{"slug":"tmp1061.tmp1061.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1061.tmp1061.opp-lat1","title":"Epistolae","title_source":"Epistolae","author":"Montanus Episcopus Toletanus","genre":"letter","date":"ANNO DOMINI 527 (Migne heading)","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":"2026-11-15T06:18:25Z","cost_usd":0.004811},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1061.tmp1061.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp1061.tmp1061.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/tmp1061/tmp1061/tmp1061.tmp1061.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":9,"english_words":2057,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":8285,"commentary_units":52,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":16,"work_notes":4,"external_links":0,"timeline":6},"summary":{"work":"tmp1061.tmp1061.opp-lat1","abstract":"The Epistolae of Montanus, bishop of Toledo (c. 523–531), is a Latin letter dated to 527 AD in the Migne edition. It survives in a single medieval manuscript tradition, transmitted through a 16th-century printed edition based on a lost codex. The letter addresses ecclesiastical discipline and the metropolitan authority of Toledo, citing Ezekiel 33:2-6 and 1 Corinthians 4:21 to frame episcopal vigilance. It was later cited in canonical collections like the Hispana, reflecting its role in shaping Visigothic church governance. The text's stability is uncertain due to lack of variant readings or manuscript sigla.","historical_context":"The letter dates to the early Visigothic period in Hispania, during Montanus's episcopate (c. 523–531). This era followed the Third Council of Toledo (589) but preceded the full consolidation of Toledo's metropolitan primacy. The letter asserts Toledo's metropolitan privilege, rooted in ancient custom, reflecting the growing ecclesiastical centralization in Visigothic Spain. The text survives only in a single medieval manuscript tradition, with no early independent witnesses; the ogl-pl edition follows a 16th-century printed edition based on a now-lost codex. Its citation in the Hispana indicates its use in later canonical collections as a witness to 6th-century Spanish discipline. The Latin 'speculator' (watchman) translates the Hebrew צֹפֶה (tsopheh) in Ezekiel 33, a common patristic trope for episcopal oversight.","significance":"The letter is a key witness to 6th-century Visigothic ecclesiastical discipline and the assertion of Toledo's metropolitan authority. It demonstrates the use of scriptural exegesis (Ezekiel 33, 1 Cor 4:21) to justify episcopal vigilance. Its inclusion in the Hispana underscores its influence on later canon law. The text's uncertain transmission highlights challenges in studying early medieval Latin sources.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 523–531","event":"Montanus serves as bishop of Toledo; letter likely written during this period."},{"date":"527","event":"Migne heading dates the letter to 527 AD, though no external event anchors it precisely."},{"date":"6th c.","event":"Letter cited in the Hispana canonical collection."},{"date":"16th c.","event":"Printed edition based on a now-lost codex; basis for ogl-pl edition."},{"date":"589","event":"Third Council of Toledo; precedes Montanus's episcopate but marks context for metropolitan authority."},{"date":"633","event":"Fourth Council of Toledo formalizes Toledo's primacy; letter's claims anticipate this."}],"relations":[{"work":"Hispana","relation":"Later canonical collection citing Montanus's letter as a witness to ecclesiastical discipline.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Ezekiel 33:2-6","relation":"Scriptural citation used by Montanus to frame episcopal vigilance.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"1 Corinthians 4:21","relation":"Pauline citation referenced in the letter (Vulgate numbering).","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Third Council of Toledo (589)","relation":"Historical context for Visigothic church consolidation before Montanus's episcopate.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Fourth Council of Toledo (633)","relation":"Later formalization of Toledo's primacy, anticipated by Montanus's claims.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The date 527 AD is from the Migne heading and is not anchored by external events; the letter may date anywhere within Montanus's episcopate (c. 523–531).","The text survives only in a single medieval manuscript tradition via a 16th-century printed edition; no early independent witnesses exist.","The ogl-pl edition does not record variant readings or manuscript sigla, so textual stability and scribal intervention cannot be assessed.","The letter's citation of 1 Corinthians 4:21 follows Vulgate numbering; modern Bibles may place it at 1 Cor 4:21."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000544,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:18:24Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp1061/tmp1061/tmp1061.tmp1061.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp1061.tmp1061.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":9,"translated":9,"commentary_passages":9,"commentary_units":52,"english_words":2057,"source_letters":8231,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Montanus was bishop of Toledo c. 523–531. The letter is usually dated to his episcopate, but no external event anchors it more precisely.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The text survives in a single medieval manuscript tradition, with no early independent witnesses. The edition ogl-pl follows a 16th-century printed edition based on a now-lost codex.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The letter was cited in later canonical collections, notably the Hispana, as a witness to 6th-century Spanish ecclesiastical discipline.