{"slug":"tmp1158.tmp1158.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1158.tmp1158.opp-lat1","title":"Ex Catena In Quatuor Evangelia A Victore Capuano Latine Reddita","title_source":"Ex Catena In Quatuor Evangelia A Victore Capuano Latine Reddita","author":"Victor Capuanus Episcopus","genre":"other","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":"2026-11-15T06:03:55Z","cost_usd":0.002284},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1158.tmp1158.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp1158.tmp1158.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/tmp1158/tmp1158/tmp1158.tmp1158.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":4,"english_words":760,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":3027,"commentary_units":23,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":5,"work_notes":6,"external_links":0,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"tmp1158.tmp1158.opp-lat1","abstract":"The work is a Latin translation of a Greek catena (chain commentary) on the four Gospels, attributed to Victor, bishop of Capua (fl. mid-6th century). The title presents Victor as the translator, not the original compiler. The catena survives in a single manuscript tradition, likely copied in southern Italy, and its transmission is tied to the Carolingian revival, with later copies showing textual variation. The translation date is uncertain, often placed in the 6th–7th centuries based on paleography and content. The catena was used by medieval exegetes, notably in the Glossa Ordinaria, but the work remained relatively obscure. This edition does not identify the Greek sources or provide a critical apparatus for the Latin text.","historical_context":"The work was likely produced in southern Italy, possibly in or near Capua, during the 6th or 7th century. Victor of Capua, a Latin translator and compiler of patristic works, is traditionally credited with the Latin version, though the attribution is not securely proven. The Greek original may be earlier, but its date and provenance are unknown. The catena's transmission is linked to the Carolingian revival, with later copies showing textual variation. The work was used by medieval exegetes, notably in the Glossa Ordinaria, but remained relatively obscure. The manuscript tradition is single, likely copied in southern Italy, and the work's survival is fragmentary. The community involved is likely monastic or scholarly, focused on preserving and transmitting patristic exegesis.","significance":"The work is significant as a rare Latin translation of a Greek catena on the Gospels, preserving patristic excerpts that influenced later Latin commentary traditions, notably the Glossa Ordinaria. It provides insight into the transmission of Greek exegesis in the Latin West and the role of translators like Victor of Capua. The work's uncertain attribution and fragmentary survival highlight the challenges of studying early medieval textual transmission.","timeline":[{"date":"mid-6th c.","event":"Victor of Capua active; traditional attribution of the Latin translation to him."},{"date":"6th–7th c.","event":"Probable date of the Latin translation based on paleography and content."},{"date":"8th–9th c.","event":"Carolingian revival; transmission of the catena in southern Italy."},{"date":"12th c.","event":"Use of the catena in the Glossa Ordinaria."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Later copies show textual variation; work remains relatively obscure."}],"relations":[{"work":"Glossa Ordinaria","relation":"Used as a source for patristic excerpts","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Greek catena on the four Gospels","relation":"Original source of the Latin translation","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Victor of Capua's other translations","relation":"Attributed to the same translator","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["Attribution to Victor of Capua is traditional but not securely proven; the work may be a later compilation falsely ascribed.","The date of the Latin translation is uncertain; often placed in the 6th–7th centuries based on paleography and content.","The Greek original is lost, and its date and provenance are unknown.","The work survives in a single manuscript tradition, with later copies showing textual variation; no critical apparatus exists.","The edition does not identify the Greek sources of the catena."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000415,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:03:54Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp1158/tmp1158/tmp1158.tmp1158.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp1158.tmp1158.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":4,"translated":4,"commentary_passages":4,"commentary_units":23,"english_words":760,"source_letters":3010,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work is a Latin translation of a Greek catena on the four Gospels, attributed to Victor, bishop of Capua (fl. mid-6th century). The title indicates Victor as the translator, not the original compiler.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The catena survives in a single manuscript tradition, likely copied in southern Italy. Its transmission is tied to the Carolingian revival, with later copies showing textual variation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Victor of Capua is known from the mid-6th century, but the translation date is uncertain. The Greek original may be earlier; the Latin version is often dated to the 6th–7th centuries based on paleography and content.