Ecclesiastical Latin
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Ecclesiastical Latin is the syntactically simplified and neologism-enriched form of Latin developed in the context of the occidental church, which emerged after 500 and is still in use today, among other things as the official language for church documents.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Latin remained the language of correspondence in its successor states. It persisted in the Latin Church, while in the territory of the Eastern Churches Greek continued to be cultivated as the language of communication.
Because Latin was only a second language and written language for many who used it, it was simplified compared to classical Latin. The so-called Church Latin that emerged from these needs borrowed from the sober, simple language of Caesar, whose writing De Bello Gallico is still used in Latin classes today. Caesar's writing also served to facilitate access to the liturgy for many priests in training.
In Western Europe of the Middle Ages, Church Latin was the written language of all ecclesiastical and secular documents and diplomacy - in the correspondence of the Catholic Church in part until the 1960s. For example, the original language of all documents of the Second Vatican Council 1962-1965 is a clear, relatively sophisticated form of Church Latin. A Latin suitable for modern use can be looked up since 1992 in the Lexicon recentis latinitatis, published on behalf of the Roman Curia.
Ecclesiastical Latin persisted as the language of schooling and later of the universities, while the spoken languages, which developed from Vulgar Latin (Romance languages), changed more. Ecclesiastical Latin was used not only by the clergy, but also by theologians, philosophers, lawyers and doctors. As the language of scholars, Church Latin was replaced by humanistic Latin during the Renaissance, but remained in the realm of the Catholic Church, where it is used as the official language of the Vatican City as well as in the liturgy.
The New Humanism of the 18th/19th century with its beginning of a modern philology condemned anew the Church Latin, which had been preserved in fragments in some areas of life, for example in the language of courts and officialdom (see Latin in Law) or in the terminology of chemistry and medicine. In popular parlance, this older Latin, which seemed unkempt to the humanistically educated, was referred to as "church and kitchen Latin".
One of the most famous works of early church Latin is the Vita Sancti Severini by Eugippius. It is also for historians a treasure trove of details from the political turmoil at the end of the migration of nations.
See also
- Medieval Latin
Questions and Answers
Q: What is Ecclesiastical Latin?
A: Ecclesiastical Latin is the Latin language used in documents of the Roman Catholic Church and in its Latin liturgies.
Q: Is Ecclesiastical Latin a distinct language?
A: No, Ecclesiastical Latin is not a distinct language but a form of Latin used for ecclesiastical purposes.
Q: Why did the Church issue the dogmatic definitions of the first seven General Councils in Greek?
A: The Church issued the dogmatic definitions of the first seven General Councils in Greek because Greek remained at first the language of the liturgy and the language in which the first popes wrote.
Q: Is the Holy See obliged to use Latin as its official language?
A: No, the Holy See is not obliged to use Latin as its official language.
Q: Why has Latin been reaffirmed as important for the Church by recent Popes?
A: Latin has been reaffirmed as important for the Church by recent Popes because of its ability to maintain theological precision and orthodoxy over time due to the stability of its words.
Q: What is the advantage of using Latin in the Church?
A: The advantage of using Latin in the Church is that the meaning of its words is less likely to change radically over the centuries, helping to ensure theological precision and orthodoxy.
Q: Can Latin be used for purposes other than ecclesiastical ones?
A: Yes, the same Latin language used for ecclesiastical purposes could also be used for commercial or other purposes.
