{"slug":"tmp1385.tmp1385.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1385.tmp1385.opp-lat1","title":"Epistolae Tres","title_source":"Epistolae Tres","author":"Sulpicius Bituricensis Episcopus","genre":"letter","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":"2026-11-15T06:03:00Z","cost_usd":0.002058},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp1385.tmp1385.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp1385.tmp1385.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/tmp1385/tmp1385/tmp1385.tmp1385.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":3,"english_words":688,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":2926,"commentary_units":18,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":2,"ambiguities":3,"work_notes":5,"external_links":0,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"tmp1385.tmp1385.opp-lat1","abstract":"The Epistolae Tres of Sulpicius Bituricensis (bishop of Bourges, early 7th century) are three Latin letters addressing episcopal jurisdiction and clerical discipline. They survive in a single manuscript tradition, likely from a Gallic collection of canon law, and were later cited in medieval canon law collections such as Gratian's Decretum. The letters contain internal references to Merovingian church councils and the reign of Clotaire II (d. 629), providing a tentative date. No critical edition or English translation is available; the present text derives from the ogl-pl edition, which lacks a stemma or variant apparatus. The letters employ standard late antique epistolary topoi, including humility formulas and the theme of love overcoming distance.","historical_context":"Sulpicius Bituricensis served as bishop of Bourges in the early 7th century, a period of Merovingian rule in Gaul under Clotaire II (d. 629). The letters reflect the concerns of Gallic bishops regarding episcopal authority and clerical conduct, likely in the context of regional church councils. The single manuscript tradition suggests transmission through a Gallic canon law collection, possibly linked to the Collectio Vetus Gallica or similar compilations. The letters' later citation in Gratian's Decretum (12th century) indicates their enduring authority in medieval canon law. The ogl-pl edition, based on Canisius's Antiquae Lectiones (1601–1604), provides the text without critical apparatus, limiting certainty about textual variants. The letters' language and topoi align with 7th-century Gallic epistolography, showing deference to the Roman see and employing humility formulas common in late antique bishop correspondence.","significance":"The Epistolae Tres are important as rare surviving examples of early 7th-century Gallic episcopal correspondence, offering insight into Merovingian church politics and canon law. Their citation in Gratian's Decretum demonstrates their influence on medieval ecclesiastical jurisprudence. The letters also illustrate the transmission of patristic and late antique epistolary conventions into the early medieval period.","timeline":[{"date":"early 7th century","event":"Sulpicius Bituricensis serves as bishop of Bourges; writes the three letters."},{"date":"d. 629","event":"Reign of Clotaire II, referenced internally in the letters."},{"date":"7th–8th century","event":"Letters likely compiled into a Gallic canon law collection."},{"date":"12th century","event":"Gratian's Decretum cites the letters as authorities on episcopal jurisdiction."},{"date":"1601–1604","event":"Henricus Canisius publishes Antiquae Lectiones, the basis for the ogl-pl edition."}],"relations":[{"work":"Gratian's Decretum","relation":"cites the letters as authorities on episcopal jurisdiction and clerical discipline","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Collectio Vetus Gallica","relation":"possible related canon law collection for transmission","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Desiderius of Cahors","relation":"correspondent of Sulpicius, mentioned in the letters","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Clotaire II","relation":"Merovingian king referenced in the letters","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Antiquae Lectiones","relation":"1601–1604 edition by Henricus Canisius, source of the present text","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The date of the letters is uncertain, resting on internal references to Clotaire II and Merovingian councils; no external corroboration exists.","The letters survive in a single manuscript tradition, limiting textual certainty and knowledge of variants.","The ogl-pl edition lacks a critical apparatus or stemma, so readings may reflect later emendations or errors.","No English translation or detailed historical commentary is available; interpretation relies on secondary literature."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000487,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:03:00Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp1385/tmp1385/tmp1385.tmp1385.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp1385.tmp1385.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":3,"translated":3,"commentary_passages":3,"commentary_units":18,"english_words":688,"source_letters":2926,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Sulpicius Bituricensis (bishop of Bourges, early 7th c.) wrote these three letters. Their dating rests on internal references to Merovingian church councils and the reign of Clotaire II (d. 629).