Good Will to All
The angel of the Lord shocked the shepherds tending their sheep in the fields outside Bethlehem that night. Announcing the birth of the Savior of the World was, to say the least, a momentous event. But the “glory” of an angel of God appearing before such shady characters, as shepherds were considered in those days, probably magnified the terrifying display and the unsettling disruption that such news would portend.
Our difficulty in parsing out the “original” meaning of Scripture is one source of the contentious differences in Christian denominations and their profession of faith. It certainly would be much easier if we all knew with certainty what the authors of the Gospels and the Epistles (and Revelation for that matter) had in mind as they wrote their books. But we do not have an original of any of the New Testament books, let alone any from the Old Testament. Remember, even in Roman Judea, most people were functional illiterates, unable to read anything more than what their trade or business required. And certainly, any written material (scrolls in Jesus’ day) was quite valuable and hard-to-come-by as they had been copied by hand from another copy.
Understanding these books is further complicated in that they were written in Greek
(and not modern Greek!). Through the years, mistakes (unintentional and otherwise) get
passed down with each copy. Several centuries later, translators attempt to turn the
Greek into other languages – and as we all know, languages are living things which
change meanings of words and phrases over time. For instance, “awesome” in the
1600s meant something terrifying or hideous, whereas today that term indicates great
respect or desirability.
Most of our modern translations also incorporate new understandings or insights gained
through archaeological discoveries (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) and sociological
research which may impart new meanings to well-worn terms.
So, it may be surprising, but shouldn’t be, that following the angel’s announcement in
Luke’s Nativity story, the song of the angel choir has several iterations of meaning. The
most prevalent translation (used in our NRSV) is:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
Luke 2:14
Now, if we were to focus solely on the phrase “and on earth peace among those whom
he favors,” we discover that most of the sources used literally read, “and on earth
peace among men of goodwill.” A lesser number of sources read “peace on earth, good
pleasure toward men.”
The Greek word in the most recognized texts uses the term Anthropos, which literally
means mankind or humanity. Maleness or man is Andros. Not only that, but the term
translated as “peace” (Eirene) is used to translate “peace, not good will or pleasure. ”So
right here we see there is conflict in discerning on whom God’s peace/goodwill/good
pleasure is blessed.
Sometimes we just need to step back, take a breath, and try to listen for God’s desires
that come to us through the entirely of the Gospel story. Without the close examination
of vocabulary and syntax, what sounds “right” to us? Keeping in mind that we often tend
to prefer that which is familiar or comfortable, the consistent arc of God’s grace and
mercy for us through Christ leads me to hear “and on earth peace to all humankind” as
a true and faithful meaning of the Angels’ song.
May you be blessed by God’s peace and presence.
Shalom.
Pr Mark
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