Hebel est omnis Adam

From Man is but a breath: the lasting legacy of Elder William Brewster by Grant Hayter-Menzies

Perhaps in no fewer words is the enormous character of an individual captured so neatly, and poignantly, as in what is believed to be the personal motto of Elder William Brewster (circa 1566-1644), forefather to me and to millions of other people living today. Indeed, as Rabbi Howard Berman of Boston once noted, Brewster stands as one of the greatest symbolic ancestors of all Americans.

Brewster wrote his motto, “Hebel est omnis Adam”, a combined Hebrew and Latin phrase, in at least three books from his wide-ranging library. He was echoing a line in Psalm 39 of the Old Testament, the theme of which is the brevity of life, the emptiness of vanity, and the irony of men who, as Shakespeare later put it, fret and strut their hour upon the stage and then are heard no more.  A poetic translation might be, “Man is but a breath.” It’s an apt motto for a man whose physical appearance, despite his historical fame, remains a mystery.

It’s easy to read such a sentiment as less than cheerful. We all have dreams we’d like to fulfill, to make our mark despite reversals and the inevitability of death. Brewster was well qualified to know all about the fragility of hopes, dreams, position, security, even selfhood, and of all things desirable believed permanent once attained. He had survived enough metamorphoses to cover several lifetimes.  Yet when he was knocked down, he got back up.  So Brewster’s motto, I think, is to some degree ironic—and far more inspirational than we suppose.

Brewster's chosen motto, "Hebel est omnis Adam" was inscribed in at least three books of his personal library. 

 

Click to enlarge.

Elder William Brewster, my 10th great-grandfather.  An astonishing life.