{"slug":"stoa0022.stoa023.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:stoa0022.stoa023.opp-lat1","title":"De Dignitatate Conditionis Humanae Libellus","title_source":"De Dignitatate Conditionis Humanae Libellus","author":"Ambrosius","genre":"treatise","date":"","tradition":"latin","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T06:14:36Z","cost_usd":0.00419},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:stoa0022.stoa023.opp-lat1","work_id":"stoa0022.stoa023.opp-lat1","edition":"ogl-pl","language":"","license":"Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/stoa0022/stoa023/stoa0022.stoa023.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":8,"english_words":1855,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":6828,"commentary_units":45,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":13,"work_notes":6,"external_links":0,"timeline":4},"summary":{"work":"stoa0022.stoa023.opp-lat1","abstract":"De Dignitate Conditionis Humanae Libellus is a Latin treatise on human dignity, blending philosophical reflection with biblical allusion. Attributed traditionally to Ambrosius (likely Ambrose of Milan), the work survives in a single manuscript tradition with the earliest witness from the 9th century. Its dating is uncertain, often placed in the late 4th or early 5th century based on style and content, but no external evidence confirms this. The treatise is divided into two chapters, each beginning with a scriptural lemma, and was cited by later medieval authors such as Peter Lombard in discussions of human nature and free will. The title is a modern editorial addition; the original incipit does not include it.","historical_context":"The work is traditionally attributed to Ambrosius, likely Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397), but this attribution is not securely established. The treatise survives in a single manuscript tradition, with the earliest witness dating to the 9th century, suggesting a possible Carolingian transmission. Dating is uncertain; stylistic and content analysis often places it in the late 4th or early 5th century, but no external evidence confirms this. The text is a treatise, not a sermon or commentary, with an elevated rhetorical register. It was cited by later medieval authors, including Peter Lombard, indicating its influence in medieval discussions of human nature and free will. The work's title is a modern editorial addition; the original incipit does not include 'De Dignitate Conditionis Humanae'. The edition relies on the Ogl-PL transcription, which may contain uncorrected scribal errors.","significance":"De Dignitate Conditionis Humanae Libellus is significant for its early treatment of human dignity, blending philosophical reflection with biblical exegesis. It influenced later medieval discussions of human nature and free will, as evidenced by citations in Peter Lombard. The work's uncertain attribution and dating highlight the challenges of patristic and early medieval textual transmission.","timeline":[{"date":"4th–5th c.","event":"Probable composition date based on style and content, though uncertain."},{"date":"9th c.","event":"Earliest surviving manuscript witness."},{"date":"12th c.","event":"Cited by Peter Lombard in discussions of human nature and free will."},{"date":"Modern","event":"Title 'De Dignitate Conditionis Humanae' added editorially; edition based on Ogl-PL transcription."}],"relations":[{"work":"De Trinitate","relation":"Parallels description of the soul as 'everywhere whole' in the body.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Sentences","relation":"Cited by Peter Lombard as a source for discussions of human nature and free will.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Genesis 1:26","relation":"Cited as a lemma, but Vulgate reading differs; chapter/verse notation is medieval.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Acts 17:28","relation":"Non-canonical citation; may be a scribal error or reference to a lost apocryphal text.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["Attribution to Ambrosius is traditional but not securely established.","Dating is uncertain; often placed in late 4th or early 5th century based on style and content, but no external evidence confirms this.","The work survives in a single manuscript tradition; the earliest witness is 9th century.","The title is a modern editorial addition; the original incipit does not include it.","The edition relies on the Ogl-PL transcription, which may contain uncorrected scribal errors.","The citation 'Act. XVII, 28' is non-canonical; the intended source is uncertain."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000428,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:14:36Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/stoa0022/stoa023/stoa0022.stoa023.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"stoa0022.stoa023.