Work

Exploring Linguistic Choices in Early Modern Greek Translations of Bellarmino’s Catechisms: A Comparative Analysis of Creed Renditions

Year: 2026

Type: book-chapter

Abstract: This paper examines the linguistic choices in two seventeenth-century translations of Bellarmino’s Dottrina Christiana short and long version in Early Modern Greek, undertaken by Karyofyllis and Filaras, respectively. By analyzing the translators’ renditions of the Apostles’ Creed and some clarification extracts, the interplay of text-internal/external aspects of the translation practices and the complex relationship between language variation and change are explored. Karyofyllis’ word-for-word approach on the syntactic level is combined with lexical choices distanced from the theological jargon. Yet, Filaras, through audience design, strategically aligns with the Orthodox Nicene Creed and embeds a number of clarifying/explanatory phrases for Eastern Greek Orthodox readers in the Aegean. Both translators show a tendency to select more novel diachronic linguistic variants, possibly spurred by their desire to ensure the less educated readers’ understanding of the text.

Source: Übersetzungskulturen der Frühen Neuzeit

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-72538-2_7

Authors: Eleni Karantzola, Vasiliki Makri

Institutions: University of the Aegean, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Language: English

Topic: Translation Studies and Practices

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W7141985437

FWCI:

Cites: 7

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Related to: 10