Posted on 12/06/2004 8:15:10 AM PST by Pyro7480
The Meaning of Kecharitomene: Full of Grace (Luke 1:28)
The Meaning of Kecharitomene: Full of Grace (Luke 1:28) by pfairban at the Catholic-Convert.com discussion board This is kind of a return to an old thread. The main point here is that, just as the man Christ Jesus is excepted from original sin (including original sin as described in various places in Romans, with such statements by St. Paul as "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" and "death passed to all men because all have sinned") and just as that fact can be demonstrated from specific Scriptural verses when those verses are correctly understood, Mary is excepted from original sin and this fact can be demonstrated from specific verses. One well-known verse that shows this is Luke 1:28, and particularly the angel Gabriel's salutation to Mary: "Chaire, Kecharitomene" (translated in the Latin Vulgate "Hail, Full of Grace"). Tangent time: In the old thread, one of our wizened protestant fellow-travelers pointed out that the word Gabriel uses when saluting Mary, "Kecharitomene" is formed from the same root (charitoo) as a word used in one of the great early Christian hymns (I wish that the Catholic hymn writers would do a modern version, they actually are pretty good at doing Scripturally-based hymns). The hymn appears in the first chapter of Ephesians (ironically, the letter to the Ephesians was probably written by Luke, as well, but this hymn probably was not, it probably pre-existed the letter). There, the relevant stanza is
The variant of charitoo here is echaritosen. While Kecharitomene is, according to everything I've read, a perfect passive participle, echaritosen is an indicative active aorist; so, while Kecharitomene indicates, according to www.ao.net/~fmoeller/zchxxxi.htm (talking about perfect passive participles in a different context and a different verse; brackets indicate where I am inserting "graced" for the word in the relevant text),
Accord: The Greek perfect tense denotes the present state resultant upon a past action (New Testament Greek for Beginners, p. 187). http://www.biblequestions.org/archives/BQAR264.htm The perfect tense in Greek is a past tense with a special meaning: it is used to refer to a past action which has effects felt in the present. http://www.pcea.asn.au/WPG/Christ_Crucified.htm The word "saved" is translated from the Greek word sesosmenoi, which is a perfect passive participle. It means that this salvation took place at some point in the past and is continuing on in the present. http://newsletters.cephasministry.com/bible2-11.98.html Perfect passive participle, so things in a state of having been already forbidden.
However, Luke 1:28 uses a special conjugated form of "charitoo." It uses "kecharitomene," while Ephesians 1:6 uses "echaritosen," which is a different form of the verb "charitoo." Echaritosen means "he graced" (bestowed grace). Echaritosen signifies a momentary action, an action brought to pass. (Blass and DeBrunner, Greek Grammar of the New Testament, p.166). Whereas, Kecharitomene, the perfect passive participle, shows a completeness with a permanent result. Kecharitomene denotes continuance of a completed action (H. W. Smyth, Greek Grammar [Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968], p. 108-109, sec 1852:b; also Blass and DeBrunner, p.175). And our friend's citation of what the term denotes:
Ironically, that final definition is essentially coextensive with the Catholic understanding of the why of Mary's sinlessness --
However, I still haven't really gotten to my argument: whatever the denotation of "chaire, Kecharitomene," its connotation, what it actually meant to ancient Greek-speakers, is why it is communicating precisely that Mary was immaculately conceived. The Greek Fathers Here are a number of ancient experts and what they say it means; each of them is a Greek-speaker from a culture basically identical to that of St. Luke; there are a couple repeats from the previous thread, but from them I give new material, too; the passages are expositions by the authors of the meaning of Luke 1:28, generally centered on chaire, Kecharitomene:
Akathist hymn (5th or 6th century AD):
Theodotus of Ancyra (early 5th century AD):
According to Fr. Luigi Gambero, author of Mary and the Fathers of the Church, "This kind of apostrophe addressed to the Virgin occurs frequently in Greek homilies of the fifth century onward; it constitutes a literary form called chairetismoi, form the Greek word chaire, which translates as 'hail' or 'rejoice' (cf. LK 1:28)."
John the Theologian (c. 400 AD):
This previous one appears also to be a commentary on Luke 1:28, but that's debatable. Another one of my favorite expositions on the meaning of Kecharitomene occurs at this link, the rule for an 11th or early 12th century Greek monastery; it's too long to completely recite: http://www.doaks.org/typikaPDF/typ037.pdf by pfairban at Catholic-Convert.com discussion board |
No, I haven't checked out the link yet. It is not a point of critical concern to me right now. Please don't think that I equate Jesus as somehow equal with Enoch, Elijah, or anyone else. My point was, the wages of sin is death. It follows that anyone without sin is not required to die.
Right. :) Accepting Catholic teaching regarding the Eucharist seems much more important than the acceptance of teachings about Mary. Right now, I'm willing to just say, I don't fully understand why the Church teaches this, but since She has it right on so many other points, maybe someday I'll understand why this is true too.
bump for later read
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Ineffabilis Deus: 8 December 1854 (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception)
Why do we believe in the Immaculate Conception?
John Paul II goes to Lourdes; reflections on the Immaculate Conception
Your Praises We Sing--on the Dogma of the Proclamation of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8th
Eastern Christianity and the Immaculate Conception (Q&A From EWTN)
BTTT on December 8, 2005, in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Great facts for all.
Great find!
The Immaculate Conception Essential to the Faith
"Who Are You, Immaculate Conception?"
TURKEY Ephesus: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception at Marys House
Coming Dec 8th. Feast of the "Immaculate Conception"
Why the Immaculate Conception?
Catholic Encyclopedia: Immaculate Conception (The Doctrine and Its Roots)
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