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":8,"translated":8,"commentary_passages":8,"commentary_units":45,"english_words":1855,"source_letters":6806,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work is a treatise on human dignity, not a sermon or commentary. Its rhetorical register is elevated, blending philosophical reflection with biblical allusion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The text survives in a single manuscript tradition, with the earliest witness dating to the 9th century. The attribution to Ambrosius is traditional but not securely established.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Dating is uncertain; the work is often placed in the late 4th or early 5th century based on style and content, but no external evidence confirms this.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The treatise was cited by later medieval authors, including Peter Lombard, as a source for discussions of human nature and free will.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition does not collate all known manuscripts; it relies on the Ogl-PL transcription, which may contain uncorrected scribal errors.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The work's title is a modern editorial addition; the original incipit does not include 'De Dignitate Conditionis Humanae'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: treatise in Latin; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 8 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":8},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"DE DIGNIT. CONDITIONIS HUMANÆ\n\nLIBELLUS\n\nCAPUT PRIMUM. — Faciamus hominem ad I imaginem et similitudinem nostram (Gen. XI, 26). Tanta itaque dignitas humanæ conditionis esse cognoscitur, ut non solo jubentis sermone, sicut alia sex dierum opera, sed consilio sanctæ Trinitatis, et opere majestatis divinae creatus sit homo; ut ex primae conditionis honore intelligeret, quantum deberet suo conditori, dum tantum in conditione mox dignitatis privilegium praestitit ei conditor; tU tanto ardentius amaret conditorem, quanto mirabilius se ab eo esse conditum intelligeret: nec ob hoc solum quod consilio sanctæ Trinitatis sic excellenter a conditore conditus est, sed etiam quod ad imaginem et similitudinem suam ipse creator omnium eum creavit, quod nulli alii ex creaturis donavit.\n\nCAPUTII. — Quæ imago diligentius ex interioris hominis nobilitate est consideranda. Primo quidem quod sicud Deus unus semper ubique totus est, omnia vivificans, movens et gubernans, sicut Apostolus confirmat quod: In eo vivimus, movemur et sumus (Act. XVII, 28); sic anima in suo corpore ubique tota viget, vivificans illud, movens, et gubernans. Nec enim in majoribus corporis sui membris major, et in minoribus minor: sed in minimis tota, et in maximis tota. Et haec est imago unitatis omnipotentis Dei, quam anima habet in se.","english":"ON THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN CONDITION\n\nA SHORT TREATISE\n\nCHAPTER ONE. — \"Let us make man in our image and likeness\" (Gen. 11:26). Thus the dignity of the human condition is recognized to be so great that man was created not merely by the commanding word of the Creator, like the other works of the six days, but by the counsel of the Holy Trinity and the work of divine majesty; so that from the honor of his first condition he would understand how much he owed to his Creator, since the Creator granted him such a privilege of dignity immediately in his condition; and so that he would love the Creator all the more ardently, the more wonderfully he understood himself to have been created by Him; and not only for this reason—that he was so excellently created by the Creator through the counsel of the Holy Trinity—but also because the Creator of all things created him in His own image and likeness, which He granted to no other among the creatures.\n\nCHAPTER TWO. — This image is to be considered more carefully from the nobility of the inner man. First, because just as God is always one, everywhere whole, giving life, moving, and governing all things—as the Apostle confirms: \"In Him we live, move, and have our being\" (Acts 17:28)—so the soul in its body is everywhere whole, thriving, giving it life, moving it, and governing it. For it is not greater in the larger members of its body and lesser in the smaller; but in the smallest it is whole, and in the largest it is whole. And this is the image of the omnipotent God's unity which the soul possesses within itself.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram (Gen. XI, 26)","severity":"info","text":"The lemma cites Genesis 1:26, but the Vulgate reads 'Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram' only in the plural; the chapter/verse notation 'XI, 26' is a medieval convention, not modern chapter divisions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"In eo vivimus, movemur et sumus (Act. XVII, 28)","severity":"info","text":"The lemma attributes Acts 17:28, but the phrase is not found in the canonical Acts; it echoes a doxological formula from the Pauline tradition (cf. 1 Cor 8:6) and may be a pseudo-Augustinian or medieval gloss.