{"slug":"tmp1200.tmp1200.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1200.tmp1200.opp-lat1","title":"De Virtutibus Sancti Martini Episcopi","title_source":"De Virtutibus Sancti Martini Episcopi","author":"Gregorius Turonensis Episcopus","genre":"treatise","date":"","tradition":"latin","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T06:01:07Z","cost_usd":0.001947},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1200.tmp1200.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp1200.tmp1200.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/tmp1200/tmp1200/tmp1200.tmp1200.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":3,"english_words":587,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":2285,"commentary_units":17,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":2,"ambiguities":5,"work_notes":6,"external_links":4,"timeline":6},"summary":{"work":"tmp1200.tmp1200.opp-lat1","abstract":"Gregory of Tours composed De Virtutibus Sancti Martini Episcopi as a hagiographical treatise recounting posthumous miracles of Saint Martin of Tours, supplementing his earlier Vita Martini. Structured as a series of miracle narratives rather than a continuous biography, the work reflects Gregory's pastoral and theological aims, presenting miracles as factual evidence of Martin's sanctity. Composed between 573 and 594 CE during Gregory's episcopate, the text survives in numerous medieval manuscripts, often combined with other Martinian works. It shaped the cult of Saint Martin and was used in liturgical readings for his feast, influencing later miracle collections. This edition lacks critical apparatus; readers should consult the MGH edition for textual variants.","historical_context":"Gregory of Tours (c. 538–594) wrote De Virtutibus Sancti Martini Episcopi during his tenure as Bishop of Tours (573–594), a period when the cult of Saint Martin was central to the city's identity. The work was composed in Latin, the literary language of the early medieval West, and belongs to the genre of hagiographical miracle collections. Gregory drew on oral traditions, local testimonies, and his own observations, embedding the narratives in the social and religious life of Merovingian Gaul. The text survives in numerous medieval manuscripts, often transmitted alongside Sulpicius Severus's Vita Martini and Gregory's own Vita Martini, indicating its integration into a broader Martinian corpus. The earliest complete witness dates from the 8th–9th century, but the work was widely copied and read throughout the Middle Ages, used in liturgical readings for Martin's feast (November 11) and as a model for later miracle collections. Gregory's dating relies on internal references to contemporary events and his own statements in his Histories, though the exact year of composition remains uncertain.","significance":"De Virtutibus Sancti Martini Episcopi is a key text for understanding the development of the cult of Saint Martin in Merovingian Gaul and the genre of miracle collections in early medieval hagiography. It influenced later hagiographers and liturgical practices, shaping how posthumous miracles were recorded and venerated. The work also provides insight into Gregory's pastoral strategies and the religious landscape of 6th-century Tours.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 538","event":"Birth of Gregory of Tours."},{"date":"573","event":"Gregory becomes Bishop of Tours."},{"date":"573–594","event":"Composition of De Virtutibus Sancti Martini Episcopi during Gregory's episcopate."},{"date":"594","event":"Death of Gregory of Tours."},{"date":"8th–9th c.","event":"Earliest complete manuscript witness of the work."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Widespread copying and liturgical use of the text."}],"relations":[{"work":"Vita Martini by Gregory of Tours","relation":"Predecessor and companion work, also by Gregory, focusing on Martin's life and miracles.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Vita Martini by Sulpicius Severus","relation":"Earlier hagiography of Martin, often transmitted with Gregory's works.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Histories by Gregory of Tours","relation":"Gregory's historical work provides context and cross-references for dating.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Dialogues by Sulpicius Severus","relation":"Earlier model for miracle collections, cited by Gregory as authorization strategy.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[{"key":"wikipedia:Gregory of Tours","label":"Gregory of Tours","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_of_Tours","reason":"Biographical context for the author."},{"key":"wikipedia:Martin of Tours","label":"Martin of Tours","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Tours","reason":"Subject of the hagiography."