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If you’re studying history, theology, or philosophy, chances are you’ve spent a lot of time with classical Latin – Cicero, Caesar, maybe Virgil. But most of the texts that really matter for your field weren’t written in that kind of Latin. Medieval and later Latin looks and feels different: the vocabulary shifts, the grammar loosens up, and the style reflects the world it came from. To really get inside the mindset of a particular era, you need to read what people actually wrote at the time, in their own Latin, not just the polished stuff from ancient Rome. It’s messy sometimes, but it’s also where the real insight lives.

My name is Marina Schumann, and I’ve been teaching Latin for Theologians at the University Centre for Protestant Theology “Matthias Flacius Illyricus” in Zagreb, Croatia, for the past twenty years. My background is in medieval studies, and I learned Latin by reading original texts, teaching myself the grammar and vocabulary along the way. Needless to say, I’m still learning. The more I discover, the more I’m drawn to uncover what lies beneath the surface of every single phrase. If you are as enthusiastic as I am about this beautiful and complex language,  the discussions this blog sparks might bring true revelations to all who join in.

Note: Since these are original, not didactic texts, you should have studied Latin for at least six months to a year and be familiar with key grammatical terms in order to follow my explanations. There are hardly any Latin texts that do not contain the passive voice, the subjunctive, the ablative absolute, the gerund, or the accusativus cum infinitivo (A.c.I.) construction. Therefore, even though the texts are categorised as easy, moderate, and difficult, the „easy“ ones will likely include these structures as well.