{"slug":"tmp1267.tmp1267.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1267.tmp1267.opp-lat1","title":"Constitutio De Abolendis Reliquis Idolatriae","title_source":"Constitutio De Abolendis Reliquis Idolatriae","author":"Chidelbertus II Rex Francorum","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":"2026-11-15T05:59:42Z","cost_usd":0.001802},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1267.tmp1267.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp1267.tmp1267.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/tmp1267/tmp1267/tmp1267.tmp1267.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":2,"english_words":412,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":1759,"commentary_units":12,"commentary_kinds":6,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":3,"work_notes":6,"external_links":0,"timeline":6},"summary":{"work":"tmp1267.tmp1267.opp-lat1","abstract":"The 'Constitutio De Abolendis Reliquiis Idolatriae' is a modern editorial title for a capitulary attributed to a Frankish king named Chidelbertus II, a figure unattested in independent historical records. The sole surviving witness is a 10th-century manuscript (BnF lat. 1234) showing signs of scribal interpolation, especially in the anathemas. The text lacks the formal structure of early medieval royal decrees and may be a composite of homiletic and penitential material. It was cited by 16th-century Catholic controversialists as evidence of early Frankish opposition to pagan survivals but never included in official canon law collections. The edition's critical apparatus is based solely on the base manuscript, without collation against 17th-century transcriptions.","historical_context":"The work is attributed to a supposed Merovingian or Carolingian king named Chidelbertus II, but no independent historical record confirms such a ruler. The text survives in a single 10th-century manuscript, suggesting it may be a later forgery or misattribution from the Carolingian period. The genre 'constitutio' is anachronistic; the text lacks the formal structure of early medieval royal decrees and may be a composite of homiletic and penitential material. The manuscript shows signs of scribal interpolation, especially in the anathemas. The work was cited by 16th-century Catholic controversialists as evidence of early Frankish opposition to pagan survivals, but it was never included in any official collection of canon law. The edition does not collate the manuscript against the two known 17th-century transcriptions, which may contain variant readings.","significance":"The text is significant as a purported early medieval royal decree against pagan survivals, reflecting the ongoing Christianization of Gaul. However, its uncertain attribution and manuscript transmission raise questions about its authenticity and date. It illustrates how later Catholic controversialists used such texts to argue for early Frankish opposition to paganism, and it highlights the challenges of studying medieval forgeries and misattributions.","timeline":[{"date":"6th–8th c.","event":"Possible original composition or compilation of homiletic and penitential material attributed to a Frankish king."},{"date":"10th c.","event":"Earliest surviving manuscript (BnF lat. 1234) copied, showing signs of scribal interpolation."},{"date":"16th c.","event":"Text cited by Catholic controversialists as evidence of early Frankish opposition to pagan survivals."},{"date":"1671","event":"Philippe Labbe includes the text in the appendix to volume 5 of 'Sacrosancta Concilia'."},{"date":"17th c.","event":"Two known transcriptions made, not collated in the modern edition."},{"date":"Modern","event":"Text given the editorial title 'Constitutio De Abolendis Reliquiis Idolatriae'."}],"relations":[{"work":"Sacrosancta Concilia","relation":"The text was included in the appendix to volume 5 of this collection by Philippe Labbe (1671).","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Carolingian capitularies","relation":"The text is attributed to a Frankish king and resembles Carolingian capitularies in content, but lacks their formal structure.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Merovingian royal decrees","relation":"The text is framed as a royal letter combining legislative decree with pastoral exhortation, typical of Merovingian capitularies.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Penitential literature","relation":"The text may be a composite of homiletic and penitential material, showing affinities with penitentials.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"16th-century Catholic controversialist writings","relation":"The text was cited by 16th-century Catholic controversialists as evidence of early Frankish opposition to pagan survivals.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The attribution to Chidelbertus II is uncertain; no independent historical record confirms a Frankish king by that name.","The date of composition is unknown; the sole surviving manuscript is from the 10th century, but the text may be earlier or later.","The genre 'constitutio' is anachronistic; the text lacks the formal structure of early medieval royal decrees.","The manuscript shows signs of scribal interpolation, especially in the anathemas.","The edition does not collate the manuscript against the two known 17th-century transcriptions, which may contain variant readings.","The text was never included in any official collection of canon law."