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The catena was used by medieval exegetes, notably in the Glossa Ordinaria. Its patristic excerpts influenced later Latin commentary traditions, though the work itself remained relatively obscure.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition does not identify the Greek sources of the catena or provide a critical apparatus for the Latin text. Variants between manuscript witnesses are not systematically recorded.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Attribution to Victor of Capua is traditional but not securely proven. The work may be a later compilation falsely ascribed to enhance authority.","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: other in Latin; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 4 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":4},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"EX CATENA IN QUATUOR EVANGELIA A VICTORE CAPUANO LATINE REDDITA.\n\nVICTOR EPISCOPUS CAPUÆ EX RESPONSIONE CAPITULORUM SANCTI POLYCARPI SMYRNENSIS EPISCOPI, DISCIPULI JOANNIS EVANGELISTÆ.\n\nDIVI POLYCARPI SMYRNENSIS EPISCOPI, BT MARTYRIS, BEATI JOANNIS EVANGELISTÆ QUONDAM DISCIPULI, RESPONSIONUM FRAGMENTA.\n\nMatthaeus Dominum dixisse testatur (Cap. xix, 5), quod Moyses scribit (Gênes. II, 24), Adam locutum fuisse hoe modo: Hoc nunc os ex ossibus meis, et caro ex carne mea: propter hoc relinquet homo patrem et matrem, etc. Sed concordant Domini verba cum Moysi sermonibus, qui Adam praebens officium inspiratione divinapropbetavit, ipse a Moyse hoc dixisse refertur. Deus vero, qui per inspirationem divinam in corde Adam ista verba formavit, ipse Pater a Domino recte locutus fuisse refertur. Nam et Adam hanc prophetiam protulit: et Pater, qui eum inspiravit, recte dicitur protulisse.","english":"From the Chain on the Four Gospels Rendered into Latin by Victor of Capua.\n\nVictor, Bishop of Capua, from the Response of the Chapters of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop, Disciple of John the Evangelist.\n\nFragments of the Responses of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop and Martyr, Once a Disciple of the Blessed John the Evangelist.\n\nMatthew testifies that the Lord said (Chapter 19, verse 5) what Moses writes (Genesis 2, verse 24), that Adam spoke in this manner: “This now bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh; for this reason a man leaves his father and mother,” etc. But the words of the Lord agree with the sayings of Moses, who, as Adam performed the office by divine inspiration, prophesied, and is reported by Moses to have said this. God, however, who by divine inspiration formed those words in Adam’s heart, is rightly reported by the Lord to have spoken as the Father. For both Adam uttered this prophecy, and the Father, who inspired him, is rightly said to have uttered it.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ex Catena In Quatuor Evangelia A Victore Capuano Latine Reddita","severity":"info","text":"The title indicates this is a Latin translation of a Greek catena (chain commentary) on the four Gospels, attributed to Victor of Capua.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Victor Episcopus Capuae","severity":"info","text":"Victor, bishop of Capua (fl. mid-5th century), was a Latin translator and compiler of patristic works, known for his Latin version of the Greek catena.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Matthaeus Dominum dixisse testatur (Cap. xix, 5)","severity":"info","text":"The citation refers to Matthew 19:5, which in modern Bibles is Matthew 19:4–5, where Jesus quotes the creation of woman from Adam's rib.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Moyses scribit (Gênes. II, 24)","severity":"info","text":"The reference is to Genesis 2:24 (Vulgate numbering), where Adam says 'This now is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh' about Eve.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Sancti Polycarpi Smyrnensis Episcopi","severity":"info","text":"The work claims to transmit fragments of Polycarp of Smyrna (d. ca. 155–167), a disciple of John the Evangelist, though the attribution is likely pseudepigraphal.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Responsionum Fragmenta","severity":"caution","text":"The text is presented as fragments of Polycarp's responses, but the chain of transmission through Victor is uncertain; the original Greek source is lost.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The precise relationship between the Latin translation and the original Greek catena is unclear; the attribution to Polycarp may be a later tradition."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"IDEM AD HÆC VERBA CHRISTI, Calicem meum bibetis, etc. Matth. XX.\n\nPer huiusmodi potum, significat passionem. Et Jacolum quidem novissimum martyrio consummandum (Actor. XII, 2), fratrem vero ejus Joannem transiturum absque martyrio; quamvis et affictiones plurimas, et exsilia tolerarit: sed præparatam martyrio mentem Christus martyrem judicavit. Nam Apostolus Paulus: Quotidie, inquit, morior (I Cor. xv, 31); dum impossibile sit quotidie mori hominem ea morte qua semel vita hæc finitur. Sed quoniam pro Evangelio ad mortem jugiter erat præparatus, se mori quotidie sub ea significatione testatus eat. Legitur (In gestis) et in dolio ferventis olei pro nomine Christi beatus Joannes fuisse demersus.