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"consilio sanctæ Trinitatis","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'counsel of the Holy Trinity' reflects a late patristic and early medieval theological motif, emphasizing the Trinity's deliberation in creation, distinct from the simpler command in Genesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"CAPUT PRIMUM ... CAPUTII","severity":"info","text":"The treatise is divided into two chapters, each beginning with a scriptural lemma; Chapter 1 focuses on the dignity of creation by the Trinity, Chapter 2 on the soul as image of God's unity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"anima in suo corpore ubique tota viget","severity":"info","text":"The description of the soul as 'everywhere whole' in the body parallels Augustine's De Trinitate (e.g., 6.6.8) and later medieval discussions of the soul's omnipresence in the body.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Augustine De Trinitate"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Act. XVII, 28","severity":"caution","text":"The citation 'Act. XVII, 28' is non-canonical; the verse does not exist in Acts. This may be a scribal error or a reference to a lost apocryphal text; the intended source is uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The scripture citation 'Act. XVII, 28' is corrupt or misattributed; the intended source is unclear.","The phrase 'consilio sanctæ Trinitatis' may reflect a specific theological tradition (e.g., Hilary of Poitiers) but is not directly sourced."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Quæ quoque quamdam sancte Trinitatis habet imaginem. Primo in eo quia sicut Deus est, vivit, et sapit; ita anima secundum suum modum est, vivit et sapit. Est quoque et alia trinitas in ea, qua ad imaginem sui conditoris perfect æ quidem et summæ Trinitatis, quæ ex Patre et Filio et Spiritu sancio condita est: et licet unius illa naturae, ires tamen in se dignitates habet, idest, intellectum, voluntatem, et memoriam. Quod idem, licet aliis verbis, in Evangelio designatur, cum dicitur: Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et ex tota mente tua (Matth. XIII, 37), id est, ex toto intellectu, et ex tota voluntate, et ex tota memoria. Nam sicut ex Patre generatur Filius, et ex PatreFilioque procedit Spiritus sanctus; ita ex intellectu generatur voluntas, et ex his item ambobus procedit memoria, sicut facile a sapiente quolibet intelligi potest; nec enim anima perfecta esse sine his tribus, nec horum trium unum aliquod, quantum ad suam pertinet beatitudinem, sine aliis duobus integrum constat: et sicut Deus Pater, Deus Filius, Deus Spiritus sanctus est, non tamen tres dii sunt, sed unus Deus tres habens personas; ita et anima intellecius, anima voluntas, anima memoria, non tamen tres animæ in uno corpore, sed una anima tres habens dignitates.","english":"This also bears a certain image of the holy Trinity. First, in that just as God is, lives, and knows, so the soul in its own mode is, lives, and knows. There is also another trinity in it, which is formed in the image of its perfect and supreme Creator, that is, of the supreme Trinity, which is constituted of Father and Son and Holy Spirit; and although that Trinity is of one nature, it nevertheless has three dignities in itself, namely, intellect, will, and memory. This same thing, although in other words, is indicated in the Gospel when it is said: \"You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole mind\" (Matt. 13:37), that is, with your whole intellect, and with your whole will, and with your whole memory. For just as the Son is generated from the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, so from the intellect is generated the will, and from these both proceeds memory, as can easily be understood by any wise person; for the soul is not perfect without these three, nor is any one of these three, as far as its own beatitude is concerned, complete without the other two: and just as God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit is, yet they are not three gods, but one God having three persons, so the soul is intellect, the soul is will, the soul is memory, yet they are not three souls in one body, but one soul having three dignities.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"dignitates","severity":"info","text":"The Latin 'dignitates' (here translated 'dignities') denotes the three faculties or powers of the soul, a technical term in medieval psychology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et ex tota mente tua","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Matt. 13:37' is a misattribution; the verse is not found in Matthew. It resembles Deuteronomy 6:5 or a conflation of biblical love commands.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"trinitas","severity":"info","text":"The analogy of the soul's trinity (intellect, will, memory) to the divine Trinity echoes Augustine's De Trinitate, a key source for medieval psychological trinities.