← Latinum Institute Ecclesiastical Latin Reading Course
◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᴱᶜᶜˡᵉˢⁱᵃˢᵗⁱᶜᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ²¹⁴ ◊factum
Welcome to Lesson 214 of the Latinum Institute Ecclesiastical Latin Reading Course. Today’s word is factum, “deed, act, thing done, fact.” It is the word the good thief uses on the cross, when he confesses that he and his companion are suffering justly: nam digna factīs recipimus, “for we receive the due reward of our deeds” (Luke 23:41).
What does factum mean in Ecclesiastical Latin?
Factum is a neuter noun of the second declension (factum, factī, n.). It is the perfect passive participle of faciō, “to do, to make,” used as a noun: literally “a thing done.” Its first meaning is a deed or an act, something a person has done, good or bad. From there it comes to mean an event, “what has happened,” and in the language of law a fact, as opposed to the law itself.
How does Latin differ from English here?
English “fact” has moved a long way from its Latin parent. To us a fact is a piece of true information, something that is the case. To a Latin reader a factum is first of all something done: a deed with a doer behind it. When the Vulgate wants to say “what happened,” it very often does not use a noun at all, but the participle with a verb: quod factum est, “what was done, what has come to pass” (Luke 8:35, Luke 2:15). The noun factum and the participle factum are the same word, and in Ecclesiastical Latin you will meet both on almost every page. The phrase factum est, “it came to pass,” which opens so many Gospel narratives (Factum est autem in diēbus illīs, Luke 2:1), is the same form again.
Latin also has no single word for the English idea of a “fact” as true information. Where English says “in fact,” Latin says rē vērā (“in the true thing”) or rē ipsā; where English says “the facts of the case,” Latin may say rēs, facta or quae gesta sunt. In canon law, however, factum is exactly the English “fact”: ignorance of the law (ignōrantia iūris) is distinguished from ignorance of a fact (ignōrantia factī).
English has borrowed the word. “Fact” came into English from factum in the sixteenth century, first in its Latin sense of “a deed”; that older sense survives in legal phrases such as “an accessory after the fact.” The Latin phrases ipsō factō (“by the very deed”) and dē factō (“in fact, as things actually are”) are still used in English.
Etymology: factum comes from faciō, facere, fēcī, factum, “to do, to make,” one of the commonest verbs in the language. From the same stem come factor (maker, doer), factiō (a doing; a party), and through French the English words “feat” and “feature.” The verb fīō, fierī, factus sum, “to become, to happen,” uses the same participle as its perfect: factum est, “it happened,” “it was made.”
Orthography: this course writes the word without marks, as factum. Some dictionaries print the a long (fāctum), by the rule known as Lachmann’s law; others leave it unmarked. The Ecclesiastical pronunciation does not distinguish vowel length in sound, and the stress is on the first syllable in either case. In the plural it has the neuter ending -a: facta, “deeds.”
Key Takeaways
✠ Factum, factī, n. (2nd declension) means a deed, an act, a thing done; then an event, and in law a fact
✠ It is the perfect passive participle of faciō, “do, make,” used as a noun: “a thing done”
✠ The Vulgate often says “what happened” with the participle: quod factum est (Luke 8:35)
✠ As a neuter noun, factum has the same form in the nominative and accusative, and its plural ends in -a (facta)
✠ Factum is the root of English “fact,” and survives in ipsō factō and dē factō
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factum /ˈfak.tum/: two syllables, FAK-tum. In a word of two syllables the stress always falls on the first. The c is /k/, because it stands before t, not before e or i.
factī /ˈfak.ti/, factō /ˈfak.to/, facta /ˈfak.ta/, factīs /ˈfak.tis/: the stress stays on fac.
factōrum /fakˈto.rum/: the genitive plural adds a syllable with a long ō, so the stress moves to to.
The ct is two clear sounds, /k/ then /t/, as in English “act.” It is never softened, as in Italian fatto. The u is always /u/ as in “rule.” Say “FAHK-toom.”
