FULL OF GRACE (Luke 1,28)

KEKARITOMENE
FULL OF GRACE OR FAVOURED?
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Some controversy between catholics and protestants still come from the translation of Luke 1.28, where
catholic bibles translate with "full of grace", while non catholic bibles prefer to translate
"favoured by the grace", "filled with divine grace" "favoured" or "higly favoured". Revised Standard
Version Catholic Edition (1966) restored traditional "full of grace", while the New American Bible
(1970), official version of american catholics, replaced full of grace of Douay Rheims (1610) with
favored one, grieving so many readers and following, as in other points (see for example Romans 9.5
and Titus 2:13), the sad example of King James (1611) . We dont want to contend with protestant people
nor with the U.S. episcopal conference. We, however, note that today many catholics (and orthodox) are
perplexed not toward ancient translations, literally confirmed and grammatically acceptable, as:

you who have received grace (Diodati)

favoured by the grace (Riveduta, New Riveduta)

but towards versions as:

favoured (Young Literal Translation, Darby English, Revised Standard Version,

New Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New American
Bible) or
higly favoured (New Diodati, King James, American Standard Version, New
King James, New International Version, New World Translation)

Actually the term "favoured" was (and still is) often used to identify harlots or women of dubious virtue
or lost reputation. By translating kekaritomene with "favoured", we describe the love of God to Mary
as an event fleeting, ephemeral and ambiguous: favorites were (and are) subject to a continuous
replacement and eternal whims. Translating "kekaritomene" with "favoured by the grace" (as Luzzi) is a
more balanced position, which emphasizes the immensity of the grace of God to humanity. Gratia plena
used by Jerome seems to confirm to Mary (and to every man) the stability, the strength and the fullness of
a love that has so loved the world to give his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).The beautiful translation of Jerome is therefore evident and seems
to go beyond the reservations to the Marian devotion, the dogmas developed by catholics and the learned
disputes of all who would like go over the biblical text. Harlots, whores or women of dubious virtue are
"favoured" for beauty, charm, loveliness, intelligence or education, while Mary is "full of grace" because
she "received grace by God" (Luke 1:30). The translation "favoured" could suggest foregoing merits of
Mary, but "full of grace" "or you who have received grace could only show " the low estate of the
handmaiden of God Luke 1.48).

is the perfect passive participle (vocative, female and singular) of verb that
means to receive grace, make gracious, charming, beautiful, nice, examine with grace, honor with
blessings, encourage, gratify. Prefix indicates that the verb is at the perfect time, while the suffix
shows that the verb is used in the form of passive participle. The catholic translation full of grace
dates back to "gratia plena"used by Jerome, who in Vulgate didnt want make active a perfect passive
participle1[1] but merely wished give a substantive or attributive nuance (full of grace, beautiful,
preferred) to perfect passive participle (subject of divine grace, filled with divine grace, honoured, blessed
by divine favor, watched with grace, made beautiful by grace, favoured by grace, surrounded by divine
grace)2[2].

According to many scholars, the perfect, which in Greek Classic had exact and momentary value, in the
Greek Koin and in the New Testament tends to take "continuative, permanent and durative" value. The
same thing seems to be valid also for the perfect passive participles that, in the so-called "periphrastic
coniugation", tend to replace the perfect, especially in the Christian Greek Scriptures. Indeed, in Greek
Koin, perfect and periphrastic coniugation "estin + perfect passive participle" are often substantially
equivalent. In New Testament then there are many cases where perfect time, perfect passive participle
preceded by "estin" and perfect passive participle (used alone) have similar value The perfect passive
participle, when used alone, reveals substantive or periphrastic value (with "estin" often omitted) 3[3]
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[4].

Those who translate "kekeritomene" with "favoured" argue that "kekaritomene" is a participle
substantivized devoid of fullness, durability and stability. The verb used by Gabriel would be the
imperative "chaire" that is "rejoice". Many other scholars think that the perfect passive participle
"kekaritomene" could be a verbal form and not a noun itself. In New Testament, in Apostolic Fathers and

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in Early Christian Literature there are many examples of passive participles used in periphrastic
coniugation: in many periphrastic forms the verb to be is clearly omitted. If "chaire" is a salutation
rather than a real imperative (as well realized Jerome translating "chaire" with "Ave"), we can assume that
"kekaritomene" here retains a high verbal value. Although we cant prove that "kekaritomene" correspond
to the periphrastic coniugation "estin + kekaritomene", we may note that, within the same verse, the verb
"to be" is omitted at least once more. In Luke 1.28 we have:

" "

"Kaire kekaritomene or Kurios goal sou"

"Hail [you were] filled with grace, the Lord [is] with you."