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Augustine De Trinitate"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage presents a double analogy: first, God's being-life-knowledge mirrors the soul's existence-life-knowledge; second, the divine Trinity's persons correspond to the soul's three dignities.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Matth. XIII, 37","severity":"caution","text":"The scripture reference 'Matth. XIII, 37' is erroneous; no such verse exists. The author likely conflated a memory of a biblical phrase with a non-canonical source.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin 'quæ quoque' is ambiguous: it may refer to the soul or to the dignity of the human condition from the previous passage. The reading taken follows the English draft, referring to the soul."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Atque in his tribus ejus imaginem mirabiliter gerit in sua natura noster interior homo, ex quihus quasi excellentioribus animæ dignitatibus jubemur diligere conditorem; ut in quantum intelligitur, diligatur: et quantum diligitur, semper in memoria habeatur. Nec solus sufficit de eo inlellectus, nisi fiat in amore ejus voluntas: immo nec hæc duo sufficiunt, nisi memoria addatur, qua semper in mente intelligentis et diligemis maneat Deus; ut sicut non potest esse momentum, quo homo non utatur vel fruatur Dei bonitate et misericordia; ita nullum debeat esse momentum, quo præsentem eum non habeat memoria.\n\nEt ideo, a dilectissime fili, juste mihi videtur dictum interiorem hominem imaginem esse Dei; anima enim nominatur tutus interior homo, qua vivificatur, regitur, continetur lutea illa massa humectata succis, ne arefacta dissolvatur. Deus dicitur vis ilU ineffabiliter magna, et innumerabiliter sapieus, ut scriptum est: Magnus Dominus noster, et magna virtus ejus, et sapientiæ ejus non est numerus (Psalm. CXLVI, 5); et incomparabiliter suavis, ut alibi dicit: Suavia Dominus universis, et miserationes ejus super omnia opera ejus (Psal. CXLIV, 5).","english":"And in these three, our inner man wonderfully bears its image in his own nature, from which, as from the more excellent dignities of the soul, we are commanded to love the Creator: so that insofar as He is understood, He is loved; and insofar as He is loved, He is always held in memory. Nor does understanding of Him alone suffice, unless the will is formed in love of Him; indeed, neither do these two suffice, unless memory is added, by which God may remain in the mind of the one understanding and loving; so that just as there can be no moment in which man does not use or enjoy the goodness and mercy of God, so there should be no moment in which he does not have Him present in memory.\n\nAnd therefore, O most beloved son, it rightly seems to me that the inner man is said to be the image of God; for the soul is called the entire inner man, by which that clayey mass, moistened with juices, is enlivened, ruled, and contained, lest it dry out and dissolve. God is called that ineffably great, and immeasurably wise power, as it is written: \"Our Lord is great, and His power is great, and His wisdom has no number\" (Psalm 146:5); and incomparably sweet, as elsewhere it says: \"The Lord is sweet to all, and His mercies are above all His works\" (Psalm 144:5).","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"interiorem hominem","severity":"info","text":"The passage continues the treatise's central analogy: the soul's three faculties (intellect, will, memory) mirror the Trinity, a theme introduced in the previous passage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Psalm. CXLVI, 5","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Magnus Dominus noster, et magna virtus ejus, et sapientiæ ejus non est numerus' corresponds to Psalm 146:5 in the Vulgate (Psalm 145:5 in modern numbering).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Psal. CXLIV, 5","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Suavia Dominus universis, et miserationes ejus super omnia opera ejus' corresponds to Psalm 144:5 in the Vulgate (Psalm 143:5 in modern numbering).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"lutea illa massa humectata succis","severity":"info","text":"This phrase reflects the patristic view of the body as clay moistened by bodily fluids, a metaphor for the soul's role in animating and preserving the flesh.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"interiorem hominem","severity":"info","text":"The 'inner man' is a Pauline concept (e.g., Romans 7:22) denoting the soul or spiritual self, here identified with the soul as the image of God.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"a dilectissime fili","severity":"info","text":"The address 'O most beloved son' suggests the treatise is framed as a letter to a spiritual disciple, a common pedagogical device in monastic literature.