{"slug":"stoa0040.stoa081.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:stoa0040.stoa081.opp-lat1","title":"Tractatus De Oratione Et Eleemosyna [Incertus]","title_source":"Tractatus De Oratione Et Eleemosyna [Incertus]","author":"Augustinus","genre":"homily","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":"2026-11-15T06:12:13Z","cost_usd":0.003516},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:stoa0040.stoa081.opp-lat1","work_id":"stoa0040.stoa081.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/stoa0040/stoa081/stoa0040.stoa081.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":6,"english_words":1612,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":6178,"commentary_units":36,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":10,"work_notes":5,"external_links":0,"timeline":3},"summary":{"work":"stoa0040.stoa081.opp-lat1","abstract":"The Tractatus De Oratione Et Eleemosyna (Treatise on Prayer and Almsgiving) is a Latin homily transmitted under Augustine's name but widely regarded as inauthentic since the Maurist edition. It survives only in manuscript collections of Augustine's sermons, with no external evidence to date it securely. Stylistic features—vocabulary, rhythm, and generic orthodox doctrine—suggest a later, possibly post-Augustinian origin within the North African tradition. The work was included in medieval florilegia on prayer and almsgiving but never attained the authority of Augustine's genuine writings. The present edition relies on the Maurist print, which may normalize scribal variants, and does not collate the full manuscript tradition.","historical_context":"The treatise cannot be securely dated or placed. It survives only in manuscript collections of Augustine's sermons, and its authenticity has been doubted since the Maurist edition (17th century). No external evidence provides a date; stylistic features—vocabulary, rhythm, and generic orthodox doctrine—suggest a later, possibly post-Augustinian origin within the North African tradition. The work was included in medieval florilegia on prayer and almsgiving, indicating it circulated in monastic and scholastic contexts, but it never attained the authority of Augustine's genuine works. The Latin shows vocabulary and rhythm atypical of Augustine's authentic sermons, and the doctrinal content is orthodox but generic. The present edition does not collate the full manuscript tradition; the text is based on the Maurist print, which may normalize scribal variants. The opening note refers to the codex Urbinas and to Jérôme Vignier's edition from a Royal codex, indicating the treatise's textual history is uncertain.","significance":"The treatise illustrates the medieval reception of Augustine's authority and the fluidity of the Augustinian corpus. It reflects the enduring importance of prayer and almsgiving as Christian practices, and its inclusion in florilegia shows how later communities used such texts for moral and liturgical instruction. Its disputed authenticity highlights the challenges of attributing works in the patristic tradition.","timeline":[{"date":"5th c. (?)","event":"Possible composition, if authentic, in Augustine's lifetime (d. 430)."},{"date":"17th c.","event":"Maurist edition doubts authenticity; work included in Augustine's Opera Omnia."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Included in florilegia on prayer and almsgiving; circulated in monastic and scholastic contexts."}],"relations":[{"work":"Augustine, De Sermone Domini in Monte","relation":"Thematic parallel on almsgiving and prayer; Matthew 6:2-4 cited.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos","relation":"Possible source for Psalm 40 citation; similar exegetical style.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Pseudo-Augustinian sermons (e.g., Sermo 60, Sermo 104)","relation":"Part of the same corpus of doubtful works; similar stylistic features.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["Date is unknown; stylistic evidence suggests a later, possibly post-Augustinian origin.","Authorship is disputed; the work is widely considered inauthentic since the Maurist edition.","The text survives only in manuscript collections of Augustine's sermons; no independent manuscript tradition.","The present edition does not collate the full manuscript tradition; it relies on the Maurist print, which may normalize scribal variants."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000404,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:12:13Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/stoa0040/stoa081/stoa0040.stoa081.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"stoa0040.stoa081.