Hail Mary: Kecharitomene, A Unique Word for a Unique Lady

By Andrew M. Greenwell, Esq.
3/13/2013
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The translation 'Full of Grace' does not go far enough

What the Angel Gabriel wants to communicate to Mary and to us is in the word kecharitomene is that Mary has a unique name, a unique title, a unique role in sacred history, and so--though human--is a unique being in the economy of salvation.

Mary, Mother of God

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CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - In his poem "The Virgin," the poet William Wordsworth praised the Blessed Virgin Mary with the following words:

Mother! whose virgin bosom was uncrost
With the least shade of thought to sin allied;
Woman! above all women glorified,
Our tainted nature's solitary boast;
Purer than foam on central ocean tost;
Brighter than eastern skies at daybreak strewn
With fancied roses, than the unblemished moon
Before her wane begins on heaven's blue coast;
Thy Image falls to earth. . . .

What if you had to put the theological implications of Wordsworth's poem into one word, and one word alone?

The challenge seems impossible. Off the bat, it would seem that one word is simply insufficient. It is unlikely that any language has packhorse of a word sufficiently muscular to support the entirety of Wordsworth's poem.

One might conclude it better to make up a word capable of expressing all these original concepts into a few syllables.

This problem is exactly what confronted the Angel Gabriel in the event we know as the Annunciation. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, St. Luke (who penned his Gospel in Greek) documented the Angel Gabriel's words to Mary for posterity. It is a remarkable thing to focus on how St. Luke states that the Angel Gabriel referred to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:28).

χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.
Chaire, kecharitōmenē, ho kyrios meta sou!
Hail, "Full of Grace," the Lord is with you!

Chaire kecharitomene. "Hail, Full of Grace," we translate it. In Latin, following the venerable St. Jerome's translation known as the Vulgate, it is Ave, gratia plena.

The word that Luke uses--κεχαριτωμένη, kecharitomene--appears to have been crafted out of thin air, appearing into the Greek vocabulary as unexpectedly as the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and as silently as the Word became Flesh. It was the word for the moment.

The word is used nowhere else in the Scriptures or in secular Greek literature. The technical name for such a novel, unique word is hapax legomenon. Hapax legomenon--which comes to us from Greek--means "expressed once."

This sort of word is sometimes also referred to as a nonce word. In this case, it is a one-of-a-kind word for a one-of-a-kind person in a one-of-a-kind situation. No one else in human history is κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitomene).

Though a nonce word, it is not nonsensical. Grammatically, the word kecharitomene is the feminine present perfect passive voice participle of a verb, specifically, the Greek verb χαριτόω (charit�ō). In the passive voice, the verb means to have been made graceful, to have been endowed with grace.

The Greek verb charit�ō is itself a little scarce in Scripture. Other than its unusual form in Luke 1:28, it is used by St. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians. Here we read St. Paul use it for the redeemed sinner: "for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted (ἐχαρίτωσεν, echaristōsen) us in the beloved."

Here, the word charit�ō is in what is known as its aorist active indicative form, obviously an entirely different form from Luke 1:28. So though the root verb (charit�ō) is the same in Luke 1:28 and Ephesians 1:6, the words are used in entirely different tenses, voices, and senses. The only commonality, it seems, is sanctifying grace.

The traditional English translation for kecharitomene is "full of grace." While the translation "full of grace" for kecharitomene not perfect--because it doesn't go far enough--it is far better, it seems, than the rather insipid "most highly favored" with which some have wanted to replace it.

This sort of watering down landed the 16th century humanist scholar Erasmus into controversy when, in his Latin translation of the Greek New Testament, he translated the word kecharitomene as gratiosa or "favored." To translate kecharitomene as "highly favored" rather than "full of grace" still troubles Catholic, as I think it should.

Lectio difficilior potior, goes the old saying. The stronger interpretation is the better one. As Scott Hahn puts it in his notes on this part of the Gospel of Luke in the ...

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AnthonyScriptural Exegesis The New Testament Origen Now since the Angel Saluted her in New Langua
2 months ago
Scriptural Exegesis

The New Testament

Origen

Now since the Angel Saluted her in New Language, such as I have not been able to find elsewhere in Scripture, some few words must be said on this. For in saying:- Hail Full of Grace
There is what I Nowhere else remember to have read in the Scriptures. For to no One else in speech such as this addressed, “Hail Full of Grace” For Mary alone is this Salutation reserved. For if Mary had Known to anyone else a like address had been made....Since she had knowledge of the Law, was Holy, and knew the Predictions of the Prophets from daily meditation...The Salutation would never have caused her to fear, as being strange.

Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus

“Addresses Mary with the Salutation “Hail Full of Grace” That I may show compassion for Eve in her deprivation. Appropriately therefore, did the Angel say to the Holy Virgin Mary first of all: “Hail Full of Grace” inasmuch as with her was laid up, The Full Treasure of Grace.

Nor is it only the Beauty of this Holy One in Body that calls forth our Admiration, but also the innate Beauty of her Soul.....”Hail Thou That art Gifted with Grace”

Come then, beloved Brethren, Let Us to take up The Angelic strain and to the utmost of our Power return the due meed of Praise saying:

“HAIL”, THOU THAT ART “FULL OF GRACE”

“Hail Thou that art Full of Grace” The fountain of that Light which enlightens all who Believe in Him, Hail, Thou that art Full of Grace, The rising of the rational Sun, And the undefiled Flower of Life ! “Hail Full of Grace” The Mead of Sweet Savor “Hail Full of Grace”
The Ever-Blooming Vine, That makes glad the Souls of those who Honor Thee !

