[b-greek] racist overtones in Hermas

From: Harold R. Holmyard III (hholmyard@ont.com)
Date: Sun Sep 03 2000 - 21:28:45 EDT


Dear Bart,

You wrote:

>> In that oh so long ninth Similitude, the Shepherd is explaining to
>> Hermas the significance of the twelve mountains that he saw. I'm trying
>> to figure out if it's possible to translate the passage about the first
>> mountain without giving it modern racist overtones (which would have been
>> foreign to the world of the text). The passage reads something like:
>>
>> The believers from the first mountain, which was black, are like
>> this: they are apostates and blasphemers against the Lord and betrayers
>> of the slaves of God. There is no repentance for these, but
>> death. This is why they are black, because their race also is lawless.
>>
>> The last bit is: KAI DIA TOUTO KAI MELANES EISI, KAI GAR TO GENOS AUTWN
>> ANOMON ESTIN.

If the text is without racial overtones and describes a spiritual category,
then perhaps one could translate:

And for this reason they are black, for also their kind is lawless.

                                Yours,
                                Harold Holmyard



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