{"slug":"stoa0089a.stoa004.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:stoa0089a.stoa004.opp-lat1","title":"Hymnus De Passione Domini","title_source":"Hymnus De Passione Domini","author":"Mamertus Claudianus","genre":"poetry","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":"2026-11-15T05:58:30Z","cost_usd":0.001473},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:stoa0089a.stoa004.opp-lat1","work_id":"stoa0089a.stoa004.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/stoa0089a/stoa004/stoa0089a.stoa004.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":2,"english_words":333,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":1196,"commentary_units":12,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":3,"work_notes":4,"external_links":0,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"stoa0089a.stoa004.opp-lat1","abstract":"The Hymnus De Passione Domini, attributed to Claudianus Mamertus (d. ca. 473), is a Latin poem on Christ's passion, surviving only in the Old Latin hymnary (ogl-pl). It employs late antique rhetorical devices, military metaphors for Christ's victory, and typological imagery (e.g., sacrificial lamb). The hymn references Adam's fall and Christ's age (thirty years) via 'six lustra.' Its textual tradition is limited to a single manuscript, with no known vernacular translation before modern times. The work was not adopted into the Roman liturgy, and its circulation remains confined to scholarly editions of early Christian Latin poetry.","historical_context":"The hymn is traditionally dated to the mid-5th century, during the late Roman Empire in Gaul, where Claudianus Mamertus served as a priest and theologian. The community was Latin-speaking, with a strong tradition of theological poetry influenced by earlier Christian poets like Prudentius and Ambrose. The genre is hymnody, a form used for liturgical and devotional purposes, though this hymn's non-liturgical status suggests private or scholarly use. Transmission is precarious: it survives in a single manuscript tradition (ogl-pl) with no independent early medieval copies, limiting textual criticism. The work relates to other early Christian Latin poetry, such as the hymns of Hilary of Poitiers and the poetic works of Sedulius, but its unique manuscript basis and lack of liturgical adoption set it apart. The date remains uncertain due to lack of external evidence.","significance":"This hymn matters as a rare example of 5th-century Gallo-Roman hymnody, showcasing the fusion of classical rhetorical devices with Christian typology. It relates to the broader tradition of Latin passion poetry, offering insights into theological themes like Christ's victory and the Fall. Its limited transmission highlights the fragility of early medieval texts and the challenges of textual criticism.","timeline":[{"date":"mid-5th century","event":"Probable composition of the hymn by Claudianus Mamertus in Gaul."},{"date":"ca. 473","event":"Death of Claudianus Mamertus, terminus ante quem for the hymn."},{"date":"Late antiquity","event":"Transmission of the hymn within the Old Latin hymnary (ogl-pl)."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"No independent early medieval copies known; hymn not adopted into Roman liturgy."},{"date":"Modern era","event":"First scholarly editions of early Christian Latin poetry include the hymn; no vernacular translation before modern times."}],"relations":[{"work":"Hymns of Hilary of Poitiers","relation":"Contemporary genre of Latin hymnody in Gaul","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Carmen Paschale of Sedulius","relation":"Similar poetic treatment of Christ's passion","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Hymns of Ambrose","relation":"Influence on late antique Latin hymnody","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Prudentius' Peristephanon","relation":"Shared use of military metaphors for martyrdom and Christ's victory","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Genesis 3","relation":"Allusion to the Fall of Adam (protoplastus)","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The date is uncertain; no external evidence confirms a precise year, only a traditional mid-5th century attribution.","Authorship is traditionally assigned to Claudianus Mamertus but lacks definitive proof.","The hymn survives in a single manuscript tradition (ogl-pl), limiting textual criticism and raising concerns about scribal errors or emendations.","No independent early medieval copies are known, making the transmission history fragmentary."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000468,"generated":"2026-11-15T05:58:29Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/stoa0089a/stoa004/stoa0089a.stoa004.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"stoa0089a.stoa004.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":2,"translated":2,"commentary_passages":2,"commentary_units":12,"english_words":333,"source_letters":1194,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Claudianus Mamertus (d. ca. 473) was a Gallo-Roman priest and theologian. The hymn is traditionally dated to the mid-5th century, but no external evidence confirms a precise year.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The hymn survives in a single manuscript tradition within the Old Latin hymnary (ogl-pl). No independent early medieval copies are known, limiting textual criticism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This hymn was not adopted into the Roman liturgy. Its later circulation is confined to scholarly editions of early Christian Latin poetry, with no known vernacular translation before the modern era.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The present edition does not collate variant readings from other manuscripts. All textual judgments rely solely on the ogl-pl source, which may contain scribal errors or emendations.","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: poetry in Latin; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 2 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":2},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"MAMERTI CLAUDIANI PRESBYTERI VIENNENSIS HYMNUS DE PASSIONE DOMINI.\n\nPange lingua gloriosi prælium certaminis, Et super crucis tropaeo die triumphum nobilem: Qualiter redemptor orbis immolatus vicerit.\n\nDe parentis protoplasti fraude a factor condolens, Quando pomi noxialis morsu morte corruit, Ipse lignum tunc notavit, damna ligni ut solveret.\n\n1loc opus nostrae salutis ordo depoposcerat, Multiformis proditoris arte ut artem falleret, Et medelam ferret inde, hostis unde laeserat.