By Evaristus Ifeanacho
As one drives down the Zik Avenue of Awka capital city, one is greeted by an imposing inscription indicating the presence of Paul University. A few fleeting days I could not but joyfully appreciate in the quietness of my mind the presence of such an institution of higher learning in such a conspicuous sight. Such presence graced the environment with an aura of seriousness that goes with the search for learning.
There was a tacit struggle within me whether to stop and have brief tour of University. The thought was aborted by the apparent mayhem caused by commuter drivers that were toiling and moiling for their daily bread. As the appreciation of the presence of such a noble institution was being jealously nursed in the inner recesses of my being, my mind was jolt into thinking about the rate of development in Anambra State.
As a matter of fact, the speedy development of Awka capital territory and the think-home philosophy of some Anambrarians cannot be overlooked. However, much still need to be done in various sectors. One for instance cannot but tirelessly and justifiably bemoan the fact that constant power supply has remained a perpetually unrealizable project. Each government churns out sweet-sounding proposals on how the issue of power supply will be given a definitively positive attention.
Translating such proposals into action remains an incurable sore of each government. The seeming inability to realize such proposals has more especially continued to keep the rate of both industrial and technological development at a snail speed even as Universities continue to turn out graduates in those fields. Consequently, it has continued to notably dwindle the zeal for creativity of Nigerians in particular, and the loving citizenry of Anambra State in particular.
As I doled out a plethora of questions regarding the fact of the enormous difficulty created in the realm of economic development by this lack of constant power supply, I was more annoyingly struck by the obvious fact that most of those at the helm of affairs in the different States of Nigeria travel Overseas and enjoy these amenities without limit, why has it then become impossible for them to realize the same in Nigeria.
A very big question, that needs to be answered sincerely and not to be excused away or brushed aside. As I continued in my mental journey, I quickly made a projection of what rate of development and self-employment would have been, were this basic amenity not to be in a meagre supply.
In the midst of this barrage of questions, I hurriedly tried to peruse the content of the billboard that bears the name of the University and other writings surrounding it. Little did I know that my joy would be sharply abbreviated as I read a Latin phrase that stands as the motto and also inscribed in the logo. It reads: “Ecce ego mite me.” It does seem a publicized monumental error.
At this point, my experience turned sour. One cannot but bafflingly question: could it be that the professors at Paul University Awka have not read this phrase? Is it possible that the person that culled this phrase did not see the error? Could it be that the phrase was wrongly copied from the bible or wrongly caved on the billboard in front of the university? Perhaps using Latin language in University setting appears more dignifying.
However, such quest for a dignifying language has to be combined with painstakingness. One could cleverly add that, to err is human; but thoroughness is also a mark of seriousness especially where the error has been left unattended to for a good number days.
Ecce ego mite me – parsing the words in the phrase
It is necessary to parse the words so as to expose the error in its grammatical context. Ecce is an adverb which takes only nominative in classical Latin (cf. B.L. GILDERSLEEVE – G. LODGE, Gildersleeve’s Latin grammar, Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc., Illinois, 2000, p.218). It is used to indicate or draw attention regarding the presence of a person or thing.
Ego is a personal pronoun of first person usually declined in the substantive singular as ego (nominative), mei (genitive), mihi (dative), me (accusative), me (ablative); and has its possessive form as meus-a-um. Mite – this word does seem to place the phrase in the verge of meaninglessness. One wonders if this word could be referring to mitis –e which is a third declension adjective of two terminations [mitis (masculine and feminine) and mite (neuter)] meaning mild, soft or ripe. In that case the sentence will translate as “Here I am, mild (soft, ripe) me.” This is most unlikely. Definitely, a verb is needed and not an adjective.
If on the other hand this word comes from the verb mitto-ere-misi-missum [Mitto (present), mittere (present infinitive), misi (perfect), missum (supine)] meaning to send, it means that it is the present imperative singular that is needed. In that case, it has to read mitte – send! and in the plural mittite – send!; and not mite which is an adjective.
The sentence will then read “Here I am, send me”, because it is in the singular. This is more meaningful and sounds more plausible. Me is the accusative of the personal pronoun of the first person which we have declined above.
