Westminster Shorter Catechism in Greek

6 replies [Last post]
Charlie
Offline
User
Joined: Tue, Jun 2 2009
Posts: 863

Translating the WSC into Greek is a little side project I've undertaken. Usually, I can get at least one question done per week. Composing in a language is essential to mastery, and it forces me to ruminate on the Catechism.

I had to establish some parameters for myself, in order to do justice to the work as a catechism:

1. Begin each question with a question word.
2. Use, as much as possible, biblical words. Louw-Nida is my primary lexicon, with BDAG, Lampe, and LSJ supporting. NT Greek gets first priority; Septuagint second.
3. Use biblical syntax, spelling and expressions. This sometimes deviates from "good" Attic prose.
4. Be brief as possible.

[Note: I did not know how to adjust size and font on this forum. The Greek displays better in Gentium or Palatino Linotype and in a larger font.]

Westminster Μικροτέρα Χατήχησις

1. Ἐπερώτημα: τί ἐστιν τὸ ἀρχιτέλος ἀνθρώπου;
Ἀπόκρισις: τὸ ἀρχιτέλος ανθρώπου ἐστὶν θεὸν δοξάζειν καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐμπίμπλασθαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

2. Ε: τίνα κανόνα τοῦ αὐτὸν δοξάζειν καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐμπίμπλασθαι 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 αὐτοῦ ἐμπίμπλασθαι.

3. Ε: τίνα μάλιστα διδασκεῖ αἱ γραφαί;
Α: αἱ γραφαὶ μάλιστα διδασκεῖ τε τὰ ανθρώπους δεῖ πιστεύειν περὶ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ θεός ἐκζητεῖ τῶν ανθρῶπων.

4. Ε: τί ἐστιν θεός;
Α: Θεός ἐστιν πνεῦμα ἄπειρον αί̈διον καὶ ἀμετάθετον ἐν τῇ οὐσίᾳ αὐτοῦ σοφίᾳ δύναμει ἁγιάσμῳ δικαιοσύνῃ ἀγαθωσύνῃ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ.

5. Ε: εἴσιν θεοὶ ὑπὲρ ἕνα;
Α. μενοῦνγέ εἷς ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ζῶν καὶ ἀληθής.

6. Ε: πόσαι ὑπόστασαι ἐν τὸ θειὸν εἰσιν;
Α: τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ ὑπόστασαι ἐν τὸ θειὸν, ὁ μὲν Πάτηρ, ὁ δὲ υἷος, τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, και αὔται τρεῖς εἰσιν εῖς θεός, ὁμοούσιαι, ἴσαι δυνάμει καὶ δόξῃ.

7. Ε: τίνα τἀ τοῦ θεοῦ δόγματα;
Α: τοὶς δόγματοις πάντα τὰ γινόμενα ὁ θεὸς προορίζει κατὰ τὴν τοῦ θελήματος βουλὴν εἰς τὸ τελεῖν τὴν ἀίδιον τελείωσιν αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὸ δοξάζειν αὐτόν.

8. Ε: ἐν τίνι τελειοῖ τὰ δόγματα ὁ θεός;
Α: ὁ θεὸς τελειοῖ τὰ δόγματα ἐν τοῖς τε τῆς κτίσεως καὶ τῆς προνοίας.

9. Ε: τί ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τῆς κτίσεως;
Α: τὸ ἔργον τῆς κτίσεώς έστιν ἡ ποίησις πάντων ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξ οὐδενὸς, ἐν τῷ τῆς δυνάμει λόγῳ, ἡμερῶν ἑξ, καὶ γὲ παντελής.

10. Ε: πῶς ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον;
Α: ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὡς καὶ ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ, κατʼ εἰκόνα ἑαυτοῦ, ἐν τῇ γνώσει δικαιοσύνῃ ἁγιοσύνῃ καὶ ὡς τῶν ζῴων ἄρχοντα.

__________________

My Blog: www.sacredpage.wordpress.com

Cor meum tibi offero Domine prompte et sincere. ~ John Calvin

Dan Miller
Dan Miller's picture
Offline
ModeratorUser
Joined: Wed, May 6 2009
Posts: 215
Ok, if you have extra time...

Not that translating the WCF into Greek isn't cool and a neat use of time...

What is being said here?

οὐ παιδιὰ δὲ ἄλλως ταῦτά ἐστιν οὐδὲ περιείργασται
ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἀετίων, ἀλλὰ δηλοῖ τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου
καὶ τὸν ἐς τὰ πολεμικὰ ἔρωτα, καὶ ὅτι ἅμα καὶ Ῥωξάνης
ἤρα καὶ τῶν ὅπλων οὐκ ἐπελέληστο.

Charlie
Offline
User
Joined: Tue, Jun 2 2009
Posts: 863
Well, sort of

It's not really my kind of Greek, but I can give a paraphrase:

Aetion isn't wasting his time by these things, but he is showing that Alexander has another love, War, and when he takes up Roxanne, he hasn't forgotten about his armor (οπλα, Greek war gear, from which we get "hoplite").

__________________

My Blog: www.sacredpage.wordpress.com

Cor meum tibi offero Domine prompte et sincere. ~ John Calvin

Charlie
Offline
User
Joined: Tue, Jun 2 2009
Posts: 863
BTW

I'm curious how you came across that passage. Reading Lucian in Greek?

__________________

My Blog: www.sacredpage.wordpress.com

Cor meum tibi offero Domine prompte et sincere. ~ John Calvin

Jay
Offline
ModeratorUserUser accounts adminEditor
Joined: Wed, May 6 2009
Posts: 2297
Font

Charlie, how are you getting the greek font on SI? Are you copying and pasting, or is there some trick I don't know?

__________________

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
-Eph. 4:29-32, ESV

Dan Miller
Dan Miller's picture
Offline
ModeratorUser
Joined: Wed, May 6 2009
Posts: 215
I'm working on something.
Charlie wrote:

I'm curious how you came across that passage. Reading Lucian in Greek?

Uhm, I wish.

So you render "περιείργασται" as "wasting time"?

Charlie
Offline
User
Joined: Tue, Jun 2 2009
Posts: 863
Answers

You could also read that text as saying that the details Aetion painted "are not superfluous." If it's a personal subject, then it's the idea that he is wasting effort, or perhaps even being a busybody. If it's impersonal, the things are themselves superfluous. In any case, the idea is unprofitable or unnecesary effort.

Σωκράτης ἀδικεῖ καὶ περιεργάζεται ζητῶν τά τε ὑπὸ γῆς καὶ οὐράνια

This line from Plato's Apology says, "Socrates is a lawbreaker and one who wastes his time investigating things under earth and in the heavens."

περιεργάζοντο δοκέοντες πρῶτοι ἀνθρώπων γεγονέναι

A little bit different twist is here in Herodotus. The Egyptians think that they were the first of all people. Herodotus thinks this is impossible on geological grounds, supposing that the entire Delta land mass only recently came into being. They must have migrated into Egypt from elsewhere. So, as one translation puts it, their claim to primacy is an idle notion.

Jay C.,

I downloaded a unicode Greek keyboard. I then created a keyboard shortcut that lets me cycle through my different language keyboards. http://www.logos.com/support/downloads/keyboards

__________________

My Blog: www.sacredpage.wordpress.com

Cor meum tibi offero Domine prompte et sincere. ~ John Calvin