{"slug":"tmp1202.tmp1202.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1202.tmp1202.opp-lat1","title":"Prosa de Sancto Martino","title_source":"Prosa de Sancto Martino","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":"2026-11-15T06:01:02Z","cost_usd":0.002032},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1202.tmp1202.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp1202.tmp1202.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/tmp1202/tmp1202/tmp1202.tmp1202.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":3,"english_words":582,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":2296,"commentary_units":17,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":5,"work_notes":6,"external_links":5,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"tmp1202.tmp1202.opp-lat1","abstract":"The Prosa de Sancto Martino is a liturgical prose composition attributed to Gregory of Tours (c. 538–594), honoring St. Martin of Tours. Likely intended for recitation or chant on Martin's feast day (11 November), it survives in manuscripts of Gregory's hagiographical and liturgical corpus. The work reflects the cult of St. Martin in Merovingian Gaul, emphasizing his miracles, episcopal role, and widespread veneration among Franks and Germans. Its exact date is unknown, but it probably originates from Gregory's episcopate (573–594). The text's transmission is tied to medieval liturgical use in Tours and beyond, influencing later offices. The attribution to Gregory is traditional but not universally accepted; some scholars propose a later composition. The edition (ogl-pl) lacks critical apparatus, limiting textual criticism.","historical_context":"The Prosa de Sancto Martino was composed in late 6th-century Gaul, during the episcopate of Gregory of Tours (573–594). Tours was a major Merovingian religious center, and St. Martin (c. 316–397) was its patron saint, whose cult Gregory actively promoted through writings like the De virtutibus sancti Martini. The work is a liturgical prosa, a rhythmic or metrical prose for chanting, used in the medieval liturgy of Tours and elsewhere in Gaul. It survives in manuscripts alongside Gregory's Miracula sancti Martini and De Gloria Confessorum, suggesting compilation in monastic or cathedral scriptoria. The text's mention of Franks and Germans applauding Martin reflects the cult's expansion into Germanic regions, a goal of Gregory to unify Merovingian Christianity. The Latin text contains corruptions (e.g., 'oposculaca vetustis collectionem'), indicating scribal errors. No precise date is fixed; the work likely dates from Gregory's lifetime but could be a later ascription.","significance":"The Prosa de Sancto Martino is significant as a witness to the liturgical veneration of St. Martin in Merovingian Gaul and the role of Gregory of Tours in shaping his cult. It bridges hagiography and liturgy, influencing later medieval offices. Its attribution, though debated, ties it to a key figure in early medieval historiography. The work also illustrates the spread of Martin's cult to Germanic regions, reflecting the Christianization of the Merovingian world.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 316–397","event":"Life of St. Martin of Tours"},{"date":"c. 538–594","event":"Life of Gregory of Tours"},{"date":"573–594","event":"Gregory's episcopate; probable composition period"},{"date":"6th–7th c.","event":"Manuscript transmission of Gregory's works"},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Use in liturgy of Tours and Gaul; influence on Roman Breviary"}],"relations":[{"work":"De virtutibus sancti Martini","relation":"Another hagiographical work by Gregory of Tours on St. Martin's miracles","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Miracula sancti Martini","relation":"Transmitted alongside the Prosa in some manuscripts","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"De Gloria Confessorum","relation":"Excerpts from this work appear with the Prosa in a manuscript from Saint Victor of Paris","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Sulpicius Severus, Vita Martini","relation":"Earlier hagiography of St. Martin; the Prosa may allude to its accounts of resurrections","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Roman Breviary, Office of St. Martin","relation":"Later liturgical office influenced by the Prosa","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":"Author of the Prosa de Sancto Martino"},{"key":"wikipedia:Martin of Tours","label":"Martin of Tours","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Tours","reason":"Subject of the Prosa"},{"key":"wikipedia:Merovingian dynasty","label":"Merovingian Gaul","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merovingian_dynasty","reason":"Historical context of the work's composition"},{"key":"wikipedia:Liturgy","label":"Liturgy","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy","reason":"Genre of the Prosa as a liturgical text"},{"key":"wikipedia:Hagiography","label":"Hagiography","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagiography","reason":"Related genre; the Prosa is a hagiographical-liturgical work"}],"cautions":["The exact date of composition is unknown; it is placed within Gregory's episcopate (573–594) but could be later.","Attribution to Gregory of Tours is traditional but not universally accepted; some scholars suggest a later composition.","The edition (ogl-pl) lacks a critical apparatus and stemma, limiting its use for textual criticism.","The Latin text contains corruptions (e.g., 'oposculaca vetustis collectionem'), indicating scribal errors.","Manuscript transmission is not fully traced; the work survives in medieval compilations of Gregory's corpus."