All Greek to me?

David Shaw explains the value of learning the original languages for Christian ministry

I suppose there must come a time in the life of every German fan of Shakespeare when they want to try him in the original Elizabethan English. To savour the rhythms and wordplays and images that transport us to Verona or Denmark or a wild Scottish heath. It would be a natural ambition, ‘a consummation devoutly to be wished’, as the Bard might say.

But, of course, that is no easy task. They are distanced from Shakespeare both by language and by time. Elizabethan English is not German, and nor is it modern English, for languages and the meaning of words change over time. And that might mean that our hypothetical German friend always relies on translations and reliable guides.