- Page 261
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, «And Lead Us Not into Temptation», Vol. 84 (2003) 259-273
The sixth petition of the "Our Father" has been translated in various ways across the centuries. This article discusses its literal meaning and the permissive paraphrases of it, explaining the sense of "temptation" and God’s activity in "leading" into it, as well as the various subterfuges adopted to avoid the obvious meaning of the Greek formulation, including its supposed Aramaic substratum. It concludes with a pastoral explanation of the petition.
i.e. Satan. In the Matthean Gospel peirasmo/j or the verb peira/zw otherwise denotes a testing coming from a hostile human or diabolic source (4,1.3; 16,1; 19,3; 22,18.35), intended to undermine someone’s status (often Jesus’).
My further remarks on the sixth petition will be made under nine headings: 1. The literal translation of the petition; 2. The testing or tempting in the petition; 3. The mode of expressing God’s activity; 4. The early permissive paraphrase as a reformulation of the petition; 5. A Jewish parallel to the petition; 6. Modern reformulations in Romance-Language countries; 7. Attempts to justify the permissive paraphrase; 8. The Greek formulation of the petition; and 9. The pastoral problem of explanation.
1. The Literal Translation of the Petition
Because of the meaning of ei)sfe/rw and peirasmo/j just mentioned, the sixth petition of the PN has often been rendered in other languages in diverse ways, which should be noted. The most commonly used form follows that of the Vetus Latina and the Vulgate:
Vulgate: ne inducas nos in temptationem (ed. R. Weber).
Syriac Peshitta: we6la4) ta(lan le6nesyu=na4) (ne inducas nos in tentationem); the Old Syriac version of Matthew reads rather we6la4) )ayte6yan (do not make us come).
English: lead us not into temptation (RSV, NIV, NRSV footnote)8.
German: führe uns nicht in Versuchung (Einheitsübersetzung, Luther, Klostermann, Gnilka, Wilckens, Wiefel).
French: ne nous conduis pas dans la tentation (TOB [1988], Bonnard).
Italian: non ci indurre in tentazione.
Czech: a neuvod’ nás v pokusŠení.
Flemish/Dutch: en leid ons niet in bekoring.
Polish: nie wódz¢ nas na pokuszenie.
This form is sometimes slightly modified, while retaining the same basic sense:
bring us not into temptation (R. H. Gundry); bring uns nicht hinein in Versuchung (A. Sand); ne nous induisez pas à la tentation (Crampon, van den Bussche); ne nous soumets pas à la tentation (SBJ); do not subject us to temptation (Goodspeed, Grant).
Sometimes this form is used with reference to the eschatological trial:
do not lead us into trial (R.E. Brown); do not subject us to the final test (NAB); do not bring us to the time of trial (NRSV); ne nous soumets pas à l’épreuve (Evêques de France).
FOLLOW US