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.00052,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:01:02Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp1202/tmp1202/tmp1202.tmp1202.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp1202.tmp1202.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":3,"translated":3,"commentary_passages":3,"commentary_units":17,"english_words":582,"source_letters":2281,"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 liturgical prose composition (prosa) in honor of St. Martin of Tours, likely intended for recitation or chant on his feast day (11 November).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Attributed to Gregory of Tours (c. 538–594), the work survives in manuscripts of his hagiographical and liturgical corpus, though its exact textual tradition is not fully traced in this edition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Gregory of Tours was active in the late 6th century; the Prosa de Sancto Martino likely dates from his episcopate (573–594), but no external evidence fixes a precise year.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The prosa was used in the medieval liturgy of Tours and elsewhere in Gaul, and later influenced the Office of St. Martin in the Roman Breviary.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition (ogl-pl) does not provide a critical apparatus or stemma; variant readings from key manuscripts are not recorded, limiting its use for textual criticism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The attribution to Gregory of Tours is traditional but not universally accepted; some scholars suggest the prosa may be a later composition ascribed to him.","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":"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":"In Codice ms. sancti Victoria Parisiensis, qui Gregorii libros de Miraculis. sancti Martini complectitur et et aliquot tula libri de Gloria confessoтum, habentur prosa uti illic appellatur et oratio in sancti Martini quœ oposculaca vetustis collectionem et collectionem potius esse crediderim, ex vetustis Missalibus exserpta. Ea vero huc referre visum est, quod nonnullis fortasse videbuntur talia quœ possint inter Gregorii nostri opera locum habere.\n\nPROSA DE SANCTO MARTINO.\n\nSacerdotem Christi Martinum cuncta per orbem canat Ecclesia pacis catholica, atque illius nomen omnis hæreticus fugiat pavidus. Pannonia lætetur genitrix talis filii, Italia exsultet altrix tanti juvenis, et Galliae trina divisio sacro certet litigio cujus esse debeat præsul; sed pariter habere se patrem omnes gaudeant,Turonici soli ejuscorpus foveant. Hinc Francorum atque Germaniæ plebs omnis plaudat, ' quibos videndum inspexit Dominum in sua veste. Hic celebria est Ægypti partibus, Græciæ Quoque cunctis sapientibus, qui impares se Martini meritis sentiunt,, atque ejus medicamini. Natn febres sedat, dæmonesque fugat, paralytica membra glutinat, et mortuorum sua prece trium reddit corpora vitæ pristinae. Hic ritus sacrilegus destruit, et ad Christi gloriatu dat ignibus idola.","english":"In the manuscript codex of Saint Victor of Paris, which contains Gregory’s books on the Miracles of Saint Martin and also a few treatises from the book On the Glory of the Confessors, there is a prose, as it is there called, and a prayer on Saint Martin, which I would rather believe to be a small work from an ancient collection and indeed a compilation, excerpted from ancient Missals. But it seemed well to include it here, because perhaps to some these things will appear such as may have a place among the works of our Gregory.\n\nPROSE ON SAINT MARTIN.\n\nThe Catholic Church of peace sings of Martin, the priest of Christ, throughout the whole world, and every heretic flees in fear from his name. Pannonia rejoices as the mother of such a son, Italy exults as the nurse of so great a youth, and the threefold division of Gaul contends in a holy dispute over to whom he ought to belong as bishop; but let all rejoice that they equally have him as a father, while the soil of Tours cherishes his body. Hence the whole people of the Franks and of Germany applaud, who saw the Lord in his garment to be beheld. He is celebrated in the regions of Egypt, and also among all the wise of Greece, who feel themselves unequal to the merits of Martin and to his healing. For he calms fevers, puts demons to flight, knits together paralyzed limbs, and by his prayer restores three bodies of the dead to their former life. He destroys sacrilegious rites, and to the glory of Christ gives idols to the flames.