Scholaquadrata.Com Course Outline Textbook: Collins, J. F. (1988) a Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin. (Paperback Ed.) Washington
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scholaquadrata.com Course Outline Textbook: Collins, J. F. (1988) A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin. (Paperback ed.) Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press. Additional Resources: Audio-Visual Recordings and other multimedia instructional materials will be provided during the course. These include: MP3 (audio) recordings of reading materials, PowerPoint presentations, MP4 (video) lectures and interviews, PDF exercises and reference materials. Course Description: This course is an introduction to the very exciting world of Ecclesiastical Latin (hereafter, EL). Our focus will be on The Vulgate Bible (Biblia Sacra Vulgata) and mastering the skill of reading it with both ease and no small measure of joy. Learning this form of Latin will unlock the world of Canon Law, Roman Catholic Liturgy, Scholastic philosophers, Gregorian Chants, Ambrosian Hymns, Papal Bulls and a whole lot more. Intended Learning Outcomes By the end of this course, you will be able to read from both the New and Old Testaments of the Latin Bible with relative ease and with much enjoyment. Being able to read, for example, the Book of Psalms or the Gospels in Latin will open your mind not only to the world all those men and women throughout history who have also read them in Latin but also to the world of those who actually wrote them: among them, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, the decidedly un-saintly Abelard and his beloved Héloïse, and the list is almost endless. Structure and Sequence of Class Activities: Our course is divided into three main parts: A. Preliminaries B. Learning Tasks C. Readings and Other Adventures Let’s take a closer look at each one: scholaquadrata.com A. Preliminaries In the opening part of our course, we will learn about the historical context of EL and how it fits into the story of Latin as a whole. We will learn how to pronounce not merely in a correct way but with style and grace, which is deeply important for all sorts of reasons that you will discover in due course! B. Learning Tasks Our textbook is divided into 35 units, which we will group into 7 blocks. I have named these blocks after the 7 hills of Rome (fig. 1)! We will start on the Aventine (pretty cheap real estate in the old days) and move from hill to hill until we reach the Palatine, the swankiest part of ancient Rome! 1 Module 1: Aventine: Units 1-5 Figure 1: The 7 Hills of Rome: Modified from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seven_Hills_of_Rome.svg On this hill, we will learn how Latin nouns and prepositions work, so that we will be able to say what a thing is and where it is. We will learn about the most important Latin verb: sum (am) and how it works. We will learn about adjectives. And we will get a clear idea about the Latin verb system. Module 2: Caelian: Units 6-10 The Caelian Hill is pretty cool. Here, we will learn even more about Latin verbs. We will learn how to talk about ourselves and other people. We will learn the passive voice, and how to talk about the future and begin learning how to talk about the past in a detailed way! Module 3: Esquiline: Units 11-15 We’re really moving now! There is a great view from the Esquiline Hill, and while we are here, we will learn more about the past tense, and we will also learn how to talk about 1 The content listed for each hill is a very general overview of what we will learn. On each hill, we will learn much, much more than what is listed here! How exciting! scholaquadrata.com what we are able to do using the verb posse: to be able. We will learn how to talk about things that we finished long ago as we master the pluperfect tense, and we will learn more about a new kind of noun that lets us talk about kings (reges), mothers (mātrēs) and many other things. Module 4: Viminal: Units 16-20 Standing on the Viminal, we have reached the half-way mark in our journey. While we are on this hill, we will begin reading texts actually taken directly from the Vulgate. It’s really exciting! We will learn how to tell people what to do with commands. We will learn to use participles to say what people are doing as they are doing something else. We will learn more adjectives that will allow us to describe things more accurately. We will have a deeper encounter with the beauty and excitement of irregular verbs. We will also learn a new kind of noun that lets us talk about things (rēs). Also, we will encounter the magnificently fantastic class of verb known as the deponent! Module 5: Quirinal: Units 21-25 We are now more than half way to our destination! On the Quirinal, we will learn a great deal more about Latin verbs. In particular, we will learn the wonderful mood known as the subjunctive! We will no longer be restricted to expressing what merely is but what could be, would be, might be or should be, and we will learn it is several tenses! Also, we will be reading some very interesting texts—not only lots and lots directly from the Bible but also, among others, the Gloria, the Nicene Creed and the Salve, Regina! It is very exciting!!! Module 6: Capitoline: Units 26-30 Here, on the most important hill of Ancient Rome, we will learn more about the subjunctive so that we can finally talk about what might have been. We will learn to ask direct and indirect questions. We will learn how to compare things and how to tell people NOT to do things. We will be reading many famous parts of the Gospels and the Epistles: among them, St. Paul’s understanding of the Last Supper, The Marriage at Cana, The Calling of the First Apostles, The Second Sign at Cana and the Expulsion of the Devils at Gerasa. Module 7: Palatine: Units 31-35 At long last! Here we are, astride the Beverly Hills of Ancient Rome! On this, our final hill, we will finish up various aspects of Latin grammar that we need to dip into in order to have all the basics covered. We will learn more about infinitives and the wondrously fantastic, supremely irregular verbs “to carry” (ferō) and “to become” (fīō). We will be reading some really beautiful stuff! We will read/sing the Easter Sequence known as the scholaquadrata.com Victimae Paschali Laudes (one of my personal favorites). We will read more about the Expulsion of the Devils at Gerasa, Tantum Ergo by St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Peter’s Discourse in Caesarea, the story of how Mary saw the risen Christ and the story of the Conversion of Saul of Tarsus (the soon to be St. Paul). SO NOW WHAT??? C. Readings and Other Adventures Well, when you’ve seen all seven hills, it’s time to jump the Tiber (fig. 2)! We will now begin the supreme joy of moving through the Further Readings section of out textbook and a few others that I will provide in addition to that rich selection. We will go through the Ordinary of the Mass, The Exsultet, Chapters 1 & 2 of Luke’s Gospel, the extraordinarily Figure 2: Jump the Tiber and land on the Vatican Hill! beautiful song entitled Stabat Mater among many, many others! Grading Procedures and General Considerations: Deadlines, etc. This course is self-paced, so there are NO DEADLINES as such. Your tuition payment allows unlimited access, so there is no deadline! Nevertheless, the course is designed to be finished in just under one year, so ready, get set: take your time, but don’t waste it! .