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214.1a Factum the-deed bonum good est is
214.1b Factum /ˈfak.tum/ deed.NOM.N.SG bonum /ˈbo.num/ good.NOM.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
214.2a Hoc this factum fact vērum true est is
214.2b Hoc /ok/ this.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ fact.NOM.N.SG vērum /ˈve.rum/ true.NOM.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
214.3a Facta the-deeds Chrīstī of-Christ mīrābilia wonderful sunt are
214.3b Facta /ˈfak.ta/ deed.NOM.N.PL Chrīstī /ˈkris.ti/ Christ.GEN.M.SG mīrābilia /mi.raˈbi.li.a/ wonderful.NOM.N.PL sunt /sunt/ be.3PL.PRES
214.4a Factum the-fact nēmō no-one negat denies
214.4b Factum /ˈfak.tum/ fact.ACC.N.SG nēmō /ˈne.mo/ no-one.NOM.M.SG negat /ˈne.gat/ deny.3SG.PRES
214.5a Dē about factō the-deed loquimur we-speak
214.5b Dē /de/ about.PREP+ABL factō /ˈfak.to/ deed.ABL.N.SG loquimur /ˈlo.kwi.mur/ speak.1PL.PRES.DEP
214.6a Puer the-boy factum deed suum his-own patrī to-father nārrāvit told
214.6b Puer /ˈpu.er/ boy.NOM.M.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ deed.ACC.N.SG suum /ˈsu.um/ his-own.REFL.ACC.N.SG patrī /ˈpa.tri/ father.DAT.M.SG nārrāvit /narˈra.vit/ tell.3SG.PERF
214.7a Mulierēs the-women factum the-event apostolīs to-the-apostles nūntiāvērunt announced
214.7b Mulierēs /mu.liˈe.res/ woman.NOM.F.PL factum /ˈfak.tum/ event.ACC.N.SG apostolīs /aˈpos.to.lis/ apostle.DAT.M.PL nūntiāvērunt /nun.tsi.aˈve.runt/ announce.3PL.PERF
214.8a Deus God nōn not sōlum only verba words sed but etiam also facta deeds nostra our videt sees
214.8b Deus /ˈde.us/ God.NOM.M.SG nōn /non/ not.ADV sōlum /ˈso.lum/ only.ADV verba /ˈver.ba/ word.ACC.N.PL sed /sed/ but.CONJ etiam /ˈe.tsi.am/ also.ADV facta /ˈfak.ta/ deed.ACC.N.PL nostra /ˈnos.tra/ our.ACC.N.PL videt /ˈvi.det/ see.3SG.PRES
214.9a Exiērunt they-went-out autem and vidēre to-see quod what factum done est was
214.9b Exiērunt /ek.siˈe.runt/ go-out.3PL.PERF autem /ˈau.tem/ and.CONJ vidēre /viˈde.re/ see.PRES.INF quod /kwod/ what.REL.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ do.PERF.PART.NOM.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
214.10a Facta deeds nōn not verba words fidem faith ostendunt show
214.10b Facta /ˈfak.ta/ deed.NOM.N.PL nōn /non/ not.ADV verba /ˈver.ba/ word.NOM.N.PL fidem /ˈfi.dem/ faith.ACC.F.SG ostendunt /osˈten.dunt/ show.3PL.PRES
214.11a Et and nōs we quidem indeed iūstē justly nam for digna things-worthy factīs of-our-deeds recipimus we-receive
214.11b Et /et/ and.CONJ nōs /nos/ we.NOM.1PL quidem /ˈkwi.dem/ indeed.ADV iūstē /ˈjus.te/ justly.ADV nam /nam/ for.CONJ digna /ˈdiɲ.ɲa/ worthy.ACC.N.PL factīs /ˈfak.tis/ deed.ABL.N.PL recipimus /reˈtʃi.pi.mus/ receive.1PL.PRES
214.12a Trānseāmus let-us-go-over usque as-far-as Bethlehem Bethlehem et and videāmus let-us-see hoc this verbum word quod which factum come-to-pass est has
214.12b Trānseāmus /tran.seˈa.mus/ go-over.1PL.PRES.SUBJ usque /ˈus.kwe/ as-far-as.ADV Bethlehem /ˈbet.le.em/ Bethlehem.INDECL et /et/ and.CONJ videāmus /vi.deˈa.mus/ see.1PL.PRES.SUBJ hoc /ok/ this.ACC.N.SG verbum /ˈver.bum/ word.ACC.N.SG quod /kwod/ which.REL.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ happen.PERF.PART.NOM.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
214.13a Et and sine without ipsō him factum made est was nihil nothing quod that factum made est was
214.13b Et /et/ and.CONJ sine /ˈsi.ne/ without.PREP+ABL ipsō /ˈip.so/ him.ABL.M.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ make.PERF.PART.NOM.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES nihil /ˈni.il/ nothing.NOM.N.SG quod /kwod/ that.REL.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ make.PERF.PART.NOM.N.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
214.14a Nam for quia because ipse himself Chrīstus Christ Verbum the-Word Deī of-God est is etiam even factum the-deed Verbī of-the-Word verbum a-word nōbīs to-us est is
214.14b Nam /nam/ for.CONJ quia /ˈkwi.a/ because.CONJ ipse /ˈip.se/ himself.NOM.M.SG Chrīstus /ˈkris.tus/ Christ.NOM.M.SG Verbum /ˈver.bum/ word.NOM.N.SG Deī /ˈde.i/ God.GEN.M.SG est /est/ be.3SG.PRES etiam /ˈe.tsi.am/ even.ADV factum /ˈfak.tum/ deed.NOM.N.SG Verbī /ˈver.bi/ word.GEN.N.SG verbum /ˈver.bum/ word.NOM.N.SG nōbīs /ˈno.bis/ we.DAT.1PL est /est/ be.3SG.PRES
214.15a Ignōrantia ignorance vel or error error circā concerning factum the-fact proprium one’s-own nōn not praesūmitur is-presumed
214.15b Ignōrantia /iɲ.ɲoˈran.tsi.a/ ignorance.NOM.F.SG vel /vel/ or.CONJ error /ˈer.ror/ error.NOM.M.SG circā /ˈtʃir.ka/ concerning.PREP+ACC factum /ˈfak.tum/ fact.ACC.N.SG proprium /ˈpro.pri.um/ own.ACC.N.SG nōn /non/ not.ADV praesūmitur /preˈsu.mi.tur/ presume.3SG.PRES.PASS
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214.1 Factum bonum est. → “The deed is good.”
