In sempiternum pereant

[Boris P. Adams]

In The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories is a tale by Charles
Williams entitled Et in Sempiternum Pereant. I think this translates as
And let them pass away into everlasting (punishment) or maybe Let them
pass away even into everlasting (punishment). I'm not sure how the et
should be translated. Is this a quote from the Vulgate?

[Ed Cryer]

Post by Boris P. Adams
In The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories is a tale by Charles
Williams entitled Et in Sempiternum Pereant. I think this translates as
And let them pass away into everlasting (punishment) or maybe Let them
pass away even into everlasting (punishment). I'm not sure how the et
should be translated. Is this a quote from the Vulgate?

A Google search brings up only refernces to this story. Which seems to
exclude a direct quote from the Latin Vulgate.
Even the Book of Revelations.

It means literally "And let them perish for ever". Don't worry about the
"et". Latin (like Greek) loved to join sentences together with conjunctions
where English just wouldn't use them. Hence all the "ands" and "buts" and
"yea verily's" of the St James Bible.

Although this didn't show up in my search, I did hit upon this from St
Augustine Sermon 170;
http://www.sant-agostino.it/latino/discorsi/discorso_221_testo.htm

Moriendum est mundo, ut Deo in sempiternum vivamus
One must die to the world, in order to live for ever with God.

A far more salutary thought for a Sunday than the wrathful book title.

Regards. Ed