Latin Lesson: The Sign of the Cross, more nouns and adjectives

For your revision, I was going to suggest reciting the Regina Caeli, but as we are now out of Eastertide, (no matter whether you follow the OF or EF calendar) that might not be appropriate...  However, I think it worth doing - you would hate to have forgotten it by next Easter!


As today is Trinity Sunday, I thought it appropriate to look at the Signum crucis, the Sign of the Cross, with which we begin and end all our prayers.  Its origin is of course in Our Lord's instruction to baptise (St Matthew, 28:19)


So without further ado:


In nomine Patris et Filii  et Spiritus Sancti 
Amen


In nomine means 'in the name'.  The Latin word In may be followed by either the accusative or the ablative, with slightly different nuances.  Here we have the ablative (see here for an explanation of ablative and other cases).  


My school Latin dictionary helpfully notes: In + acc - into, on to, towards, against; In + abl - in, on, among, at, within, in relation to (a person).  


So we are praying in relationship with the name of...  Note too that 'name' is singular, in both the Latin and the English.  Not 'in the names of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit' etc, but 'in the name of...' (cf CCC §233: Christians are baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names, for there is only one God, the almighty Father, his only Son and the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity).


Patris, Filii and Spiritus are all in the same case, the genitive (of the Father, of the Son, of the Holy Spirit).  The endings are different because they are nouns of different declensions.  Pater, patris is third declension (like debitor, see previous post); Filius, filii is second declension (like dominus, see previous post); and Spiritus, spiritus is fourth declension, which we have not yet studied (see below).


Spiritus sancti introduces us to another important point. Sancti is an adjective, meaning holy, qualifying the noun Spiritus.  The rule in Latin is that an adjective must always agree with the noun which it qualifies in number, (ie singular or plural) gender (ie masculine, feminine or neuter) and case (ie nominative, vocative, accusative etc).


So here, because Spiritus is singular, masculine and genitive, sancti must be too.  Of course, being able to agree in all those ways means that the declension of adjectives is more complex than the declension of nouns.  I give the full declension of sanctus below.


Finally, Amen.  Amen is a Hebrew word, the final word in our prayer and the final word in the Bible.  Read CCC §1061 - 1065 for a wonderful exposition of its meaning and implications.




Nouns: 4th declension

Spiritus, spiritus (Spirit, breath) is a regular fourth declension noun.

                Singular       Plural

Nom :      spiritus        spiritus

Voc :        spiritus        spiritus

Acc :        spiritum      spiritus

Gen :       spiritus        spirituum

Dat :        spiritui        spiritibus

Abl :        spiritu         spiritibus

Adjectives: 1st declension

 Sanctus -a - um (holy)
                                             Singular      

                  Masc.                Fem.                 Neut.

Nom :     sanctus        sancta             sanctum

Voc :       sancte          sancta             sanctum

Acc :       sanctum      sanctam          sanctum

Gen :      sancti          sanctae            sancti

Dat :       sancto         sanctae            sancto

Abl :       sancto         sancta              sancto

                                          Plural

                 Masc.                Fem.                 Neut.

Nom :    sancti           sanctae             sancta

Voc :      sancti           sanctae             sancta 

Acc :      sanctos         sanctas             sancta 

Gen :     sanctorum   sanctarum       sanctorum

Dat :      sanctis          sanctis             sanctis

Abl :      sanctis          sanctis             sanctis