So, I’m working on Das Elefant – I’ve got two chapters to go – and am enjoying writing about Nestorius’ Marian thinking. So far so good.

Problem is, one translation of his Book of Hereklides is preferred to another, and . . . .it’s in French! I’ve only recenly broke down and decided to succumb and learn French after refusing to do so for over 30 years. Romance languages simply don’t do it for me – and one look at the “seven compound verbs” makes me reach for the hruškovica.

But never fear – technology is here! My lovely Mac comes with an auto translate program which gives one no end of amusement as the following example from Nau’s French edition of Nestorius’ text demonstrates.

Here’s the French: “il en est ainsi au sujet des (deux) natures qui sont séparées dans l’essence, mais qui sont unies par l’amour et dans le même prosôpon.”

Ok. . . .now here’s the mechanical translation from my computer into English: “it is thus about (two) natural which is separate in the gasoline, but which is linked by the love and in same the prosôpon.”

*BOOM* – So essentially if I follow this translation our Lord’s incarnation was a rather explosive event! Poor Mary!

Thankfully this was a test run – and I do have an english translation of this phrase which (assuming McGuckin (pg. 162) is a decent translator) should read as follows: “He is the subject of the two natures which are separated in essence, but united by love, and in one and the same prosopon.”