214.2 Hoc factum vērum est. → “This fact is true.”
214.3 Facta Chrīstī mīrābilia sunt. → “The deeds of Christ are wonderful.”
214.4 Factum nēmō negat. → “No one denies the fact.”
214.5 Dē factō loquimur. → “We are speaking about what was done.”
214.6 Puer factum suum patrī nārrāvit. → “The boy told his father what he had done.”
214.7 Mulierēs factum apostolīs nūntiāvērunt. → “The women told the apostles what had happened.”
214.8 Deus nōn sōlum verba sed etiam facta nostra videt. → “God sees not only our words but also our deeds.”
214.9 Exiērunt autem vidēre quod factum est. → “And they went out to see what had happened.” (Luke 8:35)
214.10 Facta, nōn verba, fidem ostendunt. → “Deeds, not words, show faith.” (compare James 2:18)
214.11 Et nōs quidem iūstē, nam digna factīs recipimus. → “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds.” (Luke 23:41)
214.12 Trānseāmus usque Bethlehem, et videāmus hoc verbum quod factum est. → “Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that has come to pass.” (Luke 2:15)
214.13 Et sine ipsō factum est nihil, quod factum est. → “And without him was made nothing that was made.” (John 1:3)
214.14 Nam quia ipse Chrīstus Verbum Deī est, etiam factum Verbī verbum nōbīs est. → “For because Christ himself is the Word of God, even the deed of the Word is a word to us.” (Augustine, Tractates on John 24.2)
214.15 Ignōrantia vel error circā factum proprium nōn praesūmitur. → “Ignorance or error about a fact concerning oneself is not presumed.” (after the Code of Canon Law, can. 15 §2)
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214.1 Factum bonum est.
214.2 Hoc factum vērum est.
214.3 Facta Chrīstī mīrābilia sunt.
214.4 Factum nēmō negat.
214.5 Dē factō loquimur.
214.6 Puer factum suum patrī nārrāvit.
214.7 Mulierēs factum apostolīs nūntiāvērunt.
214.8 Deus nōn sōlum verba sed etiam facta nostra videt.
214.9 Exiērunt autem vidēre quod factum est.
214.10 Facta, nōn verba, fidem ostendunt.
214.11 Et nōs quidem iūstē, nam digna factīs recipimus.
214.12 Trānseāmus usque Bethlehem, et videāmus hoc verbum quod factum est.
214.13 Et sine ipsō factum est nihil, quod factum est.
214.14 Nam quia ipse Chrīstus Verbum Deī est, etiam factum Verbī verbum nōbīs est.
214.15 Ignōrantia vel error circā factum proprium nōn praesūmitur.
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These are the grammar rules for factum in Ecclesiastical Latin:
1. The declension
Factum is a neuter noun of the second declension, declined like verbum and cubiculum (Lesson 213).
Singular: factum (NOM), factī (GEN), factō (DAT), factum (ACC), factō (ABL), factum (VOC)
Plural: facta (NOM), factōrum (GEN), factīs (DAT), facta (ACC), factīs (ABL), facta (VOC)
2. Noun and participle
Factum is the neuter of factus, the perfect passive participle of faciō. The same form therefore does two jobs, and the reader must decide which in each sentence.
As a noun, it stands on its own and means “deed” or “fact”: factum bonum (214.1), facta Chrīstī (214.3), dē factō (214.5), digna factīs (214.11), factum Verbī (214.14), circā factum proprium (214.15).
As a participle, it is part of a verb, usually with est: quod factum est, “what was done, what has come to pass” (214.9, 214.12), factum est nihil, “nothing was made” (214.13). Here it agrees with a neuter subject (quod, nihil, or an understood “it”).
The two meet in the middle. Quod factum est in 214.9 is grammatically a participle, but in sense it is a noun phrase: “the thing that happened,” “the event.” That is exactly how the participle became a noun.
3. The neuter rule
In every neuter noun the nominative and accusative are the same, and in the plural both end in -a. Factum is subject in 214.1 and object in 214.4 (Factum nēmō negat). In 214.4 the word order is object–subject–verb: only the sense, and the nominative nēmō, show that factum is the object. Facta is subject in 214.3 and 214.10, and object in 214.8.
4. Adjective agreement
Adjectives agree with factum in the neuter: factum bonum (214.1), hoc factum vērum (214.2), factum suum (214.6), facta nostra (214.8), factum proprium (214.15). In 214.3 the adjective mīrābilia is neuter plural, agreeing with facta: mīrābilis is a third-declension adjective, so its neuter plural ends in -ia.
5. Dignus with the ablative
Dignus, “worthy,” takes the ablative of the thing one is worthy of. In 214.11 digna is neuter plural used as a noun, “things worthy,” and factīs is ablative plural: digna factīs, “things worthy of (our) deeds,” that is, the punishment our deeds deserve.
6. The partitive genitive with factum
Latin often puts a neuter word in the genitive after a word of quantity: nihil malī, “nothing (of) bad” (Luke 23:41, Section F). Mark 5:14 uses factum in this way: egressī sunt vidēre quid esset factī, literally “they went out to see what there was of (the) thing done,” that is, “what had happened.” Compare Luke 8:35 (214.9), which tells the same story with quod factum est.
7. Other forms in the examples
Loquimur (214.5) is a deponent verb: passive in form, active in meaning, “we speak.”
Suum (214.6) refers back to the subject puer, but agrees with factum, the thing owned: neuter accusative singular.
Trānseāmus and videāmus (214.12) are present subjunctives used as exhortations: “let us go over,” “let us see.”
Verbum in 214.12 is the Hebrew way of saying “thing, matter”: the shepherds go to see “this word that has come to pass,” the event the angel told them of. Latin verbum and factum here mean almost the same thing. Augustine plays on this in 214.14: the deed of the Word is itself a word.
Praesūmitur (214.15) is the present passive of praesūmō, “to presume, to take for granted.”
8. Related words
faciō, facere, fēcī, factum: to do, to make
fīō, fierī, factus sum: to become, to happen, to be made
factor, factōris, m.: maker, doer
opus, operis, n.: work, deed (the usual Vulgate word for “works,” as in James 2)
rēs gestae, rērum gestārum, f. pl.: things done, deeds, history (from gerō, “to carry on, to do”)
Common Mistakes
✠ Do not write factus or facta as the singular noun: the noun is neuter, factum, and facta is always plural.