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":6,"translated":6,"commentary_passages":6,"commentary_units":36,"english_words":1612,"source_letters":6141,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work survives only in manuscript collections of Augustine's sermons; its authenticity has been doubted since the Maurist edition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["ogl-pl"]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"No external evidence dates the sermon; stylistic features suggest a later, possibly post-Augustinian, origin within the North African tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["ogl-pl"]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The treatise was included in medieval florilegia on prayer and almsgiving, but never attained the authority of Augustine's genuine works.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["ogl-pl"]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin shows vocabulary and rhythm atypical of Augustine's authentic sermons; doctrinal content is orthodox but generic.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["ogl-pl"]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This edition does not collate the full manuscript tradition; the text is based on the Maurist print, which may normalize scribal variants.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":["ogl-pl"]}],"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: homily in Latin; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 6 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":6},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"TRACTATUS DE ORATIONE ET ELEEMOSYNA.\n\nUrbinati non incognitus, et a Viguit'rio postmodum ex codice Regio cum nonnullis hiatibus editus fuit, quamvis ipsi finis Augustinum, uti testatur, non ita certo exhiberet. Sed neque inilinm certius exbibet.\n\nStipem pauperibus ultro largiri. Misericordia ipsa orate Misericordiæ nullus terminus. Misericordiæ sit comes oratio. Orationis laus.\n\nFelix ille qui intelligit super egenum et pauperem; in die mala liberabit eum Dominus ( Psal. XL, ). intelligere ergo debemus super egenum ct pauperem: est autem intelligere super egenum et pauperem, ut rogari a talibus non exspectemus. Nec enim illa Iuisericordia deputanda est, quæ clamoribus extorquetur, nec ille mercedem operis sui percipit, qui diu M patitur deprecari: quoniam non fecit mandatum Dei, sed precibus præstitit, misericorditin suam Lacrymis vendidit. Qui intelligit autem, ultro largitur, et signato magis silentio decclat, IIC opus suum qnod occultum e;sc desiderat, ipsa vox pauperis prodat, sicut in Evangelio scriptum est: Cum facis eleemosynam, noli tuba canere ante te, sicut hypocritæ faciunt in synagogis et in vicis, ut videantur ab hominibus. Amen dico vobis, receperunt mercedem suam. Tu autem cum facis eleemosynam, nesciat sinistra tua quid faciat dextera tua: aed sit eleemosyna tua in ab'conso; et qui videt, libi reddet (Matth. VI, 2-4).","english":"TREATISE ON PRAYER AND ALMSGIVING.\n\nNot unknown to the Urbinate, and afterwards published by Vignier from a Royal codex with some gaps, although the end itself, as he attests, did not present Augustine with such certainty. But neither does it present a more certain beginning.\n\nTo give alms freely to the poor. Mercy itself prays to Mercy; there is no limit to Mercy. Let prayer be the companion of Mercy. The praise of prayer.\n\nBlessed is he who understands concerning the needy and the poor; in the evil day the Lord will deliver him (Ps. 40). Therefore we must understand concerning the needy and the poor: but to understand concerning the needy and the poor is that we should not wait to be asked by such persons. For that mercy is not to be accounted as such which is extorted by clamors, nor does he who suffers himself to be long entreated receive the reward of his work: since he has not fulfilled the command of God, but has yielded to prayers, he has sold his mercy for tears. But he who understands gives freely, and with a sealed silence more readily conceals his work, which he desires to be hidden, lest the very voice of the poor man betray it, as it is written in the Gospel: When you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But you, when you give alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does: and let your alms be in secret; and He who sees will repay you (Matt. 6:2-4).","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"Urbinati non incognitus","severity":"info","text":"The opening note refers to the codex Urbinas and to Jérôme Vignier's edition from a Royal codex, indicating the treatise's textual history is uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Sed neque inilinm certius exbibet","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text is corrupt here; 'inilinm' is likely a scribal error for 'initium' (beginning). The sense is that neither the end nor the beginning is certain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Psal. XL","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Psal. XL' refers to Psalm 40 (Vulgate numbering), likely verse 2: 'Beatus qui intelligit super egenum et pauperem' (Blessed is he who understands concerning the needy and the poor).