By the year 250, however, the Mass was generally said in Latin in the western part of the Roman Empire, including the cities of North Africa. With the fragmentation of the Empire and the barbarian invasions, Latin ceased to be a spoken language around the seventh and ninth centuries; however, the Mass continued to be recited in Latin because much of its liturgy had been created in that language. The Holy Fathers of the Church, at that time, saw no reason to adopt the new vernacular languages that were developing around the known world. | By the year 250, however, the Mass was generally said in Latin in the western part of the Roman Empire, including the cities of North Africa. With the fragmentation of the Empire and the barbarian invasions, Latin ceased to be a spoken language around the seventh and ninth centuries; however, the Mass continued to be recited in Latin because much of its liturgy had been created in that language. The Holy Fathers of the Church, at that time, saw no reason to adopt the new vernacular languages that were developing around the known world. |