Latin

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Latin . In such provinces as Judæa the Latin language alone had place in official acts and Roman courts. Where Greek was allowed in court pleadings, it was, so to speak, an act of grace on the judge’s part, and there can be little doubt that, e.g ., the speech of Tertullus in   Acts 24:1-27 was in Latin. The Latin words used in a Greek form in the NT are mainly administrative, legal, or military (e.g. census, custodia, prÅ“torium, colonia, libertinus, centurio, legio ), or names of Roman coins ( denarius, quadrans ), but the total number of such Latin words occurring is only about 25. The Gentile names adopted by Jews were generally of Greek form (e.g. Philip ) a Latin form like the name of St. Paul was an exception (to be expected perhaps with one so proud of Roman citizenship). Throughout Palestine, while Latin was the language of the administration, Greek was the main language of commerce, and Aramaic the language of common intercourse among Jews. Hence we find all three languages used for the superscription on the cross (  Luke 23:38 ).

A. E. Hillard.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) A native or inhabitant of Latium; a Roman.

(2): ( a.) Of or pertaining to Latium, or to the Latins, a people of Latium; Roman; as, the Latin language.

(3): ( n.) An exercise in schools, consisting in turning English into Latin.

(4): ( v. t.) To write or speak in Latin; to turn or render into Latin.

(5): ( n.) A member of the Roman Catholic Church.

(6): ( a.) Of, pertaining to, or composed in, the language used by the Romans or Latins; as, a Latin grammar; a Latin composition or idiom.

(7): ( n.) The language of the ancient Romans.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Ῥωμαϊστί (Strong'S #4515 — Adverb — rhomaisti — hro-mah-is-tee' )

an adverb, "in Latin," occurs in  John 19:20 , lit., "in Roman."

 Luke 23:38

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The language of the Romans. In scripture it is only mentioned as being one of the tongues in which Pilate wrote the inscription on the cross of the Lord Jesus.  Luke 23:38;  John 19:20 . A number of words in the Greek of the New Testament are borrowed from the Latin. Such are σπεκουλάτωρ, 'an executioner,' Lat. speculator; σουδάριον, 'a napkin,' Lat. sudarium; etc.

King James Dictionary

LAT'IN, a. Pertaining to the Latins, a people of Latium, in Italy Roman as the Latin language.

Latin church, the western church the christian church in Italy, France, Spain and other countries where the Latin language was introduced, as distinct from the Greek or eastern church.

LAT'IN, n.

1. The language of the ancient Romans. 2. An exercise in schools, consisting in turning English into Latin.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Lat'in. The language spoken by the Romans, is mentioned only in  John 19:20 and  Luke 23:38.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 John 19:20

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 John 19:20

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

LATIN. —See Title on Cross.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

lat´in  : Was the official language of the Roman Empire as Greek was that of commerce. In Palestine Aramaic was the vernacular in the rural districts and remoter towns, while in the leading towns both Greek and Aramaic were spoken. These facts furnish the explanation of the use of all three tongues in the inscription on the cross of Christ (  Matthew 27:37;  Mark 15:26;  Luke 23:38;  John 19:19 ). Thus the charge was written in the legal language, and was technically regular as well as recognizable by all classes of the people. The term "Latin" occurs in the New Testament only in  John 19:20 , Ῥωμαΐστί , Rhōmaistı̄ , and in  Luke 23:38 , Ῥωμαΐκοῖς ( γράμμασιν ), Rhōmaikoı̄s ( grámmasin ), according to Codices Sinaiticus, A, D, and N. It is probable that Tertullus made his plea against Paul before Felix (Acts 24) in Latin, though Greek was allowed in such provincial courts by grace of the judge. It is probable also that Paul knew and spoke Latin; compare W.M. Ramsay, Pauline and Other Studies , 1906, 65, and A. Souter, "Did Paul Speak Latin?" The Expositor , April, 1911. The vernacular Latin had its own history and development with great influence on the ecclesiastical terminology of the West. See W. Bury, "The Holy Latin Tongue," Dublin Review , April, 1906, and Ronsch, Itala und Vulgata , 1874, 480 f. There is no doubt of the mutual influence of Greek and Latin on each other in the later centuries. See W. Schulze, Graeca Latina , 1891; Viereck, Sermo Graecus , 1888.

It is doubtful if the Latin syntax is clearly perceptible in the koinē (see Language Of The New Testament ).

