Meine lieben Studenten!
Let's start with a verb that occurs in this lesson: tun/do -- cognates.
Here is the present active indicative:
Ich tue I do
Du tust Thou doest (you singular)
Er/sie/es tut He/she/it does
Wir tun We do
Ihr tut You do (you plural)
Sie tun They do
Sie tun You do (you formal, singular and plural)
Jetzt fahren wir fort mit der Taufe im kleinen Catechismus!
Now go we forth with Baptism in the Small Catechism!
Zum dritten
To the third (in the third place)
Wie kann Wasser solche grosse Dinge tun?
How can water such great things do?
Wie -- how -- interrogative.
kann -- can -- cognates -- from koennen -- third person singular present indicative -- this is a helping very -- the main verb then comes at the end of the clause.
das Wasser -- water -- cognates.
solch -- such -- cognates -- solche here is plural accuastive.
das Ding, thing -- cognates -- Dinge is plural accuastive -- direct object.
tun -- do -- cognates.
Note: "Tun" and "do" both come from the middle element in the Greek very "tithemi" (put); or, rather, they come from the same ultimate Indo-European source.
Wasser tut's frelich nicht,
Water does it admittedly not.
tut's -- contraction of tut es, does it.
tut -- does -- cognates -- third person singular present indicative of tun.
frelich -- freely (frei=free) -- cognates -- the sense is: admittedly
nicht -- not -- cognates -- tends to come near end of clause.
sondern das Wort Gottes,
rather the Word of God [does it]
sondern -- rather
so mit und bei dem Wasser ist,
which with and by the water is,
so - so -- cognates -- used here in place of "which"
und der Glaube,
and the faith,
so solchem Worte Gottes im Wasser traut.
which such Word of God in the water trusts.
solchem Worte -- such word -- dative singular -- the verb to come
takes the dative case for its direct object.
im -- in dem -- in them.
traut -- trust -- from trauen, third person singular present indicative.
Denn ohne Gottes Wort ist das Wasser
For without God's Word is the water
Denn -- for -- coordinating conjunction (verb not at end)
ohne -- without -- preposition taking the accusative case.
schlecht Wasser und keine Taufe;
mere water and no Baptism
schlecht -- mere, simple. See note in previous lesson; here
schlecht is NOT the modern adjective "schlecht" (bad); rather the
modern form here is "schlicht."
keine -- no, none -- the negation of the indefinite article.
aber mit dem Wort Gottes ist's eine Taufe,
but with the Word of God it is a Baptism.
ist's is a contraction of "ist es" is it.
das ist, ein gnadenreich Wasser des Lebens
that is, a gracious water of life
gnadenreich -- die Gnade is grace; reich is rich -- so this compound
word is literally: grace-rich.
das Leben -- life -- des Lebens -- genitive/possessive.
und ein Bad der neuen Geburt im Heligen Geist,
and a bath of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.
das Bad -- bath -- cognates
neu -- new
die Geburt -- birth (the definite article "der" makes it genitive
wie St. Paulus sagt zu Tito am 3. [dritten] Kapital:
as St. Paul says to Titus at the third chapter.
wie -- as -- coordinating conjunction (verb not at end). Yes, "wie"
also means "how" as above.
St. -- St. both from Latin/French. But spelling out the German is
"Sankt" (from Latin sanctus) whereas the English is from the
French form. Modern German style would say: "der heilige
Paulus."
Paulus -- Latin nominative; Tito -- Latin dative after zu.
sagt -- says -- from sagen, to say -- cognates -- third person singular
present active indicative.
"Durch das Bad der Wiedergeburt
"Through the bath of the re-birth
durch -- through -- cognates -- preposition taking accusative.
die Wiedergeburt -- wieder=again -- so re-birth.
und Erneuerung des Heligen Geists,
and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
die Erneuerung -- from the verb erneuern, to renew -- from neu/new.
ung is the ing ending for a gerund, a noun made from a verb.
des -- genitive.
welchen er ausgegossen hat
Which He pout-out has
welchen -- which -- cognates -- masculine accusative singular,
direct object in this relative clause.
ausgegossen -- poured out -- past participle of ausgiessen. "Aus"
is "out" -- separable prefix -- ge is another prefix indicating here
the past participle.
ueber uns reichlich durch Jesum Christum,
over us richly through Jesus Christ
ueber -- over -- preposition taking accusative here (movement).
uns -- us
reichlich -- richly -- cognates -- abundantly.
durch -- through -- preposition -- taking accusative case.