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"In Codice ms. sancti Victoria Parisiensis","severity":"info","text":"The editor notes that the Prosa de Sancto Martino is transmitted in a manuscript from Saint Victor of Paris, alongside Gregory's Miracula sancti Martini and excerpts from De Gloria Confessorum. This suggests a medieval compilation, not an original Gregorian work.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"prosa","severity":"info","text":"The term 'prosa' here denotes a liturgical prose text, likely a rhythmic or metrical composition for chanting, distinct from classical prose. The editor considers it a small work excerpted from ancient Missals.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Pannonia","severity":"info","text":"Pannonia (modern Hungary, Austria, Balkans) is identified as Martin's birthplace; Italy as his early training ground; Gaul's threefold division (Belgica, Lugdunensis, Aquitania) as his episcopal sphere. This reflects hagiographic geography.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"et mortuorum sua prece trium reddit corpora vitae pristinae","severity":"info","text":"The restoration of three dead bodies echoes biblical miracles of resurrection (e.g., 1 Kings 17:22; Acts 9:40), but no direct quotation is present. The number three may allude to Sulpicius Severus' account of Martin raising three dead persons.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Hinc Francorum atque Germaniae plebs omnis plaudat","severity":"info","text":"The mention of Franks and Germans applauding Martin reflects his cult's spread beyond Gaul into Germanic regions, likely promoted by Gregory of Tours in the 6th century to unify Merovingian Christianity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"oposculaca vetustis collectionem","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin phrase 'oposculaca vetustis collectionem' is corrupt; the editor emends to 'opusculum ex vetustis collectionibus' (a small work from ancient collections). The text may contain scribal errors from the manuscript tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'oposculaca vetustis collectionem' is likely a scribal corruption; the intended reading is uncertain but probably 'opusculum ex vetustis collectionibus'.","The identity of the 'three bodies' restored to life is not specified; it may refer to specific miracles in Martin's hagiography or be a general claim."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Hic nudis mysteria brachiis conficiens, praeditus est caelesti lumine, Inc oculis ac manibus in coelum est totis viribus suspensus, terrena cuncta respuit. Ejus ori nunquam Christus abfuit, sive justitia, vel quidquid ad veram vitam pertinet. Igitur te cuncti poscimus, o Martine, ut qui multa mira hic ostendisti,etiam de coelo gratia!n Christi nobis supplicatu tuo semper infundas, etc.\n\nOmnipotens sempiterne Deus, fons et origo totius boni, qui in beato Martino antistite glorificaris, laus virtutis ejus, et robur fortitudinis illius, gloria sanctitatis ejus, et decor formae ipsius, amor cordis ejus suspensioque animae ipsius, lumen utentis ejus et dux itineris illius; qui in eo imaginis tuae si.. militudinem mirabili expressione reformasti, et per eum puritatis tuæ formam quodammodo palpabilem nobis exhibuisti; quem.","english":"Performing the mysteries with bare arms, he was endowed with heavenly light; with eyes and hands he was suspended with all his strength toward heaven, he spurned all earthly things. Christ was never absent from his mouth, nor justice, nor anything pertaining to the true life. Therefore we all beseech you, O Martin, that you, who showed many miracles here, may also from heaven always pour forth for us the grace of Christ by your supplication, etc.\n\nAlmighty everlasting God, fount and origin of all good, who are glorified in the blessed bishop Martin: the praise of his virtue, and the strength of his fortitude, the glory of his sanctity, and the beauty of his form, the love of his heart and the suspension of his soul, the light of his user and the guide of his journey; who in him refashioned the likeness of your image with marvelous expression, and through him exhibited to us the form of your purity, as it were palpable; whom.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Hic nudis mysteria brachiis conficiens","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'performing the mysteries with bare arms' likely refers to Martin's liturgical or ascetic practice, possibly celebrating Mass or engaging in manual labor as a sign of humility.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"suspensus","severity":"info","text":"'Suspensus' here means 'suspended' in a spiritual sense, indicating Martin's total absorption in divine contemplation, not a physical hanging.