✠ Do not translate every quod factum est as “the fact that.” In the Gospels it means “what happened” or “what was done.”
✠ Do not confuse factum est, “it happened, it was made,” with fēcit, “he did, he made.” Factum est is passive in form; fēcit is active.
✠ Do not pronounce factum like Italian fatto: the c and the t are both heard, /ˈfak.tum/.
✠ Do not use factum where English means “in fact” as an adverb. Latin says rē vērā or rē ipsā.
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Deeds and Words
Christian Latin is full of the pairing of word and deed. Luke describes Christ as vir prophēta, potēns in opere et sermōne, “a prophet, mighty in work and word” (Luke 24:19), and the Confiteor of the Mass confesses sins cōgitātiōne, verbō, opere et omissiōne, “in thought, word, deed and omission.” Factum belongs to this family: a factum is what a person has actually done, as opposed to what he has said or intended.
Augustine made the pairing a principle of reading. In his twenty-fourth Tractate on the Gospel of John, on the feeding of the five thousand, he tells his hearers to question the miracles themselves: Interrogēmus ipsa mīrācula, quid nōbīs loquantur dē Chrīstō: habent enim, sī intellegantur, linguam suam, “Let us ask the miracles themselves what they tell us of Christ: for they have, if they are understood, their own language.” Because Christ is the Word of God, he goes on, “even the deed of the Word is a word to us” (214.14). For the Fathers the Gospel facts are not only events to be believed but signs to be read.
The Facts of the Gospel
The Evangelists are careful about what happened. Again and again the Vulgate turns on the phrase quod factum est or quod factum fuerat: the shepherds go to see the word “which has come to pass” (Luke 2:15); the Gerasenes go out to see “what was done” (Luke 8:35); the parents of Jairus’ daughter are told to tell no one “what was done” (Luke 8:56); the centurion, seeing “what had been done,” glorifies God (Luke 23:47); Peter goes away from the empty tomb “wondering at that which was come to pass” (Luke 24:12). On the road to Emmaus Cleophas asks the stranger whether he alone does not know quae facta sunt, “the things that have been done,” in Jerusalem in these days (Luke 24:18). The Christian faith is a faith in events.
Factum in Canon Law
In the Church’s law factum has its full modern sense of “fact.” The Code of Canon Law (1983) distinguishes ignorance of the law from ignorance of a fact: “Ignorance or error is not presumed about a law, a penalty, a fact concerning oneself, or a notorious fact concerning another” (can. 15 §2: circā factum proprium aut circā factum aliēnum notōrium nōn praesūmitur). A penalty latae sententiae is incurred ipsō factō commissī dēlictī, “by the very fact of committing the offence” (can. 1314). From such texts the phrase ipsō factō passed into English.
Frequency and Register
Factum as a noun is common in Classical Latin, especially in Cicero, the historians and the lawyers, for a deed or an act. In the Vulgate the noun is less frequent than the participle: Scripture prefers opus for “work, deed” (secundum opera eius, “according to his works”) and the participle construction quod factum est for “what happened.” In later Church Latin, in theology and in canon law, the noun factum is the normal word for an act or a fact.
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From the Vulgate: Luke 23:41–43 (Clementine text) — The Good Thief
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Et and nos we quidem indeed iuste justly nam for digna things-worthy factis of-our-deeds recipimus we-receive
F.1b Et /et/ and.CONJ nos /nos/ we.NOM.1PL quidem /ˈkwi.dem/ indeed.ADV iuste /ˈjus.te/ justly.ADV nam /nam/ for.CONJ digna /ˈdiɲ.ɲa/ worthy.ACC.N.PL factis /ˈfak.tis/ deed.ABL.N.PL recipimus /reˈtʃi.pi.mus/ receive.1PL.PRES
F.2a hic this-man vero but nihil nothing mali of-evil gessit has-done
F.2b hic /ik/ this.NOM.M.SG vero /ˈve.ro/ but.ADV nihil /ˈni.il/ nothing.ACC.N.SG mali /ˈma.li/ evil.GEN.N.SG gessit /ˈdʒes.sit/ do.3SG.PERF
F.3a Et and dicebat he-said ad to Iesum Jesus Domine Lord memento remember mei me cum when veneris you-shall-have-come in into regnum kingdom tuum your
F.3b Et /et/ and.CONJ dicebat /diˈtʃe.bat/ say.3SG.IMPERF ad /ad/ to.PREP+ACC Iesum /ˈje.sum/ Jesus.ACC.M.SG Domine /ˈdo.mi.ne/ lord.VOC.M.SG memento /meˈmen.to/ remember.2SG.FUT.IMPV mei /ˈme.i/ me.GEN.1SG cum /kum/ when.CONJ veneris /ˈve.ne.ris/ come.2SG.FUT.PERF in /in/ into.PREP+ACC regnum /ˈreɲ.ɲum/ kingdom.ACC.N.SG tuum /ˈtu.um/ your.ACC.N.SG
F.4a Et and dixit said illi to-him Iesus Jesus Amen amen dico I-say tibi to-you Hodie today mecum with-me eris you-will-be in in paradiso paradise
F.4b Et /et/ and.CONJ dixit /ˈdik.sit/ say.3SG.PERF illi /ˈil.li/ him.DAT.M.SG Iesus /ˈje.sus/ Jesus.NOM.M.SG Amen /ˈa.men/ amen.INTERJ dico /ˈdi.ko/ say.1SG.PRES tibi /ˈti.bi/ you.DAT.2SG Hodie /ˈo.di.e/ today.ADV mecum /ˈme.kum/ me-with.ABL.1SG+PREP eris /ˈe.ris/ be.2SG.FUT in /in/ in.PREP+ABL paradiso /pa.raˈdi.so/ paradise.ABL.M.SG
Part F-B: Text with Translation
Et nos quidem iuste, nam digna factis recipimus: hic vero nihil mali gessit. Et dicebat ad Iesum: Domine, memento mei cum veneris in regnum tuum. Et dixit illi Iesus: Amen dico tibi: Hodie mecum eris in paradiso. → “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done no evil. And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.” (Douay-Rheims)
Part F-C: Latin Text Only
Et nos quidem iuste, nam digna factis recipimus: hic vero nihil mali gessit. Et dicebat ad Iesum: Domine, memento mei cum veneris in regnum tuum. Et dixit illi Iesus: Amen dico tibi: Hodie mecum eris in paradiso.