},{"key":"wikipedia:Hagiography","label":"Hagiography","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagiography","reason":"Genre context."},{"key":"wikipedia:Merovingian dynasty","label":"Merovingian Gaul","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merovingian_dynasty","reason":"Historical setting."}],"cautions":["The exact date of composition is unknown; the range 573–594 is inferred from Gregory's episcopate and internal references.","The earliest complete manuscript witness dates from the 8th–9th century, leaving a gap between composition and surviving evidence.","This edition (ogl-pl) lacks critical apparatus; readers should consult the MGH edition for textual variants and manuscript details.","Miracle accounts reflect hagiographic topoi and pastoral aims, not modern historical standards."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.00047,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:01:06Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp1200/tmp1200/tmp1200.tmp1200.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp1200.tmp1200.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":3,"translated":3,"commentary_passages":3,"commentary_units":17,"english_words":587,"source_letters":2274,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Gregory of Tours wrote this hagiographical treatise to recount posthumous miracles of Martin of Tours, supplementing his earlier Vita Martini. The work is structured as a series of miracle narratives, not a continuous biography.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Composed between 573 and 594 CE, during Gregory’s episcopate. The dating rests on internal references to contemporary events and Gregory’s own statements in his Histories.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Survives in numerous medieval manuscripts, often combined with the Vita Martini and other Martinian texts. The earliest complete witness is from the 8th–9th century.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Widely read in the Middle Ages, the work shaped the cult of Saint Martin and was used in liturgical readings for his feast. It influenced later miracle collections.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition (ogl-pl) does not include a critical apparatus or variant readings from the manuscript tradition. Readers should consult the MGH edition for textual variants.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Gregory’s miracle accounts reflect hagiographic topoi and pastoral aims, not modern historical standards. Miracles are presented as factual, but the work is a theological and edifying text.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: treatise in Latin; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 3 narrative."},{"kind":"caution","severity":"caution","text":"2 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":3},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"SANCTI GREGORII EPISCOPI TURONENSIS EPISTOLA IN QUATUOR LIBROS DE VIRTUTIBUS SANCTI MARTINI EPISCOPI.\n\n993-994 Dominis sanctis, et in Christi amore dulcissimis a fratribus ac filiis Ecclesiæ Turonicae mihi a Deo commissae, Gregorius peccator.\n\nMiracula illa quæ Dominus Deus noster per beatum Martinum antistitem suum in corpore positum operari dignatus est, quotidie ad corroborandam fidem credentium confirmare dignatur. Ille nunc exornans [AI., exornal] virtutibus ejus tumulim, qui in eo operatus est cum esset in mundo; et ille praebet per eum beneficia Christianis, qui misit tunc praesulem gentibus perituris. Nemo ergo de anteactis virtutibus dubitet, cum præsentium signorum cernit munera dispensari, cum videt claudos erigi, caecos illuminari, daemones efTugari, et alia quaeque morborum genera ipso medicante curari. Ego vero fidem ingerens libri illiusd qui de ejus Vira ab anterioribus est scriptus, præsentes virtutes, quantum [At., de quanto] aa memoriam recolo, memoriæ in posterum, Domino jubente, mandabo. Quod non praesumerem, nisi bis et tertio admonitus fjuissem pcr visum. Tamen omnipotentem Deum testem invoco, quia vidi quadam vice per somnium e media die in 995-996 basilica domni Martini debiles multos, ac diversis morbis oppressos sanari, et videham eos, spectante matre mea f, quæ ait mihi: Quare segnis es ad haec scribenda quæ prospicis?","english":"Of the holy Gregory, Bishop of Tours, a letter in four books on the virtues of the holy bishop Martin.\n\n993-994 To the holy lords, most sweet in the love of Christ, my brothers and sons of the Church of Tours committed to me by God, Gregory the sinner.