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By Isaac Ato Mensah
Accra – 23 December, 2019
Christmas is here – and we wish ourselves and each other well.
Over the weekend while an elderly friend, Uncle B, poured me a drink, he wished me Season’s Greetings thus: “It’s Christmas. Glory to God in the highest, peace on Earth and good will to all men”.
With the gender angle, which excludes women and humankind acknowledged, I reminded him that The Roman Missal has the Luke 2:14 verse say, “Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace to men of good will”.
“It is discriminatory,” he replied. “How can you not wish those who don’t exercise good will toward their neighbour peace?”
After an enlightening debate about the realities of the matter, I informed him, “I want to write about this”.
“Please do,” was his encouraging reply.
He chided the puerile attitude of people who when they have a debate with juniors will take offence should the juniors write or express opposing views.
“It is a battle of intellects: why should anybody take offence?” he stated.
He promised to read this article and follow up on the debate.
He bemoaned the ghanaian “reality” whereby people cannot state principled positions if it will go against the majority, and thereby cost them their friendships.
The Revised Standard Version (RSV) states: “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”.
This conforms to the Catholic rendition and suggests that to those whom God is not pleased with, no peace and good will message for them at this time.
Uncle B argues, “Why? A child has been born unto us. It is the season and occasion for reconciling with all mankind”.
Here whilst acknowledging that not everyone wants peace, I agree with Uncle B that, we should pursue the ideal.
As my mentor will say, “Even in war, there are rules”. For him he emphasizes that “Peace refers to a spiritual harmony that occurs by an individual’s restoration with God”.
Did anyone say Emmanuel?
Uncle B’s version is a paraphrase of the King James Version which states: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”.
Reconciling these various versions is the lifetime preoccupation of theologians, and sometimes they do lead to new translations of the Bible, when they have been thoroughly deliberated upon in the light of reason and in a manner that addresses existential problems.
At blueletterbible.com, a long list of 30 criteria are given for translating the Bible. Number one on the list is: “Who is going to do the translation?”, and scholarly suggestions are given.
Hence when Uncle B, a practising lawyer of more than 40 years standing, states his realities and truths, it is worth our attention.
Uncle B, says that while we believe in God, we should allow no one to trample upon our rights.
To those who suffer injustice in silence supporting themselves with the Bible verse, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken,” Uncle B says, “The Bible has to be quoted with caution”.
Regardless of the cost, peace is a virtue we must pursue as an ideal: a principle we must aspire to.
We need peace on Earth – literally, symbolically and eschatologically, because this is where we are.
Seasons such as Christmas give humankind an opportunity to take stock about the good news that the Prince of Peace brings us.
May peace and good will reign on Earth and be given to all humankind, and may angels bring us more glad tidings of exceeding joy this Christmas.
Season’s Greetings!
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