\n\nIDEM DE INITIO EVANGELII SECUNDUM MARCUM.\n\nRationabiliter evangelistae principiis diversis utuntur, quamvis una eademque evangelizandi eorum probetur intentio. Matthæus ut Hebræis scribens, genealogiæ Christi ordinem texuit, ut ostenderet ab ea Christum descendisse progcnie de qua eum nasciturum universi prophetae cecinerant. Joannes autem ad Ephesum constitutis, qui legem tanquam ex Gentibus ignorabant, a causa nostrae redemptionis Evangelii sumpsit exordium: quæ causa ex eo apparet, quod Filium suum Deus pro nostra salute voluit incarnari: Lucas vero a Zachariæ sacerdotio incipit, ut ejus fi.","english":"The same author on these words of Christ: “You will drink my cup,” etc. (Matt. 20).\n\nBy this kind of drink, he signifies the passion. And James indeed, the last to be consummated by martyrdom (Acts 12:2), but his brother John to pass without martyrdom; although he also endured many afflictions and exiles: but Christ judged a mind prepared for martyrdom as a martyr. For the Apostle Paul says: “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31); while it is impossible for a man to die daily by that death by which this life is once ended. But because he was perpetually prepared for death for the Gospel, he testified that he died daily in that sense. It is read (in the Acts) that the blessed John was immersed in a vat of boiling oil for the name of Christ.\n\nThe same author on the beginning of the Gospel according to Mark.\n\nReasonably, the evangelists use different beginnings, although their one and same intention of evangelizing is proven. Matthew, writing to the Hebrews, wove the order of Christ’s genealogy, to show that Christ descended from that lineage from which all the prophets had sung he would be born. John, however, writing to those established at Ephesus, who were ignorant of the law as if they were Gentiles, took the beginning of the Gospel from the cause of our redemption: which cause appears from the fact that God willed his Son to be incarnate for our salvation. Luke, indeed, begins with the priesthood of Zacharias, so that his…","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Calicem meum bibetis","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'You will drink my cup' (Matt. 20) is interpreted as a symbol of martyrdom, not a literal Eucharistic reference.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Actor. XII, 2","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Acts 12:2' is erroneous; Acts ends at chapter 28. This likely refers to the martyrdom of James, son of Zebedee, recorded in Acts 12:2 in some ancient versions or apocryphal traditions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"I Cor. xv, 31","severity":"info","text":"The citation '1 Cor. 15:31' is incorrect; 1 Corinthians 15 has only 58 verses. The phrase 'I die daily' is not in the canonical Pauline corpus; it may be a misattribution or a loose paraphrase.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"In gestis","severity":"info","text":"The reference 'In gestis' (in the Acts) points to apocryphal Acts of John, where John is immersed in boiling oil but emerges unharmed, a tradition not in canonical scripture.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"IDEM DE INITIO EVANGELII SECUNDUM MARCUM","severity":"info","text":"This heading marks a new section on the beginning of Mark's Gospel, contrasting the evangelists' different openings as a deliberate rhetorical strategy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Joannes autem ad Ephesum constitutis","severity":"info","text":"The claim that John wrote to Gentiles at Ephesus reflects a patristic tradition (e.g., Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1) that John's Gospel addressed a Hellenistic audience unfamiliar with Jewish law.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The citation 'Actor. XII, 2' is likely a scribal error or a reference to a non-canonical source; the intended verse is uncertain.","The citation 'I Cor. xv, 31' does not match any known Pauline text; the source of the quotation 'I die daily' is unclear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Iii miraculo nalivitatis, et tanti prædicatoris officio, divinitatem Christl Gentibus declararet. Unde et Marcus antiqua prophetici mysterii competentia adventui Christi declarat: ut non nova, sed antiquitus prolata ejus praedicatio probaretur. Aut per hoc evangelistis curse fuit, eo uti prooemio, quod unusquisque judicabat auditoribus expetere. Nihil ergo contrarium reperitur, ubi licet diversis scriptis, ad eamdem tamen patriam pervenilur.\n\nIDEM IN ILLUD: Noli vocare amicos tuos, sed pauperes et debiles, etc. Luc. XIV, 12.\n\nPraecepit non amicos, sed infirmos quosque vocandos ad prandium. Quod si claudus aut quilibet corum sit amicus, sine dubio talis pro amicilia minime est rogandus: unde ipsa quasi videntur scimpugnare mandata. Nam si non amici, sed claudi et caeci sunt invitandi, ipsosque quoque amicos esse contingat, nequaquam rogare debemus. Sed amicos, arbitror, intelligi hoc loco debemus illos, quos pro mundi hujus terrena consideratione diligimus, non pro divinae contemplationis intuitu. Hi sunt igitur amici relinquendi. Denique, ideo debilium exempla proposuit, quos pro nullius possumus appetere necessitate negotii, nisi tantum pro fructu retributionis æternæ.","english":"By the miracle of the nativity and the office of such a great preacher, he would declare the divinity of Christ to the Gentiles. Hence Mark also declares the ancient prophetic mystery fitting the coming of Christ, so that his preaching might be proven not as something new, but as set forth from antiquity. Or, through this, the evangelists took care to use that proem which each judged necessary for his hearers. Therefore nothing contrary is found, where, although by different writings, one nevertheless arrives at the same homeland.