Jesum Christum -- Latin accusative.
unsern Heiland,
our Savior.
auf dass wir durch desselben Gnade
so that we though the grace of the same
die Gnade -- grace
desselben -- of the same -- of Christ. Must be genitive here
because of "des"
gerecht und Erben seien
righteous and heirs may be
gerecht -- righteous -- technical term in theological
der Erbe -- heir
seien -- may be -- subjunctive mood, not statement of fact but wish,
hope, purpose.
des ewigen Lebens nach der Hoffnung.
of the eternal life according to the hope.
ewig -- eternal.
die Hoffnung -- hope.
Note that German uses the definite article (des, der) in this context in which English does not. That's just a matter of style -- not of meaning.
Das ist gewisslich wahr."
That is certainly true.
Explained at end of each article of the Creed.
Zum Vierten
To the fourth.
Was bedeutet denn solch Wassertaufen?
What means then such water-baptism?
Wassertaufen is a compound of das Wasser and the verb taufen, to baptize. German readily makes compounds. Feel free to make up your own.
denn -- then -- cognates -- used here as a sort of verbal punctuation; it is not necessary in translation.
bedeutet -- means -- from bedeuten -- third person singular present indicative.
Es bedeutet,
It means,
dass der alte Adam in uns
that the old Adam in us
durch taegliche Reue und Busse
through daily regret and repentance
taeglich -- daily -- cognates
die Reue -- regret
die Busse -- repentance.
Busse is the usual word for repentance -- but Reue is common, too,
especially the verb reuen.
soll ersaeuft werden
should drowned be
sollen -- shall, should -- helping verb.
ersaeuft -- drowned -- past participle of ersaeufen.
werden -- indicates passive voice.
und sterben
and die
mit allen Suenden und boesen Luesten
with all sins and evil desires.
allen -- all -- dative plural ends in "n"
die Suende -- sin -- here dative plural.
boese -- evil, wicked -- here dative plural.
die Lust, plural: die Lueste -- desire (here dative plural).
Note: die Lust and lust are cognates -- but they don't have the same meaning. In modern English, "lust" always has a negative connotation; it means "an evil desire" even without the adjective. In earlier English "lust," like "die Lust" in German, is neuter -- it can refer to a good or an evil desire. So there is the need to specify "boese Lueste" "evil desires." It's really totally innocent in German; a German may say: "Ich habe Lust zu essen" meaning: "I'd sorta like to eat something."
und wiederum taeglich herauskommen und auferstehen
and again daily out come and arise
widerum is a slightly archaic word for "again"
herauskommen -- come out
auferstehen -- rise -- use for resurrection.
ein neuer Mensch
a new person
der Mensch -- the human being -- grammatically masculine -- but
gender-non-specific in meaning (like anthropos).
der in Gerechtigkeit und Reinigkeit
who in righteousness and purity
die Gerechtigkeit -- righteousness -- from gerecht.
die Reinigkeit -- purity -- from rein, pure.
vor Gott ewiglich lebe
before God eternally may live
lebe -- may live -- from leben, subjunctive -- may live.
Wo steht das geschrieben?
Where stands that written?
geschrieben -- past participle of schreiben -- write.
Note: Schreiben is from the Latin scribo as in scribe.
For "it is written," Luther in the Bible tried to capture the meaning of the Greek perfect tense (indicating an ongoing situation) by rendering it: "It stands written" (Es steht geschrieben).
St. Paulus zu den Roemern am 6. spricht:
St. Paul to the Romans at the sixth (chapter) speaks:
spricht -- speaks -- from sprechen -- third person singular present
indicative.
Wir sind samt Christo durch die Taufe begraben
We are with Christ through Baptism buried
samt -- together with -- a little stronger than "mit"
begraben -- past participle of begraben (yes, I know) -- to bury.
cognate to "grave."
in den Tod
into the death
accusative case after in -- indicating "into"
dass, gleichwie Christus ist von den Toten auferwecket
that, just as Christ is from the dead awakened
gleichwie -- just as -- coordinating conjunction.
von den Toten -- from the dead ones.
auferwecket -- awakened, past participle of auferwecken -- cognate
to wake up.
durch die Herrlichkeit des Vaters,
throug the majesty of the Father,
also sollen wir auch in einem neuen Leben wandeln."
so shall/should we also in a new life walk."
also -- NOT also -- but so or therefore.
auch -- that means also.
in einem neuen Leben -- dative -- not into but in.
wandeln -- walk -- going through life step by step.
Hier endet die dreizehnte Lektion.
John M. "Herr Professor Pastor Doktor" Drueckhammer, Lakeview, Oregon
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