Deissmann ( Light from the Ancient East , 117 f) finds ἐργασίαν δίδωμι , ergası́an dı́domi ( operam dare ) in an xyrhynchus papyrus letter of the vulgar type from 2nd century Bc (compare  Luke 12:58 ). A lead tablet in Amorgus has κρίνω τὸ δίκαιον , krı́nō tó dı́kaion (compare  Luke 12:57 ). The papyri (2nd century AD) give συναίρω lo&gon, sunaı́rō lógon (compare  Matthew 18:23 f). Moulton (Expositor, February, 1903, 115) shows that τὸ ικανὸν ποιεῖν , tó hikanón poieı́n ( satisfacere ), is as old as Polybius. Even βούλιον λαμβάνειν , sumboúilion lambánien ( concilium capere ), may go with the rest like σὺ ὄψη , sú ópsē ( Matthew 27:4 ), for videris (Thayer). Moulton (Prol., 21) and Thumb ( Griechische Sprache , 121) consider the whole matter of syntactical Latinisms in the New Testament inconclusive. But see also C. Wessely, "Die lateinischen Elemente in der Gracitat d. agypt. Papyrusurkunden," Wien. Stud ., 24; Laforcade. Influence du Latin sur le Grec . 83-158.

There are Latin words in the New Testament: In particular Latin proper names like Aquila, Cornelius, Claudia, Clemens, Crescens, Crispus, Fortunatus, Julia, Junia, etc., even among the Christians in the New Testament besides Agrippa, Augustus, Caesar, Claudius, Felix, Festus, Gallio, Julius, etc.

Besides we find in the New Testament current Latin commercial, financial, and official terms like ἀσσάριον , assárion ( as ), δηνάριον , dēnárion ( denarius ), κεντυρίων , kenturı́ōn ( centurio ), κῆνσος , kḗnos ( census ), κοδράντης , kodrántēs ( quadrans ), κολωνία , kolōnı́a ( colonia ), κουστωδία , kōustōdia ( custodia ), λεγεών , legeṓn ( legio ), λίτρα , léntion ( linteum ), λιβερτῖνος , libertı́nos ( libertinus ), λίτρα , lı́tra ( litra ), μάκελλον , mákellon ( macellum ), μεμβράνα , membrána ( membrana ), ίλιον , mı́lion ( mille ), μόδιος , módios ( modius ), ξέτης , xéstēs ( sextarius ), πραιτώριον , praitoriṓn ( praetorium ), σικάριος , sikários ( sicarius ), σιμικίθιον , simikı́nthion ( semicinctium ), σουδάριον , soudárion ( sudarium ), σπεκουλάτωρ , spekoulátōr ( speculator ), ταβέρνα , tabérna ( taberna ), τίτλος , tı́tlos ( titulus ), φελόνης , phelónēs ( paenula ), φόρον , phóron ( forum ), φραγέλλιο , phragéllion ( flagellum ), φραγελλόω , phragellóō ( flagello ), χάρτης , chártēs ( charta? ), χῶρος , chṓros ( chorus ).

Then we meet such adjectives as Ἡρωδιανοί , Hērōdianoı́ , Φιλιππήσιοι , Philippḗsioi , Χριστιανοί , Christianoı́ , which are made after the Latin model. Mark's Gospel shows more of these Latin words outside of proper names (compare   Romans 16 ), as is natural if his Gospel were indeed written in Rome. See also Latin Version , The Old .

Literature.

Besides the literature already mentioned see Schurer, Jewish People in the Time of Christ , 504 II, volume I, 43 ff; Krauss, Griechische und lateinische Lehnworter im Talmud (1898,1899); Hoole, Classical Element in the New Testament (1888); Jannaris, Historical Greek Grammar (1897); W. Schmid, Atticismus , etc. (1887-97); Kapp, Latinismis merito ac falso susceptis (1726); Georgi, De Latinismis N T (1733); Draeger, Historische Syntax der lat. Sprache (1878-81); Pfister, Vulgarlatein und Vulgargriechisch (Rh. Mus., 1912,195-208).

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( ῾Ρωμα Þ Κός , Boman,  Luke 23:38; ῾Ρωμα Þ Στί , in Roman,  John 19:20), the vernacular language of the Romans, although most of them in the time of Christ likewise spoke Greek. See the monographs on the subject cited by Volbeding, Index, page 135. (See Latinisms).