Church History and Latin

[Darnok]

One thing I’ve wondered which covers the whole Church but TLM Mass as well. Why is the Latin Mass in Latin? On a broader level, why did the Church select Latin as its official language in the first place?
I would have thought Greek or Aramaic (even Hebrew) would have been better choices (since these are the languages used when writing the Scriptures).

 

[Rolltide]

That’s easy… for most of the early part of church history, Latin was the vernacular language. It was the language of the Roman Empire, and when Christianity became legalized, it was the language that most people would have been familiar with. The New Testament was written in Greek, which certainly would have been understood by many in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, but not that many people outside of the Middle East spoke Hebrew. So, when it came time for St. Jerome to translate the Bible, Latin was the obvious choice. Eventually, with the dissolution of the empire in 476 AD, Europe fragmented and other languages slowly developed. Even then, however, most of these languages (Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, Provencal, and so on…) were based on or evolved from Latin. It has only been in relatively recent times that knowledge of Latin by the educated has waned.

 

[Darnok]

That’s easy… for most of the early part of church history, Latin was the vernacular language.

The vernacular? Interesting. Countless times I heard that it was Greek. Latin was supposedly the language of the emperor. The idea supposedly goes that it was the language of the people when the empire was fledgling.
Greeks were respected philosophers. When Greece was conquered by Rome, the Greeks were marched off as slaves to educate Roman children. In the process, the Greeks agreed to teach the children. They also taught the children their language and began the Roman gods began the process of evolving out of the Greek ones.

Eventually, with the dissolution of the empire in 476 AD, Europe fragmented and other languages slowly developed. Even then, however, most of these languages (Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, Provencal, and so on…) were based on or evolved from Latin.

Yes, this is the start of the romance languages.

It has only been in relatively recent times that knowledge of Latin by the educated has waned.

Oddly enough other languages also developed the reputation of “the educated’s language.”

At the time of the Revolutionary War, the educated also spoke French.

 

[patrick457]

The vernacular? Interesting. Countless times I heard that it was Greek. Latin was supposedly the language of the emperor. The idea supposedly goes that it was the language of the people when the empire was fledgling.
Greeks were respected philosophers. When Greece was conquered by Rome, the Greeks were marched off as slaves to educate Roman children. In the process, the Greeks agreed to teach the children. They also taught the children their language and began the Roman gods began the process of evolving out of the Greek ones.

Greek was the international language (very much like English in the modern world), yes, thus it was the language usually spoken by the well-educated elite, as most of the literature studied by Romans was written in Greek.

Latin, meanwhile existed in two forms:
Vulgar Latin-Latin as spoken ‘in the streets’ by the general populace; this is the actual spoken language of the (western) Roman Empire.

Classical Latin-The Latin which Cicero, Virgil and others wrote; a highly stylized and polished written literary language selectively constructed from early Latin, of which far fewer works remain. It is the product of the reconstruction of early Latin in the prototype of Attic Greek. This is the type of Latin that is the legal and governmental language of the Roman Empire.

Latin could never displace Greek, however, and thus, after the Eastern and Western Roman Empire split into two, Greek became the dominant language of the Byzantine Empire.

 

[Anacharius]

Before I can go into detailed explaination, first I must humbly ask you good foilks to lay aside the secular explaination of WHY???
We must first humbly and sincerely call to mind, that this is about Christ Jesus and Holy Mother Roman Catholic Church, and NOT us.
Christ Jesus IS The Son of The Living God. Christ Jesus is Co-equal to The Heavenly Father in Justice, LOVE, Mercy, Forgiveness. Being Co-equal implies that Christ Jesus has NO LIMITS, He is INFINITE like His Heavenly Father is.
One of the many REASONS that Christ Jesus came, is to fulfill Scripture.
1 Machabee’s chapter #8, verses 20 to 30. Christ Jesus fulfilled that INFINITELY Perfectly. Christ Jesus would of spoken the venacular Latin, the language of the everyday common folk due to being a Foster Son of a Carpenter. In the eyes of the Roman Empire Christ Jesus had no significant importance in the Roman Empire, like that of a Roman Army General or Roman Senator, therefore no classical Latin, but He probably knew Classical Latin too, as as well the Greek language due too the former Greek influence and business trading aspects.
Once again I am writing about The Son of The Living God, not some mere mortal man who is FINITE. Until we can come to grips that Christ Jesus HAS NO LIMITS, I shall cease writing for a few days while you good folks who are trying to be better Roman Catholic’s, contemplate, and meditate on Christ Jesus having NO LIMITS on His LOVE, Mercy, Forgiveness literally.
This is due too one trying to bring in the arguements about
Aramaic, Hebrew language would of been spoken, etc.

God Bless,

Tom
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A.M.D.G.

 

[Harpazo]

The lingua franca of the educated was Greek, and Rome did use Greek in their liturgies for a few centuries before Latin was used.

Some Churches in the Catholic Church use Syriac (form of Aramaic), the language Christ spoke, such as the Maronites, the Chaldeans, Syriacs and others. In fact, Syriac was used all over the Middle East in countries like Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and even Iran before the Mohammadans came and brought in Arabic (which is close to Syriac).

The Latin Church is the only Church that uses Latin, and should return to using it frequently in their liturgies.

Al-Masih Qam!
Andrew

 

[kleary]

One thing I’ve wondered which covers the whole Church but TLM Mass as well. Why is the Latin Mass in Latin? On a broader level, why did the Church select Latin as its official language in the first place?
I would have thought Greek or Aramaic (even Hebrew) would have been better choices (since these are the languages used when writing the Scriptures).

The “Latin Mass” is said in Latin because it is the language of the Rite of Mass said in Rome. Many other good explainations are given previously for you to devour but more needs to be said.

Through natural evolution of the Church through time, Latin remained the language - never changing. Through time it was seen with the destruction of the Roman Empire and the language itself not being used in conversation- that Latin should be the official language of the Bible and the Mass because Latin is no longer subject to the changes that living languages go through.

You can see how much languages change by a simple example here.

Someone you do not know meets you today and asks you, “What’s up?” You tell the person, “Nothing much, What’s up with you?”

Now let’s go back 100 years. That same conversation using the same words means something totally different now correct?

There is also the issue of a sense of the sacred. Latin keeps a veil to many people who go to Mass between them and what is happening in the Sanctuary- instead of an Iconostasis separating the people from the action in the Sanctuary as it is in the Eastern Church- there is the language.

There is something that the use of one language throughout the Church does- it shows the fact of unity- wherever you would go - no matter what country you would go to- the Mass would always be the same- the same language no matter where you went.

I am sure Pope St. Pius V took all these facts into consideration- when he issued his decree in the 16’th century commanding all Catholic Churches to use the Latin Mass (save for those who’s liturgy has withstood the test of time).

Ken

 

[I_Believe]

One thing I’ve wondered which covers the whole Church but TLM Mass as well. Why is the Latin Mass in Latin? On a broader level, why did the Church select Latin as its official language in the first place?
I would have thought Greek or Aramaic (even Hebrew) would have been better choices (since these are the languages used when writing the Scriptures).

Have you read Veterum Sapientia ?

adoremus.org/VeterumSapientia.html

A must read for Catholics