Praeparatio

Praeparatio is a Latin noun meaning the act or process of making ready; in English, it is often rendered simply as "preparation." The word is formed from prae- “before” and parare “to prepare,” and it appears in a variety of Latin contexts to denote preparation for a task, event, or condition. It is a feminine noun, typically used in religious, philosophical, rhetorical, and everyday settings to describe the stage of getting ready before something occurs.

In classical and late antique Latin, praeparatio can refer to any preparatory step, whether physical (gathering materials, arranging a plan) or mental (preparing one’s mind for action or speech). In rhetorical and philosophical contexts, it may denote preparatory training or a preliminary phase of argument and inquiry.

A notable usage is found in Eusebius of Caesarea’s Praeparatio Evangelica (Preparation for the Gospel), a early Christian apologetic work from the early 4th century. In this text, the concept describes how Jewish and Greco-Roman authors and traditions are seen as preconditions or “preparations” for the coming of Christianity, illustrating how cultures can lay the groundwork for a new faith.

In liturgical and ecclesiastical writings, the term sometimes appears in descriptions of preparatory rites or steps leading up to a service or sacramental act, though this usage is more interpretive and descriptive than a standard technical term in official liturgical language.

Praeparatio thus functions as a general reference to preparation across historical and disciplinary contexts, with the best-known instance being its use in the title of Eusebius’s comparative work.