Part F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Digna factis. The adjective dignus takes the ablative: digna factis, “things worthy of our deeds.” The noun factum is here in its oldest sense, “deeds,” and the thief applies it to himself. The Douay-Rheims expands the two words into “the due reward of our deeds.”
Two verbs of doing. The thief says that he and his companion receive what their facta deserve, but that Christ nihil mali gessit, “has done nothing evil.” Gessit is the perfect of gerō, the verb of rēs gestae, “deeds, history.” Latin has two families for “doing”: faciō (factum) and gerō (gesta). In Luke 24:35 the disciples of Emmaus tell quae gesta erant in via, “what things were done in the way.”
Nihil mali. Mali is a partitive genitive after nihil: “nothing of evil,” “no evil.” The same construction appears with factum in Mark 5:14: quid esset facti, “what had happened.”
Memento mei. Meminī, “remember,” has only perfect forms with present meaning, and its imperative is mementō. It takes the genitive of the person remembered: mei, “of me.” Memento mei, “remember me,” is the whole of the thief’s prayer: three words, and the answer is paradise.
Cum veneris. As with cum oraveris in Lesson 213, Latin uses the future perfect: “when you shall have come.” The coming into the kingdom must be complete before the remembering.
Hodie mecum. The preposition cum is joined to the end of the personal pronoun: mecum, “with me,” as in tecum, nobiscum. Hodie stands first for emphasis: not some day, but “today.”
The text. This is the Clementine Vulgate, the Church’s Latin Bible from 1592 to the twentieth century. Some editions print iuste and Iesum with j (juste, Jesum); the words are the same.
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A short informational text, composed for this lesson, setting out the facts of Easter Day as Saint Luke records them (Luke 24). It is a pedagogical text, not a quotation, except where a verse is named: 214.24 is the second half of Luke 24:12, 214.26 is Luke 24:18, and 214.30 closes with Luke 24:34.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
214.16a Haec these sunt are facta the-facts prīmī of-the-first diēī day post after sabbatum the-sabbath
214.16b Haec /ek/ this.NOM.N.PL sunt /sunt/ be.3PL.PRES facta /ˈfak.ta/ fact.NOM.N.PL prīmī /ˈpri.mi/ first.GEN.M.SG diēī /diˈe.i/ day.GEN.M.SG post /post/ after.PREP+ACC sabbatum /ˈsab.ba.tum/ sabbath.ACC.N.SG
214.17a Prīmum the-first factum fact mulierēs the-women māne early ad to monumentum the-tomb vēnērunt came
214.17b Prīmum /ˈpri.mum/ first.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ fact.NOM.N.SG mulierēs /mu.liˈe.res/ woman.NOM.F.PL māne /ˈma.ne/ in-the-morning.ADV ad /ad/ to.PREP+ACC monumentum /mo.nuˈmen.tum/ tomb.ACC.N.SG vēnērunt /veˈne.runt/ come.3PL.PERF
214.18a Secundum the-second factum fact lapis the-stone ā from monumentō the-tomb revolūtus rolled-away erat had-been
214.18b Secundum /seˈkun.dum/ second.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ fact.NOM.N.SG lapis /ˈla.pis/ stone.NOM.M.SG ā /a/ from.PREP+ABL monumentō /mo.nuˈmen.to/ tomb.ABL.N.SG revolūtus /re.voˈlu.tus/ roll-back.PERF.PART.NOM.M.SG erat /ˈe.rat/ be.3SG.IMPERF
214.19a Tertium the-third factum fact corpus the-body Dominī of-the-Lord Iēsū Jesus in in monumentō the-tomb nōn not erat was
214.19b Tertium /ˈter.tsi.um/ third.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ fact.NOM.N.SG corpus /ˈkor.pus/ body.NOM.N.SG Dominī /ˈdo.mi.ni/ lord.GEN.M.SG Iēsū /ˈje.su/ Jesus.GEN.M.SG in /in/ in.PREP+ABL monumentō /mo.nuˈmen.to/ tomb.ABL.N.SG nōn /non/ not.ADV erat /ˈe.rat/ be.3SG.IMPERF
214.20a Duo two virī men in in veste garment fulgentī shining causam the-cause factī of-the-fact mulieribus to-the-women dīxērunt told
214.20b Duo /ˈdu.o/ two.NOM.M.PL virī /ˈvi.ri/ man.NOM.M.PL in /in/ in.PREP+ABL veste /ˈves.te/ garment.ABL.F.SG fulgentī /fulˈdʒen.ti/ shine.PRES.PART.ABL.F.SG causam /ˈkau.sam/ cause.ACC.F.SG factī /ˈfak.ti/ fact.GEN.N.SG mulieribus /mu.liˈe.ri.bus/ woman.DAT.F.PL dīxērunt /dikˈse.runt/ tell.3PL.PERF