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Matth. VI, 2-4","severity":"info","text":"The Gospel citation 'Matth. VI, 2-4' corresponds to Matthew 6:2-4, which includes the sayings on secret almsgiving and not letting the left hand know what the right hand does.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"intelligere super egenum et pauperem","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'intelligere super egenum et pauperem' is a Latin rendering of a biblical idiom meaning to have understanding or compassion for the needy, not merely intellectual comprehension.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"noli tuba canere ante te","severity":"info","text":"The injunction 'do not sound a trumpet before you' echoes a common patristic metaphor against ostentation in almsgiving, paralleling Matthew 6:2-4 and early Christian ethical teaching.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin text is corrupt at 'inilinm', likely a scribal error for 'initium' (beginning). The attribution to Augustine is uncertain, as noted in the transmission history."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Et per Salomonem loquitur Dominus dicens, Conclude eleemosynam tuam in corde pauperis, ct ipsa pro te orabit ab omni malo (Eccli. xxix,15). Primo occultam esse voluit, quam concludi jussit in cordc. Nam cum ipse sit scrutator renis et cordis, utique sibi tantum voluit reservari, quidquid penetralibus pectoris delegavit. Deinde quanta ejus officia essent ostendit, cum pro nobis jam non pauperem dicit, sed ipsam misericordi:ni rogaturam: pauperem enim et dormitare posse In precibus, et occupatum malis actibus aliquando cessare. Misericordia autem laborans semper et vigilans tantum efficaciæ obtinet, ut auctorem suum sine præmio esse non patiatur. Quantum vero, et quam necessarium... temporum thesauris..... a facultatibus nostris manifestarent\n\nlUique panis coelestis quo pascitur anima nostra, si quando ad cam perveniamur, ut eo saginemur, unde modo vix micas colligimus, ne in ista famelica eremo pereamus. Quomodo ergo perveniatur ad saginam hujus panis, de quo Dominus ait, Panem hunc qui manducaverit non esuriet et potum quem dedcro qui bibcrit, non sitiet tu æternum ( Joan. IV, 13), saginam quamdam promittens et satietatem sine fastidio? Quomodo ergo perveniamus ad hanc satietatem panis longe ab ea satietate in hac fame positi, consilio opus est: quod consilium si neglexerimus ad panem illum sinc causa pulsamus.","english":"And through Solomon the Lord speaks, saying, \"Store up your alms in the heart of the poor, and it itself will pray for you from every evil\" (Ecclus. 29:15). First, He wished it to be hidden, which He commanded to be stored up in the heart. For since He Himself is the searcher of reins and heart, He surely wished to be reserved for Himself alone whatever He entrusted to the innermost recesses of the breast. Then He showed how great its services are, when He says that it is no longer the poor person who will pray for us, but mercy itself will plead: for the poor person can both doze in prayers and, being occupied with evil deeds, sometimes cease. But mercy, always laboring and watchful, obtains such efficacy that it does not allow its author to be without reward. How great and how necessary... from the treasures of the times... from our resources they would manifest.\n\nCertainly the celestial bread by which our soul is nourished, if ever we should reach it so that we may be fattened by it, from which now we scarcely gather crumbs, lest we perish in this famished desert. How, then, is one to reach the fatness of this bread, of which the Lord says, \"He who eats this bread will not hunger, and he who drinks the drink which I give will not thirst forever\" (John 4:13), promising a certain fatness and satiety without disgust? How, then, do we reach this satiety of bread, placed far from that satiety in this hunger? Counsel is needed: which counsel if we neglect, we knock at that bread without cause.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Eccli. xxix,15","severity":"info","text":"The citation Ecclus. 29:15 corresponds to Sirach 29:15 in the Vulgate, though the wording differs from the standard text; the passage may be a loose quotation or a variant reading.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"conclude","severity":"info","text":"The verb 'conclude' (store up) is used metaphorically for depositing alms in the heart, emphasizing concealment and divine reservation, a key theme in the passage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"scrutator renis et cordis","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'searcher of reins and heart' is a biblical idiom for God's intimate knowledge (cf. Ps 7:10), reinforcing the idea that alms are hidden for divine scrutiny alone.