New translation of the ‘Letters of St. Paul’ coincides with observance

By Linda M. Linonis

ELLSWORTH — It’s presented in an easy-to-read style and pocket-size, which makes it convenient to carry.

It’s a new translation of the “Letters of St. Paul” that the Society of St. Paul and the Daughters of St. Paul have co-published. The Rev. Jeffrey Mickler, Web master of the Society of St. Paul at what is commonly known as St. Paul’s Monastery on U.S. Route 224, west of Canfield, wrote the foreword.

The book is timely in that Pope Bendict XVI issued a proclamation for the observance of the Pauline Year, which is June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009.

“The exact date of St. Paul’s birth is not known but it’s estimated at 8 A.D.,” Father Mickler said. The observance will highlight the life and teachings of St. Paul.

In the 500-word foreword, Father Mickler said he suggested readers should “approach the letters like they were written from a wise and trusted friend.”

Father Mickler also described St. Paul as a “saint for everyone,” because he had various interests and many can relate to him. Father Mickler wrote of St. Paul that the “actions of his life show the sincerity of his belief.”

Father Mickler asks readers to “read Paul’s words carefully” and savor them in their hearts and minds. This, Father Mickler wrote, will help people deepen their faith.

The 13 letters of St. Paul are part of the New Testament. In his writings, St. Paul encouraged people “to be true disciples of Jesus and gave advice how to,” Father Mickler said. “He wanted people to live a good life.

“But he also scolded when it was needed,” Father Mickler said.

Father Mickler said the translator is Mark A. Wauck. “There have been many translations,” he said. But Father Mickler said he felt this was special in that “if you read it aloud, it has the cadence of Greek.” St. Paul’s letters, part of the New Testament, were translated from the Greek. “This translation has a unique flavor,” Father Mickler said.

Wauck, who Father Mickler described as a religious scholar, graduated from Loyola University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a minor in classics and earned a juris doctorate at Loyola University School of Law. He translated “Thomist Realism and the Critique of Knowledge” by Etienne Gilson and wrote a related article that was published in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly.

The book is available at the Alba House at St. Paul’s monastery along with other books on St. Paul, who is called the “Apostle of the Gentiles.”

The book also is available online at www.albahouse.org or www.stpauls.us.