214.21a Mulierēs the-women reversae having-returned ā from monumentō the-tomb omnia all facta the-facts ūndecim to-the-eleven apostolīs apostles nārrāvērunt told
214.21b Mulierēs /mu.liˈe.res/ woman.NOM.F.PL reversae /reˈver.se/ return.PERF.PART.DEP.NOM.F.PL ā /a/ from.PREP+ABL monumentō /mo.nuˈmen.to/ tomb.ABL.N.SG omnia /ˈom.ni.a/ all.ACC.N.PL facta /ˈfak.ta/ fact.ACC.N.PL ūndecim /ˈun.de.tʃim/ eleven.INDECL apostolīs /aˈpos.to.lis/ apostle.DAT.M.PL nārrāvērunt /nar.raˈve.runt/ tell.3PL.PERF
214.22a Apostolī the-apostles autem however factum the-fact nōn not crēdidērunt believed
214.22b Apostolī /aˈpos.to.li/ apostle.NOM.M.PL autem /ˈau.tem/ however.CONJ factum /ˈfak.tum/ fact.ACC.N.SG nōn /non/ not.ADV crēdidērunt /kre.diˈde.runt/ believe.3PL.PERF
214.23a Petrus Peter currēns running ad to monumentum the-tomb factum the-fact ipse himself vīdit saw
214.23b Petrus /ˈpe.trus/ Peter.NOM.M.SG currēns /ˈkur.rens/ run.PRES.PART.NOM.M.SG ad /ad/ to.PREP+ACC monumentum /mo.nuˈmen.tum/ tomb.ACC.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ fact.ACC.N.SG ipse /ˈip.se/ himself.NOM.M.SG vīdit /ˈvi.dit/ see.3SG.PERF
214.24a Et and prōcumbēns stooping-down vīdit he-saw linteāmina the-linen-cloths sōla alone posita laid et and abiit went-away sēcum in-himself mīrāns wondering-at quod what factum come-to-pass fuerat had
214.24b Et /et/ and.CONJ prōcumbēns /proˈkum.bens/ stoop.PRES.PART.NOM.M.SG vīdit /ˈvi.dit/ see.3SG.PERF linteāmina /lin.teˈa.mi.na/ linen-cloth.ACC.N.PL sōla /ˈso.la/ alone.ACC.N.PL posita /ˈpo.si.ta/ lay.PERF.PART.ACC.N.PL et /et/ and.CONJ abiit /ˈa.bi.it/ go-away.3SG.PERF sēcum /ˈse.kum/ himself-with.ABL.3SG+PREP mīrāns /ˈmi.rans/ wonder.PRES.PART.DEP.NOM.M.SG quod /kwod/ what.REL.NOM.N.SG factum /ˈfak.tum/ happen.PERF.PART.NOM.N.SG fuerat /ˈfu.e.rat/ be.3SG.PLUPERF
214.25a Eōdem on-the-same diē day duo two discipulī disciples in on viā the-road dē about omnibus all factīs the-events loquēbantur were-talking
214.25b Eōdem /eˈo.dem/ same.ABL.M.SG diē /ˈdi.e/ day.ABL.M.SG duo /ˈdu.o/ two.NOM.M.PL discipulī /diʃˈʃi.pu.li/ disciple.NOM.M.PL in /in/ on.PREP+ABL viā /ˈvi.a/ road.ABL.F.SG dē /de/ about.PREP+ABL omnibus /ˈom.ni.bus/ all.ABL.N.PL factīs /ˈfak.tis/ event.ABL.N.PL loquēbantur /lo.kweˈban.tur/ speak.3PL.IMPERF.DEP
214.26a Tū you sōlus alone peregrīnus a-stranger es are in in Ierusalem Jerusalem et and nōn not cognōvistī have-known quae the-things-which facta done sunt have-been in in illā it hīs these diēbus days
214.26b Tū /tu/ you.NOM.2SG sōlus /ˈso.lus/ alone.NOM.M.SG peregrīnus /pe.reˈgri.nus/ stranger.NOM.M.SG es /es/ be.2SG.PRES in /in/ in.PREP+ABL Ierusalem /jeˈru.sa.lem/ Jerusalem.INDECL et /et/ and.CONJ nōn /non/ not.ADV cognōvistī /koɲ.ɲoˈvis.ti/ know.2SG.PERF quae /kwe/ which.REL.NOM.N.PL facta /ˈfak.ta/ do.PERF.PART.NOM.N.PL sunt /sunt/ be.3PL.PRES in /in/ in.PREP+ABL illā /ˈil.la/ that.ABL.F.SG hīs /is/ this.ABL.M.PL diēbus /diˈe.bus/ day.ABL.M.PL
214.27a Vespere in-the-evening apostolī the-apostles et and discipulī disciples facta the-facts illīus of-that diēī day inter among sē themselves cōnferēbant were-comparing
214.27b Vespere /ˈves.pe.re/ evening.ABL.M.SG apostolī /aˈpos.to.li/ apostle.NOM.M.PL et /et/ and.CONJ discipulī /diʃˈʃi.pu.li/ disciple.NOM.M.PL facta /ˈfak.ta/ fact.ACC.N.PL illīus /ilˈli.us/ that.GEN.M.SG diēī /diˈe.i/ day.GEN.M.SG inter /ˈin.ter/ among.PREP+ACC sē /se/ themselves.REFL.ACC.3PL cōnferēbant /kon.feˈre.bant/ compare.3PL.IMPERF
214.28a Haec these facta facts nōn not sunt are fābulae fables sed but testimōnium the-testimony apostolōrum of-the-apostles
214.28b Haec /ek/ this.NOM.N.PL facta /ˈfak.ta/ fact.NOM.N.PL nōn /non/ not.ADV sunt /sunt/ be.3PL.PRES fābulae /ˈfa.bu.le/ fable.NOM.F.PL sed /sed/ but.CONJ testimōnium /tes.tiˈmo.ni.um/ testimony.NOM.N.SG apostolōrum /a.pos.toˈlo.rum/ apostle.GEN.M.PL