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"temporum thesauris","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'temporum thesauris' is corrupt in the manuscript; the English draft renders it as 'from the treasures of the times,' but the exact reading and meaning are uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Joan. IV, 13","severity":"info","text":"The citation John 4:13 is not found in the canonical Gospel; it may refer to a variant or apocryphal saying, or be a misattribution; the context suggests a promise of eternal satiety.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"narrative","severity":"info","text":"The passage shifts from a scriptural citation and its exposition to a metaphorical reflection on celestial bread, marking a transition from exegesis to exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact wording of the Sirach citation is uncertain; the phrase 'temporum thesauris' is corrupt; the source of John 4:13 is unclear."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Imo vero consilium hoc quod dicturus sum, vel potius commendalurus sum, non enim a me dicam quod vobiscum didiCi; consilium ergo hoc quod dicturus su:n, quisquis contempserit, omnino non pulsat. Hoc enim consilium sequi ct agere, est pulsare. Quid cnim? Putatis, fratres, quia vere quasi corporaliter habet Deus quamdam januam duram quun claudii contra homines? ei idco nohis divit pulsarc, ut vcniamus et tundamus ostium, quousque pulsando perveniamna ad aurcs patrisfamilias in secreto quodam constituti, et juhcat nobis apcrire, dicendo, Quis est qui pulsat? quis cst qui auribus mcis tædium facit? Date illi quod petit, recedat hinc. Non ita ost, verumtamen est aliquid simile. Certe quando pulsas nd aliquem, manibus agis. Ist quod agas manilius quando pulsas ad Dominum. Prorsus manihus:'gis, manibus pulsas. Si ergo non egeris, non dico, Frustra pulsas; sed dico, Non pulsas: ideo non mereberis, ideo non accipies, quia non pulsas. Quando, inquis, vis ut pulsem? ecce quotidie rogo. Bene facis, roBare optime facis. Nam ei hoc dictum est: Petite, et dabitur vobis; quærite, et invenietis; pulsate, et aperietur vobis ( Luc. XI, ). Omnia dicta sunt; pete, quare, pulsa. Pelis orando, quæris disputando, putsas erogando. Non ergo quiescat manus.","english":"Indeed, this counsel which I am about to speak, or rather which I am about to commend—for I do not speak it from myself, but from what I have learned with you—this counsel, therefore, which I am about to speak, whoever despises it does not knock at all. For to follow and act upon this counsel is to knock. For what? Do you think, brothers, that God truly has, as it were, a bodily door, a hard door which He closes against men? And that He therefore bids us knock, so that we may come and beat upon the door, until by knocking we reach the ears of the master of the house, who is established in some secret place, and He orders it to be opened for us, saying, \"Who is it that knocks? Who is it that wearies my ears? Give him what he asks, let him depart from here\"? It is not so; nevertheless, there is something similar. Certainly, when you knock at someone, you act with your hands. Do you act with your hands when you knock at the Lord? You act entirely with your hands; you knock with your hands. Therefore, if you do not act, I do not say, \"You knock in vain\"; but I say, \"You do not knock.\" Therefore you will not deserve, therefore you will not receive, because you do not knock. \"When,\" you ask, \"do you want me to knock? Behold, I pray daily.\" You do well; you pray very well. For this also has been said: \"Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you\" (Luke 11:9). All has been said: ask, seek, knock. You ask by praying, you seek by disputing, you knock by giving alms. Therefore, let the hand not be idle.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage develops a tripartite scheme: ask, seek, knock, corresponding to praying, disputing, and giving alms. This rhetorical structure organizes the homily's exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Luke 11:9","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Petite, et dabitur vobis; quærite, et invenietis; pulsate, et aperietur vobis' is a conflation of Matthew 7:7-8 and Luke 11:9, common in patristic memory.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"pulsas erogando","severity":"info","text":"'Erogando' (by giving alms) is the key term: the homilist redefines 'knocking' as almsgiving, not literal or prayerful knocking. This pun drives the argument.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The image of God as a householder (paterfamilias) in a secret chamber, annoyed by knocking, draws on Roman domestic and legal tropes, making the allegory vivid for a Latin audience.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The tripartite scheme (ask, seek, knock) was influential in medieval monastic spirituality, often cited in manuals on prayer and almsgiving.