\n\nThose miracles which our Lord God deigned to work through the blessed Martin, his bishop, while he was in the body, He deigns to confirm daily for strengthening the faith of believers. He now adorns with his virtues the tomb of him who worked in him while he was in the world; and He who then sent the bishop to perishing peoples now bestows benefits through him upon Christians. Therefore let no one doubt the virtues of the past, when he sees the gifts of present signs dispensed, when he sees the lame raised up, the blind enlightened, demons put to flight, and all other kinds of diseases cured by his healing. I, however, bringing faith to that book which was written about his Life by earlier authors, will commit to memory for posterity, by the Lord’s command, the present virtues, as far as I recall them. I would not presume to do this, had I not been admonished a second and third time in a vision. Yet I call almighty God to witness, because I once saw in a dream, in the middle of the day, in 995-996 the basilica of the lord Martin, many weak persons and those oppressed by various diseases healed, and I saw them, while my mother looked on, who said to me: “Why are you slow to write down these things which you see?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Epistola in quatuor libros","severity":"info","text":"The title announces a prefatory letter (epistola) to a four-book work, framing the entire treatise as a single letter.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"993-994","severity":"info","text":"The dates 993-994 in the margin likely refer to years of the Christian era (i.e., AD 993-994), placing the composition in the late 10th century.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Gregorius peccator","severity":"info","text":"Gregory styles himself 'peccator' (sinner), a common humility topos in early medieval epistolary prefaces, especially in hagiographical works.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"claudos erigi, caecos illuminari, daemones effugari","severity":"info","text":"This triad echoes Gospel healing narratives (e.g., Matt 15:30-31; Acts 3:2-10) and is a standard catalogue of miraculous cures in hagiography.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"bis et tertio admonitus per visum","severity":"info","text":"Gregory claims divine command through repeated visions, a common authorization strategy in medieval miracle collections, paralleling Sulpicius Severus' Dialogues.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"exornans [AI., exornal]","severity":"caution","text":"The apparatus notes a variant 'exornal' for 'exornans'; the reading is uncertain, but the sense ('adorns') is clear from context.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The dates 993-994 are marginal and may be editorial additions rather than original to Gregory's text.","The phrase 'de quanto aa memoriam recolo' is textually uncertain; the translation follows a conjectural reading."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Cui aio: Non te latet g, quod sim inscius litterarum, ct tam admirandas virtutes stultus et idiota non audemi promulgare? Utinam Severus, aut Paulinus viverent, aut certe Fortunatus adesset, qui ista describerent. Nam ego ad haec iners notam incurro, si hæc adnotare tentavero. Et ait mihi: Et nescis quia nobiscum propter intelligentiam populorum si quis loquitur, sicut tu loqui potens es, eo habetur magis praeclarum? l'aque ne dubites, et haec agere non desistas: quia crimen tibi erit si ea tacueris. Ego autem haec agere cupiens, duplicis ' tædii affligor cruciatione, moeroris pariter et terroris. Moeroris, cur tantae virtutes, quae sub antecessoribus nostris factae sunt, non sunt riptæ; terroris, ut aggrediar opus egregium rusticanus. Sed spe divinae pietatis illectus, aggrediar quod monetur. Potest enim, ut credo, per meae linguae sterilitatem proferre ista qui ei arida cote [At., petra] in eremo producens aquas, populi sitientis exstinxit ardorem; aut certe constabit eum rursum os asinae reserare, si labia mea aperiens, per me indoctum [Ed., indignum] ista dignetur expandere. Sed quid timeo rusticitatem meam, cum Dominus Redemptor et Deus noster, ad destruendam mundanae sapientiæ vanitatem, non oratores, sed piscatores; nec philosophos, sed rusticos praeelegit?","english":"I said to him: \"Does it not escape you that I am ignorant of letters, and that I, foolish and unlearned, dare not proclaim such wondrous miracles? Would that Severus, or Paulinus, were alive, or at least that Fortunatus were present, to describe these things. For I, unskilled as I am, incur a mark of disgrace if I attempt to record them.\" And he said to me: \"Do you not know that if someone speaks among us for the understanding of the people, as you are able to speak, he is considered all the more excellent? Therefore do not hesitate, and do not cease from this work; for it will be a sin for you if you keep silent about these things.