CHAT translating the Paternoster (was: Liturgical thou/thee etc. (was:Thorn vs Eth))

Isn't this sort of thing normally translated as "let", as in "let your
Kingdom Come."?  I remember having a discussion a while back on the
phrase "Fiat Lux.", "Let there be light.".
-M

Ray Brown wrote:
[snip]
>
> >>> May your Kingdom come
> >>> May your will be done
> >>
> >> Too stilted for me.
>
> Yes, the repetitions of 'may' are infelicitous.
>
> >>        May your name be called holy,
> >>        Your Kingdom come,
> >>        (And) your will be done
> >>
> >> Is better, IMHO
> >
> > yes, good.
>
> Yes, but 'may' still seems to me to imply 'wish' which is rather more
> remote
> than the imperatives of the Greek.   We seem to have lost in our language
> the
> differences between what Greek could distinguish with optative, subjunctive
> and imperative.   I suppose this is the best we can do in modern English.

Reply