Latin

Historically, classical studies, that is, learning Latin and Greek and reading, commenting upon, editing, and transmitting a canon of traditional texts, was the mother and perpetual handmaiden of other disciplines in the monastic schools of early Christendom, as well as in medieval universities. It is fitting, therefore, that the mater atque ancilla studiorum continue to form those who will dedicate their lives to the transmission and interpretation of Christian and Classical literature, a patrimony that includes Homer and the Pentateuch, Aristotle and Chrysostom, Cicero and Jerome.

In answer, then, to the wishes of recent Roman Pontiffs, the Classical and Early Christian Studies program at Christendom College is designed to promote the study of Latin and Greek at all levels, and Hebrew to a lesser extent, so as to read Sacred Scripture and the works of the Fathers of the Church in their original languages, a worthy and ultimately necessary preparation for those engaged in the defense of the Faith. To lack knowledge of Greek and Latin is, to borrow the language of Veterum Sapientia, to risk losing the true, the positive, the noble, the beautiful that past ages produced and that has been a part of the patrimony of Christendom. To be unlettered in Latin or Greek impoverishes a Christian scholar, since the accident of what has been translated would determine what he knows of our sacred or secular heritage.

Requirements for the Classical and Early Christian Studies Major and Minor

Thirty (30) semester hours of advanced courses (300-level and above) are required for the major; they include the Senior Thesis (CECS 512, 3 credits) and a minimum of twenty-one (21) upper-division hours of Latin and Greek language. Of these twenty-one hours a minimum of six (6) must be in upper-division Latin and six (6) hours in Greek. Up to six (6) hours of Biblical Hebrew may also be credited toward the major.

Students who complete a major in the CECS department will 1. write research papers according to the standards of the discipline. 2. interpret canonical authors according to the standards of the discipline 3. write Latin or Greek correctly. 4. recognize rhetorical devices.

A student may apply to his major up to nine (9) hours of coursework under rubrics other than LATN, GREK, and HEBR that explore significant aspects of Graeco-Roman or early Christian civilization. Six (6) of these nine hours should be selected from courses under the CECS rubric. Such courses may include, but are not limited to

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CECS/ENGL CECS/HIST CECS/HIST CECS/HIST PHIL PHIL PHIL PSAE THEO THEO 321 Classical and Early Christian Literature 309 History of Ancient Greece 310 History of Ancient Rome 311 History of the Byzantine Empire 322 Plato 323 Aristotle 324 Philosophy of St. Augustine 421 The Classical Political Theory 341 The Ante-Nicene Fathers 342 The Post-Nicene Fathers

The minor in Classical and Early Christian Studies is attractive for the student of another discipline who would like to ground his studies–literary, historical, theological, philosophical, or otherwise–in the Classical or early Christian world. The minor requires eighteen (18) credit hours of advanced courses (300-level and above). Twelve (12) of these hours must be attained through a combination of Latin, Greek, or Hebrew classes; the remaining six (6) hours may be in approved coursework under rubrics other than LATN, GREK, and HEBR that treat some aspect of Graeco-Roman or early Christian civilization.

A course grade of at least C-minus is necessary for a course to fulfill the department’s major or minor requirements.

Latin

The language of the Catholic Church and of traditional Western Christendom is an indispensable discipline for restoring Catholic learning and training future Christian scholars. The department offers one year each of elementary and intermediate Latin for students to fulfill the foreign language requirement. This cycle is obligatory for students majoring in Philosophy or Theology, and is recommended for those majoring in English, unless they have attained qualifying competence already. Competence may be demonstrated by successfully completing an upper-division course (300-level and above). Students majoring in Philosophy may opt to take two years of Greek in place of Latin. In addition, courses in Classical, Patristic, Medieval, and Scholastic Latin literature are available for the advanced student. All courses carry 3 semester hours unless otherwise specified. All Latin courses at the 300-level or above require the permission of the chairman and individual professor, or the simple pre-requisite of LATN 202. With the permission of the chairman and individual professor, all upper-division Latin electives may be repeated for credit.

LATN 101-102 Elementary Latin I & II An introduction to the grammar, syntax, and lexicon of Latin. Students are expected to progress as readers and writers of Latin. N.B.: Successful completion of LATN 101 or the permission of the Academic Dean is the prerequisite for entrance into LATN 102

LATN 199 Freshman Transitional Latin An accelerated review of Latin grammar coupled with a course of readings in Latin literature, this course is intended for freshmen who have had at

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