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The letters survive in a single manuscript tradition, likely from a Gallic collection of canon law. No independent early medieval witness is known outside this source.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"These letters were cited in later medieval canon law collections, notably Gratian's Decretum, as authorities on episcopal jurisdiction and clerical discipline.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The edition (ogl-pl) does not provide a critical apparatus or stemma. Variant readings from other manuscripts, if any, are not recorded here.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"No English translation or detailed historical commentary accompanies this edition. Readers must consult secondary literature for contextual analysis of Merovingian church politics.","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: 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 SULPICII BITURICENSIS EPISCOPI EPISTOLAETRES.\n\n(Canis. Ant. Lectiones, tom. I.)\n\nEPISTOLA PRIMA.\n\nDomno semper proprio atque apostolica sede colendo domno Desiderio Cadurcae urbis Pontifici Sulpicius Bitoricae [F, Bituricae] urbis episcopus.\n\nExcitavit animum parvitatis meae nimia dulcedo magnitudinis tuae, et pontificalem sacerdotii vestri laudem insignem, vel ex pane tenuem praesumam disserere sermonem. Sud universa subito virtus defecit in verbis, quem exsuperavit tantae materia dictionis, ut rudimenta tantarum augustiarum studia animo librante pensaram, ipsius magnitudinis mole, victus succubui. Unde meo saltem volo satisfeci, etsi vestro implere suffragio non valui, libens tamen qui aliud nihil deminationi vestrae prodesse appareo. Sed vos semper pietate consueta tanti habetis inquisitionem nos velle frequenter visitare. Unde imprimis incolumitatem vestram inquirentes, quod optamus potius tam motu corporis quam linguae mutuo sermone complere, dum regionum longinquitas non discrepat aspectum, nisi tantummodo fraudat interjectionis spatium, et ipsum tamen dilectio cernit intuitum cum figurat animos [F., animus] recordatum. Ergo nihil perdet absentiam, quod praesentaliter laboravit praesentiam· Semper in dirigendis apicibus beatitudo vestra solvit officium, ut plus debeat reddendum agminis famulatum, quam meritis consideret debitorem.","english":"The three letters of Saint Sulpicius, Bishop of Bourges.\n\n(Canisius, Ancient Readings, volume I.)\n\nThe First Letter.\n\nTo my lord, always my own and to be venerated for the apostolic see, lord Desiderius, Bishop of the city of Cahors, Sulpicius, Bishop of the city of Bourges.\n\nThe excessive sweetness of your greatness has stirred the mind of my littleness, and I will presume to set forth in a slender discourse the distinguished pontifical praise of your priesthood. Suddenly all strength failed in words, which the magnitude of such a subject overcame, so that when I weighed in my mind the studies of such great difficulties as rudiments, I, conquered by the mass of that greatness itself, succumbed. Hence I have at least satisfied my own desire, even if I was not able to fulfill yours with my support, yet I willingly appear to be of use to your eminence in nothing else. But you, with your customary piety, consider it so important that we wish to visit you frequently. Hence, first inquiring about your health, which we would rather fulfill by mutual speech of body and tongue, since the distance of regions does not separate our sight, except that it only cheats us of the intervening space, and yet love beholds that sight with the gaze when the remembering mind forms it. Therefore, absence will lose nothing that presence labored to achieve in person. Your beatitude always pays the debt of duty in sending letters, so that the service of the company owed in return is greater than the debtor considered by merits.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Domno semper proprio atque apostolica sede colendo domno Desiderio Cadurcae urbis Pontifici","severity":"info","text":"Desiderius of Cahors (c. 580–655) was a bishop and correspondent of Sulpicius of Bourges. The phrase 'apostolica sede colendo' reflects the deference to the Roman see common in Gallic episcopal letters of the 7th century.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"parvitatis meae","severity":"info","text":"'Parvitatis meae' (my littleness) is a standard humility topos in late antique and early medieval epistolography, used by bishops to signal modesty before a superior or esteemed colleague.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Excitavit animum ... succubui","severity":"info","text":"The opening period follows a conventional captatio benevolentiae: the writer claims to be overwhelmed by the subject's greatness, yet proceeds to write. The syntax is elaborate, with a series of subordinate clauses typical of late Latin rhetorical style.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Sud universa subito virtus defecit in verbis","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin 'Sud universa' is likely a scribal error or corruption; the intended reading may be 'Sed universa' or 'Sub universa'. The sense is that the writer's strength failed when faced with the magnitude of the subject.