According to Luke 1.42, in some manuscripts (including Textus Receptus), the greeting
continues with:

" "

"Eulogemene on en gunaiksin"

"Blessed [are or were] you among women,"

where we find (eulogemene), perfect passive participle nominative singular and female (as
kekaritomene), with a verb "to be" omitted. Gratia plena could translate with careful precision the idea
that the grace of which Mary was filled is full, stable, durable and lasting 5[5]. Literally "kekaritomene"
should mean "you that were, are and remain forever filled by divine grace." Pope John Paul II has rightly
observed that "We should not simply say "full of grace" but "made full of grace" or "filled of divine
grace", which clearly indicate that this is a gift from God to the Virgin. The term, in the form of perfect
participle, confirms the image of a perfect and lasting grace which implies fullness. The same verb,
meaning "give grace," is used in the letter to the ephesians to indicate the abundance of grace granted to
us by the Father in his beloved Son (Ephesians 1:6)". An authoritative pastor of the catholic church has
also recently stressed that "In the Book of Exodus we read that God is full of grace (Exodus 34.6), but
God is who fills with grace in active sense, while Mary was filled with grace in receptive sense 6[6].

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"Gratia plena" of the Vulgate seems also shared by versions Syriaca Peshitta, Arabian, Egyptian and
Ethiopian. In addition:

Wyclif's Version [1380] has "full of grace";

Tyndale's Version [1534] has "full of grace";
Cranmer's Version [1539] has "full of grace";
Geneva Bible [1599] said in the margin notes "might be rendered full of grace and
favour",
Douay Rheims [1610] has "full of grace";
Authorized Version or KJV [1611] said in the margin notes "much graced or
graciously accepted";
Revised Version [1881], American Standard Version [1901] and Scofield Edition
[1909, 1914] have in a margin note "Or Endowed with Grace";
New American Standard Bible [1971, 1977] has in a footnote "Or, O woman richly
blessed";
English Peshitta Translation of Etheridge [1849] has "Peace to thee, full of grace";
English Peshitta Translation of Murdock [1852] has "Peace to thee, thou full of
grace";

English Peshitta Translation of Lamsa [1933] has "Peace to you, o full of grace";
English Peshitta Translation of Younan [2000] has "Peace to you, full of grace".

, corresponding male of , is just another time in the Bible (Sirach 18.17) and
in Vulgate was translated by Jerome with "iustificato", without introducing any active nuance 7[7]. The
neutral is rather rare and was also employed by Symmachus to translate the Hebrew

word ( barar) that is "pure" (Psalm 18.26)8[8]. In Fathers of the Church we can find
corresponding neutral of , used for the Holy Spirit that "there was given by grace" or that is
"full of grace" (Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, I, 1, 14)9[9] .

Grace and favour are always and only by God (1 Peter 5:10 and Ephesians 1:6), but the translation "full of
grace" in the sense of "beautiful, loved and always full of divine grace " seems without any doubt correct,
accurate and applicable to Mary by all Christians, given that not only Jesus (John 1:14) but also the
deacon Stephen (Acts 6:8) was clearly said namely" full of grace ". The fullness of grace

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of Mary is obviously different from the fullness of grace of Jesus and Stephen, but "full of grace" is a just
title for Mary, as "Son of God" is a just title for Jesus, given that even the judges were called gods
(Psalm 82.6 and John 10.34). The opposition shown by non catholic people towards the translation "full
of grace" therefore seems rather due to theological prejudices (Marian Devotion, Immaculate Conception,
Perpetual Verginity) than to logical, linguistic and grammatical reasons (Song of Songs 4:7).

From the Scriptures we know that full of Holy Spirit were John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), Mary (Luke
1:35), Zechariah (Luke 1.67), Jesus Christ (Luke 4:1), Peter (Acts 4 , 8), Stephen (Acts 7.55), Barnabas
(Acts 11:24) and Paul (Acts 13.9). The fullness of grace of Mary is therefore just, lawful, proper, right
and valid, given the particular fullness of the Holy Spirit of Mary. As a matter of fact, the angel Gabriel
said that: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

Non catholic people often quote the Bible where it is written: The fool said in his heart: there is no God;
corrupt are they and have done abominable iniquity; there is none that does good. God looked down from
heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek after God.
Every one of them is gone back; they are together become filthy; There is none that does good, no, not
one (Psalm 53.2-4) or There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). If you want to argue that
the justice of men is not derived from special or meritorious works or from compliance with specific
precepts (Romans 3.19; Galatians 3:11) but from faith in God the Father and in Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Savior ( Romans 1.17; Romans 3.28; Galatians 2:16), there is nothing to say against it. If you want to say
that Mary led a life not just and not pure from sin, it should be noted that by faith and works (James 2.26),
that is, through a faith working through love (Galatians 5:6), were considered righteous a lot of men, like
Noah, a fair and righteous man (Genesis 6.9 and 7.1), Job blameless and upright (Job 1:1) and Abraham
who believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness (Romans 4:3 ). Moreover you consider
the right Lot (2 Peter 2:7), Abel (Matthew 23.35), John the Baptist, just and holy (Mark 6, 20), Simeon,
just man and devout (Luke 2:25), Zechariah and Elizabeth, righteous before God (Luke 1:6), Joseph of
Arimathea, good man and just (Luke 23.50) and centurion Cornelius, just and God-fearing man (Acts
10:22).

