PS302 Theories in Philippine Studies Dr. Vicente C.

. Villan Review of Jose De Mesa, "The Ama Namin in the Doctrina Christiana of 1593: A Filipino Cultural-theological Reading," in John Suk, ed. Doing Theology in the Philippines (Quezon City, Philippines: Asian Theological Seminary; Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature, 2005): 150-158. By Michael J. Fast 2013-78255 As part of the 1st Annual Forum on Theology: Doing Theology in the Philippine Context, sponsored by Asian Theological Seminary, Jose M. de Mesa contributed a chapter entitled "The Ama Namin in the Doctrina Christiana of 1593: A Filipino Cultural-theological Reading." De Mesas article seeks to find examples of reading Scripture with Filipino eyes1 among the works of early Spanish missionaries to the Philippines. His article deals primarily with the process of inculturation. When Jesus first commanded his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations little did they know the difficulties they would face in making the command a reality. The initial fulfillments of the command were in the context of Jewish followers of Jesus preaching to Jewish non-followers of Jesus.2 These preaching events were marking by large groups becoming followers of Jesus. It is essential to note, however, that these new followers remained firmly Jewish.3 Events later proved more difficult for the early group of Jesus followers as non-Jewish peoples became a part of their movement.4 In fact, much of the rest of the New Testament is dedicated to trying to connect Jesus with the daily lives of Jews and non-Jews alike.5 One of the ways that followers of Jesus have sought to bridge this gap between their faith and the people of other cultures is called inculturation.6 Jose M. de Mesa, a Filipino laytheologian, has spent a significant portion of his career trying to address this issue from a Filipino perspective. In the article currently under examination, he returns to the first book !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1. John Suk, ed. Doing Theology in the Philippines (Quezon City, Philippines: Asian Theological Seminary; Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature, 2005), 2. 2. See Acts 2.:5, 14, 22, 29, 36; 3:12-13, 17; 4:5-10; 6:7, 9; 7:2. Unless otherwise indicated all Bible references in this paper are to the New International Version Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010. Glo Premium Bible USS-S 1.4.5, Immersion Digital, LLC, 2013. 3. Andrew F. Walls has a more complete discussion of this in The Ephesian Moment, in The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission and Appropriation of Faith (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2002), 75. Walls writes, The original Jesus community was as wholly Jewish in their way of life as in their ethnic origin. A close reading of the book of Acts also shows the habits of the early followers of Jesus included gathering and praying in the Temple (2:42,46; 3:1), eating kosher food (10:14), being circumcised and obeying the Mosaic Law (15:1,5), and participating in Jewish sacrifices and vows (21:23-26). 4. From Acts 11 we begin reading of non-Jewish peoples joining this movement and remaining non-Jews. 5. Walls, The Ephesian Moment, 76. Walls writes, It was necessary, nonetheless, to develop a lifestyle that could function in Hellenistic pagan society and yet display Christ recognizably there for what and who he is. 6. Other ways include indigenization and contextualization. Cf. Charles R. Taber, The World is Too Much With Us: Culture in Modern Protestant Missions (Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2003), 174-179.

"!

published in the Philippines, The Doctrina Christiana of 1593,7 to show how early Spanish missionaries were able to express the Our Father in Filipino cultural terms. He begins by discussing some of the issues that inculturation has faced in the Philippines in the past, not the least of which was the fact that for Western Christians, Western Christianity was seen not as a form of Christianity, but simply as Christianity.8 However, according to de Mesa, the earliest missionaries to the Philippines were not plagued by the same problem. In fact, they made the local culture their primary guide rather than the Tradition.9 The example de Mesa uses in his argument is the translation of the Ama Namin10 that is contained within the Doctrina Christiana. De Mesa explains that this translation shows the early missionaries exceptional respect and appreciation for Philippine culture.11 De Mesa begins by pointing out the difference in the use of voice between the contemporary translation12 and the Doctrina Christiana especially with regards to Gods actions in the prayer. The contemporary translation states things in a passive voice while the Doctrina Christiana uses an active voice.13 De Mesa continues by looking at how the Ama Namin resonates with Filipinos in two areas, namely Relationships and Food. Under Relationships, de Mesa looks at three word choices used by the translators of the Doctrina Christiana: loob, mauwi, and huwag iiwan. Under Food he looks at the word kakanin. Loob is the essentially relational concept.14 Gods will and the meaning of forgiveness. UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino defines loob as dalisay at taal na diwa ng pagkatao (the pure and real essence of humanity). De Mesa translates this as most authentic self. He sees loob as the point of connection between the Divine and the human; as humans we are transformed to become as God is. Gods will and our forgiveness are thus intertwined. Mauwi reflects the Filipino notion of homecoming. It connects the basic Filipino urge to go home with Gods basic desire for us to share in his home, or kingdom. Huwag iiwan refers to the common Filipino desire for companionship. Its usage here is especially poignant since it is in the midst of our struggle against sin that we truly need companionship. God is truly in solidarity with us as we struggle against sin. Kakanin. The common translation here is bread but the original word can also be used to refer to simply food. This is the direction the Doctrina Christiana takes when it assigns the !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7. The Doctrina Christiana en la lengua Espanola y tagala. Manila: 1593. Available online at http://ia700504.us.archive.org/6/items/doctrinachristia16119gut/16119-h/16119-h.htm (accessed 20 August 2013). 8. Jose De Mesa,"The Ama Namin in the Doctrina Christiana of 1593: A Filipino Cultural-theological Reading," in John Suk, ed. Doing Theology in the Philippines (Quezon City, Philippines: Asian Theological Seminary; Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature, 2005), 151. 9. De Mesa, 151. 10. Otherwise known as the Lords Prayer, the Ama Namin (Our Father) as seen in the Doctrina Christiana is found in Matthew 6:9-13. The same prayer in slightly different form can be found in Luke 11:2-4. 11. De Mesa, 152. 12. This contemporary translation is not identified by name in this article. 13. Eg. sambahin ang ngalan mo (holy be your name) vs ypasamba mo ang ngalan mo (make your name be worshipped). 14. De Mesa, 155.

