A question of titles
I should take a moment to note the title of this new blog, and how it came to be.
At first, I thought to call it, ex cathedra. But good sense told me someone would think I was hallucinating that I was Polish, and I decided against that. From deep in the recesses of my addled brain, I recalled the crucial Supreme Court case after the Civil War, ex parte Milligan. I looked it up at FindLaw and found that ex parte means "on behalf (of)". This, it turns out, was the kind of phrasing I was initially intending with ex cathedra, something that sounds as if it's a blog based on apologetics. A defense of my faith. A defense of The Faith. I wanted to speak on behalf of my own faith, the Faith of Our Fathers. So something that crosses ex parte with De Fide. I'm not sure if this is conjugated properly, but I decided on Ex Parte Fide ("on behalf of the Faith").
I should point out that I am neither a theologian or a lawyer nor a priest, so on a whole lot of levels, I'm shooting from the hip here. But that's sort of my point. I'm going to do my very best to learn about that which I don't know, expound upon it, then wait for my esteemed brethren to come to my rescue and tell me how it is not so. Error tends to be the basis of all my learning, so why should it not be true here? In the end, I hope to figure out who I am and where I'm going.
Let's start with the title of the blog, shall we? If it doesn't mean what I think it means, please correct me as soon as possible so I can change it before I say it too many times and can't change it.
Comments
I'll be a regular reader here. I like your stuff at TBR, and as a faithful (conservative) Catholic myself, I find it to be a great thing that you are devoting time to popular apologetics and catechetics regarding politics and popular culture. Bonum opus, frater.
Also, though I am not sure of the grammar (though I ought to be since I have just finished my 4th semester of Latin at the University of Michigan), I think it should be "Ex Parte Fidelis" with "fidelis" being the genitive of Fides. As you have it, in the ablative, may be correct, but then, it may not be. I'll try to find out for you.
Peace and prayers,
Kenny
Posted by: Kenny | July 12, 2004 10:42 PM
Wouldn't Ex Parte Fidelis denote that I'm speaking on behalf of the faithful? And, like English, would the title be all capitals?
In any event... thank you, Kenny. Being a public-school graduate born after the reforms of Vatican II, I'm totally at the mercy of your Latin prof. :-)
Posted by: Chris | July 13, 2004 07:15 PM
Ah, I believe you are correct. Fidelis -e is the adjective of Fides -ei. So fide would be correct. Well done sir.
Posted by: Kenny | July 13, 2004 09:18 PM
Try Fidei, as in Defensor Fidei (Defender of the Faith).
Posted by: RC | July 13, 2004 11:24 PM
I think that's the singluar masculine dative, as in your example it's a man's title. And ex is an ablative preposition, so the feminine (fides is feminine) ablative singluar form would be Fide. I think I've got it right now.
Posted by: Chris | July 14, 2004 10:17 AM