Thursday, January 24, 2013

HALLOWED BE THY NAME

[For some] the grammatical forms in the Lord's Prayer would seem almost rude… [The early] Christians made their requests to God in what seem to be blunt imperatives.  This does not mean that Christians lacked respect for their heavenly father, but it does mean that they were consistent with a new understanding of Him… When the Christians addressed God as "Father," it was perfectly natural therefore for them to talk to Him as intimately as they would to their own father.  Unfortunately, the history of our own English language has almost reversed this process. Originally, [individuals] used "thou" and "thee" in prayer because it was the appropriate familiar form of address; but now these words have become relegated to prayer alone.

-- Eugene A. Nida in God's Word in Man's Language


#3149

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