The Confessions of Augustine is classed among the great masterpieces of world literature. To confess is exquisitely human. One doesn’t have to watch Oprah or Dr. Phil to realize that. To confess to God, however, who is the highest good, is the apex of human expression.
And if God is no more than an abstraction that we posit because such a one should exist, but doesn’t? Many have noted, including David Curzon, whose essay on translating the Psalms is available on this site, that confession to God “works” even if God is a pure abstraction.
But what if God exists? It is an extraordinary question. Pascal, no dummy he, was right to pose it more than once.
Augustine confesses himself by confessing to God. Therefore he begins his Confessions with prayer. Since he knew the Psalms by heart, the language and categories of his prayer are drawn largely, though not exclusively, from them.
I provide the Latin first, and format it as if it were poetry, which it nearly is. A translation follows. I draw on the translations of Pusey, Outler, and Italian and German translations I have around, but go my own way.
I then provide the Latin again, and English translation. I go on to quote, in Hebrew, Latin, and English, sources of Augustine’s thought identified as such by Augustine scholars. The Latin Psalter I cite is Jerome’s revision, Psalmi iuxta LXX, of the Psalter Augustine knew. It is clear, for example, that Augustine’s Psalter had valde where Jerome’s revision reads nimis. A critical edition of the Vetus Latina Psalter has yet to appear.
If you know English, but your Latin and Hebrew are rusty, the text provided will allow you to improve your competence in the latter. If you know Latin fairly well, but not Hebrew, you can lean on the former to help you through the latter. If you know Hebrew fairly well, but not Latin, the same principle applies.
In a few instances, the sources I identify have not been previously mentioned in the literature.
Magnus es, domine,
et laudabilis valde:
magna virtus tua
et sapientiae tuae non est numerus.
Et laudare te vult homo,
aliqua portio creaturae tuae.
Et homo circumferens mortalitatem suam,
circumferens testimonium peccati sui
et testimonium quia superbis resistis:
aliqua portio creaturae tuae.
Tu excitas
ut laudare te delectet,
quia fecisti nos ad te
et inquietum est cor nostrum
donec requiescat in te.
Great art thou, O Lord,
and greatly to be praised;
great is thy power,
and infinite is thy wisdom.
And thee would man praise,
who is a particle of thy creation.
Man carries his mortality around with him,
carries around the evidence of his sin,
and the evidence that thou dost resist the proud;
yet thee would man praise,
a particle of thy creation.
Thou callest him,
that he might delight to praise thee,
for thou hast made us for thyself
and restless is our heart
until it rest in thee.
Magnus es, domine,
et laudabilis valde:
magna virtus tua
et sapientiae tuae non est numerus.
Et laudare te vult homo,
aliqua portio creaturae tuae.
Great art thou, O Lord,
and greatly to be praised;
great is thy power,
and infinite is thy wisdom.
And thee would man praise,
who is a particle of thy creation.
גָּדוֹל יהוה
וּמְהֻלָּל מְאֹד
וְלִגְדֻלָּתֹו אֵין חֵקֶר(Psalm 145:3)
Great is the Lord,
and greatly to be
praised,
unfathomable is his greatness.[1]
Magnus Dominus
et laudibilus nimis
et magnitudinis eius non
est finis
(Psalmi iuxta LXX 144:3)
Great is the Lord
and exceedingly
praiseworthy,
and his greatness is
without end.
גָּדוֹל אַתָּה
וְגָדוֹל שִׁמְךָ בִּגְבוּרָה (Jeremiah 10:6)
Great are thou,
and great is your name in
power.
Magnus es tu,
et magnum nomen tuum in fortitudine
(Hieremias 10:6)
גָּדוֹל אֲדוֹנֵינוּ
וְרַב־כֹּחַ
לִתְבוּנָתֹו אֵין מִסְפָּר(Psalm 147:5)
Great is our Lord,
and vast of strength;
infinite is his wisdom.[2]
Magnus Dominus noster
et magna virtus eius
et sapientiae eius non est numerus
(Psalmi iuxta LXX 146:5)
Great is our Lord,
and great is his
strength,
and infinite is his
wisdom.
Et homo circumferens mortalitatem suam,
circumferens testimonium peccati sui
et testimonium quia superbis resistis:
et tamen laudare te vult homo,
aliqua portio creaturae tuae.
Man carries his mortality around with him,
carries around the evidence of his sin,
the evidence that thou dost resist the proud;
yet thee would man praise,
a particle of thy creation.
אֵין־מְתֹם בִּבְשָׂרִי
מִפְּנֵי זַעְמֶךָ
אֵין־שָׁלוֹם בַּעֲצָמַי
מִפְּנֵי חַטָּאתִי
כִּי עֲוֹנֹתַי עָבְרוּ רֹאשִׁי
כְּמַשָּׂא כָבֵד
יִכְבְּדוּ מִמֶּנִּי(Psalm 38:4-5)
There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your wrath;
there is no health in my frame
because of my sin;
for my iniquities have gone over my head;
a heavy burden,
they are too heavy for me.
