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Building the Bible

The First and Second Centuries C.E.

What does “vulgate” mean?

The word “vulgate” means “written in the language of the people.” The Apocrypha was included in the Vulgate translation. The Latin Vulgate was the most popular Bible translation for a thousand years, on up to the Protestant Reformation. By that time, Latin as a language spoken by everyday people was outmoded. Incidentally, the words “vulgate” and “vulgar” are derived from the same Latin word “vulgaris.”