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text has minor scribal errors (e.g., 'didiCi' for 'didici', 'su:n' for 'sum'), but the sense is clear. The English draft corrects these silently.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'commendalurus sum' is likely a scribal error for 'commendaturus sum' (I am about to commend). The reading follows the emendation.","The exact biblical source of the tripartite saying is conflated; the homilist treats it as a single dominical saying."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Apostolus cum de eleemosynis plebem moneret, Consilium, inquit, in hoc do: hoc cnim vobis prodest, quod non facere, sed et velle cæpistis ab anno priore ( II Cor. vin, 10). El Daniel, prospicit Spiritus sanctus... Nam si divitias nostras pauperum cordibus commendeinus,... quando cas postmodum aut fur appetat, aut prædo vastet, aut tinea comedat, ant ruhigo corrumpat aut quod perniciosum injustum tempus assumct? Sed quid? Tunc opes nostræ ad Dominum transeunt, nique occupant coelum si pauperibus tribuentes, cælestia mandata servemus.\n\nHuic ergo operi, fratres, totis viribus insistendum cst. Hæc Domino voluntas sine vocatione aliqua semper ubique complenda cst. Sola misericordia tantummodo est ab excessibus liberata. Dum omnia odiosa sunt cum transcenderint modum, suta misericordia terminum non habel. Ipsa tantum cst cujus nimictas placeat, cujus oblectet enormitas, cujus laudabilis possit esse profusio. Sola itaque misericordia est, quoe quanto ad majora processerit, tanto ampliorem et sibi laudem ct in Domino tribuit charitatum. Hanc fieri jugiter ipse Dominus hortatur; nec in Evangelio Chrisius tacet, nec per Prophetas Spiritus sanctus cessavit. Loquitur per Isaiam Dominus et Pater Omnipotens Deus, qui qnæ munera misericordibus præparentur, ostendit: Frange esu.","english":"The Apostle, when he was admonishing the people about alms, said, \"I give this counsel: for this benefits you, that you have begun not only to do, but also to will, from the previous year\" (2 Cor. 8:10). And Daniel, the Holy Spirit foresees... For if we entrust our riches to the hearts of the poor,... when later either a thief seizes them, or a plunderer lays them waste, or a moth consumes them, or rust corrupts them, or what a pernicious unjust time carries off? But what then? Our wealth passes over to the Lord, they occupy heaven if, giving to the poor, we keep the heavenly commands.\n\nTherefore, brothers, this work must be pursued with all our strength. This will of the Lord must always and everywhere be fulfilled without any summons. Only mercy is freed from excesses. While all things are hateful when they have exceeded their measure, only mercy has no limit. It alone is that whose excesses please, whose enormity delights, whose profusion can be praiseworthy. Thus only mercy is that which, the more it proceeds to greater things, the more it bestows both greater praise for itself and charity in the Lord. The Lord Himself urges that this be done continually; nor is Christ silent in the Gospel, nor has the Holy Spirit ceased through the Prophets. The Lord and Almighty Father God speaks through Isaiah, showing what rewards are prepared for the merciful: \"Break your bread.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"II Cor. vin, 10","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'II Cor. vin, 10' is a corrupt reference; the intended verse is likely 2 Corinthians 8:10, but 2 Corinthians has only 13 chapters, and verse 10 of chapter 8 does not match the quoted text. The passage may be a conflation or misattribution.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"eleemosyna","severity":"info","text":"The Latin 'eleemosyna' (from Greek ἐλεημοσύνη) is a technical term for almsgiving, a central theme of the homily. Its use here aligns with patristic discourse on charity as a meritorious work.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Daniel","severity":"info","text":"The abrupt mention of 'Daniel' may refer to the biblical prophet Daniel, but the text is corrupt ('El Daniel, prospicit Spiritus sanctus...'). The ellipsis suggests a lacuna; the original likely contained a scriptural citation or exemplum from the Book of Daniel.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Frange esu","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin 'Frange esu' is a fragment, likely from Isaiah 58:7 ('Frange esurienti panem tuum'), but the text breaks off. The homily is incomplete at this point, and the citation cannot be verified without the full passage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Huic ergo operi","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Huic ergo operi' marks a rhetorical shift from scriptural citation to exhortation, a common homiletic structure. The following sentences emphasize the boundless nature of mercy, contrasting with the earlier warnings about perishable wealth.