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ADNUNTIATIO MARIAE
ET
NATIVITAS CHRISTI
SECUNDUM EVANGELIUM SANCTUM LUCAE
A Magistro Holcomb
Ob Adventum, Anno Domini MMXI
O Sancte Hieronyme,
Contaminare opera tua
Non meditatus sum,
Sed succerrere
discipulos meos.
Itaque, te obsecro,
Ora pro me!
Hae Narrationes Diligentissime Adnotati Ac Aptati Sunt
De Biblia Sacra Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem
Pro Latina III Apud Paisley, Ludus Annorum Mediorum
Adnuntiatio Mariae et Nativitas Christi
Pagina II in VII
Hic Incipit Fabula
Adnuntiationis Mariae
A Gabrihel Archangelo
(A Capite I)
26 In mense sexto,1 autem,2 angelus Gabrihel3
missus est a Deo in civitatem Galilaeae, cui4
nomen erat “Nazareth.” 27 Is missus est ad
virginem desponsatam5 viro, cui nomen erat
“Ioseph,” qui erat de domo David.6 Et nomen
virginis erat “Maria.” 28 Et angelus, ingressus
ad eam, dixit, “Ave,7 tu quae es gratia plena,8 Dominus tecum est! Benedicta tu es
in mulieribus!” 29 Maria, cum vidisset angelum,9 turbata est propter sermonem
eius, et ea cogitabat qualis salutatio ista esset.10 30 Et angelus ait ei, “Ne timeas,11
In mense sexto: This refers to the 6th month of St. Elizabeth’s pregnancy with St. John the Baptist who was to be
the precursor of the Christ.
2
autem: St. Jerome uses this word to translate the Greek conjunction δέ, which is used repeatedly to introduce a
change of scene or speaker. In these instances, we normally translate it as “and” or “moreover.” One might,
however, be just as well to leave it out all together in some instances.
3
Gabrihel: ‫יאל‬
ֵ ‫ ַגּ ְב ִר‬Literally, “Strong man of God.” The archangel always seems to be the right angel for jobs of
this kind. Cf. Daniel 8-9. The –hel at the end of his name in the Latin transliteration is representative of the fact that
the Greek letter ēta (capital Η lowercase η) is used to represent the Hebrew tsērê. This Hebrew vowel point makes
a sound much as we would pronounce the English word ale. All of this is to say that the h is not aspirated when
pronouncing Gabriel's name in the Latin.
4
cui: This is one in a series of Datives of Possession.
5
desponsatam: The Perfect Passive Participle of desponso, desponsare, desponsavi, desponsatus, “ to betroth or
promise in marriage,” in the Accusative sg feminine form.
6
David: Here we have a Genitive of Possession. Remember that most Hebrew names that have been transliterated
into Latin do not decline unless it has been thoroughly Latinized such as the name Maria from the Hebrew Miriam.
7
ave: St. Jerome’s rendering of St. Luke’s χαîρε, the 2 sg. Present Active Imperative from the Greek verb χαίρω,
and is a common form of greeting like the Latin salve! Its root meaning, however, is “to rejoice,” or “be glad.” The
Latin aveo, avēre itself is has two nuances: “to farewell,” but also, “to be eager to do,” and “to long for.”
8
plena: The Adjective plenus, plena, plenum will often sound as though it had a Genitive relationship to the noun it
modifies regardless the case in which we find it. Here, St. Jerome uses gratia plena to translate the Greek
κεχαριτωμένη, which is the Perfect Passive Participle in the Vocative sg feminine form from χαριτόω. In the
Passive Voice, it means “to be highly favored,” and the Perfect Tense denotes a predisposition.
9
cum vidisset: This is what we call a “cum Temporal” clause which expresses the time “when” the action of the
main verb, in this sentence turbata est, took place. vidisset is the 3 sg. Pluperfect Active Subjunctive form of video,
vidēre. We will translate it, however, as though it were an Indicative: “when she had seen [the angel].”
10
qualis…esset: 3rd sg Present Active Subjunctive. Here, we have an Indirect Question. This construction uses the
Subjunctive because it is a real versus a rhetorical question, to which Gabriel does indeed give a real answer. Thus,
“what sort of salutation this was.”
11
ne timeas: 2nd sg Present Active Subjunctive of timeo, timēre. This is what we call a negative command, which is
the negative particle ne + the Hortatory Subjunctive. We will translate this clause as an Imperative, “Do not fear!”
Or, with a more romantic flair, "Fear not!"
