The Shortcut to Scholastic Latin, by Dylan Schrader. New York: Paideia Press, 2019. 68 pp., $14.99.

Dum quaerimus quaestiones expedire difficiliores fortassis incurrimus controversias; et dum quosdam dissolvimus nodos, aliis fortioribus nos alligamus.

“When we seek to resolve questions, perhaps we run into more difficult controversies. And when we untangle certain knots, we end up tying ourselves up in even stronger ones.” These words of Peter Abelard (from his Theologia Summi Boni) likely resonate with students of philosophy, theology, or history who engage Scholasticism for the first time.

For those not in the know, Scholasticism was a movement and a method common in medieval and early-modern Europe. As the universities developed, so too did the schoolmen’s customary manner of teaching and discussing questions. They were keen on stating questions, clarifying terms, and providing the best arguments back and forth, relying both on authority and on reason, to seek out and articulate the truth as best they could discover it. At the root of the Scholastic project is the conviction that the truth harmonizes with the truth and, therefore, that the insights of this or that authoritative source must fit together with what others have discovered. It was in large part the Latin language that allowed for easy exchange of ideas from place to place, and so Scholastic Latinity, a particular flavor of medieval Latin, grew up along with the schools it served.

Of course, it can be difficult to read the Scholastics because of the difference in world-view, the background knowledge required, and the subtlety of the subject matter itself. But, the peculiarities of Scholastic grammar and style can also prove a stumbling-block, even to those well-versed in Latin. In other words, the content can be difficult, but so can the presentation. Or, as the Scholastics would say, we need to grasp both the matter and the form. This book facilitates understanding of the latter.