Inter sanctos praeclarosque virus

[itaque]

I am trying to translate this line from Pope John Paul II, here:

Inter sanctos praeclarosque virus qui rerum naturam veluti mirificum donum a Deo humano generi datum coluerunt

My translation begins something like "Among the holy and famous men who venerated the nature of things as a wonderful gift from God to man..." But it raises several questions:

• "virus"? Wiktionary does not give virus as a possible declension of vir; so what's going on?
• "generi"? Wiktionary gives "son-in-law", but surely something else is meant.
• "rerum naturam"? I would have expected "natural things", not the "nature of things"
• How do you translate two versions of "gift" (donum and datum) without sounding redundant?

 

[Pacifica]

"virus"? Wiktionary does not give virus as a possible declension of vir; so what's going on?

A typo.

"generi"? Wiktionary gives "son-in-law", but surely something else is meant.

This generi is the dative singular of genus, generis meaning "race, kind".

"rerum naturam"? I would have expected "natural things", not the "nature of things"

Rerum natura is a pretty common phrase. The nature of things, that is, nature in general, how things are, the world, the universe...

How do you translate two versions of "gift" (donum and datum) without sounding redundant?

Donum is a noun meaning "gift" and datum is the perfect passive participle of do, meaning "given". Note that while the literal translation is "a wonderful gift given by God", it's perfectly fine to translate it as "a wonderful gift from God". Latin grammar most of the time requires a prepositional phrase to have some verbal element (like the participle here) to go with, but English is often content to have a prepositional phrase directly modify a noun, as in "a gift from God". Not that the more literal translation is wrong. Both are fine and you can choose whichever you like best.

 

[itaque]

Thanks Pacifica. Very helpful as usual. It sounds like "humano generi" is best rendered "to the human race".

 

[Pacifica]

"To the human race" or "to mankind", whichever.

 

[Gregorius Textor]

Although colo (coluerunt) can sometimes mean to venerate or worship, in the context here it would seem better to translate it as "cared for" or "cherished." Note that in the same Apostolic Letter the related word "cultus" is used both in the sense of "worship" (Cultu Divino) and care (oecologiae cultorum).

Incidentally, I'm surprised to see that apparently there are very few official translations of a great many of John Paul II's apostolic letters.