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The ogl-pl edition does not record variant readings or manuscript sigla; the user cannot assess textual stability or scribal intervention.","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: letter in Latin; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 9 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":9},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"ANNO DOMINI DXXVII. MONTANUS EPISCOPUS TOLETANUS. (Ex Collect. SS. Patrum Tolet.)\n\nMONTANI EPISTOLÆ.\n\nEPISTOLA PRIMA 1.\n\nDominis dilectissimis, fratribus filiisque territorii Palentini Montanus episeopus in Domino æternam salutem.\n\nI. Cunctarum Ecclesiarum Domini potissimos a præsules per Ezechielem prophetam (Cap. XXXIII) terribilis illa commonitorii dictio sub speculatoris nomine concutit, dicens: Fili hominis, speculatorem dedi te domui Israel: audiens ergo ex ore meo sermonem, annuntiabis eis ex me. Si dicente me ad impium: Impie, morte morieris: non annuntiaveris ei, neque locutus fueris, ut avertatur a via sua impia, et vivat; ipse quidem in iniquitate sua morietur, sanguinem autem ejus de manu tua requiram, et cætera, quæ hnjus tectionis orJo de admonentis admonitique animis exquirendum ostendit.\n\nII. Hac ergo voce permotus, hujus officii necessitudinem me suscepisse non nesciens, studere curavi, ne cujusquam perditi animam de manu mea Cbristus inquirat; praesertim cum Toletanae urbi metropolitani privilegium vetus consuetudo tradiderit; et eo magis non solum parochiarum, sed et urbium cura hujus urbis sollicitet sacerdotem. Ergo, ut Apostolus dicit: Quid horum vultis? in virga veniam ad vos? an in caritate et spiritu mansuetudinis (I Cor. iv, 21)?","english":"In the Year of the Lord 527. Montanus, Bishop of Toledo. (From the Collection of the Holy Fathers of Toledo.)\n\nThe Letters of Montanus.\n\nFirst Letter.\n\nTo the most beloved lords, brothers, and sons of the territory of Palencia, Montanus, bishop, sends eternal greeting in the Lord.\n\nI. The most powerful overseers of all the Lord’s churches are shaken by that terrible admonitory utterance of the prophet Ezekiel (Chapter 33) under the name of the watchman, which says: “Son of man, I have set you as a watchman over the house of Israel; therefore, hearing the word from my mouth, you shall announce it to them from me. If, when I say to the impious man, ‘Impious one, you shall die the death,’ you do not announce it to him, nor speak to him so that he may turn from his impious way and live, he indeed will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at your hand,” and the rest, which the order of this passage shows must be sought out in the minds of the admonisher and the admonished.\n\nII. Therefore, moved by this voice, and not unaware that I have taken up the necessity of this office, I have taken care to study, lest Christ require from my hand the soul of any lost man; especially since ancient custom has handed down the metropolitan privilege to the city of Toledo; and all the more so, not only the care of parishes but also of cities solicits the priest of this city. Therefore, as the Apostle says: “Which of these do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in charity and a spirit of gentleness?” (1 Cor. 4:21)?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"ANNO DOMINI DXXVII","severity":"info","text":"The letter is dated to 527 AD, early in the Visigothic period of Hispania. This places Montanus's episcopate shortly after the Third Council of Toledo (589) but before the full consolidation of metropolitan authority.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"speculator","severity":"info","text":"The Latin 'speculator' (watchman) translates the Hebrew צֹפֶה (tsopheh) in Ezekiel 33. Montanus uses it to frame the bishop's duty as vigilant oversight, a common patristic trope.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ezechielem prophetam (Cap. XXXIII)","severity":"info","text":"Montanus cites Ezekiel 33:2-6 loosely, emphasizing the prophet's role as a watchman. The Vulgate text (Ezek 33:2-6) includes the warning that the watchman's failure to admonish results in blood-guilt.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"I Cor. iv, 21","severity":"info","text":"The citation '1 Cor. 4:21' is a reference to 1 Corinthians 4:21, where Paul asks whether to come with a rod or in gentleness. The verse numbering follows the Vulgate; modern Bibles place it at 1 Cor 4:21.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Toletanae urbi metropolitani privilegium","severity":"info","text":"Montanus asserts the metropolitan privilege of Toledo, a claim rooted in ancient custom. This reflects the growing ecclesiastical primacy of Toledo in Visigothic Spain, later formalized at the Fourth Council of Toledo (633).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Epistola Prima","severity":"info","text":"The letter opens with a formal salutation and a two-part argument: first, a scriptural warrant for episcopal vigilance (Ezekiel), then a personal application of that duty to the metropolitan's care for the territory of Palencia.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'territorii Palentini' may refer to the region of Palencia, but its exact boundaries in 527 are uncertain.","The citation 'I Cor. iv, 21' uses Vulgate chapter/verse numbering, which differs from modern editions; the verse corresponds to 1 Cor 4:21 in modern Bibles."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Nova namque præsumptio præsidentium vobis presbyterorum nostros pulsavit auditus, si tamen nova tantum, et non detestabilis dici possit, quæ ab initio fidei catholicæ nunquam præter nunc subrepsisse probatur, ut id quod per manus summi pontificis Trinæ Divinitatis invocatio sanctificare consuevit, presbyter ignarus disciplinæ conficere sibi chrisma. præsumeret. Hoc si ignaviæ est, tam demens sacerdos esse non debuit; si præsumptionis est, hunc sehismaticum esse quis nesciat, qui inauditam rem et religioni contrariam, senescente jam mundo, talis temerator inducat c.