Collect of the Week - 45
Missa Dominicalis hebdomadae tertiae
Deus, qui errantibus, ut in viam possint redire justitiae, veritatis tuae
lumen ostendis: da cunctis qui Christiana professione censentur, et illa
respuere quae huic inimica sunt nomini, et ea quae sunt apta sectari. Per
Dominum.
"The Sunday Mass of the third week (after Easter)". As explained in posting
43, the Mass of Easter Day was used on Sundays after Easter, but a Sunday
Mass was provided for use on weekdays; all this to Avoid Confusion. The
editor of the Sarum Missal himself got his knickers in a twist over this
one, and the explanation is provided in his list of corrigenda at the beginning.
The reformers did translate this one:
Almighty God, who shewest to them that be in error the light of thy truth,
to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness; Grant
unto all them that are admitted into the fellowship of Christ's Religion,
that they may eschew those things that are contrary to their profession, and
to follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
The opening clause has a neatness in the Latin that is difficult to render
into English - or at least the BCP does not manage it very well. "Erro" is
to wander from the right path. "Error" is a dead metaphor in English, and
no longer conjures up a picture of being lost in a wood. Also the mention
of the way of righteousness follows on much more quickly in the Latin.
Perhaps something like, "to those who stray from the path of righteousness,
that they may return to it."
"Censeo" is related to "census" and is a word which might be used, for
example, in placing someone in the right tax bracket; "professio" is a
public declaration, a specification of one' name or business, or a public
register of persons or property. The words do not refer to interior beliefs
but to public categories: "to those who are numbered among the Christians,"
"to those who are on the Christian electoral roll" or something of that
sort. "Fellowship" is a perfectly good word to describe the Christian
Church, but it is not the association suggested here by the Latin. The BCP
uses the word "profession" in the next clause, and may have wished not to
use it twice.
"spuo" is stronger than "eschew": to spit out, vomit. And "inimicus" is
stronger than "contrary": hostile, harmful. The image is of spitting out a
poison inadvertantly tasted.
"aptus" (from apo, "bind, fasten, attach") signifies those things which are
appropriate to the name of Christian. A rather closer connection, I feel,
than "agreeable". All kinds of things may be perfectly agreeable to the
Christian religion, without having much to do with it: playing football is
perfectly agreeable to Christianity, but is not closely bound up with it.
Also one cannot possibly follow "all" such things as may be agreeable to
Christianity; there are too many of them, many of them mutually exclusive.
The insertion of the word was a mistake.
Oriens.
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