Greek and Latin Resources


Aids for Learning Ecclesiastical Languages

Latin

Latin is the official language of the Catholic Church, and is used in all of her major documents. Despite what many mistakenly say, the Catholic Church has not abandoned the use of Latin, and its use is still encouraged, and even expected. Learning Latin is useful for appreciating ancient Christian prayers and theological writings. Latin is also the root of many English words, and learning Latin grammar has helped many learn English grammar better. The value of learning Latin cannot be overestimated. If you need a better reason, this Latin phrase says it all: quid latine dictum sit, altum videtur, "anything said in Latin sounds profound."

Links:

Latin Resources at About.Com This is an extremely thorough collection of Latin resources.

Latin Grammars Scroll down for a choice of five public domain Latin grammars. They are in .pdf format.

The Vulgate Online This site has the Vulgate, St. Jerome's Latin translation of the Scriptures, conveniently collected online. The print editions are kind of pricey, so this is a good place to go.

Perseus Online Latin Dictionary A complete Latin-English Dictionary.

Multi-Language Texts of Christian Writers This site contains a huge number of Catholic documents in a variety of languages, including Latin. This includes Church Fathers, medieval writers, and documents from Church Councils. This site will keep those interested in Church history and ancient languages very busy for quite awhile.

Books:

Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin John F. Collins

Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin Leo Stelton

Wheelock's Latin Frederic Wheelock

Oxford Latin Course I (Classical) Balme and Morwood

Oxford Latin Course II (Classical) Balme and Morwood

Oxford Latin Course III (Classical) Balme and Morwood

New College Latin-English Dictionary John Traupman

 

Greek

Greek is the language of the New Testament, and of many Church documents past and present. Even many early Western Christian writers, including Ss. Irenaeus, Hippolytus, and Clement, wrote in Greek, rather than Latin. Greek is also the language of the great Philosophers Plato and Aristotle, both of whom have influenced Christian theology tremendously. The Greek Bible, the Septuagint, was the Bible of choice for most of the early Church Fathers, and remains the official Bible of many Eastern Christians.

Links:

Greek Resources at About.ComThis site has a whole host of Greek language resources.

Herbert Weir Smith Greek Grammar This is a public domain grammar that is very useful for learning Greek and/or refreshing one's knowledge of the language.

Little Greek Greek resources and basic information about the language. A good place for beginners.

Multi-Language Texts of Christian Writers This site contains a huge number of Catholic documents in a variety of languages, including Greek. This includes Church Fathers, medieval writers, and documents from Church Councils. This site will keep those interested in Church history and ancient languages very busy for quite awhile.

Books:

Greek Before Christmas Steve Hays

Greek: An Intensive Course Hansen and Quinn

A Primer of Biblical Greek Clayton Croy

Reading Greek: Text JACT

Reading Greek: Grammar, Vocabulary, etc. JACT

Reading Greek: An Independent Study Guide JACT