The Death of Latin and the Rise of the Vernacular

Marshall High School Western Civilization II Mr. Cline Unit TWO KA * The

• Introduction: Latin is Magic

• If you've ever read or watched the Harry Potter series, you might have noticed they use some funny words when casting a spell, like 'Accio!' or 'Expecto Patronum!'

• If you were curious, you might have looked up some of these phrases and realized that a lot of these words are Latin.

• 'Accio' means 'I summon,' and 'Expecto Patronum' means 'I look for a protector.'

• From this, you might get the mistaken impression that Latin is magic.

• As someone who has dabbled in Latin for a couple of decades, I can assure you that simply speaking Latin and waving around a stick does not make any magic happen. Believe me, I've tried. Though maybe I just need to work on my flick and swish.

• However, the idea that Latin is magic is very old indeed. It stems from a time when most important business, whether it be writing a law or getting to heaven, was conducted in Latin. * The Reformation

• Introduction: Latin is Magic

• At the same time, the vast majority of common people did not understand Latin at all. We call this time the Dark Ages.

• In fact, during communion, the Catholic priest at this time would say “Hoc Est Corpus Meum”, meaning this is my body. Of course, an illiterate public would simply mumble the words, and if you mumble this phrase what do you get?

• And indeed, it IS where the phrase “HOCUS POCUS!” originates

• See, Latin is magic!

• Why Latin Lingered

• The persistence of Latin into the Dark Ages might seem strange to us. After all, the Dark Ages occurred after the collapse of the Roman Empire. So why was anyone still speaking Latin?

• Well, for starters, the Roman Catholic Church had been tightly bound to the Roman Empire ever since the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine around 312 CE. * The Reformation

• Why Latin Lingered

• When the Roman Empire collapsed, the Church stepped in and assumed many of the trappings of the empire.

• They usurped the Imperial Seat of .

• They borrowed Roman vestments and symbols of authority.

• They copied the Roman hierarchy and bureaucracy.

• Considering all the distinctly Roman things the Church held onto, it is not surprising that they held onto Latin as well, even after the rest of Europe had stopped speaking it.

• All Church business, from decrees by the Pope in the Vatican to mass at the humblest parish, was conducted in Latin.

• Yet the Church did not simply hold onto Latin out of habit. There were several other good reasons to keep using Latin. * The Reformation

• Why Latin Lingered

• First of all, Latin was the international language of the time.

• Though commoners could not read Latin, the elite could.

• Latin allowed educated people to communicate across borders and language boundaries.

• Second, Latin lends authority. It does this in two ways:

• (1) by being incredibly old and • (2) by sounding awesome.

• Don't believe me? Tell me, which sounds cooler? In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, or In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti?

• You may doubt that this idea influenced the choices of the Church, but just imagine you're the head of a religion. * The Reformation

• Why Latin Lingered

• As such, your authority lies not in strength of arms but in peoples' imaginations.

• You hold authority only so long as people believe you hold authority.

• So what can you do to maintain this authority?

• You might deck yourself out in grand vestments or build grand buildings with impressive works of art.

• But even after that, you're just a bunch of people in silly hats standing ar