Folia Theologica 17. (2006)

Uwe Michael Lang: Early Christian Latin as a Liturgical Language

EARLY CHRISTIAN LATIN AS A LITURGICAL LANGUAGE 147

A striking example for the use of adjectives with a similar meaning is found in Ambrose, where there are three epithets governing the substantive oblationem: scriptam, rationabilem, acceptabilem. In the later form of the prayer, Quam oblationem, the epithets are extended to five: benedictam, adscriptam, ratam, rationabilem, acceptabilemque. This accumulation of adjectives that are virtually synonymous helps to make the language of the prayer more solemn and rhetorically effective. Note also the adjective 'ratam' ('approved'), which is a legal term. Mohrmann comments: 'This monumental verbosity coupled with juridical precision, which is so well suited to the gravitas Romana but which also betrays a certain scrupulosity with regard to higher powers, was the typical form of expression of the old Roman prayer'.51

Another chain of adjectives is used in the anamnesis prayer after the consecration, which reads in Ambrose: 'offerimus tibi hanc immaculatum hostiam, rationabilem hostiam, incruentam hostiam, hu\% 7tavep cavxTup et calicem vitae aeternae'. The sequence of adjectives and the use of asyndeton are reminiscent of pagan Roman prayers.52 In the Gregorian Canon, this phrase is slightly changed to 'offerimus praeclarae maiestati tuae de tuis donis ac datis hostiam puram, hostiam sanctam, hostiam immaculatam, panem sanctum vitae aeternae et calicem salutis perpetuae' ('we offer unto thine excellent majesty of thine own gifts and bounty, the pure victim, the holy victim, the immaculate victim, the holy Bread of eternal life, and the Chalice of everlasting salvation'). There are several other interesting features in this revision, of which I would like to highlight a few: the simple ‘tibi’ is replaced with 'maiestati tuae' ('thy majesty'),

51 MOHRMANN, Liturgical Latin, p. 60; she also draws attention to the use conjunctions such as 'nec non et’ and 'sed ef. However, they are found in classical authors like Cicero, Virgil, Suetonius and Juvenal, and it would seem that they are simply a feature of late ancient Latin rather than a borrowing from Roman juridical language.

52 LAFFERTY, ‘Translating Faith from Greek to Latin’, pp. 48-49, cites a prayer attributed by Livy to Scipio as he sets out to invade Africa: ‘make them come back home with me healthy and safe victors, having conquered the enemy, decorated with spoils, laden with booty, and making their triumph; give them the opportunity of taking vengeance on their enemies and foes (salvos incolumesque victis perduellibus victores, spoliis decoratos, praeda onustos triumphantesque tnecum domum reduces sistatis; inimicorum hostiumque ulciscendorum copiam faxitis)’; Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 29,27,2-4.