Non est sanitas carni meae
a facie irae tuae
non est pax ossibus meis
a facie peccatorum meorum
quoniam iniquitates meae supergressae sunt caput meum
sicut onus grave
gravatae sunt super me
(Psalmi iuxta LXX 37:4-5)
כִּי־כָלִינוּ בְאַפֶּךָ
וּבַחֲמָתְךָ נִבְהָלְנוּ
שַׁתָּ עֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ לְנֶגְדֶּךָ
עֲלֻמֵנוּ לִמְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ(Psalm 90:7-8)
For we are consumed by
your wrath,
by your fury we are
terrorized.
You set our sins before
you,
our secrets in the light of your countenance.
Quia defecimus in ira tua
et in furore tuo turbati sumus
posuisti iniquitates nostras in
conspectu tuo
sæculum nostrum inluminatione vultus tui
(Psalmi iuxta LXX 89:7-8)
For in your wrath we have
lost all heart
in your fury we are shaken.
You set our sins in your
full view,
our life in the light of
your countenance.
אִם־לַלֵּצִים הוּא־יָלִיץ
וְלַעֲנָוִים יִתֶּן־חֵן(Prov. 3:34)
As for scorners, he scorns them;
as for the lowly, he accords them favor.
Deus superbis resistit,
humilibus autem dat gratiam.
(Prov. 3:34 (Vetus Latina))
God resists the proud,
but accords favor to the lowly.
הַלְלִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יהוה
אֲהַלְלָה יהוה בְּחַיָּי
אֲזַמְּרָה לֵאלֹהַי בְּעוֹדִי(Psalm 146:1-2)
Praise the Lord, o my soul!
I will praise the Lord throughout my life,
I will sing praises to my God so long as I am.
Lauda anima mea Dominum
laudabo Dominum in vita mea
psallam Deo meo quamdiu fuero.
(Psalmi iuxta LXX 145:2)
Tu excitas
ut laudare te delectet,
quia fecisti nos ad te
et inquietum est cor nostrum
donec requiescat in te.
Thou callest him,
that he might delight to praise thee,
for thou hast made us for thyself
and restless is our heart
until it rest in thee.
וְהִתְעַנַּג עַל־יהוה
וְיִתֶּן־לְךָ
מִשְׁאֲלֹת לִבֶּךָ(Psalm 37:4)
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you
the desires of your heart
Delectare in Domino
et dabit tibi
petitiones cordis tui
(Psalmi iuxta LXX 36:4)
לִבִּי יָחִיל בְּקִרְבִּי
וְאֵימוֹת מָוֶת
נָפְלוּ עָלָי
יִרְאָה וָרַעַד
יָבֹא בִי
וַתְּכַסֵּנִי פַּלָּצוּת
וָאֹמַר מִי־יִתֶּן־לִּי
אֵבֶר כַּיּוֹנָה
אָעוּפָה וְאֶשְׁכֹּנָה(Psalm 55:5-7)
My heart convulses within me,
and deathly terrors
have fallen upon me.
Fear and trepidation
come upon me,
and shuddering covered me.
I said, Who will give me
wings like a dove,
that I might fly away and set down?
Cor meum conturbatum est in me
et formido mortis
cecedit super me
Timor et tremor
venit super me
et contexit me tenebra
Et dixi quis dabit mihi
pinna sicut columbae
et volabo et requiescam
(Psalmi iuxta LXX 54:5-7)
My heart is troubled within me,
and fear of death
is fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling
are come upon me
and darkness covered me.
And I said: Who will give me
wings like a dove,
that I might fly away and rest?
בְּשָׁלוֹם יַחְדָּו
אֶשְׁכְּבָה וְאִישָׁן
כִּי־אַתָּה יהוה
לְבָדָד לָבֶטַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי(Psalm 4:9)
In peace now
I lay me down to sleep
for you, Lord,
make me dwell securely, apart.
In pace in id ipsum
dormiam et requiesciam
quoniam tu Domine singulariter
in spe constituisti me.
(Psalmi iuxta LXX 4:9-10)
In peace in one and the same instant
I will sleep and rest,
for you, Lord, singularly,
establish me in hope.
For a magnificent online Augustine resource, check out J. J. O’Donnell’s pages: go here.
Lovely morning read - thanks; saeculum nostrum = our secrets? No wonder we don't get it sometimes in translation! I have really enjoyed by Hebrew-Latin concordance. It often gives a completely different view of the verse. (Of course, if only I had learned Latin well, but I had a tortured man for a teacher - God have mercy on us all.)
Posted by: Bob MacDonald | July 30, 2007 at 07:34 AM