\n\nIII. Revolvatur manibus vestris, o presbyteri, sacratissimns Numeri liber (XI, 16), in quo vestri officii in septuaginta seniorum personis auspicatus est honor; et invenietis quorum negotiorum vobis praerogativa concessa sit. Adjutores vos Deus nostri laboris secundo dignitatis gradu esse voluit, non temeratores sacrarum quarumdam rerum esse permisit. Sic Nadab et Abiud ignem offerentes alienum (Levit. x, 1, 2), id est sui officii non debitum, divinus ignis absumpsit. Sic Chore, Datban atque Abiron Moysi Dei gratia, et divinis eloquiis perfruenti invidentibus, ac dicentibus: I Non soli tibi locutus eat Dominus, quia omnis congregatio sancta eat (Num. xvi, 5), novis scbismaticis interitus novae perditionis advenit, ut jejuno ore insatiabiliter terra absorberet, quos indignatio divina damnasset. Quid me.","english":"Now a novel presumption of the presbyters presiding over you has struck our ears—if indeed it can be called merely novel, and not detestable—which is proved never to have crept in from the beginning of the Catholic faith except now, namely that a presbyter ignorant of discipline presumed to confect chrism for himself, which the invocation of the Triune Divinity through the hand of the supreme pontiff is accustomed to sanctify. If this is due to negligence, such a priest ought not to have been so foolish; if it is due to presumption, who does not know that he is a schismatic, who, as the world grows old, introduces such an unheard-of and religion-contrary thing as such a violator does?\n\nIII. Let the most sacred Book of Numbers (11:16) be turned over in your hands, O presbyters, in which the honor of your office was inaugurated in the persons of the seventy elders; and you will find what prerogative of business has been granted to you. God wished you to be helpers of our labor in the second rank of dignity; He did not permit you to be violators of certain sacred things. Thus Nadab and Abihu, offering alien fire (Leviticus 10:1-2), that is, not due to their office, were consumed by divine fire. Thus Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, envying Moses, who enjoyed the grace of God and divine eloquence, and saying, \"The Lord has not spoken to you alone, for the whole holy congregation is holy\" (Numbers 16:3), suffered a new destruction for new schismatics, so that the insatiable earth swallowed with gaping mouth those whom divine indignation had condemned. What of me?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"chrisma","severity":"info","text":"The term chrisma refers to consecrated oil (chrism) used in baptism, confirmation, and ordination. Its confection was reserved to bishops, making the presbyter's act a breach of liturgical discipline.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Numeri liber (XI, 16)","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Numeri liber (XI, 16)' is imprecise: Numbers 11:16 does not exist. The reference likely conflates Numbers 11 (the seventy elders) with a non-existent verse, or is a scribal error for Numbers 11:16–17 (the appointment of elders).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Nadab et Abiud","severity":"info","text":"The story of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1–2) is cited as a warning: they offered 'alien fire' (ignem alienum) and were consumed by divine fire, paralleling the presbyters' unauthorized act.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Chore, Datban atque Abiron","severity":"info","text":"The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16) is invoked: they challenged Moses' unique authority and were swallowed by the earth, a typology for schismatics who usurp episcopal prerogatives.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"præsumptio præsidentium vobis presbyterorum","severity":"info","text":"The letter addresses a specific disciplinary crisis in the territory of Palencia, where presbyters had attempted to consecrate chrism, a rite reserved to bishops. This reflects ongoing tensions over clerical hierarchy in 6th-century Visigothic Spain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"III. Revolvatur manibus vestris","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from a denunciation of the presbyters' act (section I) to a scriptural argument (section III) that defines the presbyters' subordinate role, using Numbers, Leviticus, and Numbers again as proof texts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The citation 'Numeri liber (XI, 16)' is corrupt: Numbers 11 has only 35 verses, and verse 16 does not correspond to the seventy elders. The intended reference may be Numbers 11:16–17 or a conflation with Exodus 24:1 or another passage about the seventy elders."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"morem Oziam (11 Paral. xxvi, et seq.), qui non contentus regalibus fascibus, ne fungeretur et sacerd atis officio, contra jus fasquc potestativo elatus a cotharno, oblationem expiationis solis sacerdotibus debitam offerre pararet, sic ultione cælesti lepra perfunditur, ut munere sacerdotis et regni ex eo usque ad obitum permaneret? Ozam pariter, quantum ad ipsum erat, devoto officio, juvencis calcitrantibus, ne area Dei laberetur, sustinere parantem divinitus percUssio illata Consumpsit (II Rcg. VI, 7): ostendere scilicet volens, quia nullis omuino causis, nec sub occasione humilitatis præsumentibus, divina officia et sacramenta coelestia, ab eo cui non incumbit officium, contingi aliquatenus debent.