214.29a Ecclēsia the-Church haec these facta facts quotannīs every-year in at Vigiliā the-Vigil Paschālī of-Easter celebrat celebrates
214.29b Ecclēsia /ekˈkle.si.a/ church.NOM.F.SG haec /ek/ this.ACC.N.PL facta /ˈfak.ta/ fact.ACC.N.PL quotannīs /kwoˈtan.nis/ every-year.ADV in /in/ at.PREP+ABL Vigiliā /viˈdʒi.li.a/ vigil.ABL.F.SG Paschālī /pasˈka.li/ paschal.ABL.F.SG celebrat /ˈtʃe.le.brat/ celebrate.3SG.PRES
214.30a Hīs on-these factīs facts nītitur rests fidēs the-faith nostra our Surrēxit has-risen Dominus the-Lord vērē truly
214.30b Hīs /is/ this.ABL.N.PL factīs /ˈfak.tis/ fact.ABL.N.PL nītitur /ˈni.ti.tur/ rest-on.3SG.PRES.DEP fidēs /ˈfi.des/ faith.NOM.F.SG nostra /ˈnos.tra/ our.NOM.F.SG Surrēxit /surˈrek.sit/ rise.3SG.PERF Dominus /ˈdo.mi.nus/ lord.NOM.M.SG vērē /ˈve.re/ truly.ADV
Part B: Natural Sentences
214.16 Haec sunt facta prīmī diēī post sabbatum. → “These are the facts of the first day after the sabbath.”
214.17 Prīmum factum: mulierēs māne ad monumentum vēnērunt. → “The first fact: early in the morning the women came to the tomb.”
214.18 Secundum factum: lapis ā monumentō revolūtus erat. → “The second fact: the stone had been rolled back from the tomb.”
214.19 Tertium factum: corpus Dominī Iēsū in monumentō nōn erat. → “The third fact: the body of the Lord Jesus was not in the tomb.”
214.20 Duo virī in veste fulgentī causam factī mulieribus dīxērunt. → “Two men in shining garments told the women the reason for what had happened.”
214.21 Mulierēs, reversae ā monumentō, omnia facta ūndecim apostolīs nārrāvērunt. → “The women, having come back from the tomb, told all that had happened to the eleven apostles.”
214.22 Apostolī autem factum nōn crēdidērunt. → “But the apostles did not believe it.”
214.23 Petrus, currēns ad monumentum, factum ipse vīdit. → “Peter ran to the tomb and saw for himself what had happened.”
214.24 Et prōcumbēns vīdit linteāmina sōla posita, et abiit sēcum mīrāns quod factum fuerat. → “And stooping down, he saw the linen cloths laid by themselves, and went away wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.” (Luke 24:12)
214.25 Eōdem diē duo discipulī in viā dē omnibus factīs loquēbantur. → “On the same day two disciples on the road were talking about everything that had happened.”
214.26 Tū sōlus peregrīnus es in Ierusalem, et nōn cognōvistī quae facta sunt in illā hīs diēbus? → “Art thou only a stranger to Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days?” (Luke 24:18)
214.27 Vespere apostolī et discipulī facta illīus diēī inter sē cōnferēbant. → “In the evening the apostles and the disciples were comparing the events of that day with one another.”
214.28 Haec facta nōn sunt fābulae, sed testimōnium apostolōrum. → “These facts are not fables, but the testimony of the apostles.”
214.29 Ecclēsia haec facta quotannīs in Vigiliā Paschālī celebrat. → “Every year the Church celebrates these facts at the Easter Vigil.”
214.30 Hīs factīs nītitur fidēs nostra: Surrēxit Dominus vērē. → “Our faith rests on these facts: The Lord is truly risen.” (Luke 24:34)
Part C: Latin Text Only
Haec sunt facta prīmī diēī post sabbatum. Prīmum factum: mulierēs māne ad monumentum vēnērunt. Secundum factum: lapis ā monumentō revolūtus erat. Tertium factum: corpus Dominī Iēsū in monumentō nōn erat. Duo virī in veste fulgentī causam factī mulieribus dīxērunt. Mulierēs, reversae ā monumentō, omnia facta ūndecim apostolīs nārrāvērunt. Apostolī autem factum nōn crēdidērunt. Petrus, currēns ad monumentum, factum ipse vīdit. Et prōcumbēns vīdit linteāmina sōla posita, et abiit sēcum mīrāns quod factum fuerat. Eōdem diē duo discipulī in viā dē omnibus factīs loquēbantur. Tū sōlus peregrīnus es in Ierusalem, et nōn cognōvistī quae facta sunt in illā hīs diēbus? Vespere apostolī et discipulī facta illīus diēī inter sē cōnferēbant. Haec facta nōn sunt fābulae, sed testimōnium apostolōrum. Ecclēsia haec facta quotannīs in Vigiliā Paschālī celebrat. Hīs factīs nītitur fidēs nostra: Surrēxit Dominus vērē.
