ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός· ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων.I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.Ich bin der gute Hirte. Der gute Hirte läßt sein Leben für die Schafe.Je suis le bon berger. Le bon berger donne sa vie pour ses brebis.
In the Latin, however, the first instance of "the good shepherd" is inverted so that "good" is a post-positive adjective: "pastor bonus." Such an inversion results in a chiasm: "pastor bonus bonus pastor." The word chiasm comes from Greek letter chi (χ), which resembles a cross. Between this resemblance to a cross and the context here of the good shepherd's "lay[ing] down his life for the sheep," the Latin Vulgate translation seems to be hinting at the crucifixion.