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin text has minor typographical errors (e.g., 'inlellectus' for 'intellectus', 'diligemis' for 'diligentis', 'vis ilU' for 'vis illa'), but the sense is clear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Ex qua, et per quam, et in qua sunt omnia, quae sunt; reguntur omnia, quae sunt; continentur omnia, quae sunt: omnia dico ipsam universitatem, quae est totum, quod aliud est, quam ipse qui fecit, et non est factus: sed ipse est ex quo, et qui ex eo, et quo; quod Deus ex quo est, Pater dicitur a nobis pauperibus sensu, pauperioribus verbis; quod qui ex eo, Filius dicitur: quod quo Spiritus sanctus. Ideo autem dicitur Deus Pater; quia ipse est ex quo, et sapientia est, qua ordinantur omnia: et dilectio, qua se votunt omnia ita manere, ui ordinata sunt. Ex quo erga, et qui ex eo, et quo se diligunt, ipsa duo tria sunt, et illa tria ideo unum; quia sic sunt ex uno illa duo, ut tamen ab ipso non sint separata: sed ex ipso sunt, quia non a se: et in ipso, quia non separata: et ipsum ipsa quod ipse, et ipsum ipse quod ipsa; et non ipsum ipsa qui ipse, a et non ipsa ipse quæ ipsa. Vis ista Deus est, et ipse Deus tria est, et unumquodque borum trium Deus est, et omnia tria ilia non dii, sed Deus est.","english":"From which, and through which, and in which are all things that are; all things that are are governed; all things that are are contained: I mean the whole universe itself, which is the totality, which is other than He who made it and was not made. But He Himself is that from which, and that which is from Him, and that in which; which God from whom He is, is called Father by us who are poor in understanding, poorer in words; that which is from Him is called Son; that in which is called Holy Spirit. For God is called Father because He Himself is that from which, and wisdom is that by which all things are ordered, and love is that by which all things desire to remain as they are ordered. Therefore, that from which, and that which is from Him, and that in which they love each other, these two are three, and those three are therefore one; because they are so from the one those two, that nevertheless they are not separated from Him: but they are from Him because they are not from themselves; and in Him because they are not separated; and He Himself is what they are, and He Himself is what He is; and not He Himself is what they are who He is, and not they themselves are what He is which they are. This power is God, and God Himself is three, and each one of these three is God, and all three of them are not gods, but God.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ex qua, et per quam, et in qua","severity":"info","text":"The triple prepositional phrase echoes the earlier triadic structure of the soul (understanding, will, memory) and now applies it to the Trinity, forming a parallel between microcosm and macrocosm.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"pauperibus sensu, pauperioribus verbis","severity":"info","text":"This phrase signals the author's humility and the inadequacy of human language to express Trinitarian doctrine, a common topos in Latin theological writing.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Pater ... Filius ... Spiritus sanctus","severity":"info","text":"The Trinitarian terms are standard in Latin Christianity, but the author's relational definitions (ex quo, qui ex eo, quo) reflect a Neoplatonic or Augustinian influence, emphasizing procession and immanence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"et ipsum ipsa quod ipse, et ipsum ipse quod ipsa; et non ipsum ipsa qui ipse, a et non ipsa ipse quæ ipsa","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text here is grammatically tangled and may be corrupt; the English draft attempts to render the paradoxical identity statements, but the precise meaning is uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Vis ista Deus est, et ipse Deus tria est","severity":"info","text":"The identification of God as 'power' (vis) and the insistence that each person is God yet not three gods reflects orthodox Trinitarian theology, likely drawing on Augustine's De Trinitate.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin phrase 'a et non ipsa ipse quæ ipsa' appears garbled; the intended sense may be that the Father is not the Son nor the Spirit, but the reading is uncertain."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Ad imaginem ergo suam conditor, ut dictum est, fecit animam hominis, quae tota dicitur anima. Non autem amul hominis quam animam significo, cum mentem dico: sed propter aliud animam, et propter aliud mentem. Nam totum quod vivit, hominis anima est: cum autem anima in se agit se, et ex se, et per se, sola mens dici solet: sensus vero ad sua ministeria implens, consuetius anima dicitur. Mens ergo scire gignit, et amat scire, quod scit. Non illud scire dico, quo repente scitur res aliqua, quc ante nesciri putabatur: sed illud,undeet aliquod et omne quidquid scitur vel nescitur, sciri potest. Illud ergo scire mens gignit,et cum genitum est, scientia potest dici. Sunt ergo jam duo, mens, et quod ipsa meus scit: restat tertium utriusque commune. Omnis mens quidquid scit, amat scire. Amor non minus quam inter duos est, amantem, et quod amatur. Unus est ergo amborum amor, qui et tertius est. Non autem potest negari hoc totum unam esse animam, et unam