A Fresh Angle On A Word

November 25, 2002

The 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians in the scriptures are probably the most familiar passages to most persons in the hundreds of varieties Christian beliefs and sects. The King James Version (1611) begins:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

The Oxford Annotated Bible (Revised 1952) begins:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

“Charity” in the King James Version and “love” in the Revised and other modern versions are translations of the same Greek word, AGAPE.

The change of translation is based on the modern use of of “charity” to indicate alms-giving or the help the more affluent give to the poor. “Love” is currently believed to be a more accurate and more comprehensive rendering of AGAPE. Some scholars believe that when Paul was writing to his friends at Corinth, he was writing of the “love of God” for His human creations, and, consequently, what persons should believe and act toward their fellow men and women.

A modern Bible scholar, John Dominic Crossan, in EXCAVATING JESUS, a book he co-authored, writes, “We Christians translate the New Testament word AGAPE as love, meaning charity or alms-giving. Better to translate it as ‘to share.’”

The nuance of the word, “share” spoke to me this week as Thanksgiving arrives on Thursday. The table will be heaped with roast turkey and tasty vegetables, along with tangy cranberry sauce, topped with rich desserts.

But not everywhere in the world, because millions will be hungry and children starving. I will be remembering a saying of many years ago, the source forgotten, “If we all ate at one table, no one would be allowed to go hungry.” That metaphor represents what The Man from La Mancha sang, “to dream the impossible dream.” Also from the lyrics of that song, “to fight the unbeatable foe.” Fred, 98 year old tablemate at meals, would consider human greed the unbeatable foe. To overcome that foe is a mammoth task.

Yet if we continue to dream the impossible dream where all children are fed; and support efforts to achieve it, perhaps tomorrow there will be fewer hungry persons than today; and next year, fewer hungry persons than this year. And every year after that.

Crossan’s suggestion would make that opening verse of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians read, “If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but do not share, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” A challenging perspective?

John Dominic Crossan makes an accompanying and excellent point, though not all would agree. He wrote that the underlying prophetic ethical demand is justice, both in the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) and Christian scriptures (New Testament). The most illustrative example I can think of at the moment is Micah, Ch. 4, verses 3 – 4:

“He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall decide for strong nations afar off;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
and none shall make them afraid.”

To conclude with Shakespeare, where Pompey says in ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, Act II, Sc. i)

“If the great gods be just, they shall assist
the deeds of the justest men.”

Such are my dreams this Thanksgiving week.