\n\nIV. Caveant ergo, caveant qui sibi putant esse licitum quod aliis non ignorant esse illicitum; ne similis eos horum quos memoravimus, poena pcrcellat. An forsitan sanctorum Palrum regulas et constitutiones synodicas ignoratis, quibus præcipiun• tur e parochenses presbyteri non per viliores personas, sed aut per semetipsos, aut per rectores sacrariorum annuis vicibus chrisma a præsidente sibi episcopo petant? Credo quod qui petere jusserunt, potestatem consecrandi penitus abstulerunt.","english":"the example of Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26 and following), who, not content with royal scepter, lest he also discharge the priestly office, and being raised up by arrogance against law and right from his throne, prepared to offer the expiatory oblation due only to priests, was so struck by heavenly vengeance with leprosy that he remained deprived of both the office of priest and of the kingdom until his death? Likewise, Oza, as far as he himself was concerned, with devoted service, while preparing to support the ark of God from falling by the kicking oxen, was consumed by a divine blow inflicted (2 Samuel 6:7): evidently wishing to show that for no reasons at all, not even under the pretext of humility, may divine offices and heavenly sacraments be touched in any way by one to whom the office does not belong.\n\nIV. Therefore let them beware, let them beware who think it is permitted to themselves what they know is not permitted to others, lest a similar punishment strike them as those we have mentioned. Or perhaps you are ignorant of the rules of the holy Fathers and the synodal constitutions, which prescribe that parish presbyters are not to seek chrism from their presiding bishop through lesser persons, but either through themselves or through the rectors of the sacristies in annual turns? I believe that those who ordered them to seek it have entirely removed the power of consecrating.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Oziam","severity":"info","text":"The reference is to 2 Chronicles 26, where King Uzziah (Azariah) is struck with leprosy for usurping priestly functions. The Latin cites '11 Paral. xxvi, et seq.' (1 Paralipomenon = 1 Chronicles in Vulgate numbering).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ozam","severity":"info","text":"The reference is to 2 Samuel 6:7, where Uzzah (Oza) is struck dead for touching the Ark of the Covenant. The Latin cites 'II Reg. VI, 7' (2 Kings in Vulgate = 2 Samuel).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"chrisma","severity":"info","text":"Chrism is consecrated oil used in baptism, confirmation, and ordination. Its consecration was reserved to bishops, a point Montanus enforces against presbyters who presumed to confect it.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"cotharno","severity":"info","text":"'Cotharno' is a Latinized Greek word (κόθορνος) meaning a high boot or buskin, here metaphorically for 'throne' or 'high station,' indicating Uzziah's royal elevation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"IV.","severity":"info","text":"The passage begins a new section (IV) with a direct exhortation ('Caveant ergo, caveant'), shifting from biblical exempla to a warning and a citation of synodal constitutions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"sanctorum Patrum regulas et constitutiones synodicas","severity":"info","text":"Montanus appeals to patristic rules and synodal constitutions, likely referring to early church councils (e.g., Council of Laodicea, canons 8 and 9) that forbade presbyters from consecrating chrism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin 'cotharno' is ambiguous: it may mean 'throne' (from Greek κόθορνος, a high boot, metaphorically for high office) or be a corruption; the reading 'throne' is adopted.","The phrase 'per rectores sacrariorum' could mean 'through the rectors of the sacristies' or 'through the keepers of the shrines'; the translation 'rectors of the sacristies' is followed."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Providebit ergo caritas vestra, ne post hujus humilitatis nostræ interdictum, donec et consuetus vobis a Domino praeparatur antistes, quisquam vetita iterare præsumat, et incipiat graviorem ecclesiasticae districtionis sustinere censuram. Utatur quisque honoris sui concesso privilegio, quod proprium scit ordinis presbyterii; non quod summi pontificatus est, improbus minister assumat. Quisquis post hanc admonitionem in hujuscemodi rebus aliquatenus fuerit de- I prehensus, sub anatbematis insolubili vinculo se noverit esse damnandum. Cui in hoc ipsum non parum humanitatis conceditur, quod nunc eum transire patimur impunitum.\n\nV. Sane si Dominus voluerit, cum tempus paschalis festivitatis advenerit, si vobis ad petendum impossibile est, datis litteris vestris indicare debetis b, et nos sacri hujus liquoris ultro poterimus transmittere gratiam, dummodo i non præsumatur i illicita.","english":"Your Charity will therefore provide that after this prohibition of our humility, until such time as a bishop accustomed to you is prepared by the Lord, no one shall presume to repeat what is forbidden and begin to undergo a more severe censure of ecclesiastical discipline. Let each one use the conceded privilege of his own honor, which he knows to be proper to the order of the presbyterate; let not an unworthy minister assume what belongs to the supreme pontificate. Whoever after this admonition is detected in any degree in such matters, let him know that he is to be condemned under the indissoluble bond of anathema. In this very matter, not a little humanity is granted to him, in that we now allow him to pass unpunished.\n\nV. Indeed, if the Lord wills, when the time of the Paschal feast has arrived, if it is impossible for you to come to ask, you should indicate this by sending your letters, and we will be able to transmit the grace of this sacred liquor of our own accord, provided that what is illicit is not presumed.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"caritas vestra","severity":"info","text":"A standard Latin epistolary address to a community, here the clergy or people of the vacant see, rendered as 'Your Charity' to reflect the Vulgate's use of caritas for Christian love.