animam hæc tria esse; sicut enim hæc tria vere una anima suut, sic non minus vere una anima est hoc unum et hoc alterum et hoc tertium.","english":"Therefore, as has been said, the Creator made the human soul in His own image, which is wholly called soul. I do not, however, mean the same thing by soul as by mind when I speak of the human soul; rather, I mean soul for one thing and mind for another. For the whole that lives is the human soul: but when the soul acts in itself, from itself, and through itself, it alone is usually called mind; while sense, fulfilling its own ministries, is more commonly called soul. Therefore, mind generates knowing, and loves the knowing that it knows. I do not mean that knowing by which some thing is suddenly known that was previously thought unknown, but that from which and by which anything and everything that is known or unknown can be known. Therefore, mind generates that knowing, and when it is generated, it can be called knowledge. So there are now two: mind, and what that mind knows; a third remains, common to both. Every mind, whatever it knows, loves to know. Love is no less than between two: the lover and what is loved. Therefore, the love of both is one, which is also the third. But it cannot be denied that this whole is one soul, and that one soul is these three; for just as these three are truly one soul, so no less truly is one soul this one and this other and this third.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"anima","severity":"info","text":"Ambrosius distinguishes 'anima' (soul) as the whole living principle from 'mens' (mind) as the self-reflective part, a key anthropological distinction.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"mens","severity":"info","text":"'Mens' is the intellective faculty that generates 'scire' (knowing) and loves it, forming a triad with knowledge and love.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage presents a triadic structure: mind, knowledge, and love, mirroring the Augustinian psychological analogy of the Trinity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The triadic model of mind, knowledge, and love echoes Augustine's 'De Trinitate', where the human soul is an image of the divine Trinity.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Augustine De Trinitate"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The distinction between 'anima' and 'mens' parallels Neoplatonic psychology, where the soul has higher (intellective) and lower (sensitive) parts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text has minor scribal errors (e.g., 'amul' for 'animam', 'meus' for 'mens'), but the sense is clear.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'amul hominis' is a scribal error for 'animam hominis'.","The term 'scire' is used both for the act of knowing and the content known, but the context distinguishes them."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Comparet igitur se hæc creatura tam eminens Creatori suo supereminenti sibi, excepto hoc, et mullum supra se amoto, quod omnis bonit as, et omne bonum, et omnis bonitatis et boni dulcedo creatoris a se ipso est: creatura vero non solum quod est, sed eliam quod talis est, ab alio est, non a se; et ipse quod est, semper est. Licet et ipsa anima modo quodam suo incommutabilis est; nam semper anima esi, postquam esse coeperit, et scit, et scire vult. Comparet ergo, ut dixi, se anima eo modo, quo potest, creatori suo; ut dicatur mens Pater; quia gignit scire: dicatur scire Filius; quia ex alio est, et non est aliud, quam ipsum quod ipse est, ex quo est: dicatur amor Spiritus sanctus; quia amborum est eorum, qui se amant. Unde in nostris Scripturis saepius amor, id est, charitas, quae in Deo est erga nos, et quæ a nobis ill Deum, Spiritus ipse appellatur: et hæc de imagine, o dilectissime nili, habeto.","english":"This creature, so eminent, compares itself to its supremely eminent Creator, except for this one point, and that not far removed above itself: that all goodness, and every good, and all the sweetness of goodness and good belong to the Creator from Himself; but the creature has not only what it is, but also that it is such, from another, not from itself; and He Himself is always what He is. Although the soul itself is in its own way immutable; for it is always soul, once it has begun to be, and it knows, and it wills to know. Therefore, as I have said, the soul compares itself, in the way it can, to its Creator; so that the mind may be called Father, because it begets knowing; knowing may be called Son, because it is from another, and is not other than that which He Himself is, from whom it is; love may be called Holy Spirit, because it belongs to both of those who love each other. Hence in our Scriptures love, that is, charity, which is in God toward us, and which from us toward God, is often called the Spirit Himself. And take this, O most beloved son, concerning the image.