Holy Tongues: The Preservation of Classical Languages by Religious Communities
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2013
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Swarthmore College. Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology
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Thesis (B.A.)
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en_US
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Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.
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Abstract
Latin and Hebrew are often called dead languages, but the fact is that they have endured for centuries without native speakers, in the form of religious ceremonies, prayers, and texts used in Roman Catholicism and Judaism. Their status as sacred languages is multifaceted: they are used to designate a moment or book as holy, often as part of a ritual, and in doing so they sometimes take on a perceived divine quality, especially since it is rare for laypeople to understand their words. The mysteriousness of these foreign languages, combined with their connection to God, can imbue Latin and Hebrew with a certain air of sanctity in their own rights, as sort of linguistic relics, and to those who understand them, usually clergy. But perhaps the most noteworthy feature of sacred languages is their role in identity formation for Catholics and Jews who attend services in Latin and Hebrew. Because the languages are closely tied up with a sense of community with Catholics and Jews of previous generations and other nationalities, and because they are a clear marker of difference, separating Catholicism and Judaism from other religions (and even other Catholics and Jews), Latin and Hebrew help to create a sense of identity. This paper aims to explore the ways that this occurs, and what this means for Catholics and Jews who attend services in "their" sacred language.