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[1] "Highly favoured" (kecharitomene): perfect passive participle of charitoo and means endowed with grace
( "charis"), enriched with grace as in Ephesians. 1:6, non ut mater gratiae, sed ut filia gratiae. The Vulgate gratiae
plena is right, if it means' full of grace which thou hast received '; wrong, if it means' full of grace which thou hast to
bestow'. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Nashville, 1930, vol. II, p. 13.

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[2] Many past participles have lost large part of the previous meaning to assume the role of adjective or noun,
retaining little active or passive value (for example, terms such as exit , entry, sight, ice cream, banned, invited, put,
elected, fact, happened, prefix, escaped, accurate, loved, fostered,.). Depending on the regent verb and on
grammatical context and background, some of them have only substantivized value, while others may not exclude a
verbal permanent and durative value. Some participles have totally lost any verbal value (like dress, bandit, content,
teacher, singer, container,), while others still seem to omit the verb to be or some other verb. "Bandit" is such
because it violates the law and not because I was banned (as in the past) by the society. An intermediate case is
"converted" that can be a self converted man or a man converted by others. Past participles as "beloved", "favoured",
"sent" or "hung", when are not used in a reflexive way, seem to understand the verb to be (who was loved, who
was fostered, who was sent or hanged). Then, persistence of some verbal durative and permanent value seems
possible, logical and legitimate. The term "ice cream" has a clear non durable value: in a moment ice cream melts,
while the term "killed" has a clear permanent and durative value: deads dont raise again. The term "beloved" has a
value not always clear "who was beloved" may have been loved for a while, for a certain time or forever.

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[3] An emblematic case is the verb "grapho". To quote prophets, the New Testament uses indifferently "gegraptai"
(perfect), "estin + gegrammenon" (periphrastic form) or "gegrammenon" (alone). In these cases we can translate
without distinction "as it is written", "as was written" or "in accordance with is o was written." There are obviously
cases with more marked verbal value, while in other contexts the substantivized value seems to be stronger: the
meaning, however, does not seem very different. For use of "gegraptai" see, for example, the cases of Matthew 2.5;
Romans 3.4; Apocalypse 13.8. For use of "estin + gegrammenon" see Luke 20.17; John 2.17; John 6.31; John 6.45;
John 10.34; John 12.14; John 19.19. For use of "gegrammenon" alone with periphrastic coniugation (and sometimes
also preceded by article) finally see Luke 22.37 and 2 Corinthians 4.13. There are also cases in which " estin" in
verbal form is probably omitted (as in Revelation 2.17; Apocalypse 5.1 and Revelation 17:5).

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[4] For an analysis of perfect used to denote a "continuing effect" see Blass & De Brunner, Greek Grammar of the
New Testament, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961, pp. 176-177. For a hint to the use of periphrastic
coniugation in the "perfect", see, for example, Blass & De Brunner, Greek Grammar of the New Testament, Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1961, pag.179. For a detailed examination of the trend in Greek of the New Testament,
to omit the verb "to be" still see Blass & De Brunner, Greek Grammar of the New Testament, Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1961, pp. 70-71. For "continuative, permanent and durative" value of periphrastic coniugation, see J.
Gonda, Selected Studies, 1975, Vol I, pag. 472. For "periphrastic form omitting copula" see A.T. Robertson, A
Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, 1919, pp. 1119-1120. For Luke 1,28 as
incomplete structure omitting copula, see Winer, A Treatise on the Grammar of New Testament Greek, 1870, pag.
732.

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[5] Some Catholics quote the phrase: "It is permissible, on greek grammatical and linguistic grounds, to
paraphrase" kecharitomene "as completely, perfectly, enduringly endowed with grace," quoting Blass & De Brunner,
Greek Grammar of the New Testament, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961, pag.166 and 175-176. To tell the
truth, Blass and De Brunner never gave an assessment of the meaning of the term greek "kekaritomene." Some U.S.
websites, would accredit the use of the perfect when perfect time is used to denote a continuing effect on a person or
an object ( 342).

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[6] John Paul II, Audience of Wednesday, May 8, 1996 and Tarcisio Bertone, Homily on the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception, December 8, 2007. To tell the truth, Ephesians 1.6 (where Jerome translated literally: laudem gloriae
gratiae suae in qua gratificavit nos in dilecto) used active indicative aorist (ekaritosen) of the verb "karitoo." This is
an exact, circumstantial, detailed and definitive action, since the greek aorist is very similar to our simple past.

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[7] Douay Rheims (1610) translates of Sirach 18.17 by "man justified", while Nova Vulgate
translates with "gratioso", the New American Bible with "kindly man", the Italian Bible CEI with
"charitable", the Revised Standard Version and the New Revised Standard Version with "gracious man".

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[8] ] See: F. Field, Origenis Hexaplorum: quae supersunt sive veterum interpretum graecorum in totus Vetus
Testamentum fragmenta, Oxford University Press, 1875, Vol II, p. 111.

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[9] Archangel Gabriel turned to Daniel using a rare term, namely "chemdah iysh" (Daniel 9.23 and Daniel 10.11)
that is "Man much loved, beloved, graceful and pleasing", a term that Septuagint and Vulgate translated freely with
"aner epitomion," that is "very wanted man" and "vir desideriorum" meaning "man of desires".

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