Ducentesimum Duodetricesimum Latinum Verbum Diei: November 22, 2010

[Christina Wallin]

Theme for this month: Moralistic words

caritas, caritatis f.

Definition: dearness, costliness, high price; regard, esteem,
affection, love; charity

Sententia: St. Jerome's Vulgate, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

[4] caritas patiens est benigna est caritas non aemulatur non agit
perperam non inflatur [5] non est ambitiosa non quaerit quae sua sunt
non inritatur non cogitat malum [6] non gaudet super iniquitatem
congaudet autem veritati [7] omnia suffert omnia credit omnia sperat
omnia sustinet

Love is patient, it is kind; love does not envy, it does not drive
[itself], it is not wrongly swelled/proud. Love is not ambitious, it
does not seek anything for its own benefit [lit. which things are its
own], it is not aroused [to anger], it does not think about the bad
things. It does not take pleasure over unfairness, however it
rejoices with the truth. It supports all, it trusts all, it hopes all
[things], it endures evermore [lit. all].

Since I think that translating a translation is just silly, here is
also the New International Version of the Bible's English translation
of this passage as well:
[4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. [5] It does not dishonor others, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
[6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [7] It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The Vulgate was written by St. Jerome as a translation of the Bible
into Latin from Hebrew and Greek (for the Old and New Testaments
respectively). Written in the late 3rd century, it has no punctuation
since punctuation had not yet been invented at that time.

The real reason that “caritas” is this week's word is the Greek word
ἀγάπη (agape). Greek has 4 different words for love, in fact: ἔρως
(eros: passionate love), φιλία (philia: friendship/loyalty), στοργή
(storge: familial love), in addition to agape. However, agape is the
most beautiful of them all: true, selfless love, not mere attraction.
I love the fact that Greek has a word expressing this concept, and if
this were the Greek word of the day, I would most certainly feature
agape. However, this is indeed the *Latin* word of the day, so I
unfortunately can't do that. Instead, I feature the word that St.
Jerome used to translate the word “agape” in the Vulgate: “caritas.”
Though not quite the same concept, it is much closer than the Latin
word “amor” or the English word “love.” Etymologically, "caritas"
comes from the Latin word "carus," meaning "dear."