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"antistes","severity":"info","text":"A classical Latin term for a bishop, used here synonymously with episcopus; its use emphasizes the bishop's role as overseer and is common in early medieval Latin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"sacri hujus liquoris gratiam","severity":"info","text":"Refers to the consecrated chrism or holy oil, whose preparation and distribution were reserved to bishops; the paschal context aligns with the annual blessing of oils during Holy Week.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"V.","severity":"info","text":"The 'V.' marks a new section, likely a postscript or additional instruction; it softens the preceding anathema by offering a practical alternative for obtaining chrism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"nunc eum transire patimur impunitum","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin is ambiguous: 'transire' may mean 'to pass over' (i.e., overlook) or 'to die'; the translation adopts the former, but the latter would imply a threat of death.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'nunc eum transire patimur impunitum' is ambiguous: 'transire' could mean 'to pass over' (i.e., to overlook the offense) or 'to die' (i.e., to let him die unpunished). The English draft takes the former, but the latter is possible in context of severe ecclesiastical discipline."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"VI. Pari ratione cognovimus quod ad cousecrationem basilicarum alienae sortis a vobis episcopi invitentur, et licet sint unius iidei copula nobiscum in Christo counexi, tamen nec provinciae privilegiis, licc rerum Domini noscuntur utilitatibus convenire, quia jam ad ipsum hujuscemodi fama perlata est. Ideoque salubri ordinatione censuimus, ut si quando talis necessitas incubuerit, litteris nos informare dcbeatis, et aut per nos, aut per eum qui nobis ex fratribus et coepiscopis nostris visus fuerit, et consecratio ecclesiarum, Deo auspice, poterit celebrari.\n\nVII. Præterea perditissimam Priscillianistarum sectiam tam. actis quam nomine a vobis præcipue novimus honorari. Rogo, quae est ista dementia in ejus amore superflue labi, quem in opere non velis imitari? Nam, ut pauca de ejus spurcitiis in nolitiam vestri deducam, exceptis iis quæ in Divinitate profanus erupit, et ore sacrilego blasphemavit, omnium vit orum in eodem congeries, veluti in sordium sentina confluxit, ut sectatricum pudorem impulefactus adulter eriperet 1; et ut ad sceleris nefarii effectum facilius perveniret, maleficii usum gesta etiam ei assignant. Quid tandem in hoc religioni congruum fidelis cujusquam ani: a veneratur, qui non solum a sanctis sacerdotibus refutatus est,. verum etiam mundani principes justitia legum suarum eum pro memorati sceleris qualitate damnarunt?","english":"VI. By the same reasoning, we have learned that bishops of another jurisdiction are invited by you for the consecration of basilicas, and although they are joined to us by the bond of the same faith in Christ, nevertheless they do not conform to the privileges of the province, nor are they known to serve the interests of the Lord's affairs, since such a report has already reached him. Therefore, by a salutary ordinance, we have decreed that if ever such a necessity arises, you should inform us by letter, and either through us, or through one of our brothers and fellow bishops whom we deem suitable, the consecration of churches may, with God's favor, be celebrated.\n\nVII. Moreover, we know that the utterly depraved sect of the Priscillianists is honored by you both in deeds and in name. I ask, what madness is this, to fall excessively into love for him whom you are unwilling to imitate in action? For, to bring a few of his filthinesses to your attention, apart from those things in which he profanely burst forth against the Divinity and blasphemed with a sacrilegious mouth, a heap of all vices in him flowed together as into a cesspool of filth, so that an adulterer, having shattered the modesty of his follower, might snatch her away; and that he might more easily achieve the effect of his nefarious crime, the acts also assign to him the use of sorcery. What, finally, in this is congruent with religion for the soul of any faithful person to venerate, who was not only refuted by holy priests, but also secular princes, by the justice of their laws, condemned him for the quality of the aforementioned crime?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"cousecrationem basilicarum","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'cousecrationem basilicarum' (consecration of basilicas) refers to the ritual dedication of churches, a prerogative of bishops. The misspelling 'cousecrationem' for 'consecrationem' is a scribal variant.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Priscillianistarum","severity":"info","text":"Priscillianism was a 4th-century ascetic movement in Hispania, condemned as heretical for dualist and gnostic tendencies. Its founder, Priscillian, was executed for sorcery and immorality, as referenced here.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"sordium sentina","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'sordium sentina' (cesspool of filth) echoes biblical imagery of moral corruption, e.g., 2 Peter 2:22, which compares sinners to a 'sow' in filth, though not a direct quotation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"VI. ... VII.","severity":"info","text":"Sections VI and VII form a two-part argument: VI addresses procedural violations in church consecration, VII attacks Priscillianist sympathies. Both reinforce episcopal authority and orthodoxy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Priscillianistarum sectiam","severity":"info","text":"This letter is a key witness to the late 6th-century campaign against Priscillianism in Visigothic Spain, reflecting ongoing ecclesiastical efforts to suppress the sect long after its founder's death.