Why dead languages aren’t dead
Ava Behjat ’27
Copy Editor
Latin, Ancient Greek, Old Persian and Sanskrit…what’s the point? A modern language like Mandarin or Spanish seems more practical because their speakers remain alive. However, there are some flaws with this type of thinking.
Dead languages, whether we love them or not, have shaped our society, especially religion, since the dawn of civilization. Take the etymology of the word “religion” as an example. It comes from the Latin ‘re’ meaning “again” and ‘ligio’ meaning “connect” or “bind.” So, the original sense of religion was to “reconnect.”
In Roman religious contexts, the word also meant being possessed by the divinity of God which, interestingly enough, is the root of the word “enthusiasm” in Ancient Greek—“possessed by God.” It was this definition of religion that caught the attention of thinkers like Saint Augustine of Hippo and Albert Einstein— both of whom studied Latin. This gives religion a new essence— one that is more of a mystical, personal connection with God rather than an institution or doctrinal law.
Speaking of religion, we need to talk about the translations of holy texts!
One important instance is the story of Eve being created from Adam’s rib. The Hebrew word for rib is ala which appears, for example, in the Book of Daniel when a “bear had three [ala] in its mouth.” However, in Genesis, when Eve was being fashioned, it is written that God took a tsela - pronounced “seh-la” - which literally translates to “half” or “side.” The word tsela has been used over forty times in the Bible in reference to the side of the tabernacle or to one of the two gates of Soloman’s temple. So Eve is meant to be interpreted as equal, or one, with Adam - a duality.
Another example from Genesis is the misconception that Eve is Adam’s “helper.” The Hebrew word used to describe Eve is ezer, meaning “rescuer” which comes from two root words meaning “to be strong” or “to save.” In 2002, Pope John Paul II and the Church, in all of their wisdom, formally recognized these translation errors. However, they are unable to stop the printing of English editions.
Another example is the fact that the Seven Sins in Latin are all written in the feminine case (like in Spanish: “manzana” meaning “apple” is feminine). The reason behind this is that, to Latin speakers, the feminine case represented earthly concepts (which are entirely separate from the female sex) which, if taken out of balance, can deter us from God.
All of this aside, dead languages can help us better understand history, science and even one section on the SAT…kind of! Just because those who spoke these languages have since passed, that does not mean there is not a profundity in them that may not be present in our modern languages. Dead languages can inspire us towards a greater truth, one that reveals meaning within everything in existence, including words.