Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2019 January 21

= January 21 =

Mercy seat
Our article makes several attempts to explain how this frankly weird term has derived from kapporeth, which to my amateurish comprehension of Biblical Hebrew derives from the word for cover and/or atonement, but has no sense whatsoever in it of "seat" or "mercy" (other than I suppose a merciful deity accepts atonement, but that's rather a stretch).

Can anyone find a good explanation from RS? --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 17:23, 21 January 2019 (UTC)


 * According to Brown-Driver-Briggs, supported by Holladay's Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, the word does not originally mean "cover", but comes from another meaning of the triliteral root כפר, i.e. "to make amends, propitiate, effect reconciliation, atone for sins". The literal meaning of כפרת is basically "thing for the atonement of sins"... AnonMoos (talk) 18:25, 21 January 2019 (UTC)


 * Yes, the Hebrew word has to do with atonement, but that doesn't sufficiently explain the English term 'mercy seat'. This source agrees that the English derives from Luther's German translation Gnadenstuhl. The question then becomes: why did Luther choose this word? I don't think we can say for sure, but it is noteworthy that Luther used the same word in Hebrews 4:16, where English translations have throne of grace. Since the latter passage is also in the context of the sacrifices by the high priest, it seems Luther equated the two terms. (source) Hence 'seat of mercy' is probably not exactly based on כפרת, but rather on the theological meaning that Luther saw in it.  - Lindert (talk) 20:12, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
 * Quoting the OED second edition:"'Heb. kapporeth, LXX [Greek text], Vulg. propitiatorium, Wyclif 'propiciatorie'. Tindale's first rendering (1526) was 'the seate off grace' (Hebr. ix. 5); in both this and his later rendering he followed Luther's Gnadenstuhle. Cf. also mercy-stock, stool, table, in MERCY sb. 10.'"Substantive meaning #10 for "mercy" is "administered or performed out of mercy or pity in order to terminate or relieve pain or distress", with examples including "mercy-angel", "mercy-gate", and "mercy-lacking".  I can't read the Septuagint term, since the letters are really little, and my unfamiliarity with Greek means that I can't recognise the word.  So the OED backs up the author cited by Lindert, but going farther will probably require you to consult the Duden.  Nyttend (talk) 01:15, 22 January 2019 (UTC)

Thanks. So it seems that it's based on Luther's idiosyncratic translation, which (given his views on Jews) he wouldn't be amused to find is very reminiscent of Gezeira Shava. Thanks all. --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 09:42, 23 January 2019 (UTC)
 * So that's at least one thing he and the Catholic Church agreed upon. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 11:25, 23 January 2019 (UTC)

Any EU directives on oncological care?
Hello. Is there any EU directive (or other form of EU legislation) that requires, or could conceivably require, merging the paediatric oncological departments of different hospitals if they separately do not reach a certain number of cases per year?--84.76.180.82 (talk) 18:14, 21 January 2019 (UTC)


 * Hi. EU legislation/directives can be searched at eur-lex.europa.eu - I tried the set of +oncology +paediatric without an obvious result, but you could probably do a better search yourself as you will have a better idea of what terms to try. The browse option is at eur-lex.europa.eu/browse and may also help. 70.67.193.176 (talk) 19:57, 21 January 2019 (UTC)


 * Directive 2011/24/EU on patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare [//eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011L0024] could conceivably be a factor. It likely provided some increased incentive to become a more major centre to attract patients from elsewhere [//www.uems.eu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/52514/2017.32-UEMS-European-Training-Requirements-Medical-Oncology-.pdf] [//ec.europa.eu/health/cross_border_care/overview_en]. I guess likewise the inclusion of Medical Oncology in Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualification [//www.esmo.org/Policy/Recognition-and-Status-of-Medical-Oncology] [//www.uems.eu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/52514/2017.32-UEMS-European-Training-Requirements-Medical-Oncology-.pdf], since it's likely to be easier for a more major institution to be part of a training programme. These seem fairly disconnected though, as the other IP said, maybe you'll have more luck finding relevant directives. There are directives dealing with [//www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/paediatric-medicines/paediatric-regulation] paediatric medicines, and clinical trials, but these seem even more disconnected. Nil Einne (talk) 23:48, 21 January 2019 (UTC)