A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin

by John F. Collins

Written for those charged with the responsibility of teaching the Latin of the Church, this book aims to give the student within one year the ability to read ecclesiastical Latin. It includes the Latin of Jerome's Bible and that of canon law, liturgy, scholastic philosophers, Ambrosian hymns, and papal bulls.

Genres: Language, Catholic, Reference, Academic, Textbooks, Nonfiction

451 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1985

Reviews

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collins, John F. A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin. Washington D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1991 [1985].

The book is exactly what the title claims. It introduces the student to the structure of the Latin language with an eye towards medieval church sources. It's set up similar to most Latin textbooks, except that the practice exercises have a more "churchly" flavor.

If the student has had some other foreign language (preferably Greek or German), then this book won't present any difficulties as concepts like "declensions" will be quite familiar. The beginning of the book is quite user-friendly. The practice exercises are very basic and there aren't many. By the end of the book, however, the student will be translating 50-70 one sentence verses from the Vulgate.

The book claims that you can translate medieval Latin after one year of study. I think that is mostly true. However, the book needs supplementing by other Latin texts. While there are useful morphology charts at the end of the book, by the last part of the book the author stops translating new concepts and verb forms. Other texts like Henle's will fix this quite nicely.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to Church Latin with useful drill, English-to-Latin translation, and an increasing amount of Latin from the Vulgate and liturgical texts in every chapter. By ch. 35 you are reading Latin, and lots of it, without first mentally translating into English. Collins' organization and discussions of vocabulary are perceptive, and his offered 'standard translation' of different subjunctive usages very helpful. Good selection of additional readings follows the 35 chapters of textbook grammar. Sitzfleisch was required, but I worked through every exercise and reading in the textbook in 28 days of the Christmas break, making cards for vocabulary I simply could not remember. (My progress was eased because I already knew the Latin paradigms.) I referenced the answer key for the last 8 chapters, when the English-to-Latin translation became more difficult. Highly recommended.

[Jonah Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. This was my textbook for learning Latin. Structure is simple, easy to follow, and assignments are manageable.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book in about one-year's time going along with the LatinStudy email group. It inspired and empowered me to translate the Holy Scriptures from Latin to English, though I've not made time to do that yet formally. Still, it has been helpful during those times that I want to find out what the Latin really said, especially on occasions when the English translation used at Mass has seemed "off" to me.

[William Herbst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this text in a cours taught at a local seminary. It served my purpose well - to provide a quick introduction to Latin for bright students with little or no background in the subject. Basically Moreland and Fleischer with vocabulary keyed to an ecclesiastical context.

[Maranatha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book enables me to pass my Latin language exam in time. I have used about half a year to finish the language. Topics are grouped together and are well-organized. The answer keys to the book is important also.

[Ilya Kozlov · Rating 4 out of 5]

very practical introduction to latin....i can get what words mean in my roman missal.....can not be used without answer guide

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, primarily for the vocabulary and etymology. The grammar is basically what you'll find in Wheelock.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good introduction to Latin, and with lots of exercises from the Vulgate to get you reading latin.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent way to develop a Christian voice in one's Latin. The text itself is clear yet academic. The progression is beginning to end with regards to appropriateness of readings is commendable.