Through a glass darkly

At bible study this morning, something a person said reminded me of a quote from 1 Corinthians 13.

Here’s just the section from the King James Version --- which is probably the most famous version … verse 12 is what I was speaking of that echoed through what was being said this morning.

11: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12: For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition is to me the best translation of all. Ignatius Press has released a 2nd Catholic Edition just recently which is the bible I carry with me to our bible classes. It’s a fine leather edition, gold edged, flawlessly sharp fonts and print. Here’s the whole chapter … but it says “mirror dimly” rather than a “glass, darkly”. The “mirror dimly” is a much better translation but obviously the KJV is more widely known. RSV CE2 makes it so much clearer and cleaner.

11: When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
12: For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.
13: So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The word Love is an interesting thing in the bible. Paul wrote in Greek so he used the word “agape” --- worshipful love.

And here’s the whole chapter …

Revised Standard Version, The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 13

1: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2: And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3: If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4: Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;
5: it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6: it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.
7: Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8: Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
9: For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect;
10: but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.
11: When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
12: For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.
13: So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.