Ecclesiastical Latin: A Primer on the Language of the Church

Ecclesiastical Latin: A Primer on the Language of the Church offers a thorough introduction to the Latin language in 32 chapters, which can be completed in one academic year. The text presents each section in plain language, fully explaining complicated grammar terms which may be unfamiliar to a contemporary audience. Every chapter includes copious examples and practice sentences of the grammar covered, as well as stories drawn from the Vulgate, or Church tradition. In addition to encountering the vocabulary and grammar in practice sentences, the text also offers prayers from the liturgy which illustrate the grammar, as well as sentences which come directly from the corpus of original Ecclesiastical Latin. By the end of the book, students will feel comfortable reading through the Vulgate or praying the liturgy in Latin with more understanding. The grammar structures for each chapter roughly follow the organization of grammar as it is presented in Hans Orberg’s Lingua Latina. The student can thus practice more of the language in full immersion with confidence, while also learning the vocabulary and style of later Ecclesiastical Latin.

Charles G. Kim, Jr. is assistant professor of theology and classical languages at Saint Louis University and the author of The Way of Humility: St. Augustine’s Theology of Preaching.