CCblogs Network

Do you want a "thy" with that?

As I have been working on more “theological translations” of some
older prayers a brief conversation with a friend has kept popping up in
my mind:

“I find as I try to encourage people to read and learn ancient prayers that the thees, thous and thys are enough to discourage people from ever considering it.”

“Yes, but on the other hand, there are those who relish the ancient character of prayers so much that to remove the thees, thous and thys is sacrilegious.”

I still think most Protestants and Evangelicals are more willing to
read, study and learn about church history and liturgy if the language
has been modernized to a degree. As I modernize language, I always try
to keep the height or commonplace aspects of the language as my reading
understands it. Yet, are there people who enjoy the archaic language?
Are you one of them? Do you know one? I’d enjoy hearing from you if you
do, and why you do.

Originally posted at Everyday Liturgy.

Thom Turner

Thom Turner teaches English at Nyack College and is a senior editor at Generate magazine. He blogs at Everyday Liturgy, part of the CCblogs network.

All articles »