking forward to his coming in glory, we offer you his body and blood, the acceptable sacrifice which brings salvation to the whole world.”

The new translation has,

“Therefore, O Lord, as we now celebrate the memorial of our redemption, we remember Christ's death and his descent to the realm of the dead; we proclaim his Resurrection and his Ascension to your right hand; and as we await his coming in glory, we offer you his Body and Blood, the sacrifice acceptable to you which brings salvation to the whole world.”

I have placed in bold the changes I wish to discuss.  For reference, the Latin text is:

Unde et nos, Dómine, redemptiónis nostræ memoriále nunc celebrántes,

mortem Christi eiúsque descénsum ad ínferos recólimus, eius resurrectiónem

et ascensiónem ad tuam déxteram profitémur,

et, exspectántes ipsíus advéntum in glória, offérimus tibi eius Corpus et Sánguinem, sacrifícium tibi acceptábile et toti mundo salutáre.

First, as we have seen several times, the Latin word Domine means “Lord,” not “Father.”   While it is true that the prayer is directed to the Father, and while some might be tempted to confuse the title “Lord” with the Son, it is hard to get away from the meaning of Domine.

Second, the Latin phrase ad ínferos literally means, “to Hell” or “to the place of the dead.”  I actually don’t have a problem with the current translation of “among the dead”, though infero contains something more of a place rather than a people, so “realm of the dead” seems a bit better.

Finally, we have the Latin word exspectántes.  Now here is a curious thing.  In the Nicene Creed, we found the word expecto.  The current translation rendered it there as “look for,” while the new translation preferred, “look forward to.”  At the time, I mentioned the subtle difference between the two, noting that I can “look for” my wallet, but I rarely “look forward to” the same wallet (as it it usually void of money).  Similarly, the soldiers who “looked for” the body of Christ on Easter Sunday did not “look forward to it.”  In the Creed, it is a bit more powerful to say that we (“I” actually) “look forward to” the resurrection of the dead.  Now, in this Anamnesis, we have the very same Latin word (albeit a different form), and the new translation opts for “we await” over the current “looking forward.”  It seems that both translations were inconsistent when comparing this text with the Nicene Creed.  For once, in the case of the Anamnesis under discussion, I opt for the current translation, if only for the sake of consistency.

As for the use of “awaits,” it is, of course, not wrong.  In fact, the NASB uses a similar translation in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans:

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Romans 8:19-25, NASB).

I placed the phrase “waits eagerly” in bold because the Latin Vulgate contains a form of the very word under discussion: exspectatio, and later exspectantes and exspectamus. 

I leave it to you to decide which is better, “look forward to”, “await”, or “wait eagerly.”  For my own part, I don’t have strong opinions on the matter, but I do wish the translation would have been consistent.

With that, let us turn to the second Epiclesis, which, like other “Second Epiclesises” is not really an epiclesis at all as it is not the calling down of the Spirit.  (I made this same point in Eucharistic Prayers II and III.)

The current translation is:

“Lord, look upon this sacrifice which you have given to your Church; and by your Holy Spirit, gather all who share this one bread and one cup into the one body of Christ, a living sacrifice of praise.”

The new text reads,

“Look, O Lord, upon the Sacrifice which you yourself have provided for your Church, and grant in your loving kindness to all who partake of this one Bread and one Chalice that, gathered into one body by the Holy Spirit, they may truly become a living sacrifice in Christ to the praise of your glory.”

The Latin is:

Réspice, Dómine, in Hóstiam,

quam Ecclésiæ tuæ ipse parásti,

et concéde benígnus ómnibus

qui ex hoc uno pane participábunt et cálice,

ut, in unum corpus a Sancto Spíritu congregáti,

in Christo hóstia viva perficiántur,

ad laudem glóriæ tuæ.

I applaud the current translation’s use of the word “sacrifice” (as is done in the new translation as well).  In other cases, the current translation seemed to eliminate sacrificial language.

In terms of differences, there are actually quite a few.  I will leave off some of the smaller changes of order and additions of words.

First, notice the change of “given” to “provided.”  The Latin word is parásti.  It actually means “prepared.”  It is the same word (and form) that shows up in the second line of Compline’s “Canticle of Simeon.”

Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum

(“Which you have prepared in the sight of every people.”)

“Provided” is closer to “prepared” than “given”, yet I would have simply preferred “prepared.”

Second, we have the restoration of the phrase “in your loving kindness.”  I had a bit of trouble with the Latin, as it seems to me that benignus is an adjective in the Nominative, and hence modifying the subject of concede, which would be “you” (God).  Thus, the best I can do at a literal translation is, “Grant, you who are kind, ...”  Perhaps a reader can help out here.  At any rate, leaving it off is not an option.

Third, there is the change of “share” to “partake.”  Indeed, there is a difference between the two.  “Partake” includes the action of consuming the Eucharist.  I can “share” a box with someone, but we would not “partake” in the box.  The Latin word is participábunt, which can mean “share”, “partake”, or even “participate in.”  Given the context, however, the more appropriate choice is “partake.”

Fourth, we have the phrase “they may truly become.”  There really is a fundamental difference between what is conveyed in the current translation and what is conveyed in the new.  The current version simply states that the “one body of Christ” is a “living sacrifice of praise.”  The new version prays that we (those gathered) may become a living sacrifice of praise.  The Latin word in question is perficiántur.  The root word perficere has many meanings, one of which is “become.”  While other choices could have been appropriate, what is clear is that perficiántur is the third person plural form of the verb.  Thus, the meaning is “we may become.”  The current translation very much changes the meaning of this phrase.  Theologically, of course, we are praying that the Sacrament become transformative in our lives, that we may be united to the one Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.  After all, the very nature of worship is to render ourselves as a living sacrifice unto God.  The whole thing is reminiscent of St. Paul’s exhortation that we make our bodies a living sacrifice for our spiritual worship (logikae latriae).

Finally, the new translation restores the words “of your glory” (glóriæ tuæ) at the end.

One more week and counting, folks, until this 52-week series sees it completion.  Until then, blessings to you and yours.