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"sola misericordia","severity":"info","text":"The assertion that 'only mercy has no limit' echoes a topos in patristic and medieval moral theology, found in authors like Augustine and Gregory the Great, emphasizing mercy as a virtue immune to the vice of excess.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The scripture reference 'II Cor. vin, 10' is corrupt; the intended verse is unclear.","The text after 'El Daniel' is fragmentary; the original content is lost.","The homily breaks off at 'Frange esu', leaving the Isaiah citation incomplete."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"rienti panem luum, et egenum sine tecto induc in domum tuam: si videris nudum, vesti, et domesticos seminis tui non dexpicies. Tunc erumpet temporaneum lumen tuum, et lux cito orietur. Et præibit ante te justitia, et claritas Dei circumdabit te. Tunc exclamabis, et Dominus exaudiet te. Cum adhuc loqueris, dicet, Ecce adsum (Isai. I.VIII, 7-9) Satis evidenter, fratres, quod apud Tobiam jamdudum docui, Isaias testimonio comprobatum ost, adjungenda ii esse orationi elcemosynam, sociandumque jejunium. Tunc, inquit, exclamabis, et Deus exaudiet te; tibique in oratione clamanti, dum adhuc loqueris dicet, Ecce adsum. Si misericordiam, inq\"it, impenderis, rito eam cnm rogare inceperis, impetrabis: præveniet Dominus tuas voccs, et præcurrentibus teritis luis accipies omnia.\n\nQuid enim cst oratione præclarius? quid vitæ nostræ utilius? quid in tota nostra religione sublimius? Orntio cst quae nos Christianos provocat; orntio est qua cum Deo loquimur, qua patrem dicimus, qua universa desideria nostra in conspectu majestatis ejus effundimus. Oratio est quæ coelos penetrat, nubes transit, Dei aures attingit. Hrc in Ecclesia universis gradibus necessaria est. Hæc catechumenis spiritum, fidelibus præsidium, pœnitentibus solatium præstat. Hvc justos continet, sublevat peccatores; pcr hanc etiam qui stant non cadunt, ct qui elisi sunt eriguntur.","english":"your bread to the hungry, and lead the roofless poor into your house: if you see someone naked, clothe him, and do not despise the members of your own household. Then your temporal light will burst forth, and light will quickly arise. And justice will go before you, and the glory of God will surround you. Then you will cry out, and the Lord will hear you. While you are still speaking, He will say, \"Behold, I am here\" (Isaiah 58:7-9). It is sufficiently clear, brothers, that what I have already taught from Tobit is confirmed by the testimony of Isaiah: that almsgiving must be joined to prayer, and fasting must be associated with it. \"Then,\" he says, \"you will cry out, and God will hear you; and to you crying out in prayer, while you are still speaking, He will say, 'Behold, I am here.'\" \"If you show mercy,\" he says, \"as soon as you begin to ask, you will obtain it: the Lord will anticipate your words, and by your merits preceding, you will receive everything.\"\n\nFor what is more excellent than prayer? What is more useful for our life? What is more sublime in our entire religion? It is prayer that calls us Christians; it is prayer by which we speak with God, by which we call Him Father, by which we pour out all our desires before the sight of His majesty. Prayer is what penetrates the heavens, passes through the clouds, reaches the ears of God. This is necessary for all ranks in the Church. It provides spirit to catechumens, protection to the faithful, comfort to penitents. It sustains the just, raises up sinners; through it, even those who stand do not fall, and those who have been cast down are lifted up.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Isai. LVIII, 7-9","severity":"info","text":"The citation Isaiah 58:7-9 is a conflation; the canonical text (58:7-8) speaks of God hearing, but the phrase 'Behold, I am here' is not in the Masoretic or Vulgate Isaiah.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Tobiam","severity":"info","text":"The reference to Tobit (Tobiam) as a prior source for the same teaching suggests the homilist draws on the deuterocanonical book, where almsgiving and prayer are linked (Tobit 12–13).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Quid enim est oratione praeclarius?","severity":"info","text":"The passage shifts from scriptural proof to a rhetorical encomium on prayer, marked by three anaphoric questions (Quid ... praeclarius? quid ... utilius? quid ... sublimius?).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"eleemosynam","severity":"info","text":"The Greek loanword eleemosyna (alms) is used here in a technical sense for mercy as a prerequisite for effective prayer, echoing the homily's theme of joining almsgiving to prayer.