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"mens Pater","severity":"info","text":"The author uses 'mind' (mens) as a Trinitarian analogy for the Father, who begets 'knowing' (scire) as the Son. This psychological model of the Trinity echoes Augustine's De Trinitate.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"amor Spiritus sanctus","severity":"info","text":"Love (amor) is identified with the Holy Spirit as the bond between Father and Son. The author notes that in Scripture, 'charity' (charitas) is often called the Spirit, linking divine and human love.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"in nostris Scripturis","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'in our Scriptures' likely refers to 1 John 4:8 or similar passages where love/charity is associated with the Holy Spirit. The author adapts this to his Trinitarian analogy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"creatura ... comparat se Creatori","severity":"info","text":"The soul's self-comparison to the Creator, with the caveat that the creature's being is from another, reflects Neoplatonic and Augustinian themes of participation and the soul's return to its source.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Comparet ... se ... anima","severity":"info","text":"This passage concludes the Trinitarian analogy of the soul, mirroring the earlier distinction between soul and mind. The address 'o dilectissime nili' (O most beloved son) marks a direct exhortation to the reader.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"hæc de imagine","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'concerning the image' ties this passage to the broader theme of the soul as image of God, a key topic in later medieval anthropology and mysticism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin 'mullum' is likely a scribal error for 'multum' (much), as in 'not far removed above itself'.","The phrase 'et scit, et scire vult' could be read as 'it knows, and it wills to know' or 'it knows, and it wants to be known'; the former is adopted here."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"CAPUT III. — Nunc vero de similitudine aliqua intellige, quoe minoribus cernenda est; ut sicut Deus Creator, qui hominem ad similitudinem suam creavit, est charitas, est bonus, et justus, paticns atque mitis, mundus et misericors, et caetera virtutum sanctarum insignia, quae de eo leguntur: ita homo creatus est, ut charitatem haberet, ut bonus esset et justus, ut patiens atque mitis, munaus et miscricors foret. Quas virtutes quanto plus quisque in scipso ibet, tanto propius est Deo, et majorem sui condituris gerit similitudinem. Si vero, quod absit, aliquis per devia vitiorum, et divortia criminum ab hac nobilissima sui conditoris similitudine degener oberrat, tunc fiet de eo quod scriptum est: Et homo cum in honore esset, non intellexit; comparatus est jumentis insipientibus, et similis factus eat iliis (Psal. XLVIII, 13).\n\nQui major honor potuit homini esse, quam ut ad similitudinem sui factoris conderetur, et eisdem virtutum vestimentis ornaretur; quibus et conditor, de quo legitur: Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est (Psal: xxix, ł); id est, omnium virtutum splendore, et totius bonitatis decorc ornatus fVel quoa majus homini potest esse dedccus, aut infelicior miseria, quam ut hac similitudinis gloria sui conditoris amissa, ad informem et irrationabilem brutorum jumentorum delabatur similitudinem?","english":"CHAPTER III. — Now understand something of a likeness that is to be discerned in lesser things: that just as God the Creator, who created man in his own image, is charity, is good, and just, patient and gentle, pure and merciful, and bears the other marks of holy virtues that are read of him, so man was created that he might have charity, that he might be good and just, that he might be patient and gentle, pure and merciful. The more each person fosters these virtues in himself, the closer he is to God, and the greater likeness of his Creator he bears. If, however—which God forbid—someone, through the byways of vices and the crossroads of crimes, strays degenerately from this most noble likeness of his Creator, then what is written will come to pass concerning him: \"And when man was in honor, he did not understand; he was compared to senseless beasts, and became like them\" (Ps. 48:13).\n\nWhat greater honor could man have had than to be created in the likeness of his Maker, and to be adorned with the same garments of virtues with which the Creator is also adorned, of whom it is read: \"The Lord reigned, clothed in beauty\" (Ps. 29:1)? That is, adorned with the splendor of all virtues and the beauty of all goodness. Or what greater disgrace could befall man, or what more wretched misery, than that, having lost this glory of likeness to his Creator, he should sink into the formless and irrational likeness of brute beasts?