The King's Anguish
Christina Tsuchida from Japan writes:
Concerning "The King's Anguish: Mistranslating the Holy Scriptures," most of Anthony Esolen's points are well taken, and I greatly enjoyed his humorous and intelligent protests, but the use of the word "man" followed by "his" for the archetypal human is problematic for a female reader. A scripture-oriented (and male-centered-book reading) child grows up almost homosexual if she is female. "One" and "oneself" may not do, but the Greek has "anthropos"(human being, the archetypal human) as well as "andros" (male, man) while English does not. Perhaps people who speak in English have lost the very idea of an archetypal human. Please think more about this! Jesus framed his protest against adultery in both genders in Mark 10:11-12.
P.S. In my American Protestant childhood, my favorite hymn was the new version of the one quoted in parallel with an older version at the end of this article. I had no trouble with its English or with memorizing its several verses. It left a lasting impression of the Presence of God in nature which continues to console me as a Catholic. I am now 58, having been married to a Japanese for 26 years and living in Japan for 21 years. (I have been a Catholic since 1975.)
Concerning "The King's Anguish: Mistranslating the Holy Scriptures," most of Anthony Esolen's points are well taken, and I greatly enjoyed his humorous and intelligent protests, but the use of the word "man" followed by "his" for the archetypal human is problematic for a female reader. A scripture-oriented (and male-centered-book reading) child grows up almost homosexual if she is female. "One" and "oneself" may not do, but the Greek has "anthropos"(human being, the archetypal human) as well as "andros" (male, man) while English does not. Perhaps people who speak in English have lost the very idea of an archetypal human. Please think more about this! Jesus framed his protest against adultery in both genders in Mark 10:11-12.
P.S. In my American Protestant childhood, my favorite hymn was the new version of the one quoted in parallel with an older version at the end of this article. I had no trouble with its English or with memorizing its several verses. It left a lasting impression of the Presence of God in nature which continues to console me as a Catholic. I am now 58, having been married to a Japanese for 26 years and living in Japan for 21 years. (I have been a Catholic since 1975.)
posted by Aneel Aranha ::
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