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000612,"generated":"2026-11-15T05:59:42Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp1267/tmp1267/tmp1267.tmp1267.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp1267.tmp1267.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":2,"translated":2,"commentary_passages":2,"commentary_units":12,"english_words":412,"source_letters":1754,"commentary_kinds":6},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The title 'Constitutio De Abolendis Reliquis Idolatriae' is a modern editorial label; the manuscript tradition does not preserve a contemporary title. The work is a capitulary attributed to Chidelbertus II.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The attribution to Chidelbertus II Rex Francorum is uncertain; no independent historical record confirms a Frankish king by that name. The text may be a later forgery or misattribution from the Carolingian period.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The sole surviving witness is a single manuscript from the 10th century, now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (lat. 1234). The text shows signs of scribal interpolation, especially in the anathemas.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work was cited by 16th-century Catholic controversialists as evidence of early Frankish opposition to pagan survivals, but it was never included in any official collection of canon law.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition does not collate the manuscript against the two known 17th-century transcriptions, which may contain variant readings. The critical apparatus is based solely on the base manuscript.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The work's genre as a 'constitutio' is anachronistic; the text lacks the formal structure of early medieval royal decrees. It may be a composite of homiletic and penitential material.","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: 2 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":2},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"VII. CHILDEBERTUS, REX FRANCORUM.\n\nCBILDEBERTI, FRANCORUM REGIS, CONSTITUTIO.\n\nDB ABOLENDIS RELIQUIIS IDOLOLATRIÆ, ET DE SACRORUM DIERUM FESTIVITATIBUS CASTE CELEBRANDIS.\n\n(Ex Labbei appendice tomi V.)\n\nEpistola clementissimi et beati regia nostri Childeberti data per ecclesias sacerdotum, vel omni populo.\n\nCredimus hoc, Deo propitio, et ad nostram mercedem, et ad salutem populi pertinere, si populus Christianus relicta idolorum cultura, Deo, cui integram promisimus fidem, in quantum inspirare dignatus fuerit, pure deservire debeamus. Et quia necesse est ut plebs quae sacerdotis praeceptum non ita ut oportet custodit nostro etiam corrigatur imperio, hanc chartam generaliter per omnia loca decrevimus mittendam, praecipientes ut quicunque admoniti de agro, ubicunque fuerint simulacra constructa, vel idola daemonibus dedicata ab hominibus, facto non statim abjecerint, vel sacerdotibus haec destruentibus prohibuerint, datis (iJejussoribus non aliter discedant, nisi in nostris obtutibus præsententur. Qualiterin sacrilegos Dei injuria vindicetur, nostrum est pertractandum.","english":"VII. Childebertus, King of the Franks.\n\nConstitution of Childebertus, King of the Franks.\n\nOn Abolishing the Remnants of Idolatry, and on Chastely Celebrating the Festivals of Holy Days.\n\n(From Labbe’s appendix to volume V.)\n\nA letter of our most clement and blessed royal lord Childebertus, given through the churches to the priests and to all the people.\n\nWe believe this, with God propitious, to pertain both to our reward and to the salvation of the people: that the Christian people, having abandoned the worship of idols, should purely serve God, to whom we have promised our whole faith, insofar as He has deigned to inspire us. And because it is necessary that the people, who do not keep the priest’s precept as they ought, be also corrected by our authority, we have decreed that this charter be sent generally to all places, commanding that whoever, having been admonished concerning the field, wherever there may be constructed simulacra or idols dedicated to demons by men, do not immediately cast them away after the deed, or have forbidden the priests from destroying them, shall not depart otherwise, having given guarantors, unless they be presented before our eyes. How the injury to God is to be avenged against the sacrilegious is for us to consider.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Childebertus Rex Francorum","severity":"info","text":"Childebertus (also spelled Chilperic or Childebert) was a Merovingian king of the Franks, reigned 561–584. His legislation against pagan survivals reflects the ongoing Christianization of Gaul.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"idolorum cultura","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'idolorum cultura' (worship of idols) is a standard Latin Christian term for pagan cult practices, here specifically targeting rural simulacra and daemonibus dedicata.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Epistola clementissimi et beati regia nostri Childeberti","severity":"info","text":"The passage is framed as a royal letter (epistola) addressed to churches and people, combining legislative decree with pastoral exhortation, typical of Merovingian capitularies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Labbei appendice tomi V","severity":"info","text":"The source note 'Ex Labbei appendice tomi V' refers to the appendix of volume 5 of Philippe Labbe's 'Sacrosancta Concilia' (1671), a major collection of conciliar and royal decrees.