In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram.
Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebrae erant super faciem abyssi: et spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas.
Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux.
Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona: et divisit lucem a tenebris. Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem: factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus.
Even if you’re not religious, this will be familiar. The Latin Bible, translated by Jerome over 1,700 years ago, was central to European culture for centuries. With some small revisions, it was the official Bible of the Catholic Church until 2001.
How much can you translate from your knowledge of the English version? The first and third paragraphs shouldn’t be too hard.
Puzzle out as much as you can. Then we’ll work through it systematically. We’ll start, as before, with a short film.