Nielsen’s Nook

Nielsen’s Nook
Nielsen’s Nook
Contemplative, reflective, and irenic we pray.
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Apostles’ Creed Translation and Commentary, Part 4

Will Nielsen
October 22nd, 2007
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Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Received Greek Text

The Received Latin Text
αθεζόμενον ἐν δεξιᾷ θεοῦ πατρὸς παντοδυνάμου, ἐκαῖθεν ἐρχόμενον κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis; inde venturus (est) judicare vivos et mortuos.

Translation

is seated at the right hand of God the Father, All-Powerful [1] from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

[1] παντοδυνάμου (παντα + δύναμις) a compound adjective (singular genitive), functioning in an attributive sense to explain to us about the one at whose right hand Jesus now sits. It is worth noting that in most English translations of the Creed both the beginning phrase, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty” and this phrase use the same English word where two synonymous but distinctly different Greek words appear. The English translations have followed the Latin translation in which παντοκράτορα and παντοδυνάμου are rendered derivations of omnipotens. We use “All-Powerful” to indicate the variation in the Greek.

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