My word this week is “dispensation.” Johnson gives three usages for the term, but interestingly they are not how the word is used in the King James Version of the Bible. The current text of the King James Bible is from 1769 and the original text is from 1611. Between these dates there were several versions updating the 1611 text – especially in updating the language from the Early Modern English of the beginning of the seventeenth century to the more mature English of the mid eighteenth century, with its spellings and grammar closer to modern-day usage.
The English word “dispensation” is found in four verses and only in the New Testament (KJV): First Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 1:10 and 3:2; and Colossians 1:25. In each of these verses the word translates the Greek root οἰκονομία (oikonomia). This Greek word means, in simple terms, management or stewardship. This is how it is used in each of the verses cited, but Johnson says nothing of stewardship in his definitions. So how does one arrive at the consistent use of “dispensation” in the biblical text? The answer lies in the Latin. Johnson writes that “dispensation” comes from the Latin word dispensatio. This is confirmed in Lewis’ A Latin Dictionary (the link to this book can be found to the right). Lewis states that dispensatio represents the same meaning as the Greek root word διοίκησις (dioikāsis) – the office of οἰκονομία (management or stewardship). The connection between dispensatio and οἰκονομία and διοίκησις leads to the French dispensation which has been brought into English without alteration.
So, what of the King James Bible and its use of “dispensation?” You might recall that earlier we connected this to Latin. The standard historical Latin text of the Bible is Jerome’s fourth century Vulgate. It is significant that in each of the four verses cited earlier, the Vulgate uses dispensatio or its accusative form dispensationem. The Vulgate had a strong influence on early translations of the Bible into English and the 1381 John Wycliffe Bible is a prime example of that influence, being a direct translation from the Vulgate into English. Not surprisingly, the Wycliffe Bible uses an Anglicized form of dispensatio in each of the four verses already referenced. Beyond this, both the 1568 Bishops’ Bible and the 1587 Geneva Bible use “dispensation” in the verses, setting an influential precedent for the King James Version revisors in 1609 to 1611. Noteworthy also, is Randle Cotgrave’s 1611 lexical entry for “dispensation” which states that that term means, “a distribution, or disposing of things” – very similar to Johnson’s expanded definition.
From this inquiry, it seems that “dispensation” was not commonly used among Early Modern English speakers as it had been used in Latin, from whence the word was derived, nor did the English usage correspond to the Greek meaning. Obviously then, the King James revisors maintained the Latin meaning rather than the common and more contemporary English use. Because the English use of “dispensation” was rather distant from the Latin, Johnson’s entry maintained the common English meanings even over the Greek and Latin meaning brought into standard English Bible texts of Johnson’s day.
To summarize and perhaps clarify a bit, this article has offered a brief glimpse into reasons why Johnson’s definition of “dispensation” differs considerably from the King James Bible’s use of “dispensation,” though the Bible text was prominently diffused throughout the writings of the period – far more so than today’s writings of the English-speaking world. The short answer is that the common English use of the word in Johnson’s day had taken on a different connotation after having been taken from its Latin and Greek roots, so his dictionary reflected the use of his time. This certainly shows Johnson’s intention to solidly root his work in contemporary English and make his dictionary the more useful rather than nostalgically archaic.
Until next time.
John
