Monday, July 22, 2013

Dominus Vobiscum

Dominus vobiscum – not to be confused with dominoes and biscuits

Dominus vobiscum is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition.  The great liturgical scholar Joseph Jungmann points out that “both the greeting and the reply are ancient, their origins hid in pre-Christian times.” 

In Ruth 2:4 Booz (or Boaz) greets the reapers with “Dominus vobiscum”.   The salutation was a part of everyday life and we find it several times in Holy Scripture (Jungmann lists: 2 Timothy 4:22, Philemon 25, Galatians 6:18, Philippians 4:23).  The reapers of Booz reply (in the Latin Vulgate of course) “Benedicat tibi Dominus… May the Lord bless you.” 

Jungmann offers that “we employ in its place a phrase which means almost the same thing: Et cum spiritu tuo, a formula which betrays its Hebrew origin and has many parallels in St. Paul”.  Jungmann adds in a footnote (p. 363, n 16): “This is a Semitism: Spiritus tuus = your person = you.”





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