Anon Pét 42VII/5 — Neitar ‘he denies’
Fótr hnögg föðurins sæta;
fagnaðr jókz af magni
oss, þvíað vára* vissi
valdr breyskleika aldar.
Neitar nafn fyr ótta
nauðigur sitt dauðans;
orð guðs — ambátt spurði —
angrs varð framm að ganga.
Fótr föðurins sæta hnögg; fagnaðr jókz oss af magni, þvíað valdr aldar vissi vára* breyskleika. Nauðigur neitar sitt nafn fyr ótta dauðans; ambátt spurði; orð guðs angrs varð að ganga framm.
The foot of the beloved father stumbled; joy was increased mightily for us, because the ruler of mankind [= God (= Christ)] knew our frailties. Reluctant, he denies his name out of fear of death; the maidservant asked; the word of God’s sorrow [i.e. Christ’s sad prediction] had to be fulfilled.
notes
[5-6] neitar sitt nafn ‘he denies his name’: Cf. Matt. XXVI.69-74; Mark XIV.66-71; Luke XXII.55-60; John XVIII.17-18, 25-7; Pétr 14, esp. 14/19-22: Eptir orðum Augustini neitar eigi sa einn guði, er eigi kallaz kristinn, helldr ok hinn er eigi kallaz lærisveinn, þviat fyrrmeirr hetu þvi nafni allir rettruadir menn, aðr en hitt nafn kom upp i Antiochia ‘According to the words of Augustine, not only he who is not called Christian, but also the one who is not called disciple denies God, because formerly all men of orthodox faith were called by that name, before the other name originated in Antioch’; cf. Augustine, In Iohannis evangelium tractatus (in Willems 1954, 637/20-34).