Latin question
November 16, 2004 11:44 AM Subscribe
Inspired by a thread below, I have another Latin question..[plus]
In a discussion the other evening at a friend’s house, the subject of Angels and Demons came up. I had always been taught that the venerable Novus Ordo Seclorum was translated to “new order of the ages”. Apparently, Brown, in the QuasiHistoroFictionNonFiction text says that is also translates to “new secular order”. I have also heard that is can translate to “new world order”. Now, my dear Magistra Greenwood’s ears are ringing as we speak, I am sure, as I did take the language from her for 4 years, but… I am pretty certain that it is “new order of the ages”, and this site supports that (and backs it up here), but then there is also this site that translates seclorum in a way that directly contradicts the first site. I don’t even know where to look now to get a good, definitive answer to my query. [bonus- help me out and I will send you the complete lyrics to “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” in Latin, as I memorized them in 10th grade.]
In a discussion the other evening at a friend’s house, the subject of Angels and Demons came up. I had always been taught that the venerable Novus Ordo Seclorum was translated to “new order of the ages”. Apparently, Brown, in the QuasiHistoroFictionNonFiction text says that is also translates to “new secular order”. I have also heard that is can translate to “new world order”. Now, my dear Magistra Greenwood’s ears are ringing as we speak, I am sure, as I did take the language from her for 4 years, but… I am pretty certain that it is “new order of the ages”, and this site supports that (and backs it up here), but then there is also this site that translates seclorum in a way that directly contradicts the first site. I don’t even know where to look now to get a good, definitive answer to my query. [bonus- help me out and I will send you the complete lyrics to “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” in Latin, as I memorized them in 10th grade.]
That is, it's new order of the ages, and not "new world order" or "new secular order" or stuff like that. Intuition could tell you that: if "seclorum" were a nominative singular adjective, it would be neuter, and "novus" is masculine. They couldn't both modify "ordo".
posted by kenko at 12:21 PM on November 16, 2004
posted by kenko at 12:21 PM on November 16, 2004
What Kenko said. Also, Dan Brown is an idiot. But you knew that.
If you'd like to read about the whole "Merovingian hypothesis" without Dan Brown's idiocy and hideous way with words getting in the way, I highly recommend Holy Blood, Holy Grail. It's written in that wonderful late-70s breathless English investigative-journalist style one doesn't see these days, alas.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:46 PM on November 16, 2004
If you'd like to read about the whole "Merovingian hypothesis" without Dan Brown's idiocy and hideous way with words getting in the way, I highly recommend Holy Blood, Holy Grail. It's written in that wonderful late-70s breathless English investigative-journalist style one doesn't see these days, alas.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:46 PM on November 16, 2004
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kenko at 12:18 PM on November 16, 2004