Re: Fiat Lux

On Sun, 24 Jun 2001 18:05:37 +0200, Irina Rempt <ira@...> wrote:

>It's not that, but you have an attachment consisting of the same text
>as your message, probably because you're using broken software (any
>and all Windows software is considered broken until it's been
>house-trained by a knowledgeable user; it's usually no good as it
>comes out of the box).
 Actually I'm using a Mac, but I think I know what caused that problem. I
will try to keep it from doing that in the future. Chide me by private e-mail
if this (or any future) post contains that wonderful added feature.

>>     This is, of course, the origin of the expression "by fiat." To do
>> something by fiat means you say it and thereby make it so, just as God
>> saying "Fiat lux" resulted in "...et lux erat.
>
>But the Vulgate doesn't have "et lux erat"; it has "et facta est
>lux", i.e. "and the light was made" or "and the light came into
>being".
 Heu, Vera dicis (Ack, you're right)! Well, it only makes sense. But my
point, such as it was, still stands ;)

JDM

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