John 21

Io 21.1Posteā manifestāvit sē iterum Iēsus discipulīs ad mare Tiberiadis. Manifestāvit autem sīc:

After this Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he showed himself in this way:

Note. manifestavit se: 'showed himself'. mare Tiberiadis: the Sea of Galilee, named after the city of Tiberias founded by Herod Antipas in honour of the emperor Tiberius. Chapter 21 reads like an epilogue added to the Gospel.

Io 21.2erant simul Simōn Petrus, et Thōmās, quī dīcitur Didymus, et Nathanaël, quī erat ā Canā Galilaeae, et fīliī Zebedaeī, et aliī ex discipulīs eius duo.

there were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, who is called Didymus, and Nathanael, who was from Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.

Note. filii Zebedaei: James and John.

Io 21.3Dīcit eīs Simōn Petrus: Vādō piscārī. Dīcunt eī: Venīmus et nōs tēcum. Et exiērunt, et ascendērunt in nāvim: et illā nocte nihil prēndidērunt.

Simon Peter says to them: I am going to fish. They say to him: We too are coming with you. And they went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

Note. Vado piscari: infinitive of purpose after a verb of motion, a late Latin usage. prendiderunt: an unusual reduplicated perfect of prendo, 'they caught'.

Io 21.4Māne autem factō stetit Iēsus in littore: nōn tamen cognōvērunt discipulī quia Iēsus est.

But when morning had come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it is Jesus.

Note. Mane … facto: ablative absolute, 'when morning had come'. in littore: Clementine spelling of litore.

Io 21.5Dīxit ergō eīs Iēsus: Puerī, numquid pulmentārium habētis? Respondērunt eī: Nōn.

Jesus therefore said to them: Lads, have you anything to eat? They answered him: No.

Note. Pueri: vocative plural, 'lads, children', a familiar address. pulmentarium: anything eaten with bread, here fish.

Io 21.6Dīcit eīs: Mittite in dexteram nāvigiī rēte, et inveniētis. Mīsērunt ergō: et iam nōn valēbant illud trahere prae multitūdine piscium.

He says to them: Throw the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find. So they threw it; and now they were not strong enough to draw it, because of the great number of fish.

Note. in dexteram navigii: 'to the right side of the boat'; dextera (manus) is often a noun. prae multitudine: prae + ablative, 'because of the great number'.

Io 21.7Dīxit ergō discipulus ille, quem dīligēbat Iēsus, Petrō: Dominus est. Simōn Petrus cum audīsset quia Dominus est, tunicā succīnxit sē (erat enim nūdus) et mīsit sē in mare.

So that disciple, whom Jesus loved, said to Peter: It is the Lord. Simon Peter, when he had heard that it is the Lord, girded himself with his tunic (for he was stripped) and threw himself into the sea.

Note. tunica succinxit se: he tied up his garment before jumping in. nudus: 'stripped', wearing little or nothing for work.

Io 21.8Aliī autem discipulī nāvigiō vēnērunt (nōn enim longē erant ā terrā, sed quasi cubitīs ducentīs), trahentēs rēte piscium.

But the other disciples came in the boat (for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net of fish.

Note. cubitis ducentis: ablative of degree of difference, about 90 metres. trahentes: present participle.

Io 21.9Ut ergō dēscendērunt in terram, vīdērunt prūnās positās, et piscem superpositum, et pānem.

So when they had come down onto land, they saw coals laid there, and a fish placed on them, and bread.

Io 21.10Dīcit eīs Iēsus: Afferte dē piscibus, quōs prēndidistis nunc.

Jesus says to them: Bring some of the fish which you have caught now.

Note. Afferte de piscibus: de with partitive sense, 'some of the fish'.

Io 21.11Ascendit Simōn Petrus et trāxit rēte in terram, plēnum magnīs piscibus centum quīnquāgintā tribus. Et cum tantī essent, nōn est scissum rēte.

Simon Peter went up and dragged the net onto land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three. And though there were so many, the net was not torn.

Note. centum quinquaginta tribus: 153, a number that early readers tried to explain symbolically. cum tanti essent: concessive cum, 'though there were so many'.

Io 21.12Dīcit eīs Iēsus: Venīte, prandēte. Et nēmō audēbat discumbentium interrogāre eum: Tū quis es? scientēs, quia Dominus est.

Jesus says to them: Come, eat. And none of those reclining dared to ask him: Who are you? knowing that it is the Lord.

Note. prandete: from prandeo, 'have a meal'. discumbentium: genitive plural of the present participle, partitive with nemo.

Io 21.13Et venit Iēsus, et accipit pānem, et dat eīs, et piscem similiter.

And Jesus comes, and takes the bread and gives it to them, and the fish likewise.

Io 21.14Hoc iam tertiō manifestātus est Iēsus discipulīs suīs cum resurrēxisset ā mortuīs.