#!

word kakanin to this phrase. Of course bread is not the staple food of the Philippines rice is. Therefore it is appropriate, in de Mesas estimation, to use a rice-related word here, since it is the word that will most connect with the Filipino worldview. De Mesa concludes by saying that the Doctrina Christianas translation of the Ama Namin exemplifies how inculturation should take place.15 He goes on to conclude that culture guided the fresh interpretation causing new and meaningful categories for understanding the gospel to become available.16 De Mesa shows us a great example of inculturation. The paper does, however, raise questions about how inculturation is governed. The classical understanding of the relationship between religion and culture is, as de Mesa states, equivalent to saying that culture and religion are the same. The message being translated is governed by the culture that it comes from. In the case of inculturation, however, the governing culture changes from that of the sender to that of the recipient. How does one ensure that the essence is transmitted in culturally relevant ways? In this regard, two aspects of de Mesas article bear further study. The first is his discussion of the change of voice in the first part of the prayer. While it does represent inculturation it does raise one issue: How much is too much? When do inculturation efforts go too far? In this specific instance, can this translation be defended grammatically? This translation moves from the possibility/uncertainty that is present in the Greek verbs to the stronger position of God himself, through his participation, ensuring that these things come to pass. The question is, does this accurately reflect the meaning-intent of the original author or does it change the meaning-intent? It depends upon how broad we want to understand the concept of translation. On the one hand, translation can simply be providing a gloss for a word in one language for a word in another language. Translation, however, must be much deeper than that. In light of Filipino emphasis on relationship, rendering the uncertain certain in this way does accurately reflect the understanding present in the prayer God and humanity participating together in a relationship. The second aspect of de Mesas article that bears further study is his discussion of The Tradition. The Tradition is identified as the transmission of received teaching or practice the genuine preservation of the apostles faith.17 De Mesa also uses gospel as a synonym for tradition. The problem with using the word tradition to identify something that is being inculturated implies its universal nature. It implies that it is something that is beyond culture, that it is beyond context, that it is something that can be translated but is not a translation itself. In reality, Tradition is something that has already been inculturated it is already a part of the basic structure of a culture. There are many Traditions within the world of Christianity, each of which is a valid expression of how one can relate to God.18 One of the major !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15. De Mesa, 158. 16. De Mesa, 158. 17. From Donald K. McKim, Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms. (Lousiville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1966), in de Mesa, 2003, 151. 18. Apart from the major Christian Traditions of Roman Catholic and Protestant commonly known among Filipinos, there is also another major tradition known as Orthodoxy. These three major traditions are themselves divided into countless other Traditions, each with their own distinct and unique qualities. Apart from these three traditions is the whole world of so-called Insider Movements, which are groups of followers of Jesus who have almost spontaneously formed with little or no influence from the three main Christian traditions.

$!

confrontations of the early church was, as mentioned above, when non-Jewish people began to believe the message about Jesus Christ. Being non-Jews they had none of the tradition of the early church. A meeting was held in Jerusalem to discuss how to deal with these new members of their faith community. Some advocated forcing these newcomers to adopt the Jewish Tradition for their lives.19 Others argued that they be allowed to form their own traditions, using the Holy Spirit as their guide.20 In the end, the church decided to let the non-Jewish believers form their own traditions rather than submit themselves to Jewish ones.21 In this one decision, the Jerusalem Council set aside all of the traditions of Judaism, that they themselves firmly believed in, and allowed a group with a different cultural background to create their own tradition. They didnt translate the old tradition, they didnt inculturate the old tradition, and they didnt contextualize the old tradition. Instead they created a new tradition for themselves. Is de Mesas understanding of inculturation as it relates to translating the Tradition therefore too restrictive? De Mesas article provides hope for those who look at recent Philippine history and dont see a lot of good news. One would hope that the cultural sensitivities shown by these earliest missionaries would have been carried on to a greater extent. Anyone looking for a good example of inculturation would benefit from reading this article.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 19. See Acts 15:1,5 which reads, Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved. . The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses. The issue on the table was circumcision, which can be interpreted to symbolize the entire Mosiac Law. 20. Acts 15:7-11. For more on the Holy Spirits participation see Jose M. de Mesa, Why Theology is Never Far From Home (Manila: De La Salle University Press, 2003), 2. 21. See Acts 15:23-29 for the Jerusalem councils letter to the non-Jewish believers in Jesus.

! BIBLIOGRAPHY

%!

de Mesa, Jose M. Why Theology is Never Far From Home. Manila: De La Salle University Press, 2003. de Mesa, Jose M. "The Ama Namin in the Doctrina Christiana of 1593: A Filipino Culturaltheological Reading." in John Suk, ed. Doing Theology in the Philippines /contributers, E. Acoba ... [et al.]; Quezon City, Philippines: Asian Theological Seminary; Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature, 2005. Ileto, Reynaldo Clemena Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 18401910. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1979. McKean, Erin, et al, eds. New Oxford American Dictionary 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005. Taber, Charles R. The World is Too Much With Us: Culture in Modern Protestant Missions. (Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press), 2003, 174-179. The Doctrina Christiana en la lengua Espanola y tagala. (Manila: 1593). Accessed 20 August 2013. http://ia700504.us.archive.org/6/items/doctrinachristia16119gut/16119-h/16119h.htm. Walls, Andrew F. The Ephesian Moment, in The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission and Appropriation of Faith. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2002.