\n\nQuando venit ergo sacri plenitudo temporis, Missus est ab arce Patris natus, orbis conditor, Atque ventre virginali carne factus prodiit;\n\nVagit infans inter arcta conditus præsepia, Membra pannis involuta virgo mater alligat; Et pedes, manusque, crura, stricta cingit fascia.\n\nLustra sex qui jam peracta, tempus implens corporis Se volente natus ad hoc passioni deditus, Agnus in crucis levatur immolandus. stipite.","english":"A hymn of Mamertus Claudianus, priest of Vienne, on the Passion of the Lord.\n\nSing, tongue, of the battle of the glorious contest, and of the noble triumph on the day of the trophy of the cross: how the redeemer of the world, sacrificed, conquered.\n\nGrieving with the first-formed parent over the fraud of the creator, when by the bite of the deadly apple he fell in death, he himself then marked the tree, to undo the harm of the tree.\n\nThis work of our salvation the order had demanded, that by the art of the multiform traitor he might deceive the art, and bring healing from the place where the enemy had wounded.\n\nWhen, therefore, the fullness of the sacred time came, the son, the founder of the world, was sent from the citadel of the Father, and came forth made flesh in a virginal womb.\n\nThe infant wails, confined in the narrow manger; the virgin mother binds his limbs wrapped in cloths; and a tight band encircles his feet, hands, and legs.\n\nSix lustra now completed, fulfilling the time of the body, willingly born for this, given over to the passion, the lamb is raised on the cross, to be sacrificed on the tree.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Pange lingua gloriosi prælium certaminis","severity":"info","text":"The hymn opens with an apostrophe to the tongue, a common device in late antique Latin hymnody, calling for proclamation of Christ's victory.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"tropaeo","severity":"info","text":"Tropaeum (trophy) is a military metaphor for Christ's victory on the cross, echoing the language of Roman triumphal monuments and early Christian poetry.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"De parentis protoplasti fraude a factor condolens","severity":"info","text":"Alludes to the Fall of Adam (protoplastus) in Genesis 3, with the 'fraud of the creator' likely referring to the serpent's deception.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Lustra sex qui jam peracta","severity":"info","text":"Six lustra (periods of five years) total thirty years, the traditional age of Christ at his passion, aligning with patristic chronology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Agnus in crucis levatur immolandus stipite","severity":"info","text":"The image of Christ as a sacrificial lamb on the cross is a standard typology, found in John 1:29 and patristic exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"a factor condolens","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'a factor condolens' is ambiguous: 'factor' could mean 'creator' (God) or 'maker' (the serpent), but the context of grieving with the first-formed parent suggests God as the grieving creator.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'a factor condolens' is ambiguous: 'factor' may refer to God as creator or to the serpent as the agent of fraud; the reading taken is that God grieves with Adam."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Hic acetum, fel, arundo, sputa, clavi, lancea, Mite corpus perforatur: sanguis unda profluit. Terra, pontus, astra mundus quo lavantur numine.\n\nCrux Metis inter omnes arbor una nobilis: Nulla talem silva profert fronde, flore, germine, Dulce lignum, dulce signum, dulce pondus sustinet.\n\nFlecte ramos,arbor alta, tensa laxa viscera, Et rigor lentescat ille quem dedit nativitas, Ut superni membra regis miti tendas stipite.\n\nSola digna tu fuisti ferre pretium saeculi, Atque portum praeparare nauta mundo naufrago, Quem sacer cruor perunxit, fusus agni corpore.","english":"vinegar, gall, reed, spittle, nails, lance: the gentle body is pierced; blood flows in a wave. The earth, the sea, the stars, the world—by what divinity are they washed.\n\nThe cross, a tree set apart, is the one noble among all: no forest produces such a one in leaf, flower, or shoot. Sweet wood, sweet sign, sweet weight it bears.\n\nBend your branches, high tree; relax your stretched sinews, and let that stiffness which birth gave grow soft, so that you may tenderly stretch the limbs of the high king on your trunk.\n\nYou alone were worthy to bear the ransom of the age, and to prepare a harbor for the shipwrecked world, a sailor, whom the sacred blood anointed, poured from the body of the lamb.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Hic acetum, fel, arundo, sputa, clavi, lancea","severity":"info","text":"The list of instruments of the Passion (vinegar, gall, reed, spittle, nails, lance) forms a rhetorical climax, emphasizing the physical suffering before the cosmic cleansing.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"sanguis unda profluit","severity":"info","text":"The image of blood flowing as a wave echoes the Johannine portrayal of Christ's blood as cleansing and life-giving (cf. John 19:34, 1 John 1:7).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Crux Metis inter omnes arbor una nobilis","severity":"info","text":"The cross is called 'Metis' (a Greek term for 'measure' or 'wisdom'), possibly alluding to the cross as the cosmic tree of life or the instrument of divine wisdom (cf. Proverbs 3:18).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Flecte ramos, arbor alta, tensa laxa viscera","severity":"info","text":"The address to the cross as a tree with bending branches recalls the 'arbor alta' in Venantius Fortunatus's hymn 'Pange lingua' and the tradition of the cross as a living tree.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"portum praeparare nauta mundo naufrago","severity":"info","text":"The metaphor of the cross as a harbor for the shipwrecked world is a common patristic and medieval image, found in Ambrose and later in the 'Vexilla regis' hymn.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Metis","severity":"caution","text":"The word 'Metis' is ambiguous: it may be a proper name (the cross as 'Metis') or a Greek loanword meaning 'measure' or 'wisdom'. The translation 'set apart' follows the latter reading.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The term 'Metis' could be a proper name or a Greek loanword; the reading 'set apart' is adopted here.","The phrase 'quo lavantur numine' is ambiguous: 'numine' could mean 'by what divinity' or 'by what divine power'; the translation takes it as an interrogative."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}