1
Adnuntiatio Mariae et Nativitas Christi
Pagina III in VII
Maria, enim tu invenisti gratiam apud12 Deum. 31 Et ecce, Maria, concipies in
utero tuo et paries filium, et vocabis nomen eius ‘Iesum.’13 32 Hic erit magnus, et
‘Filius Altissimi’ vocabitur. Dominus Deus14 dabit illi sedem patris David eius, 33
et is regnabit in domo Iacob6 in aeternum. Non erit finis regni eius.” 34
Maria autem dixit ad angelum, “Quomodo fiet
istud15 quoniam virum non cognosco?” 35 Et
angelus respondens dixit ei, “Spiritus Sanctus
superveniet in te, et ideoque virtus Altissimi
obumbrabit16 tibi. Et infans qui nascetur,17 is
vocabitur ‘Sanctus’, ‘Filius Dei.’”
36 “Et ecce, Elisabeth, cognata tua, concepit
filium in senecta sua. Hic est mensis sextus
gravitatis eius illi quae vocatur sterilis 37 quia
omne verbum non erit inpossibile apud
Deum.” 38 Maria dixit autem, “Ecce, ego sum
ancilla Domini, fiat18 mihi secundum verbum tuum.” Tum, angelus discessit ab
illa.
Hic Incipit Fabula
Nativitatis Christi
(A Capite II)
1 Factum est autem19 in diebus illis edictum exiit a Caesare Augusto20 ut
describeretur21 universus orbis. 2 Haec prima descriptio22 facta est Quirino
apud, a preposition requiring the Accusative Case, usually means “at,” or “near,” but it can also mean “before,” or
“in the presence of.”
13
Iesum: ‫הוֹש ַע‬
ֻׁ ְ‫ י‬Literally, “YHWH saves.” Transliterated as Yeshua aka Joshua. In Latin, Jesus’ name declines as
a 4th Declension noun, so the dictionary entry is Iesus, Iesūs, m.
14
Dominus Deus: The translation of the well known Hebrew circumlocution of God’s name ‫ֹלהים‬
ִ ‫ יהוה ֱא‬or Adonai
(YHWH) Elohim.
15
istud: Nominative sg Neuter of iste, ista, istud.
16
obumbro, obumbrare: this verb takes a Dative as its object.
17
nascetur: This is the deponent nascor, nasci, natus sum, which is actually translated passively instead of actively.
18
fiat: The 3 sg. Present Active Subjunctive from fio, feri. Literally, “Let it come to be…”
19
Factum est autem: from fio, feri not facio, facere. Literally, “And it came to be (that)…” translating the Greek
ἐγένετο δέ and the Hebrew ‫וַ יְ ִהי‬. These are what the KJV translates so romantically as, “And it came to pass…”
12
Adnuntiatio Mariae et Nativitas Christi
Pagina IV in VII
praeside Syriae.23 3 Et ibant omnes ut profiterentur24 singuli25 se in suam civitatem.
4 Et ascendit26 autem Ioseph a Galilaea, de civitate Nazareth,6 in Iudaeam27
civitatem David,6 quae vocatur “Bethleem,”28
eo quod esset29 de domo et familia David.6 5
Is ibat cum Maria desponsata sibi uxore
praegnate30 ut profiteretur.20
6 Factum est autem cum isti ibi essent31
impleti sunt dies ut Maria pareret,32 7 peperit
filium suum primogenitum et pannis33 eum
involvit. Et ea reclinavit eum in praesepio
quia non erat eis locus in diversorio. 8 Et
20
Caesare Augusto: Caesar Augustus was Roman Emperor from 24 B.C. to 14 A.D. Be wary that this is an
Ablative of Separation and not Agent.
21
ut describeretur: 3 sg. Imperfect Passive Subjunctive of describo, describere. With the ut preceding the
Subjunctive verb, this is what we call a Purpose Clause because it describes the purpose of the main verb exiit.
Thus, “…(so) that the whole world might be written down.”
22
descriptio: Literally, “a delineation, copy, or transcript.” It does not seem to make much sense in this context,
but it is St. Jerome’s translation of ἀπογραφή, “a list or a register.” As to the nature and purpose of this
enrollment, it likely refers to an oath of loyalty to the emperor of which Judea took part circa 3 B.C.
23
Quirino: This refers to Publius Sulpicius Quirinus (51 B.C.-21 A.D.). Here, we have an Ablative Absolute.
Thus, “with Quirinus being...” praeside from praeses, praesidis, m. and f., “governor” or “procurator,” sits in a
predicative relationship to Quirinus.
24
ut profiterentur: A comparable construction to that of Footnote 22. Here, we have the 3 sg. Imperfect
Subjunctive of the Deponent verb profiteor, profiteri, professus sum “to declare” or “profess.”
25
singuli: The Nominative pl of the Pronominal Adjective singulus, -a, -um. This adjective can be difficult to
translate, we might take it best as “everyone” since it translates the Greek πάντες.
