Storie & Archeostorie

How did the spread of Christianity reshape the Latin language? This question lies at the heart of a major new research initiative led by Professor Christian Hornung at the University of Bonn’s Faculty of Catholic Theology. Backed by €1.4 million from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for its first phase, the project will produce the Handwörterbuch des antiken christlichen Lateins (HACL), a concise dictionary of Early Christian Latin designed to become a standard reference for scholars worldwide.

Scheduled to run over 12 years, the initiative will examine the vocabulary of Latin Christian literature from Tertullian (2nd–3rd century AD) to Isidore of Seville (7th century AD). Rather than compiling a simple glossary, the dictionary will trace the evolution of words and concepts that emerged as Christianity transformed the religious, social, legal and intellectual landscape of the late Roman world.

Tracing the evolution of Christian vocabulary

The HACL will contain approximately 1,500 carefully selected entries, each chosen for its historical and linguistic significance. The dictionary will cover seven major thematic areas: Church institutions, law, ethics, liturgy, Biblical translations, theology, and philosophy and the history of ideas.

According to Professor Hornung, the project follows the successful completion of the Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum, the internationally renowned encyclopedia produced in Bonn between 1955 and 2026. The new dictionary is expected to become another essential reference tool for researchers working on Late Antiquity, classical studies, theology, philology, and the history of Christianity.

The project also reflects the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of modern humanities research by combining historical, linguistic, theological and digital approaches.

A digital platform alongside the printed edition

The dictionary will be published in ten volumes by the Belgian academic publisher Brepols in both printed and digital formats. In collaboration with the Cologne Center for eHumanities (CCeH) at the University of Cologne, researchers will also develop an online platform capable of visualizing lexical relationships and providing advanced digital access to the data.

The editorial board brings together specialists from several international institutions, including the universities of Bonn, Cologne, Udine, Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Notre Dame, and Eichstätt, highlighting the project’s international scope.

Beyond its lexicographical value, the HACL aims to illuminate how the rise of Christianity influenced the development of Latin itself, documenting the emergence of new concepts and meanings that accompanied profound cultural and religious transformations across the late antique Mediterranean.

Opening image: Vellum page from a copy of the “Etymologiae” by Isidore of Seville, 8th century manuscript. Source: Commons – https://belgica.kbr.be/BELGICA/detailstatic.aspx?RSC_BASE=SYRACUSE&RSC_DOCID=17500244&TITLE=&_lg=en-GB