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Oratio est quae coelos penetrat","severity":"info","text":"The description of prayer penetrating heavens and reaching God's ears is a common patristic topos, found in Cyprian (De Dominica Oratione) and later in Augustine's Enarrationes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"domesticos seminis tui non dexpicies","severity":"caution","text":"The verb dexpicies is a scribal error or variant for despicies (despise); the sense is clear from context, but the form is non-standard in classical Latin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The source of the Isaiah citation is conflated; the exact wording 'Ecce adsum' is not in the canonical text.","The verb 'dexpicies' is a hapax or corruption; the intended reading is 'despicies'."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Mac utitur a'tas, sexus, hac conditio omnis ct dignitas. Hæc magna servat, hæc tutat ct minima. Pcr hanc divilcs tuti sunt, per hanc pauperes non deficiunt. Hæc ex iliorum abundantia excubat, hæc ut ab ipsis penuria repellatur exorat. In hac gubernamur in prosperis, per hanc fiduciam gerimus in adversis. Ilæc nohis in gaudiis jucunda est; hæc in luctibus suavis. Per hanc lætitiam percipimus, pcr hanc tristitiam declinamus. Huic autem nostri pondus et tidium, votiva omnia commendamus. Hanc quasi fidelem sequestramus, quasl idoneam et tutissimam navim universorum desideriorum nostrorum mercibus oneramus, quæ ad omnipotentem Dominum, expansis manibus, fusisque precihus prospero felicique cursu perveniat. Per hanc omnia timoris Donnini ornamenta percipimus. Pcr hanc quidquid fides inchoat, spiritus mundat, charitas decorat, assidua deprecatione servamus. Pcr hanc castitate tuemur, continentia virtuteque gubernamur. Per hanc pro Christo corporis vincula sustinemus: per hanc postremo beata martyria consummamus. Amen.","english":"Age, sex, every condition and rank uses it. This great thing preserves, this protects even the smallest. Through it the rich are safe, through it the poor do not fail. It watches from their abundance, it prays that want be driven away from them. In it we are governed in prosperity, through it we bear confidence in adversity. It is pleasant to us in joys; it is gentle in griefs. Through it we receive joy, through it we avoid sadness. To it we entrust our burden and weariness, all our votive offerings. We appoint it as a faithful trustee, we load it like a suitable and most safe ship with the cargo of all our desires, so that it may arrive at the almighty Lord with hands outstretched and prayers poured forth, on a prosperous and happy voyage. Through it we receive all the ornaments of the fear of the Lord. Through it we preserve by constant supplication whatever faith begins, the spirit cleanses, charity adorns. Through it we are protected by chastity, governed by continence and virtue. Through it we endure the bonds of the body for Christ; through it, finally, we consummate the blessed martyrdoms. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Hæc","severity":"info","text":"The repeated feminine singular pronoun 'Hæc' (this) refers back to the unnamed subject of the passage, likely 'oratio' (prayer) or 'eleemosyna' (alms), establishing a sustained rhetorical anaphora that unifies the paragraph.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Mac","severity":"info","text":"The opening 'Mac' is a textual corruption; the intended word is likely 'Hac' (by this), consistent with the anaphoric structure. The error may stem from a scribal misreading of 'H' as 'M'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"sequestramus","severity":"info","text":"The verb 'sequestramus' (we appoint as trustee) draws on Roman legal practice of sequestratio, where a neutral party held property in trust. This metaphor frames prayer or almsgiving as a fiduciary agent for human desires before God.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"expansis manibus, fusisque precibus","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'with hands outstretched and prayers poured forth' echoes the orant posture of early Christian prayer, as seen in catacomb frescoes and described in texts like the Didache (ch. 4) and Tertullian's De Oratione.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"beata martyria consummamus","severity":"info","text":"The closing reference to 'blessed martyrdoms' reflects the post-persecution context of the 4th–5th centuries, when martyrdom was idealized as the ultimate fruit of prayer and almsgiving, a theme common in Latin patristic homilies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ilæc","severity":"caution","text":"The form 'Ilæc' (line 6) is a scribal error for 'Hæc', as the context demands the same anaphoric pronoun. The 'I' may be a misreading of 'H' or an intrusive letter from a marginal gloss.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The subject of the entire passage is never explicitly named; it is either 'oratio' (prayer) or 'eleemosyna' (alms), and the text does not resolve which. The translation assumes a single referent, but the ambiguity may be intentional."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}