“Hail Full of Grace”

Saint Ambrose

And the Angel being come In, said:

“Hail” “Full of Grace” “The Lord is With Thee,” “Blessed art Thou Among Women”

“She taught with herself what manner of Salutation this might be and this with reverent Modesty, because she feared; with Prudence, because she marveled at the New Style of Benediction, such as Nowhere else is read of, Nowhere before found, For Mary alone was this Salutation reserved, Well is she alone called “Full of Grace” since she alone obtained the Grace, which no other Woman had merited, to be filled with the Author of Grace”

Saint Jerome

What and how great is the Blessed and Glorious Ever - Virgin Mary, is set forth from Heaven by the Angel who said:

“Hail” “Full of Grace”, “The Lord is with Thee”, Blessed art Thou among Women”

For with such Privileges it was Befitting the Virgin should be Dowered, that she would be
“Full of Grace”
Who gave Glory to Heaven, The Lord to Earth, through whom also came our Peace, The Faith to the Nations, an end to vices, Order to Life, Discipline to Morals.

Saint Peter Chrysologus

Let us now hear what the Angel did. Entering in to Her, He says:

“Hail” “Full of Grace” “The Lord is with Thee” “Blessed art Thou among Women”

In these Words there is an offering of Gift, Not simply a Salutation “Ave” “Hail” That is receive Grace, be not afraid; Be not solicitous about Nature. “Full of Grace” because in others is Grace; But in Thee shall come all at once, The Whole Fullness of Grace.
“The Lord Is With Thee”
What is it, The Lord in Thee ? It is that he comes to Thee, not with the intention of merely visiting Thee, but he makes his descent in Thee by a New Mystery of being Born in Thee.
Fitly did he add: Blessed art Thou among Women Because, wherein Eve inflicted punishment on her accursed Bowels, Therein Mary now Joys, is Honored and accounted Blessed. And truly is she now made Mother of the Living by Grace.

Saint Eleutherius Tornacensis

And the Angel being come in, said to Her:

“Hail” “Full of Grace” “The Lord is with Thee” Blessed art Thou among Women”

O Angelic Voice full of Sweetness and Joy for saying: “Hail Full of Grace” He presented to the Virgin a Heavenly Salutation. Whilst in saying: “Full of Grace” he showed that the sentence by which our First Parents became a far from God, was excluded, and the Grace of Benediction from on High restored, Whereby made free from slavery, they were brought again into Paradise. And when he uttered the words: “Blessed art Thou among Women” not only did he Pronounce......... “Blessed art Thou among Women”
but that of all those also, who following the Virgin Mary should preserve in Virginity.

Saint Augustine

Truly “Full of Grace” ! For thus she was Saluted by the Angel, “Ave” “Gratia Plena”,
Who can explain this Grace ? Who is sufficient to render thanks for this Grace ?
Andrew M. Greenwell
2 months ago
I received this email from Jonathan Arrington, and thought it was important to share with the readers of Catholic online. I have his permission to publish it.

Dear Mr. Greenwell,

Hello, my name is Jonathan Arrington and I am Doctoral student in Patristic Theology at the Pontifical Patristics Institute in Rome, the Augustinianum. I thoroughly enjoyed your article on the Blessed Virgin: just a few caveats, though.

1) as even the "Great Scott" has cf. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=xaritow&la=greek#lexicon the perfect passive particle is extant, to the extent that we can verify, in Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 18:17 and in Aristeas, though the evidence there is fragmentary. Thus, the term is not a hapax in classical or biblical greek.

2) I'm sure article length was a concern, but it may have been wise to explain Erasmus' motives for the change to "gratiosa" (cf. the Latin version of Sirach 18:17 wherein "gratiosus" is found): that is, Erasmus had this "Ciceronian" tendency to render Latin terminology as "classical" as possible - obviously, a circumlocution like gratia plena was not the concise Latinity that he was aiming for.

I agree substantially with your thesis, i.e., that the analogy of Faith must guide our interpretation of Scripture, even of the individual words therein; however, I would tend to think that the interpretation of a "literalist" such as St. John Chrysostom should suffice to silence those who would doubt the Scriptural and Traditional foundations for the Magisterial pronouncement of Bl. Pius IX. Otherwise, we risk stretching, if you will, the "doma agathon" (cf. Sirach, ibid.) that we have in Sacred Scripture and actually weakening the necessity for Sacred Tradition's hermeneutic of Scriptural texts.

Your blog is splendid! especially the latest post on the optimism of Gaudium et Spes, Rowland's comments, and your supplement of the lecture Maritainienne with his later work. Brilliant!

From Rome, praying pro eligendo Summo Pontifice,

Jonathan Paul Arrington
Sonja Corbitt
2 months ago
This is AWESOME Andrew!
Anthony Coffey
2 months ago
“The Immaculate Conception”

Can I compare Thee to a dream,
a dream Heaven sent of neutral bliss
shining white hot with Love to give sweet.
Can I compare Thee to a rose,
that wilts before thy Beauty
rather than be shamed,
or will I compare Thee
to my Heart, that lives
to please Thee,
with each beat,
no my Love,
my precious sweet,
I
cannot
compare
Thee
at all.

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