The Main Reason I Learned Latin by Gary Bisaga.

I am a great fan of C.S. Lewis. However, one difficulty that has long plagued me is that when he is addressing cultured and highly educated audiences, he throws in foreign phrases, assuming (probably correctly) that his audience knew the languages as well as he. French is not uncommon; Greek is used occasionally; but by far the foreign language he uses most often is Latin. He was clearly almost as comfortable with Latin as with English, and most of his usages are actually references to some ancient or Medieval Latin manuscript.

My problem with this was that every time I came to such an example, I had to “bleep” over the Latin. And it happened more often than I would like that the passage in question was a key part of the point being discussed. The example that I would like to give appears in one of his speeches on apologetics (i.e. defending Christianity in public). He finished with a paragraph on the relation between science and apologetics, relating how some recent discoveries in science may help support the Christian cause. But he cautioned apologists not to put too much weight of their arguments on the scientific discoveries because scientists are always changing their theories as they get more information. The talk ended “klj asldkjaio sd wer kjsdf lkjsdes is a sound principle,” which reflects how I read the Latin phrase at the beginning.

I read this essay a number of times and finally could not take it anymore. I decided I would learn Latin to figure out what was going on here and in other places. I put the essay out of my mind and I started taking an Internet-based Latin course using Wheelock’s (the standard college Latin textbook). Around chapter 24, I come upon a reading from the Aeneid about the Trojan horse. As an aside, I had always assumed the Trojans were a bunch of rubes happily pulling in this Greek-built horse without ever suspecting it was full of soldiers. In reality, in the story a number of Trojans protested against bringing in the horse, saying that the Greeks wouldn’t just leave this wonderful gift without “strings attached.” Chief among the protesters was Laocoön, a Trojan priest, who said “Men of Troy! What are you thinking? … It could be a trap … “ and then ended with the famous phrase “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes!” … “I fear the Greeks even when they bear gifts!”

I immediately remembered the phrase from Lewis that I had puzzled about; Lewis’ sentence was “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes is a sound principle.” It suddenly all fell into place: the scientists seemed to Lewis to be coming to Christians bearing gifts (in the form of arguments favoring Christianity). One should consider them, he argued, but to base our entire apologetic on them is as unwise as the Trojans putting all their faith in the Greeks and their wooden horse. I saw how Lewis effectively used Laocoön’s phrase, evoking memories of the seemingly friendly Greeks and how it turned out badly for the “men of Troy.” My understanding not only of the specific sentence but also of Lewis’ entire article was greatly enhanced. I suddenly felt that, by learning Latin, a whole world (the last 2,000 years) was opened up to me.

This example is unusual only in its dramatic impact. Many times since similar situations have occurred. To me, these are reason enough for having spent the hours required to learn Latin, which I now love as Lewis did.