Since the phrase sounds biblical, it is necessary to make painstaking search through the Vulgate in order to confer with my analysis. But what is Vulgate? The word Vulgate it may interest you to know is taken from the feminine past participle of the verb vulgare (vulgo, vulgare, vulgavi, vulgatum) which means “to make common or public, publish, make accessible” and from the noun vulgus. (cf. R. K. BARNHART, Chambers dictionary of etymology, The H.W. Wilson Company, New York, 2000, p.1213).
It is the root of the English word vulgar. The past participle is therefore formed by adjectivalizing the supine vulgatum; which consequently becomes vulgatus (m), vulgata (f), and vulgatum (neuter). It takes the form of the adjectives of second declension and to that effect has to agree with the noun in number, gender and case; hence, the coinage editio vulgata. The Vulgate is an ancient translation of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. It was Pope Damasus I who in 382 commissioned Jerome to do the translation. It was regarded as vulgata editio that is, popular edition.
In the first centuries of the Christian era, there were many unofficial versions of the Latin Bible which are today referred to as Vetus latina that is, old Latin translation. The more ancient translations of the second centuries had the name Afra because it was more diffused in the roman provinces of North Africa. Afra is the feminine of the adjective Afer-Afra-Afrum which means black. From this adjective comes the word Africa. In the second and third centuries existed the Itala which was commonly used in Italy. Itala is drawn from the adjective Italus-Itala-Italum which means Italian.
Before the Vatican Council II made the liturgical reforms, Pope Clement VIII mandated Franciscus Toletus, Federicus Borromaeus, Antonius Agellius, Robertus Bellarmino, Augustinus Valerius, and Petrus Morinus to make a revision and necessary corrections on the first Vulgate prepared in 1590 under the sponsorship of Pope Sixtus V, but whose content is replete with errors. The Clementine Vulgate was regarded as the official translation of the Bible for the entire Catholic Church until the Vatican II.
After the liturgical reforms of Vatican II, the Nova Vulgata (i.e the new vulgate) was promulgated in 25th April 1979 by Pope John Paul II with the Apostolic Constitution Scripturarum Thesaurus. The Nova Vulgata replaced what was popularly called the Vulgate and to a great extent “took into account the style of Christian Latinity as well as the entire tradition of the Latin Church.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, n.91)
The phrase in the Paul University Awka is drawn from Isaiah 6,8. In the Vulgate it is presented thus: et audivi vocem Domini dicentis quem mittam et quis ibit nobis et dixi ecce ego sum mitte me without punctuation. The Nova Vulgata presents it thus: Et audivi vocem Domini dicentis: “Quem mittam? Et quis ibit nobis? Et dixi: “Ecce ego, mitte me.” The major difference in the two is that the latter is punctuated whereas the former is not.
Also the former uses ego sum, which is emphatic; whereas the latter uses only ego thereby omitting sum. Why is sum omitted in the Nova Vulgata version of the phrase? It is because it is a nominal sentence. In Ecclesiastical Latin, sum may be omitted in nominal sentences “if there is an expressed subject.” (J.F: COLLINS, A primer of ecclesiastical Latin, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, 1985, p.29) Evidently the inscription caved in front of the Paul University Awka is most probably taken from the Nova Vulgata but it does seem that “mitte” is mispelt as “mite.”
FRATERNAL ADMONITION
Adequate care and studied diligence should be taken to avoid such monumental error in order not to present a meaningless phrase to the public or presume the ignorance of the public regarding classical languages. In the recent Apostolic Letter with which Pope Benedict XVI instituted the Pontifical Academy for Latinity on the 10th of November 2012, the Pope insists that the knowledge of language and Latin culture is also necessary in our own times especially in the study of different sources which are of great importance in the study of numerous Church disciplines. (Apostolic letter, Motu Proprio – Latina lingua n.2) To that effect, the Pope continues, it appears urgent to support the commitment to greater knowledge and a more competent use of the Latin language, both within the Church and in the broader world of culture. (Ibid. n.4) There is then need to appreciate the richness embedded in this classical language on which most of the modern languages are rooted.
Evaristus Ifeanacho, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka writes from Awka
