Anon Pét 24VII/7 — kennir ‘teacher’
Bar Jónam guð greinir
góðan Símón þjóðum;
nafn skýrir ‘berg skærast’
skýrt ritningar vitni.
Yfir það berg til bjarga
blíðr kva*z mundu smíða
kristni kennir fastra
Kristr hermargra lista.
Guð greinir þjóðum Símón Bar Jónam góðan; skýrt vitni ritningar skýrir nafn ‘berg skærast’. Yfir það berg kva*z Kristr, blíðr kennir fastra lista, mundu smíða kristni til bjarga hermargra.
God explains to nations that Simon Bar-Jona is good; the clear testimony of scripture interprets his name as ‘purest rock’. Upon that rock, Christ, the joyful teacher of steadfast virtues, said that he would build Christianity for the salvation of very many.
readings
[7] kennir: ‘kennj’ 621
notes
[7-8]: Both Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) and Kock (Skald) emend ms. ‘kennj’ to nom. sg. kennir, which they take in apposition with Kristr. Finnur emends ms. ‘fastna’ to fasta to agree with kristni (f. acc. sg.), and reads (ll. 6-7): kvaz mundu smíða kristni ... fasta ‘said that he would build a firm Christianity’. Kock (NN §1725) argues that the ms. form is more likely the product of confusion of <r> and <n>, and emends to fastra (gen. pl.), which he construes with kennir ... lista ‘teacher of firm skills’. Both Finnur and Kock take hermargra with lista (‘of very many skills’). With the reading adopted here, til bjarga ... hermargra ‘for the salvation of very many’ (ll. 6-8), cf., e.g., Leið 20/8: margri þjóð til bjargar ‘as a help to many a people’.