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"sectatricum pudorem impulefactus adulter eriperet","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text is grammatically irregular ('sectatricum' for 'sectatricis' or 'sectatricem'; 'impulefactus' for 'impulsus'). The sense is that Priscillian, as an adulterer, violated a follower's chastity, but the syntax is corrupt.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'mundani principes' (secular princes) who condemned Priscillian is unspecified; likely the emperors Gratian and Maximus.","The phrase 'licc rerum Domini' in section VI is obscure; possibly a scribal error for 'licet rerum Domini' (although of the Lord's affairs)."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"VIII. Hunc talem fuisse, plenius discet qui beatissimi ac religiosissimi viri Thoribii episcopi ad sanctum papam urbis Romae Leonem libros editos legit, in quibus hanc sordidam hæresim explanavit, aperuit, et occultam tenebris suis, perfidiæque nube velatam in propatulo misit. Ex ipsis etenim libris, qualiter cavere, quid respondere contra sacrilegos possit, pius lector inveniet. ° Unde, quæso, ut perfidiam cum auctore damnantes atque anathematizan- • tcs, rectæ fidei regulam teneatis, et de omnibus su. prascriptis cautiores exhibete vos procuretis, quo facilius nec mihi de taciturnitate possit esse damnatio, et vobis de obedientia fructum maximum coram Salvatore Deo nostro providere possitis. Pax Domini cum omnibus vobis. Amen.\n\nEPISTOLA SECUNDA 1.\n\nDomino cximio, præcipuoque Christicolæ, donino et filio Thuribio I Montanus episcopus.","english":"VIII. That such a one he was, one learns more fully from the published books of the most blessed and most religious man, Bishop Thoribius, to the holy pope of the city of Rome, Leo, in which he explained, opened up, and brought into the open this foul heresy, hidden in its own darkness and veiled by a cloud of faithlessness. For from these very books, the pious reader will find how to beware, and what to answer against the sacrilegious. Hence, I beseech you, that condemning and anathematizing the faithlessness together with its author, you hold to the rule of the right faith, and concerning all the above-written matters, you take care to show yourselves more cautious, so that more easily neither can I be condemned for silence, and you, through obedience, can provide the greatest fruit for yourselves before our Savior God. May the peace of the Lord be with all of you. Amen.\n\nSECOND LETTER 1.\n\nTo the distinguished lord and foremost worshiper of Christ, lord and son Thuribius, Montanus the bishop.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Thoribii episcopi","severity":"info","text":"Bishop Thoribius (Thuribius) of Astorga was a correspondent of Pope Leo I and a key figure in combating Priscillianism in mid-5th-century Spain. His books to Leo, here cited, are lost but known from Leo's replies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"hanc sordidam hæresim","severity":"info","text":"The 'foul heresy' is Priscillianism, a dualistic and ascetic movement condemned at the Council of Toledo (400) and repeatedly attacked by Spanish bishops. Montanus assumes his readers know the reference.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"VIII.","severity":"info","text":"This passage concludes the first letter (Epistola Prima) with a final exhortation and blessing. The following 'Epistola Secunda' begins a new letter to the same addressee, Thuribius.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Pax Domini cum omnibus vobis. Amen.","severity":"info","text":"The closing blessing 'Pax Domini... Amen' is a standard epistolary formula in Latin patristic letters, here marking the formal end of the first letter before the second begins.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"anathematizan- • tcs","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text shows a line break or scribal mark after 'anathematizan-', likely a corruption for 'anathematizantes'. The English draft reads 'anathematizing', which is the intended sense.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"nec mihi de taciturnitate possit esse damnatio","severity":"info","text":"Montanus expresses concern that his own silence might lead to condemnation, urging his readers to act so that he is not blamed for failing to speak out against heresy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'su. prascriptis' in the Latin is a scribal abbreviation for 'supra scriptis' (above-written), resolved as such in the translation.","The addressee of the second letter is given as 'Thuribio' in the salutation, but the first letter addresses 'Thoribius'; the variation is orthographic, not a different person."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"I. Alumuum te fidei catholicæ, et sanctæ religionis amicum, etiam in aclis mundialibus conversantem valde et novimus et probavimus. Cum enim adhuc floreres in sæculo. ita claritudinis II ture vita perpatuit, ut secundum sententiam Domini et quæ sunt Cæsaris Cæsari non negares, et Deo quæ sua sunt, devota mente persolveres. Jure etenim auctorem te divini cultus in hac præsertim provincia nominabo. Putasne quanta tibi apud Deum maneat merces, cujus solertia vel instantia et idololatriæ error abscessit, et Priscillianistarum detestabilis ac pudibunda secta contabuit? Si tandem adhuc et in nomine e honorare desistant, cuius per tuam admonitionem collapsa esse opera non ignorant. Nam de terrenorum dominorum fide quid loquar? Cui ita tuum impendisti laborem, ut feroces cohabitantium tibi animos ad salubrem regulam et normam regnlaris disciplinæ perduceres. Quæ tamen ex Palenlino conventu ad nos pervenerint, celsitudini vestræ indicare curavi: quo facilius per vestram increpationem nefanda præsumptio in posterum conquiescat.","english":"I. We have both known and proven you to be a nursling of the Catholic faith and a friend of holy religion, even as you move in worldly affairs. For when you still flourished in the world, your life shone forth with such clarity that, according to the Lord's saying, you neither denied to Caesar what is Caesar's, and you rendered to God what is His with a devoted mind. Rightly, therefore, shall I name you an author of divine worship in this province especially. Do you think how great a reward awaits you with God, by whose diligence or zeal both the error of idolatry has departed and the detestable and shameful sect of the Priscillianists has withered away? If even now they cease to honor him in name, whose works they know have collapsed through your admonition. For what shall I say concerning the faith of earthly lords? To whom you have devoted your labor, so that you might lead the fierce spirits of those dwelling with you to the wholesome rule and norm of regular discipline. Those things, however, which have reached us from the Palentine council, I have taken care to indicate to your Highness: so that more easily, through your rebuke, the nefarious presumption may rest in the future.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Alumuum","severity":"info","text":"The Latin 'alumuum' is a variant spelling of 'alumnum' (nursling, foster-child), a term of endearment for a protégé in faith. The English draft renders it as 'nursling'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"quæ sunt Cæsaris Cæsari non negares, et Deo quæ sua sunt","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Matthew 22:21 (Vulgate: 'Redde Caesari quod Caesaris est, et Deo quod Dei est'), a common patristic maxim on civic and religious duties.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Palenlino conventu","severity":"info","text":"'Palenlino' is a scribal error for 'Palentino', referring to the Council of Palencia (c. 400–410), which condemned Priscillianism. This council is known from other sources, e.g., Hydatius.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"I.","severity":"info","text":"This passage is numbered 'I.' in the Latin, but the English draft omits the numeral. The letter likely continues a series of numbered sections, though the previous passage was numbered 'VIII.'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Priscillianistarum detestabilis ac pudibunda secta","severity":"info","text":"Priscillianism, a 4th-century ascetic heresy in Hispania, was condemned at multiple councils. Montanus’s letter reflects the orthodox campaign against it, as also seen in Thoribius’s letter to Pope Leo.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Palenlino","severity":"caution","text":"The manuscript reading 'Palenlino' is likely a corruption of 'Palentino'. The English draft silently corrects to 'Palentine council', which is the accepted reading.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The numeral 'I.' may indicate a new section or a continuation; the previous passage was numbered 'VIII.', suggesting a non-sequential numbering or a separate letter.","The phrase 'in nomine e honorare' in the Latin is unclear; the English draft reads 'in name' but the Latin may be corrupt."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"II. Quidam (ut ad nos perlatum est) presbytcri ausu temerario res sacras non tam consecrare quam violare præsumunt: et cunctis ab initio fidei catholicæ sæculis inusitatum sui ordinis hominibus, nisi tantum summis pontificibus debitum, jus consecrationis chrismac, nescio quo typo, an dementia dicam, i dubitanter assumunt: quod quam sacrilegum sit, piissimam conscientiam tuam latere non credo; et i leo spero, ut pro enervanda hac ipsa superfluitate, severissimi sacerdotis auctoritate utaris, et lautae rei temeratores districtiori increpatione coerccas. Qui si post datam admonitionem netas iterare præsumpserint, contumacia eorum sententia convenienti damnabitur.\n\nIII. Simili ratione cognovimus, eo quod necessitudine consecrandarum basilicarum fratres nostri alienae sordis episcopi in locis istis invitati conveniant: et licet sit in toto orbe sponsæ Christi thalamus unus, ejusque antistites una in eodem.fibula charitatis et fidei unione connexi; quod tamen privilegium decessori nostro, necnon dominis et fratribus nostris Carpetaniæ vel Celtiberiæ episcopis vester coepiscopus a fecit, in exemplaribus charitati vestræ direximus; ut scire possitis improba petitio qualem potuisset habere profectum.","english":"II. Certain presbyters, as has been reported to us, with reckless audacity presume not so much to consecrate as to violate sacred things; and they assume for themselves, in some manner—whether I should call it pride or madness I hesitate—the right of consecrating chrism, which has been unheard of throughout all centuries of the Catholic faith for men of their order, being due only to the supreme pontiffs. How sacrilegious this is, I do not believe escapes your most pious conscience; and I earnestly hope that you will use the authority of a most severe priest to suppress this very superfluity, and restrain the violators of this matter with stricter rebuke. If, after being given a warning, they presume to repeat these offenses, their contumacy will be condemned by a fitting sentence.\n\nIII. By a similar reasoning, we have learned that, due to the necessity of consecrating basilicas, our brother bishops invited from a foreign see gather in those places; and although throughout the whole world the bridal chamber of Christ is one, and its bishops are bound together in the same clasp of charity and union of faith, yet we have sent to your charity, in copies, what privilege your fellow bishop granted to our predecessor, as well as to our lords and brothers the bishops of Carpetania and Celtiberia, so that you may be able to know what success an improper petition could have had.