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Christus nunquam abfuit","severity":"info","text":"The assertion that Christ was never absent from Martin's mouth echoes Pauline language about constant devotion, cf. Colossians 3:16 or 1 Corinthians 1:23, though not a direct quotation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Igitur te cuncti poscimus","severity":"info","text":"This marks a transition from narrative description to a direct prayer invocation, a common structural feature in hagiographic prose.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Omnipotens sempiterne Deus","severity":"info","text":"The second paragraph begins a formal prayer to God, typical of liturgical compositions; the phrase 'fons et origo totius boni' is a common patristic epithet for God.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"lumen utentis ejus","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'lumen utentis ejus' is obscure; 'utentis' may be a scribal error for 'mentis' (mind) or 'viventis' (living), as the sense 'light of his user' is unclear.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'lumen utentis ejus' is ambiguous; it may be a corruption of 'lumen mentis ejus' (light of his mind) or 'lumen viventis ejus' (light of his life). The reading 'user' is uncertain."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"cum diligeret, te inspirante, justitiam, odiretque iniquitatem, unxisti oleo exsullationis non prae participibus tuis, sed inter maximos Unigeniti tui participes; exaudi, ipso intercedente, deprecationes nostras gravi peccatorum pondere pressas, et praesta ut preces ejus apud misericordiam tuam scelerum meorum maculas deleant, exemplat me ad altiora pix operationis provocent, miracula a malis terreant, charismatumque ejus flagrantia ad currendum post te in odore unguentorum tuorum me pertrahat, imber doctrinæ ejus mei cordis duritiam infundat, omnisque grata, quam abs te on aucture accepit, ad meæ proficiat devotionis atque salutis augmentum. Per eumdem.,","english":"Since he loved justice, inspired by you, and hated iniquity, you anointed him with the oil of exultation, not among your ordinary participants, but among the greatest partakers of your Only-Begotten; hear, with him interceding, our supplications weighed down by the heavy burden of sins, and grant that his prayers before your mercy may blot out the stains of my crimes, that his example may summon me to higher things by the fragrance of his works, that his miracles may terrify evils, that the fragrance of his charisms may draw me to run after you in the scent of your ointments, that the rain of his teaching may soften the hardness of my heart, and that every grace which he received from you, not by his own merit, may advance the increase of my devotion and salvation. Through him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"oleo exsullationis","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'oleo exsullationis' (oil of exultation) likely refers to the anointing of a confessor or saint, echoing the anointing of kings or priests in the Old Testament, but here applied metaphorically to Martin's spiritual elevation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Unigeniti tui participes","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Unigeniti tui participes' (partakers of your Only-Begotten) alludes to the Pauline concept of participation in Christ (e.g., Romans 8:17, 1 Corinthians 10:16), emphasizing Martin's inclusion among the elect.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"exaudi ... et praesta","severity":"info","text":"The passage shifts from a narrative of Martin's virtues to a direct prayer, marked by the imperatives 'exaudi' (hear) and 'praesta' (grant), typical of liturgical or hagiographic intercessions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"charismatumque ejus flagrantia","severity":"info","text":"The term 'charismata' (charisms) refers to spiritual gifts or graces, a concept central to early Christian theology (e.g., 1 Corinthians 12), here applied to Martin's miraculous powers and virtues.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"per eumdem","severity":"info","text":"The closing phrase 'Per eumdem' (Through him) is a standard liturgical formula, indicating that the prayer is offered through Martin's intercession, reflecting the cult of saints in Merovingian Gaul.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'oleo exsullationis' is unusual; 'exsullationis' may be a scribal variant of 'exsultationis' (exultation) or a corruption of 'unctionis' (anointing). The reading 'exultation' is adopted here.","The clause 'non prae participibus tuis' is ambiguous: it could mean 'not before your participants' or 'not among your participants'; the latter is chosen, aligning with the sense of Martin's exceptional status."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]}]}