Immaculate Conception ("Hail, full of grace...?")

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VintageRose

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Hello… Today we are joyously celebrating the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Yet, during my daily meditations this morning, I noticed the bible that I use, Luke 1:28 reads, "And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

I’ve been reading the New American Bible, (1986). Thank you for your thoughts…!
 
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Simply a translation issue. The Greek from which the salutation is given can be translated most accurately as ‘full of grace’ but the ‘dynamic equivalence’ translations so in vogue in the late 20th century are more ambiguous and clunky.
 
VintageRose said:
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The phrase “full of grace” is used in the Douay Rheims Challoner, New Matthew Bible, Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, and the Wycliff Bible.

It is variously translated as favored, or highly favored, truly blessed, blessed, full of grace, very special, freely beloved, greatly blessed, much graced, beautiful with God’s beauty, anointed with great favor.
 
Thank you. Should I be considering replacing my bible with one of these…? If so, I do need a “giant print edition.”
 
VintageRose said:
Thank you. Should I be considering replacing my bible with one of these…? If so, I do need a “giant print edition.”
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The Douay Rheims Challoner, Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, and the New American Bible (1970) or later revisions (1986, 1991, and 2011) are all approved Catholic Bibles for study.

Many were approved for private study, before 1983, and the following link shows those approved since 1983: Approved Translations of the Bible
 
I truly appreciate your help. I’m going to be doing some research…!
 
As others have said, the underlying Greek word doesn’t have a perfect English match. “Highly favored one” is not wrong, in my opinion it’s just not as precise or doesn’t really convey the rich tradition surrounding this passage. It is odd that a Catholic Bible wouldn’t use the more familiar translation “full of grace” (the NAB does a similar thing with its translation of the final clause of the Our Father).
 
TBH, I REALLY dislike “highly favored one”. “Full of Grace” is a more accurate translation of the Greek kecharitomene.
 
Exactly. And honestly, consistency is such a lovely thing. Here is the rosary out there with the Hail Mary prayer with ‘full of grace’. Of all things, wouldn’t any INTELLIGENT translator working on a Bible translation to be used by Catholics at Mass want to use the same words as the Hail Mary?

Instead, Catholics go to read or hear the relevant gospel passage and hear “oh highly favored’.

And CRASH all the teaching they have had about the Hail Mary being ‘Scriptural’ comes down to, “But ‘full of grace isn’t what I hear/see in Scripture!” Way to achieve artificial dissonance for the laity (and even for a lot of priests). Can’t help but think there’s s a hint of the diabolical in this.
 
Genesis315 said:
It is odd that a Catholic Bible wouldn’t use the more familiar translation “full of grace”
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Modern translations typically avoid using ‘full of grace’ as there is already another Greek phrase, πλήρης χάριτος pleres charitos, that is translated literally as ‘full of grace’. It is used in Jn 1:14 for Jesus, and in Acts 6:8 for Stephen.

The Latin Church in some contexts translates κεχαριτωμένη kecharitomene in Lk 1:28 as ‘full of grace’ largely because it is the translation in the Vulgate. The salient issue is that kecharitomene cannot be readily translated into Latin, and so Latin translations typically made a variety of circumlocutions. For example, the pre-Vulgate Codex Bezae uses the word ‘benedicta’ (which is somewhat redundant, ‘ave maria, benedicta, benedicta tu…’).
 
Both translations are accurate: The phrase scholars are trying to translate is something like “Joyous greeting to you grace favored one.” Fact of the matter is “full of grace” does mean “favored one.” Mary is full of God’s grace. She has been favored by God. She is not full of grace on her own volition. The angel is greeting and acknowledging that God has looked kindly upon and greatly blessed Mary as she will be the Mother of the only begotten Son of the Father. Here’s a video on catholic bible translations that you may find helpful:
 
Here’s a Catholic Answer on the topic:


“Because of the familiarity people have with the Hail Mary prayer and the connotation that Protestant translators use “highly favored” to deny Catholic dogmas, the Lectionary for use at Mass still uses the phrase “Hail, full of grace!” But neither is technically an incorrect translation.”

And a related one about Jesus and Stephen being full of grace:

 
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