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"chrismac","severity":"info","text":"The term 'chrismac' (chrismatis) refers to the consecrated oil used in baptism, confirmation, and ordination. Its consecration was traditionally reserved to bishops, and by the 7th century, to the pope or a bishop with special privilege.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Carpetaniæ vel Celtiberiæ","severity":"info","text":"Carpetania and Celtiberia are Roman provinces in central and northeastern Hispania (modern Spain). Their mention localizes the letter's recipients and the jurisdictional dispute over basilica consecrations.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"II. ... III.","severity":"info","text":"The passage is divided into two numbered sections (II and III), each addressing a distinct abuse: presbyters consecrating chrism, and foreign bishops consecrating basilicas. This structure reflects the letter's disciplinary purpose.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"ius consecrationis chrismac","severity":"info","text":"This letter is cited in later canon law collections as evidence for the restriction of chrism consecration to bishops, and eventually to the pope, influencing medieval liturgical practice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"i dubitanter assumunt","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin phrase 'i dubitanter assumunt' is ambiguous: 'i' may be a scribal error for 'id' (that) or 'in' (in). The translation 'I hesitate' follows the sense of hesitation in the author's tone.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'i dubitanter assumunt' is textually uncertain; 'i' may be a corruption of 'id' or 'in'.","The identity of the 'foreign see' (alienae sordis episcopi) is not specified, leaving the jurisdictional conflict vague."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"IV. Et certe municipia, id est Segoviam, Brittablo, ct Caucum eidem non quidem rationabiliter, sed pro nominis dignitate concessirnus: ne collata benedictio, persona vagante, vilesceret. Quod ipsi tantummodo, dum advivit, præstitum fuisse cognoscite. Hoc ergo providere volumus, ut consuetudinem antiquam nulla ratione praetermittere debeatis. Quod si haec nostra admonitio in vobis nihil profecerit, necesse nobis erit Domini nostri exinde auribus intimare, pariter et filio nostro Ergani suggerere, et hujusmodi ausum præcepta culminis ejus vel districtio judicis non sine vestro detrimento severissime vindicabunt: tanta etenim, tribuente Domino, ejus est pietas, ut nihil de hoc quod jus antiquum custodisse probatur, immutari permittat. Divina vos custodiat Trinitas. Amen.","english":"IV. And indeed, we have granted the towns, that is, Segovia, Brittablo, and Caucum, to him not so much on reasonable grounds as for the dignity of his name: lest the conferred blessing, with the person wandering, should be debased. Know that this was granted to him only for his lifetime. We therefore wish to provide that you should by no means neglect the ancient custom. But if this admonition of ours accomplishes nothing among you, it will be necessary for us to make it known to the ears of our Lord, and likewise to suggest it to our son Erganus, and the authority of his highness or the strictness of the judge will punish such audacity most severely, not without your detriment: for such, by the Lord’s gift, is his piety, that he permits nothing to be changed that is proven to have preserved the ancient law. May the divine Trinity protect you. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"municipia, id est Segoviam, Brittablo, ct Caucum","severity":"info","text":"Segovia, Brittablo, and Caucum are towns in the province of Carthaginensis in Hispania Tarraconensis. Their grant to a wandering bishop reflects late antique episcopal patronage and jurisdictional disputes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"pro nominis dignitate","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'pro nominis dignitate' likely refers to the honorific status of the bishop's title or see, not his personal merit, a common concern in early medieval canon law.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Quod si haec nostra admonitio in vobis nihil profecerit","severity":"info","text":"This conditional clause introduces a threat of escalation to secular authority (Erganus and the judge), a typical rhetorical move in late antique episcopal letters to enforce compliance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"filio nostro Ergani","severity":"info","text":"Erganus is likely a Visigothic dux or comes, addressed as 'son' in ecclesiastical courtesy. His role as enforcer of ancient custom reflects the integration of church and state in Visigothic Hispania.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Divina vos custodiat Trinitas. Amen.","severity":"info","text":"The closing Trinitarian formula is standard in Visigothic liturgical and epistolary tradition, reflecting the anti-Arian emphasis of the Catholic church in post-conversion Hispania.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ct Caucum","severity":"caution","text":"The reading 'ct Caucum' is likely a scribal error for 'et Caucum'. The town Caucum (modern Coca) is otherwise unattested in this context; the text may be corrupt.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'our Lord' (Domini nostri) is ambiguous: it may refer to the king or to God, though the parallel with Erganus suggests a secular ruler.","The phrase 'persona vagante' could mean the bishop was wandering physically or acting without a fixed see; the translation takes the former."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}