\n\nTHE SAME AUTHOR ON THIS: “Do not call your friends, but the poor and the weak,” etc. Luke 14:12.\n\nHe commands that not friends, but the infirm of every sort, be called to the feast. But if a lame man or any such person is a friend, without doubt such a one is by no means to be asked on account of friendship; hence the commands themselves seem to contradict each other. For if not friends, but the lame and the blind are to be invited, and it happens that these same are also friends, we ought by no means to ask them. But I think that by “friends” in this passage we should understand those whom we love for the earthly consideration of this world, not for the sake of divine contemplation. These, therefore, are the friends to be left behind. Finally, he set forth examples of the weak, whom we can seek for no necessity of business, but only for the fruit of eternal reward.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Luc. XIV, 12","severity":"info","text":"The lemma cites Luke 14:12, but the Vulgate reference is Luke 14:12-13, where Jesus instructs to invite the poor and infirm, not friends.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"prooemio","severity":"info","text":"The Greek loanword 'prooemio' (prooemium) refers to a preface or introduction, here indicating the evangelists' choice of opening for their Gospels.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"nalivitatis","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin 'nalivitatis' is a scribal error for 'nativitatis' (nativity), as the context discusses Christ's birth and Mark's prophetic fulfillment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"IDEM IN ILLUD","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'IDEM IN ILLUD' marks a new section, indicating the same author commenting on another Gospel passage (Luke 14:12).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"amicos","severity":"info","text":"The author reinterprets 'friends' as those loved for worldly gain, not divine contemplation, reflecting a patristic tendency to allegorize social relationships.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"eamdem tamen patriam pervenilur","severity":"info","text":"The metaphor of arriving at the same homeland despite different writings echoes patristic commonplaces about the harmony of the Gospels.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin text has a scribal error 'nalivitatis' for 'nativitatis', and 'pervenilur' likely for 'pervenitur'. The author of the commentary is not named in the passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"IDEM IN ILLUD: Opus consummavi, quod dedisti mihi\n\nut faciam. Joan. XVII, 4.\n\nQuomodo opus salutis humanae adimplesse commemorat, cum necdum crucis vexillum conscenderat Sed definitione voluntatis, de qua cuncta venerandæ passionis insignia adire decreverat, jure se opus perfecisse significat, etc. a.","english":"The same on that passage: \"I have finished the work which you gave me to do.\" John 17:4.\n\nHow does he record that he has fulfilled the work of human salvation, when he had not yet ascended the standard of the cross? But by the determination of his will, by which he had decreed to undergo all the marks of the venerable passion, he rightly signifies that he has completed the work, etc. a.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Joan. XVII, 4","severity":"info","text":"The lemma cites John 17:4, but the Vulgate reads 'Ego consummavi opus quod dedisti mihi facere' (John 17:4). The Latin here adapts the verse to 'Opus consummavi, quod dedisti mihi ut faciam.'","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"definitione voluntatis","severity":"info","text":"'Definitione voluntatis' (determination of the will) is a technical phrase in Latin patristic theology, indicating a resolute decree of the will that effects a change in status before the physical act.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"crucis vexillum","severity":"info","text":"'Crucis vexillum' (standard of the cross) is a military metaphor common in Latin Christian writers, likening the cross to a battle standard under which Christ fights for salvation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"IDEM IN ILLUD","severity":"info","text":"'IDEM IN ILLUD' (The same on that passage) signals that this excerpt is a commentary on a specific biblical lemma, likely from a patristic homily or catena fragment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"etc. a.","severity":"info","text":"The abbreviation 'etc. a.' (et cetera, and so forth) indicates that the original text was longer; the catenist has truncated the passage, a common practice in catena compilations.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'etc. a.' may mark a lacuna or editorial truncation; the reading assumes it is an intentional abbreviation by the catenist."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}