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Psal. XLVIII, 13","severity":"info","text":"The verse cited as Ps. 48:13 (Vulgate numbering) is actually Ps. 48:13 in the Vulgate, corresponding to Ps. 49:13 in the Hebrew numbering. The text warns that man who fails to understand his honor becomes like senseless beasts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["ogl-pl"]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Psal: xxix, ł","severity":"info","text":"The verse cited as Ps. 29:1 (Vulgate) is actually Ps. 29:1 in the Vulgate, corresponding to Ps. 30:1 in the Hebrew. The phrase 'Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est' is a conflation of two clauses from the same verse, emphasizing God's adornment with virtues.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["ogl-pl"]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"similitudinem","severity":"info","text":"The term 'similitudinem' (likeness) is central to the passage, distinguishing the human capacity for virtue as a reflection of the Creator, in contrast to the 'imago' (image) of Genesis 1:26. The author uses it to articulate a moral and spiritual proximity to God.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"charitas","severity":"info","text":"The use of 'charitas' (charity) as a primary divine attribute reflects the Latin theological tradition, especially Augustine, who identified charity as the essence of God's nature and the goal of human moral striving.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Nunc vero de similitudine aliqua intellige","severity":"info","text":"This phrase marks a transition from the preceding discussion of the Creator's self-sufficiency to a new focus on the lesser likeness found in human virtues, structuring the argument as a contrast between divine and human attributes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"munaus et miscricors","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text contains apparent scribal errors: 'munaus' should likely be 'mundus' (pure), and 'miscricors' is a misspelling of 'misericors' (merciful). These corruptions do not affect the overall sense but indicate a need for textual emendation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact source of the conflated Psalm verse (Ps. 29:1) is unclear; the phrase 'decorem indutus est' may be a paraphrase or a variant reading.","The phrase 'per devia vitiorum, et divortia criminum' uses metaphorical language ('byways' and 'crossroads') that could be interpreted as either spatial or moral deviation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Quapropter, o dilectissime, quisque diligentius attendat primae conditionis suae excellentiam, et vcnerandam in seipso sanctæ Trinitatis imaginem agnoscat, honoremque similitudinis divinae ad quem creatus est, nobilitate morum, exercitio virtutum, dignitate meritorum habere contendat; ut quando appareat qualis sit, tunc similis ei appareat, qui se mirabiliter ad similitudinem suam in primo Adam condidit, mirabiliusque in secundo reformavit (I Joan. III, 2).","english":"Therefore, O most beloved, let each one who attends more diligently to the excellence of his first condition recognize in himself the venerable image of the holy Trinity, and strive to possess the honor of the divine likeness to which he was created, through nobility of character, exercise of virtues, and dignity of merits; so that when he appears as he is, he may then appear similar to Him who wonderfully formed him in his own likeness in the first Adam, and more wonderfully refashioned him in the second (1 John 3:2).","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Quapropter, o dilectissime","severity":"info","text":"The passage opens with an apostrophe ('o dilectissime') and a hortatory subjunctive ('attendat'), marking the conclusion of the treatise's argument on human dignity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"primae conditionis suae excellentiam","severity":"info","text":"'Primae conditionis' refers to the original state of creation, not to a historical 'first condition' but to the ideal, prelapsarian dignity of humanity as made in God's image.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"I Joan. III, 2","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'I Joan. III, 2' (1 John 3:2) is given in the margin or text; the verse likely refers to seeing God as he is, but the exact wording is not quoted. The reference may be a later addition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"primo Adam ... secundo","severity":"info","text":"The pairing of 'first Adam' (the created, fallen humanity) and 'second Adam' (Christ, the restorer) is a Pauline typology (cf. Rom 5; 1 Cor 15) common in patristic soteriology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"De Dignitatate Conditionis Humanae Libellus","severity":"info","text":"This treatise, attributed to Ambrosius, was influential in medieval discussions of human dignity, though its authorship and date remain debated; it is not by Ambrose of Milan.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'I Joan. III, 2' may be a marginal gloss rather than an integral part of the text; its exact referent is uncertain.","The term 'dilectissime' could address a specific individual or be a generic rhetorical address."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}