Ecclesiastical Latin
Learn Latin by
reading the Vulgate.
Read the Psalms, the Gospels and the whole of St. Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae in Latin beside the English, with the grammar and meaning of every Latin word within reach. A companion for anyone who wants to read and pray in the language of the Church.
Beta Sacra Latina is in beta. Development is ongoing, and we are working to find and resolve remaining issues, including errors in grammar and word definitions.
What you can do
Reader
Read with understanding
Every word's meaning and grammar are already there. You read with understanding, the Latin and the English together.
Read Psalm 1Study
Study words you've read
What you read in the Scriptures becomes part of your vocabulary. Your review grows out of what you are reading, so your Latin deepens every time you sit down with it.
Open StudyTranslate
Know that you understand
Put your reading to the test and see exactly where you stand. Syntactically parse the Scriptures which you have practiced.
Open TranslateSyntax
The whole grammar, at hand
Every ending and paradigm you can find here. Settle the doubt and read on, or study the patterns until they are yours.
Open SyntaxThe library.
Every text below is Latin beside English, chapter by chapter. Books marked word by word also carry the grammar and meaning of each Latin word.
- Psalms Psalmi 150 chapters, 150 word by word
- Matthew Matthaeus 28 chapters, 28 word by word
- Mark Marcus 16 chapters, 16 word by word
- Luke Lucas 24 chapters, 24 word by word
- John Ioannes 21 chapters, 21 word by word
- Acts Actus Apostolorum 28 chapters, 28 word by word
- Prayers Orationes 7 chapters, 7 word by word
- Summa Theologiae, First Part Summa Theologiae, Prima Pars 583 articles, 583 word by word
Questions
Which texts can I read?
Start with the Psalms and the Gospels, in the Clementine Vulgate with the Douay-Rheims English alongside. We will be adding the rest of the Bible eventually.
What is the English translation?
The Douay-Rheims, the traditional English Bible of the Catholic Church. It was made from the Vulgate itself, so the Latin and the English line up closely.
Is this a Latin course?
No, and it will not replace a good teacher. This is where you read and practice every day, with Scripture and everything you do not yet know close at hand. Use it beside a book or a class, and on its own whenever you just want to read.