Meta Description: Join Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle in Parnassus Central. Discover if St. Paul spoke the Latin language, why the Future Perfect tense is statistically irrelevant, and what happens when you combine Alexander Souter with Anne Mahoney.
Introduction: Parnassus Central and the “Mahooter”
Welcome back to the bunker, listeners! In Episode 197 of the Ad Navseam Podcast, hosts Dr. Jeff Winkle (fresh from teaching the Periclean building program) and Dr. David Noe (taking a rest day from the gym) are broadcasting from “Parnassus Central.”
The theme of this episode is a scholarly mash-up. The hosts aim to combine the work of two diverse scholars: Alexander Souter (a Scottish textual critic from 1911) and Anne Mahoney (a computer scientist turned classicist from 2004). Dr. Noe proposes combining their names into “Suhoney” or “Mahooter”—though they decide to keep the articles separate to avoid confusion (and perhaps for good taste).
Whether you are interested in the linguistic capabilities of the Apostles or the statistical probability of encountering a supine in the wild, this episode has the data you need.
Part I: Did St. Paul Speak Latin?
The first half of the show digs into a 1911 article from The Expositor by Alexander Souter: “Did St. Paul Speak Latin?”.
Souter, a giant of New Testament textual criticism (and author of the indispensable Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament 1), argues that while Paul certainly spoke Greek and Aramaic, he likely knew the Latin language as well.
The Evidence for a Latin-Speaking Paul
Souter builds a cumulative case based on several intriguing points:
- The Titulus Crucis: The inscription on the cross was in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Souter argues this suggests Latin was the “ordinary language of some” in Palestine, particularly Roman soldiers.
- The “Roman Attitude”: Citing Sir W.M. Ramsay, Souter notes that Paul targeted Roman coloniae (colonies) like Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, and Philippi. In these cities, the aristocracy would have been Latin speakers.
- The Spanish Mission: In Romans 15, Paul expresses a desire to go to Spain. As Greek was not widely spoken in the West outside of coastal towns, Souter argues this intention implies Paul possessed the necessary Latin skills to preach there.
- The Corinthian Connection: This is Souter’s strongest evidence. He notes that half of the Corinthian Christians known to Paul had Latin names (Aquila, Priscilla, Fortunatus, Tertius). Furthermore, a textual variant in 1 Corinthians 14:18 regarding “tongues” (glossy vs. glossais) suggests an early Latin misunderstanding that Paul could speak all languages.
The Counter-Evidence
However, Souter admits the Romans were famously lazy about linguistic imperialism. Unlike modern empires, they never attempted to impose Latin on the East, preferring to govern in Greek. In fact, an analysis of inscriptions in Pontus (Studia Pontica) reveals only 1 Latin inscription for every 52 Greek ones.
Part II: The Forms You Really Need to Know
In the second half, the hosts turn to Anne Mahoney’s groundbreaking 2004 article, “The Forms You Really Need to Know”.
Mahoney, utilizing the massive Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University, crunched the numbers on over 4 million words of Greek and Latin to determine which grammatical forms actually appear “in the wild”.
The Pie Chart Revelations
The results are a relief to struggling students everywhere:
- Nouns: The Nominative and Accusative cases account for the vast majority of forms in both languages11. In Latin, the Dative brings up the rear at only 11%.
- Verbs: The Present Indicative Active is king. In Latin, the Present and Perfect tenses combined make up over 80% of all verb forms.
- Rare Forms: The Future Perfect is “decidedly rare” (0.9% in Latin). The Subjunctive and Optative moods in Greek appear much less frequently than textbooks suggest—less than 9% combined.
The Takeaway: Teachers should focus on the Indicative and the common tenses. As for the Gerundive (Dr. Noe’s favorite) and the Supine, they are rare enough that beginners shouldn’t lose sleep over them.
Sponsors
This episode of Ad Navseam is supported by:
- Della Chelpka Art: Capture your favorite moments in oil paint. Use code APELLES for 10% off at dellachelpka.art.
- Hackett Publishing: Build your own library of Souter and Mahoney. Use code AN2025 for 20% off and free shipping at hackettpublishing.com.
- Ratio Coffee: Whether you choose the Ratio 8 or the new Ratio 4, get the best brew. Use code ANRATIO2025 for $20 off at ratiocoffee.com.
Gustatory Parting Shot
Dr. Winkle closes the show with a linguistic treat from cartoonist Nathan W. Pyle (Strange Planet). Pyle reimagines English food names using a “classical” genitive construction:
“I wish more foods were named like Cream of Wheat:
- Soup of Tomato
- Pie of Pumpkin
- Salad of Caesar
- Corn of Candy
Valete! (And send us your audio clips for Episode 200!).
Resources for the Latin Learner
Latin Per Diem: Want to learn the 80% of Latin forms that actually matter? Dr. Noe’s courses take you ab initio. Use code 10PLUS for a discount at latinperdiem.com.