This was now the third time that Jesus was shown to his disciples after he had risen from the dead.

Note. Hoc iam tertio: 'this now (for) the third time'.

Io 21.15Cum ergō prandissent, dīcit Simōnī Petrō Iēsus: Simōn Iōannis, dīligis mē plūs hīs? Dīcit eī: Etiam Domine, tū scīs quia amō tē. Dīcit eī: Pāsce agnōs meōs.

When therefore they had eaten, Jesus says to Simon Peter: Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? He says to him: Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He says to him: Feed my lambs.

Note. Simon Ioannis: 'Simon (son) of John'. plus his: ablative of comparison, 'more than these'. diligis … amo: Latin, like the Greek, varies the verbs for 'love'. Etiam: 'yes'.

Io 21.16Dīcit eī iterum: Simōn Iōannis, dīligis mē? Ait illī: Etiam Domine, tū scīs quia amō tē. Dīcit eī: Pāsce agnōs meōs.

He says to him again: Simon son of John, do you love me? He says to him: Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He says to him: Feed my lambs.

Io 21.17Dīcit eī tertiō: Simōn Iōannis, amās mē? Contrīstātus est Petrus, quia dīxit eī tertiō: Amās mē? et dīxit eī: Domine, tū omnia nōstī, tū scīs quia amō tē. Dīxit eī: Pāsce ovēs meās.

He says to him a third time: Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was saddened, because he said to him a third time, Do you love me? and he said to him: Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. He said to him: Feed my sheep.

Note. Contristatus est: from contristo, 'he was made sad'. nosti: syncopated form of novisti.

Io 21.18Āmēn, āmēn dīcō tibi: cum essēs iūnior, cingēbās tē, et ambulābās ubi volēbās: cum autem senueris, extendēs manūs tuās, et alius tē cinget, et dūcet quō tū nōn vīs.

Amen, amen I say to you: when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk where you wished; but when you have grown old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and lead you where you do not wish.

Note. cum esses iunior: cum + subjunctive. senueris: future perfect of senesco, 'when you have grown old'. extendes manus tuas: read by early Christians as a reference to Peter's death by crucifixion.

Io 21.19Hoc autem dīxit significāns quā morte clārificātūrus esset Deum. Et cum hoc dīxisset, dīcit eī: Sequere mē.

And he said this signifying by what death he was going to glorify God. And when he had said this, he says to him: Follow me.

Note. clarificaturus esset Deum: future participle in an indirect question. Sequere: deponent imperative of sequor.

Io 21.20Conversus Petrus vīdit illum discipulum, quem dīligēbat Iēsus, sequentem, quī et recubuit in coenā super pectus eius, et dīxit: Domine, quis est quī trādet tē?

Peter, having turned around, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had reclined at the supper on his breast and said: Lord, who is it who will hand you over?

Note. Conversus: 'having turned'. recubuit … super pectus eius: at a meal people reclined on couches, so the disciple next to Jesus could lean back against him.

Io 21.21Hunc ergō cum vīdisset Petrus, dīxit Iēsū: Domine, hic autem quid?

So when Peter had seen him, he said to Jesus: Lord, and what about this man?

Note. hic autem quid? 'and this man — what (of him)?' The verb is left out.

Io 21.22Dīcit eī Iēsus: Sīc eum volō manēre dōnec veniam, quid ad tē? tū mē sequere.

Jesus says to him: So I wish him to remain until I come; what is that to you? You, follow me.

Note. quid ad te? 'what is that to you?' (est understood). tu me sequere: the pronoun tu is emphatic.

Io 21.23Exiit ergō sermō iste inter frātrēs quia discipulus ille nōn moritur. Et nōn dīxit eī Iēsus: Nōn moritur, sed: Sīc eum volō manēre dōnec veniam, quid ad tē?

So this word went out among the brothers, that that disciple does not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him, He does not die, but: So I wish him to remain until I come; what is that to you?

Note. sermo iste … quia … non moritur: the quia clause gives the content of the rumour.

Io 21.24Hic est discipulus ille quī testimōnium perhibet dē hīs, et scrīpsit haec: et scīmus quia vērum est testimōnium eius.

This is that disciple who bears witness about these things and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true.

Note. testimonium perhibet: the closing claim that the Gospel rests on this disciple's witness.

Io 21.25Sunt autem et alia multa quae fēcit Iēsus: quae sī scrībantur per singula, nec ipsum arbitror mundum capere posse eōs, quī scrībendī sunt, librōs.

But there are also many other things which Jesus did; if they were written one by one, I think that not even the world itself could hold the books that would have to be written.

Note. quae si scribantur … arbitror … posse: a future-less-vivid condition, 'if they should be written'. qui scribendi sunt libros: gerundive of obligation in the relative clause, 'the books that would have to be written'; the antecedent libros comes at the end.