There is a saying in biblical studies that is all too true: “A little Greek is a dangerous thing.” In the world of apologetics, this is proven on a daily basis, even among fellow well-meaning Latter-day Saint apologists who, in their zeal, misinterpret the Bible in the original languages. This post, however, will focus on the abuse of the Greek language by John Salza, a Roman Catholic apologist.
Many Catholic apologists appeal to Greek grammar and exegesis to “prove” their theology, such as the phrase, τουτο εστιν το σωμα μου (“this is my body”) in the institution narratives of the Lord’s Supper; the use of the participle ἐκχυννόμενον in Matt 26:28 to “prove” Christ’s blood was shed at the Last Supper or the meaning of κεχαριτωμενη in Luke 1:28 vis-à-vis the Immaculate Conception, many of which have been discussed on this blog. Some studied Greek at seminaries (e.g., Robert Sungenis; Scott Hahn) while others are clearly dependent upon secondary literature and other sources (e.g., Patrick Madrid). This is the case for Salza.
To be fair to Salza, he has written a good book refuting sola scriptura, The Biblical Basis for Tradition: Why Catholic's Don't Rely on Scripture Alone (American Catholic Lawyers Association, 2010). However, he has made a number of errant comments about the biblical languages in many of his other books (for e.g., The Biblical Basis for the Eucharist is strongly depedent upon the errant arguments of Robert Sungenis in Not by Bread Alone). In fact, a member of the SSPX once used some of the following in favour of Catholic theology when I talked with him about LDS and Catholic issues in his house only a few years ago, so his material is popular and repeated uncritically.
In a page entitled, "The Blessed Virgin Mary--Q&A," Salza writes in response to a Protestant apologist:
J.Salza: Lynette, you are simply wrong. You don't know biblical Greek. The Greek in Lk 1:43 is "meter ho kurios" which is translated "Mother of God." I know that you must deny the obvious to save yourself from a lot of embarrasment, but it is a fact. I have addressed all of your arguments in my books. If you don't provide an exegesis of the original text, then you are not a scholar and no one will take you seriously.
Sadly for Salza, his opponent was correct and he is dead-wrong. The Greek phrase in question is μήτηρ τοῦ κυρίου. The phrase means "mother of the lord." Θεος, the Greek word for "God" is not in this verse or any ancient manuscript. All texts read either κυριου or the nomina sacra equivalent κυ.
In the page, "Sacrament of Baptism," Salza does a good job discussing the salvific efficacy of water baptism. Notwithstanding, in section III Infant Baptism, we read the following:
Acts 2:38 - Peter says to the multitude, "Repent and be baptized.." Protestants use this verse to prove one must be a believer (not an infant) to be baptized. But the Greek translation literally says, "If you repent, then each one who is a part of you and yours must each be baptized” (“Metanoesate kai bapistheto hekastos hymon.”) This, contrary to what Protestants argue, actually proves that babies are baptized based on their parents’ faith.
The Greek phrase μετανοήσατε καὶ βαπτισθήτω ἕκαστος ὑμῶν does not mean "If you repent, then each one who is a part of you and yours must each be baptized”(!) It means "repent and be baptised, everyone of you." Notice how various translations render this phrase in Acts 2:38:
Repent, and be baptized every one of you (NRSV)
You must repent . . . and everyone of you must be baptised (NJB)
Repent and be baptized, each of you (Lexham)
Repent and be baptized every one of you (ESV)
Repent and be baptized, every one of you (NAB)
Repent, and each of you be baptized (NASB 1995 update)
Repent, and each one of you be baptized (NET)
Repent and be baptized, every one of you (NIV)
Even the Douay-Rheims, while following the Latin Vulgate's mistranslation of μετανοήσατε ("repent") with paenitentiam inquit agite ("do penance"), does not follow Salza's novel translation:
Do penance, and be baptized every one of you.
Salza’s inabilities with the very basics of biblical Greek and exegesis is rather obvious.