Vulgate Style: et factum est, et ecce

The Style of the Vulgate

Level 6

Short sentences joined by et, and a few stock phrases that you learn whole.

How It Works

Et factum est is often followed by ut or cum and a time clause, as in Luke 2:15. Et ecce brings in a new person or event.

Readers of Church Latin meet these phrases in the Gospel at Mass, so they sound familiar before they are studied.

The verb often comes early in a Vulgate sentence, unlike classical prose, where it tends to come last.

Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux.
And God said, Let there be light. And there was light.
Genesis 1:3. The sentences are joined by que and et. Fiat is a command in the subjunctive.
Et ecce angelus Domini stetit iuxta illos.
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them.
Luke 2:9. Et ecce brings in the angel.
Et factum est, ut discesserunt ab eis angeli in caelum.
And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven.
Luke 2:15. Et factum est introduces a time clause with ut.
Et ecce vox de caelis dicens: Hic est Filius meus dilectus.
And behold, a voice from the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son.
Matthew 3:17. Dicens introduces the words that were spoken.
In principio erat Verbum.
In the beginning was the Word.
John 1:1. A stock opening, as in the first words of Genesis.

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Vulgate Style: et factum est, et ecceLevel 6The Style of the Vulgate

The Vulgate joins short sentences with et and has stock phrases, so polysyndeton, ut with the indicative, participles and dicere ad come first.

Patterns that build on this one.

etfioeccedicoamenfactus

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Latin lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.