Expert: Maria - 3/16/2010

Question
I hope that you had a nice vacation and were able to get away someplace nice.  It is always fun to go away.  Someday I'd love to get over to Italy.  Anyway, if I could please get a translation into Latin I would greatly appreciate it.  Your past help has been fantastic.  

"Walk by faith, not by sight."


A huge thank you in advance.

Vickie

Answer
Hello,

thanks for your kind words.

So, your phrase "Walk by faith, not by sight" in the imperative mood derives from 2 Corinthians 5:7  where we read “We walk by faith, not by sight”( English Standard Version), i.e.  “Per fidem ambulamus et non per speciem” (Biblia Sacra Vulgata) and  “Διὰ πίστεως γὰρ περιπατοῦμεν, οὐ διὰ  εἴδους“(Ancient Greek text).


So, "Walk by faith, not by sight" in the imperative translates as follows:

-“Per fidem ambula, non per speciem”, if this command is addressed to only one person (2nd.person singular)

-“Per fidem ambulate, non per speciem”, if this command is addressed to many persons (2nd.person plural)

Best regards,
Maria
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Note that:

-Walk = AMBULA (2nd.person singular, imperative of AMBULO, I walk)  / AMBULATE (2nd.person plural, imperative of AMBULO)

-by = PER (preposition which takes the accusative)

-faith = FIDEM (accusative of FIDES, 5th.declension)

-not =NON

-by = PER (see above)

-sight= SPECIEM (accusative of SPECIES, 5th.declension)

Note that “Per fidem ambula/ambulate, non per speciem” is the adaptation of what we read just in 2 Corinthians 5:7, according to the Latin Bible, i.e.  the Vulgate, translated by St. Jerome between 382 and 405 AD, and  known as the 'versio vulgata'  literally meaning 'common translation'.