\" But I, desiring to do this, am afflicted by the torment of a twofold weariness, of grief and of fear alike: grief that such great miracles, which were performed under our predecessors, have not been recorded; fear that I, a rustic, should undertake a noble work. But lured by the hope of divine mercy, I shall undertake what is urged. For it is possible, I believe, that through the barrenness of my tongue he may bring forth these things, he who, producing water from a dry flint in the desert, quenched the thirst of a parched people; or surely it will be evident that he again opens the mouth of an ass, if, opening my lips, he deigns to spread these things through me, unlearned as I am. But why do I fear my rusticity, when the Lord Redeemer and our God, to destroy the vanity of worldly wisdom, chose not orators but fishermen, not philosophers but rustics?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"inscius litterarum","severity":"info","text":"Gregory's self-description as 'ignorant of letters' is a conventional humility topos, not a literal claim; he was well-educated for his time.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Severus, aut Paulinus, aut certe Fortunatus","severity":"info","text":"Gregory invokes three earlier hagiographers: Sulpicius Severus (Life of Martin), Paulinus of Nola (poet and bishop), and Venantius Fortunatus (poet and later bishop of Tours).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"os asinae reserare","severity":"info","text":"Alludes to the biblical story of Balaam's ass (Numbers 22:28-30), where the ass speaks; Gregory compares his own unworthiness to that animal, expecting divine inspiration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"non oratores, sed piscatores; nec philosophos, sed rusticos praeelegit","severity":"info","text":"Echoes the New Testament theme of Christ choosing humble fishermen (e.g., Matthew 4:18-22) over learned rhetoricians, a common patristic trope.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"duplicis taedii affligor cruciatione, moeroris pariter et terroris","severity":"info","text":"Gregory structures his hesitation as a twofold affliction: grief (moeror) that past miracles went unrecorded, and fear (terror) of his own inadequacy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"arida cote in eremo producens aquas","severity":"info","text":"Refers to a miracle of Moses striking water from a rock (Exodus 17:6), but Gregory applies it to Martin, implying Martin's power to work through Gregory's barren tongue.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin 'ct' in 'ct tam admirandas' is likely a scribal error for 'et' (and).","The phrase 'arida cote' (dry flint) is a variant reading; some manuscripts have 'petra' (rock)."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Confido ergo orantibus vobis b, quia etsi non potest paginam sermo incultus ornare, faciet eam tamen gloriosus Antistes praeclaris virtutibus elucere.","english":"I trust, therefore, in your prayers, because even if an uncultivated speech cannot adorn the page, yet the glorious Bishop will make it shine with his illustrious virtues.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Confido ergo orantibus vobis","severity":"info","text":"Gregory expresses confidence in the prayers of his audience, a conventional humility topos that also frames the work as a collaborative spiritual endeavor.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"sermo incultus","severity":"info","text":"‘Uncultivated speech’ is a standard modesty formula in late antique prefaces, contrasting rustic style with the polished eloquence of classical authors like Sulpicius Severus or Paulinus of Nola.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"gloriosus Antistes","severity":"info","text":"‘Glorious Bishop’ refers to Saint Martin of Tours, whose virtues are the subject of the work. The title Antistes (literally ‘one who stands before’) is a common Latin term for a bishop.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Confido ... faciet eam tamen gloriosus Antistes praeclaris virtutibus elucere","severity":"info","text":"This sentence concludes the preface’s humility topos and transitions to the body of the work, asserting that Martin’s virtues will compensate for the author’s lack of rhetorical skill.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Confido ergo orantibus vobis","severity":"info","text":"Gregory’s appeal to the prayers of his readers reflects the early medieval practice of commissioning hagiographic works with a request for intercessory support, a feature noted in Merovingian literary culture.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the addressee (vobis) is not specified; it may refer to the clergy or monastic community for whom Gregory wrote, or to a broader readership."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}