Footnotes

Unless otherwise noted, translations from the text are Latin.

the gospel according to elijah

There are no notes in this chapter that require translations.

the first day

When Gabriel sings “The Bells of Aberdovey,” she is actually singing incorrect lyrics. The actual English lyrics are as follows “Boys do love to be in love, and girls they love to marry” and “It's one, two, thee, four, five, and six, sing the bells of Aberdovey.”

Calasoma Scrutator – the Searcher Beetle; Strategus Aloeus -- the rhino beetle;

the second day

Fremiel reads Spenser's Sonnet XI aloud. All quotations from Fifteen and Pregnant are accurate, laughably.

the third day

Raziel quotes excessively. In the order he quotes, it is Exodus 34:6, Exodus 34:10, and Revelation 5:5.

When Jibreel is in the shower, she first says “On earth as it is in heaven,” as in the Lord's Prayer. Caine answers her with “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus,” as in the Hail Mary. He later calls her “my Mary, full of mercy.”

the fourth day

While Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulinae: Amborotubus clarkei is an actual species of beetle, my notes on it are entirely ficticious.

In the bathroom, Jibreel's dialogue runs in this order: “I adore you devoutly,” as in the Hymn “adoro te devote.” She then adds the first line of the confession, with Azrael's name in place of the Lord's. In brief, it runs thus: “I confess to Azrael that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault.” She then turns to the Kaddish in Hebrew and has this to say: “Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored elevated and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he- above and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations which are uttered in the word; and say Amen.”

the fifth day

When Jibreel is making pancakes, the prayer she references is the Blessing Before Meals. The translated text is as follows: “May the King of Everlasting Glory make us partakers at the heavenly table.” Azrael's common pet name for Jibreel is “Columba” which is simply Latin for dove, her cherubic animal. Further instances of this will not be noted separately. Jibreel calls Azrael “carus Deum” which translates to “beloved God.”

On the rooftop, when Jibreel is discussing her state of mind with Gabriel, she says “Kyrie Eleison,” Greek. “Christ have mercy.” She later calls Azrael “El Shaddai” roughly “God All-Mighty.” Then she quotes Psalms 23:10 “Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory.” Her next line is a quotation from Laudes Divinae, “Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.” “El Elyon” is “Most High God.” When she calls her mother “Maman” it is a direct reference to Camus, The Stranger. “Adoremus” is the verb for “to adore.”

At the church, the lyrics Azrael is haunted by are Pie Jesu, and the lines themselves are “Merciful Jesus who takes away the sins of the world, grant them rest.” The inset text is from a traditional Thursday night reading of Compline in Latin. It begins such: “Open my mouth, O Lord, to bless thy holy name: cleanse also my heart from all vain, evil and distracting thoughts; enlighten my understanding, inflame my will, that I may worthily recite this Office with attention and devotion, and deserve to be heard in the presence of thy divine Majesty.” The next bit of inset Latin is “Brethren: Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.” Jibreel's short call to God for patience is “Deus meus,” or simply, “My God!” Her response to the prayer is “Deo gratias” or “Thanks be to God.” When Jibreel thinks quietly to herself, she is quoting Genesis 3:17. Azrael's final reflection is “Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison,” “God have mercy, Christ have mercy.”

The inset text from Gabriel's section at the hospital are the lyrics from Candle on the Water.

the sixth day

The lines Jibreel reads to Buboe are from The Plague, Albert Camus, and are the final lines of that book.

Hedera helix – English Ivy; Paeonia lactiflora – Peony.

Metatron's suggestion to Zadkiel is “Un posto al sole.” Italian. Literally: “A place in the sun.”

Although Gabriel references “AD” meaning “After Death,” it of course means “Anno Domino,” “In the Year of the Lord.” Perhaps then she should think “In the Year of the Lorry.”

the seventh day

When Rachel considers the comments of his family, his mother says “Famiglia,” which is Italian, properly “family,” although here it is intended with mafia overtones. His sister says “Imperium in imperio,” which translates to “a kingdom within an empire.”

When Jibreel has her books and parchments spread around her, I thought I might make of the less well-known classifications. Pentateuch – the first five books of the Torah, as well as the Old Testament. Septugaint – the Greek translation of the New Testament. Vulgate – the Latin canon of the Bible.

Jibreel's first quotation in this scene is Luke 11:23. Azrael's answer is from St. Cyprian's Unity of the Catholic Church, chapter six. Jibreel responds with a quotation from the Patterson-Meyer translation of the Gospel of Thomas, saying 39. Azrael responds again with Matthew 16:19. Jibreel calls Azrael “Domine,” simply “God.” Jibreel's next quotation is from the Apocalypse of Thomas, the Vienna fragment. Jibreel also calls Azrael “te Deum,” simply “my God.”

the eighth day

Sink or swim for this day on your own. No cliffnotes.

the ninth day

Zadkiel prays the rosary with the Our Father and the Hail Mary in English. Samand'riel sings Jesu Dulcis Memoria in Latin. The translation of the verse he sings is as follows: My tongue and words cannot express, their usefulness is low. But having felt is to believe, sweet Jesus' love to know. “Blessed is He who has sent down the Word to His servant that he may be a Warner to all the peoples.” -- The Holy Quran 25:2. Her next inset is also a saying of Muhammad. That it will be as 'quick as a string of beads falling together' is one way the Islamic apocalypse is described.