Gloria - sin to sins

[sweetcharity]

I note that in the revised version of the Gloria, it now reads, “you take away the **sins **of the world.”

Prior to the change, the verse read, “you take away the sin of the world.”

I always assumed that the word was ‘sin’ because it was referring to original sin. Now that it reads sins, it just seems that it changes the meaning of the prayer.

 

[The_Scott]

I note that in the revised version of the Gloria, it now reads, “you take away the **sins **of the world.”

Prior to the change, the verse read, “you take away the sin of the world.”

I always assumed that the word was ‘sin’ because it was referring to original sin. Now that it reads sins, it just seems that it changes the meaning of the prayer.

Making the word into the plural is accurate for the Latin version of the prayer, which says the plural (qui tollis peccata mundi). However, it is important to note that the biblical verse that the Gloria gets this from (John 1:29), in the Vulgate, says “sin,” in the singular (When John the Baptist sees Christ and says “Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi”).

I always thought of “sin” here referring to a collective singular. For example, we say “the band is coming to town.” However, the band has more than one person. Kind of like that.

That’s how I took it, at least.

 

[jschutzm]

I note that in the revised version of the Gloria, it now reads, “you take away the **sins **of the world.”

Prior to the change, the verse read, “you take away the sin of the world.”

I always assumed that the word was ‘sin’ because it was referring to original sin. Now that it reads sins, it just seems that it changes the meaning of the prayer.

I never took that to mean ‘original sin’ but referring to the sin of the World, as if the world was a single entity and therefore its ‘sin’ is collectively 1 group of things.

So sin or ‘sins’ - either one works for me. Either collectively all the sin contained in the world is lumped together as 1 OR we refer to the sins (plural) that are contained within the world.

Either one is correct - just depends on how you are referring to it.

But I never took it as “the sin” as in original sin.

 

[MarkThompson]

Making the word into the plural is accurate for the Latin version of the prayer, which says the plural (qui tollis peccata mundi). However, it is important to note that the biblical verse that the Gloria gets this from (John 1:29), in the Vulgate, says “sin,” in the singular (When John the Baptist sees Christ and says “Ecce Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi”).

However, older versions of the Bible in Latin (the Vetus Latina) had the plural peccata in this verse – incorrectly, as it happens, since the Greek ἁμαρτίαν which appears here is singular. Presumably that is where the phrasing used in the liturgy came from.

I always thought of “sin” here referring to a collective singular. For example, we say “the band is coming to town.” However, the band has more than one person. Kind of like that.

In British English, though, they would say “The band are coming to town.”

 

[Stylites]

In British English, though, they would say “The band are coming to town.”

Well, they do drive on the wrong side of the road, and place tyres in their boots . . .