Saturday, May 31, 2008

it's The End of the world (as we know it) and I feel fine

καὶ διαγενομένου τοῦ σαββάτου Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Ἰακώβου καὶ Σαλώμη ἠγόρασαν ἀρώματα ἵνα ἐλθοῦσαι ἀλείψωσιν αὐτόν

2 καὶ λίαν πρωῒ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ἔρχονται ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον ἀνατείλαντος τοῦ ἡλίου

3 καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἑαυτάς τίς ἀποκυλίσει ἡμῖν τὸν λίθον ἐκ τῆς θύρας τοῦ μνημείου

4 καὶ ἀναβλέψασαι θεωροῦσιν ὅτι ἀποκεκύλισται ὁ λίθος

ἦν γὰρ μέγας σφόδρα

5 καὶ εἰσελθοῦσαι εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον εἶδον νεανίσκον καθήμενον ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς περιβεβλημένον στολὴν λευκήν

καὶ ἐξεθαμβήθησαν

6δὲ λέγει αὐταῖς μὴ ἐκθαμβεῖσθε Ἰησοῦν ζητεῖτε τὸν Ναζαρηνὸν τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον ἠγέρθη οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε ἴδε ὁ τόπος ὅπου ἔθηκαν αὐτόν 7 ἀλλὰ ὑπάγετε εἴπατε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ ὅτι προάγει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν ἐκεῖ αὐτὸν ὄψεσθε καθὼς εἶπεν ὑμῖν

8 καὶ ἐξελθοῦσαι ἔφυγον ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου

εἶχεν γὰρ αὐτὰς τρόμος καὶ ἔκστασις

καὶ οὐδενὶ οὐδὲν εἶπαν

ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ

It’s come to that Seventh Day when Mariam from Magdala, Mariam of Jacob’s family, and Shaloma have been to the market for perfumes to go slather him with.

It’s very early on this one Seventh Day when they go, when on the memorial cave the sun’s just risen.

They’ve talked among themselves: “Who’s going to roll the boulder for us out of the doorway of the memorial cave?”

Looking up, they see that the boulder’s been rolled.

There it was, in fact, massively huge.

Going into the memorial, they observed a youth sitting on the righthand side of a white wrapped up robe.

They were freaked out.

He talks to them: “Don’t freak out. Joshua who you’re searching for who’s from Nazareth who was strung on a cross, he’s gotten up. He is not here, look. The place where he was positioned. The other thing is this. Set off to say this to his apprentices (even to Rocky): “He’s gone off ahead of you all, right into Galilee, where he’ll be observed, just as he said to you all.”

Going out, they ran from the memorial grave.

What they had, in fact, each of one them, were the shakes and weak knees.

Nobody said anything.

Terror had them, in fact.

[UPDATE: there's this alternate updated ending that ends with something like "Amen." It's to tidy up the terror in the text; it's the textual war on terror, if you will. But don't updates, like this one, somehow detract as alternates, unless we stay open to what might have been, which changes what is (as we know it)? If everybody thought that was the original ending, or the final one, then I would just translate that "The End."]

6 comments:

Jane said...

Thanks for this J.K.
This was the text I chose to preach on for my Father's funeral
the empty tomb and terror speak powerfully of resurrection I love your translation and comments.
http://stranzdocs.blogspot.com/2008/03/order-of-worship-for-funeral-of-walter.html

bethany said...

that is a really nice translation (I like the war against terror comment. you rock). I guess I shouldn't be surprised since that's your thing.

J. K. Gayle said...

Oh Jane!
What a wonderful sermon for your Father. Thank you so very much for sharing it! I've read it twice and will again. And want to say a thing or two there, or here if more appropriate.

Thanks also for your kind comment here. If I'm slower replying through the summer, it's just that I'll have to be much away from the blogging.

J. K. Gayle said...

Bethany,
Thanks for reading and the kind comment and for catching some of the phrasing. You encourage!

Jane said...

Hey J.K glad you enjoyed the sermon. leave comments wherever.
I'll be travelling for much of the next 2 weeks - first Rome and then Bremen - and the night train to Rome isn't internet enabled! Before that i'm trying to get a journal out the door - the joys of proof reading

J. K. Gayle said...

bon voyage, Jane.

And thank you for your many good words, your sermon:

"As I play with words to speak about Alert W"