26
ascendit: Here, St. Jerome is translating ἀνέβη, “he went up,” because the expedition from Galilee to Judah,
though Judah is at a lower latitude, is, topographically speaking, an uphill journey.
27
Iudeam: A form of the Adjective Iudeus, Iudea, Iudeum.
28
Bethleem: ‫ ֵבּית ֶל ֶחם‬literally “house of bread,” is a Judean village about 90 miles south of Nazareth. It is also the
traditional place of King David’s coronation, cf. 1 st Samuel 16:1-13.
29
eo quod: Here the quod is, instead of the relative pronoun, the relative conjunction, which, when it is used thusly,
is often preceded by eo (perhaps to make this grammatical use clear?). esset is the 3 sg Imperfect Active
Subjunctive of sum, esse. quod, then, with the Subjunctive form of the verb, sets up what we call a Causal Clause.
quod as a Causal Particle takes the Subjunctive when the reason is given on the authority of another. Here, we have
it on St. Luke’s authority that this is true rather than St. Joseph himself. Thus, “Because he was…”
30
uxore praegnate: These words are drawing their Ablative quality from the preposition cum just as much as Maria
desponsata.
31
cum…essent: Another cum Temporal. Thus, “When they were there (in that place)…”
32
ut pararet: 3 sg. Imperfect Active Subjunctive of pario, parere, peperi, partus. See again note 22.
33
pannis: From pannus, -i, m. thus making it an Ablative of Instrument.
Adnuntiatio Mariae et Nativitas Christi
Pagina V in VII
pastores errant in regione eadem qui vigilantes supra greges suos et custodientes
vigilias noctis34. 9 Et ecce! Angelus Domini35 stetit iuxta pastores, et claritas Dei
circumfulsit illos. Et illi autem timuerunt timore magno. 10 Et angelus dixit illis,
“Nolite timere! Ecce enim! Evangelizo vobis gaudium magnum quod erit omni
populo. 11 Quia salvator natus est vobis hodie in civitate David, qui est Christus
Dominus.36 12 Et hoc erit vobis signum: invenietis infantem pannis involutum et
positum in praesepio.” 13 Et subito cum
angelo adfutura est multitudo militiae
caelestis, multitudo ipsorum laudantium
Deum et dicentium,37 14 “Gloria in
altissimis Deo! Et in terra pax in38
hominibus bonae voluntatis!”
15 Et factum est, ut angeli discesserunt
ab eis in caelum, pastores loquebantur ad
invicem, “Transeamus usque Bethleem,
et videamus39 hoc verbum quod factum est quod40 Dominus fecit et ostendit nobis.”
16 Et ei festinantes, venerunt in Bethleem et invenerunt Mariam, Ioseph, et
infantem positum in praesepio. 17 Ei videntes infantem autem, cognoverunt41 de
verbo quod dictum erat illis de puero hoc. 18 Et omnes qui audierunt illos locutos
mirati sunt de his verbis quae dicta erant ad ipsos a pastoribus.
vigilias noctis: Literally, “the watches of the night,” from the ancient notion of dividing the nights into
approximated 3 hour periods.
35
This time the angel is unspecified, though the argument could be made that it is Gabriel again since his message is
a messianic one.
36
Christus Dominus: Christus is, of course, the Latin transliteration of the Greek Χριστός, which is the translation
of the Hebrew ‫יח‬
ַ ‫“ ָמ ִש‬Messiah.” Dominus, of course, is again the circumlocution of the tetragrammaton YHWH.
All of this is a very clear designation by St. Luke of his perception of who Jesus is.
37
laudantium…dicentium: Genitive pl of the Present Active forms of the Participles. These participles cannot
directly modify multitudo, so there must be an implied ipsorum, illorum, or something of the like that has been
omitted. We render it, then, as something like “A multitude of those praising…(of those) saying…”
38
in hominibus: If the preposition were not here, we might be tempted to take hominibus as a Dative of Reference.
However, as an in + Ablative, we might render it “among(st) men.”
39
Transeamus…videamus: Both of these verbs are 1 sg Present Active Subjunctive. Here, we have a Hortatory
Subjunctive used to express a command. Thus, “Let us go over…let us see…”
40
quod…quod: Both of these are relative pronouns which have verbum for their antecedent.
41
cognoverunt: Probably “to inquire” in this instance.
34
Adnuntiatio Mariae et Nativitas Christi
Pagina VI in VII
19 Maria autem conservabat omnia verba haec, conferens haec in corde suo. 20 Et
pastores reversi sunt, glorificantes et laudantes Deum propter omnia quae audierant
et viderant sicut id dictum est ad illos.
Adnuntiatio Mariae et Nativitas Christi
Pagina VII in VII
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