Vatican launches website in Latin

[docoflove1974]

I don't think there's any credit to give, certainly not as much as is popularly believed. Ancient Greek seems to have remained quite translatable, and didn't need a political/religious sponsor to do it. Likewise, Roman literature and language was just too widespread to disappear without the Church, and probabably would have survived well into the Middle Ages via the eastern Empire. By that time, the emergence of the universities and printing would have revitalized it.

 

I'd be careful of making such hypothetical comments, only because there are instances of wide-spread languages which are eventually lost to time. I think of the languages of Mesopotamia, of ancient Egyptian, which were languages of powerful empires, but which were lost over time. They both have evolved into other languages, both extinct and modern. It wasn't until archeological finds and plenty of work by academians and lay-people that these languages were decyphered, and work continues today. This easily could have been the fate of Latin. One cannot go back in time, fiddle with circumstances, and talk about what could have been ono such a large scale, in my opinion.

[Silentium]

I totally agree with Doc. The scriptoria played a crucial part in the preservation of Latin Literature and language, as Ludovicus pointed out. Not to mention the production of glosses to religious texts in latin (I am thinking of the Reichenau glosses to the Vulgata, for example, or the more peculiar Kassel glosses, providing equivalents in old German as well), a precious and invaluable source in the study of semantic shifts occurred over time and therefore a crucial element for the advancement of romance philology.

 

Bah..I am defending the Catholic Church, what is the world coming to? XD

[Ludovicus]

Here's an interesting resource on the survival of all Latin texts that have come down to us. From Amazon.com's webpage:

 

Texts and Transmission: A Survey of the Latin Classics (Hardcover)

by Leighton D. Reynolds (Editor), N.G. Wilson (Editor)

 

 

Here's a reviewer's comment:

 

A companion volume to the marvelous "Scribes and Scholars", this book lists every piece of Latin literature that exists from antiquity, by author, and details on what exactly our knowledge of that text is based. I.e. what manuscripts exist, when did it become known after the fall of the Western empire, to what extent was the work known in the middle ages, and when was it rediscovered in the renaissance.

 

L.D.Reynolds as editor has assembled a team of scholars second to none, each a recognised authority in the world of manuscripts, such as M.D. Reeve, Michael Winterbottom, R.J. Tarrant, etc.

 

Inevitably the treatment varies. 15th century Italian copies are mentioned in passing, unless they are the main witness. The footnotes are very limited, but usually enough to take the reader further, and will repay careful reading.

 

The great value of the book is that it makes it possible to gain an overview, in detail, of *all* the transmission. Many will be shocked at how thin the thread is by which most of these works have survived. It also allows the reader, who perhaps is familiar with only a few texts, to learn about others. My own interest is the transmission of the text of the Latin Father Tertullian, rediscovered by Rhenanus and Gelenius in the 16th century; but I learned interesting things about other work by these humanists on the Notitia Digitatum, and a study of Gelenius' methods on the De Rebus Bellicis. In the normal course of events, I would never have come across these links.

 

The book is a substantial reference work, and covers only the Latin classics. The Greek classics are not included - a companion volume would seem highly desirable, so how about it OUP? - nor the works of the Christian Fathers in either language.

 

Anyone mad about manuscripts will find this book of interest. The only problem is the price ... $316

[Nephele]

I totally agree with Doc...

 

I was waiting for our resident linguistics scholars, Doc and Silentium, to weigh in here. Thanks, both of you, for an interesting assessment. (If Andrew Dalby were around, I'd be looking forward to his posting here, as well.)

 

Bah..I am defending the Catholic Church, what is the world coming to? XD

 

While I'm not particularly inclined to peruse the Vatican's website of adhortations, scriptual writings, decrees, etc., all written in a language which I still insist is too good for the Church , I do thank the Catholic Church for maintaining this website:

 

http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/qview.html

 

If you click on the name of your continent, then from there click on the name of a city (containing a Catholic diocese) listed under the name of your country, you will find the Latin name which the Church has given to your city (printed in italics directly under the English name of the diocese).

 

It's fun to see that England's Westminister is "Vestmonasteriensis", Australia's Melbourne is "Melburnensis", Indiana's Indianapolis is "Indianapolitana", California's Los Angeles is "Angelorum in California", and New York is "Neo-Eboracensis".

 

-- Nephele

[Northern Neil]

If you click on the name of your continent, then from there click on the name of a city (containing a Catholic diocese) listed under the name of your country, you will find the Latin name which the Church has given to your city (printed in italics directly under the English name of the diocese).

I clicked on 'Europe'. Then I clicked on the bit on the toolbar at the top of the page, where it said 'postcode, search' etc. thinking that the Roman name of Barrow-in-Furness would appear. To my surprise I was directed to lots of photographs of attractive young women with slavic sounding names! Very odd..

Edited May 13, 2008 by Northern Neil

[Gaius Octavius]

I clicked on 'Europe'. Then I clicked on the bit on the toolbar at the top of the page, where it said 'postcode, search' etc. thinking that the Roman name of Barrow-in-Furness would appear. To my surprise I was directed to lots of photographs of attractive young women with slavic sounding names! Very odd..

 

http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/dgb2.html

 

Click on the one closest to you. Maybe Leeds?

If you don't succeed, make enquiry of Pope Mal(icious)adict.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Gaius Octavius

[Northern Neil]

Click on the one closest to you. Maybe Leeds?

If you don't succeed, make enquiry of Pope Mal(icious)adict.

Well, closest one to me so far is 'Екатерин' , 24, originally from Dnepropetrovsk, now residing in Preston.. hold on, no - Your revised link says it is 'Lancastrensis' or Lancaster. Fine, thats where I was born!

[Gaius Octavius]

'Екатерин'

 

Ekatarinburgh! Shades of St. Nicholas II.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Gaius Octavius

[Silentium]

While I'm not particularly inclined to peruse the Vatican's website of adhortations, scriptual writings, decrees, etc., all written in a language which I still insist is too good for the Church , I do thank the Catholic Church for maintaining this website:

 

http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/qview.html

 

If you click on the name of your continent, then from there click on the name of a city (containing a Catholic diocese) listed under the name of your country, you will find the Latin name which the Church has given to your city (printed in italics directly under the English name of the diocese).

 

It's fun to see that England's Westminister is "Vestmonasteriensis", Australia's Melbourne is "Melburnensis", Indiana's Indianapolis is "Indianapolitana", California's Los Angeles is "Angelorum in California", and New York is "Neo-Eboracensis".

 

-- Nephele

It is interesting to see how they've translated the English ones. Indianapolitana is just too funny, at least for an Italian speaker .

[Ludovicus]

Yes, India Napolitana! Wonder what they've done with Arkansas?