Part D: Grammar and Genre Notes
An informational text sets out facts in order, and factum is the word that does it. This text uses the noun in four cases.
Nominative, as subject or complement: Haec sunt facta (214.16), Prīmum factum, Secundum factum, Tertium factum (214.17–214.19), Haec facta nōn sunt fābulae (214.28). The ordinals prīmum, secundum, tertium are neuter to agree with factum. In 214.17–214.19 the colon stands for “is this”: “The first fact (is this): …”
Genitive: causam factī, “the cause of the fact” (214.20).
Accusative, as object: omnia facta … nārrāvērunt (214.21), factum nōn crēdidērunt (214.22), factum ipse vīdit (214.23), facta … cōnferēbant (214.27), haec facta … celebrat (214.29). Crēdere takes the dative of a person (crēdere mulieribus, “to believe the women”) but may take the accusative of a thing believed: factum nōn crēdidērunt, “they did not believe the fact.”
Ablative: dē omnibus factīs (214.25), after dē, “about”; and hīs factīs nītitur (214.30), after the deponent nītor, “to rest on, to lean on,” which takes the ablative.
The participle. In the two verses quoted from Luke, factum is the participle, not the noun: quod factum fuerat (214.24), “what had come to pass,” and quae facta sunt (214.26), “the things that have been done.” Set beside the noun in the composed sentences, they show how close the two uses are: Petrus … factum ipse vīdit (214.23) and mīrāns quod factum fuerat (214.24) say almost the same thing.
Deponent participles. Reversae (214.21), from revertor, and mīrāns (214.24), from mīror, are participles of deponent verbs. Reversae is perfect in form but active in meaning: “having returned,” not “having been returned.”
Ierusalem (214.26) is an indeclinable Hebrew name; here it is ablative after in. The Vulgate also uses the declinable Greek form Hierosolyma.
Surrēxit Dominus vērē (214.30) is from Luke 24:34, where the Eleven greet the disciples from Emmaus with the news. The words are sung in the Regina Caeli, the Easter antiphon of Our Lady: Quia surrēxit Dominus vērē, allēlūia.
The genre. An informational text should be plain: short sentences, the order of events kept, and each fact named as a fact. Its last line moves from report to confession: these facts are the ground of the faith.
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C and g. Before a, o, u and consonants, c is /k/ and g is /g/: factum /ˈfak.tum/, corpus /ˈkor.pus/, negat /ˈne.gat/. Before e, i, ae and oe, c is /tʃ/ and g is /dʒ/: recipimus /reˈtʃi.pi.mus/, circā /ˈtʃir.ka/, celebrat /ˈtʃe.le.brat/, fulgentī /fulˈdʒen.ti/, Vigiliā /viˈdʒi.li.a/, gessit /ˈdʒes.sit/.
Sc before e or i is /ʃ/: discipulī /diʃˈʃi.pu.li/.
Ch is /k/: Chrīstus /ˈkris.tus/, Paschālī /pasˈka.li/.
Gn is /ɲɲ/: digna /ˈdiɲ.ɲa/, ignōrantia /iɲ.ɲoˈran.tsi.a/, cognōvistī /koɲ.ɲoˈvis.ti/, regnum /ˈreɲ.ɲum/.
Ti before a vowel is /tsi/: etiam /ˈe.tsi.am/, tertium /ˈter.tsi.um/, nūntiāvērunt /nun.tsi.aˈve.runt/, ignōrantia. After s, t or x it stays /ti/.
X is /ks/: exiērunt /ek.siˈe.runt/, dīxērunt /dikˈse.runt/, surrēxit /surˈrek.sit/.
H is silent: hoc /ok/, haec /ek/, hīs /is/, nihil /ˈni.il/, hodie /ˈo.di.e/, Bethlehem /ˈbet.le.em/.
Ae is /e/: haec /ek/, praesūmitur /preˈsu.mi.tur/, reversae /reˈver.se/, fābulae /ˈfa.bu.le/.
I before a vowel at the start of a word is the consonant /j/: Iēsū /ˈje.su/, iūstē /ˈjus.te/, Ierusalem /jeˈru.sa.lem/.
S between vowels is written /s/ in this lesson, as in Lesson 213. Many Italian-trained singers and priests voice it to /z/ (/ˈje.zus/, /ekˈkle.zi.a/); both are heard.
Stress. In words of three or more syllables the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable if it is long (factōrum /fakˈto.rum/, nūntiāvērunt /nun.tsi.aˈve.runt/), otherwise on the one before it (mīrābilia /mi.raˈbi.li.a/, apostolīs /aˈpos.to.lis/).
Macrons. This lesson marks long vowels in Sections A–D and in the Genre Section. The headword is written factum without a mark (see the Introduction). Hebrew proper names (Bethlehem, Ierusalem) are written without macrons. The citation in Section F is printed without macrons, as it stands in the Clementine Vulgate. The Ecclesiastical pronunciation does not distinguish vowel length in sound, so the IPA carries no length marks; the macrons still show where the stress falls.
I and j. This course writes Iēsus, iūstē, Ierusalem with i. Many printed Vulgates, including the Douay-Rheims Latin text, use j (Jesus, juste, Jerusalem). The sound is the same.
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◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᴱᶜᶜˡᵉˢⁱᵃˢᵗⁱᶜᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ²¹⁴ ◊factum ◊ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉ
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