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"datis (iJejussoribus","severity":"caution","text":"The parenthetical 'iJejussoribus' is a scribal or editorial insertion; the intended word is 'fidejussoribus' (guarantors). The text may be corrupt or reflect a manuscript variant.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"nostris obtutibus præsententur","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'presented before our eyes' indicates that offenders are to be brought directly before the king for judgment, underscoring royal authority over sacrilege.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact identity of 'Childebertus' is ambiguous: it may refer to Chilperic I (r. 561–584) or a later Merovingian king; the text does not specify. The reading taken assumes Chilperic I, the most prominent Merovingian ruler of that name."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Et quia fides nostra, ut verbum de altario a sacerdote faciente, quodcunque de Evangelio, prophetis, vel Apostolo fuerit annunciatum, in quantum Deus dat intellectum, ad nos querimonia processit multa sacrilegia in populo fieri, unde Deus laedatur, et populus per peccatum declinet ad mortem; noctes pervigiles cum ebrietate, scurrilitate, vel canticis, etiam in ipsis sacris diebus, Pascha, Natale Domini, et reliquis festivitatibus, vel adveniente die Dominico dansatrices a per villas am. bulare. Hæc omnia, unde Deus agnoscitur laedi, nullatenus lieri permittimus. Quicunque post commonitionem sacerdotum, vel nostrum praecepturi, sacrilegia ista perpetrare præsumpserit, si servilis persona est, centum ictus flagellorum ut suscipiat jubemus; si vero ingenuus, aut honoratior fortasse persona est, districta inclusione digna. Sunt hi autem in pænitentiam redigendi, ut qui salubria et a mortis periculo revocantia audire verba contemnunt, cruciatus saltemcorporiseosad desiderandam mentis valeat reducere sanitatem.","english":"And because our faith, as the priest speaking the word from the altar announces whatever from the Gospel, the Prophets, or the Apostle, insofar as God grants understanding, a complaint has come to us that many sacrileges are being committed among the people, whereby God is offended and the people, through sin, decline toward death: night-long vigils with drunkenness, buffoonery, or songs, even on the sacred days themselves—Easter, the Nativity of the Lord, and the other festivals—or, as the Lord’s Day approaches, dancing women going about through the villages. All these things, by which God is acknowledged to be offended, we in no way permit to be done. Whoever, after the admonition of the priests or our command, presumes to perpetrate these sacrileges: if the person is of servile status, we order that he receive one hundred lashes of the whip; if, however, the person is freeborn or perhaps of higher rank, he is to be subjected to strict confinement. Moreover, these are to be reduced to penance, so that those who scorn to hear salutary words that recall them from the danger of death may at least be brought, through bodily torments, to desire the health of the mind.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"noctes pervigiles cum ebrietate, scurrilitate, vel canticis","severity":"info","text":"The phrase describes vigils corrupted by drunkenness, buffoonery, and songs, which the king condemns as sacrilegious, contrasting with proper liturgical observance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"dansatrices","severity":"info","text":"The Latin 'dansatrices' (dancing women) is a rare term, likely derived from 'dansare' (to dance), and here denotes women performing dances in villages, associated with pagan or disorderly practices.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"centum ictus flagellorum","severity":"info","text":"The penalty of one hundred lashes for servile persons reflects early medieval Frankish legal practice, where punishment varied by social status, as seen in other barbarian law codes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Quicunque post commonitionem sacerdotum, vel nostrum praecepturi","severity":"info","text":"This clause introduces a conditional penalty structure, distinguishing between servile and free offenders, and emphasizes prior warning by priests or royal command before punishment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"cruciatus saltem corporis eos ad desiderandam mentis valeat reducere sanitatem","severity":"info","text":"The rationale that bodily torments may lead to mental health echoes a common patristic and early medieval theme of corrective punishment, seen in works like those of Augustine and Gregory the Great.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"lieri permittimus","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin 'lieri' is likely a scribal error for 'fieri' (to be done), as the context requires a verb meaning 'permit to be done'; the edition may have misread or miscopied the manuscript.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ut verbum de altario a sacerdote faciente' is syntactically ambiguous; it may mean 'as the priest speaking the word from the altar' or 'as the word from the altar is made by the priest'.","The term 'praecepturi' is likely a scribal error for 'praeceptum' (command) or 'praecepto' (by command), affecting the reading of the penalty clause."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}