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"Canis. Ant. Lectiones, tom. I.","severity":"info","text":"The text is transmitted through Canisius's 'Antiquae Lectiones' (1601–1604), a key collection of medieval sources by the Jesuit historian Henricus Canisius. This edition is the basis for the present text.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"dilectio cernit intuitum cum figurat animos recordatum","severity":"info","text":"The writer argues that love (dilectio) enables the mind to visualize the absent person through memory, so that physical distance does not sever the relationship. This is a common consolation in ancient letters.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Sud universa' is likely corrupt; the intended reading may be 'Sed universa' or 'Sub universa'. The text also has a variant 'animus' for 'animos' in the phrase 'cum figurat animos recordatum', which may affect the grammatical subject."],"confidence":"medium","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":"Auctorem coeli praesumimus postulare, ut vestram jubeat praetendere vitam cursibus annorum longaevam dignetur tempore longo, cujus nunc locuples servatur nomine mundus. Et diu firmantur nutantia culmina rerum, vel dilapsa magis solidata resurgunt. Istud manu propria fecit a tuis temporibus. Vestrae gratiae servire merear, mihi peculiaris Domine.\n\nEPISTOLA II.\n\nDomino sancio et apostolica sede colendo fratri Vero Rutente [L., Rutenae] urbis episcopo Sulpicius peccator.\n\nIn quantum vobis vir apostolicus domnus Desiderius Cadurcae urbis episcopus per litteras suas innotuit, gravi injuria homines sui a Perricio diacono vestro in parrocia sua Aronnaco pertulerunt. Et audivimus quod Aprilis KI vobiscum exinde placidum [L., placitum] debeat habere. Propterea salutantes charitati vestrae rogamus, ut taliter adversus domno Desiderio ordinetis emendari, si cognoscitis, quod superius a scripsit diaconus exinde negligens est, qualiter vestra est prudentia, et si hoc fortasse ipse dicat, obaudire distulerit, et taliter si non emendatur, qualiter domno Desiderio voluntas est, non aliter fiat, nisi in placito, quod vobis supra scriptus pontifex denuntiaverit memora·... diaconus vestro per fidejussores una cum indiculo vestro ante parvitatem nostram faciatis dirigere· Interim nos exemplar epistolae apud nos retenemus.","english":"We presume to petition the Author of heaven, that He may command your life to be prolonged through the courses of years, and deign to extend it for a long time—He by whose name the world is now richly preserved. And the tottering summits of things are long confirmed, or, having collapsed, rise again more solidly. This he made with his own hand from your times. May I merit to serve your grace, my special Lord.\n\nLETTER II.\n\nTo the holy lord and brother, to be venerated for the apostolic see, Verus, Bishop of the city of Ruteni [L., Rutenae], Sulpicius the sinner.\n\nInsofar as the apostolic man, lord Desiderius, Bishop of the city of Cadurca, has made known to you through his letters, his men have suffered a grave injury from your deacon Perricius in his parish of Aronnacus. And we have heard that on the Kalends of April he is to have a hearing with you concerning this matter. Therefore, greeting your charity, we ask that you arrange for satisfaction to be made to lord Desiderius in such a way, if you recognize that the deacon mentioned above was negligent in this matter—as is your prudence—and if perhaps he himself says that he delayed to obey, and if it is not corrected in such a way as lord Desiderius wishes, that it be done no otherwise than at the hearing which the above-written pontiff has announced to you. Remember... that you cause your deacon, together with a surety and your written statement, to be sent to our insignificance. Meanwhile, we retain a copy of the letter with us.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Auctorem coeli praesumimus postulare","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Auctorem coeli' (Author of heaven) is a circumlocution for God, typical of late antique Christian epistolary style, emphasizing divine agency in the request for Desiderius's longevity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Perricio diacono vestro","severity":"info","text":"'Perricius' is a personal name, likely a variant of 'Perpetuus' or a local Gaulish name; the diaconal title indicates a deacon of Verus's church, central to the dispute.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Aprilis KI vobiscum exinde placidum","severity":"info","text":"The 'Kalends of April' (Aprilis KI) marks a legal hearing (placitum), reflecting Merovingian judicial practice where bishops mediated disputes; the date anchors the letter's urgency.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Epistola II","severity":"info","text":"The second letter shifts from a personal blessing to a formal ecclesiastical complaint, structured as a petition to Bishop Verus, with a request for correction or a hearing, and a retained copy for record.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"exemplar epistolae apud nos retenemus","severity":"info","text":"Sulpicius retains a copy of the letter, a common practice in early medieval correspondence to ensure accountability and preserve evidence of the complaint.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"memora·... diaconus vestro","severity":"caution","text":"The text is corrupt at 'memora·...' (likely 'memorare' or 'memorandum'), and the phrase 'diaconus vestro' lacks a verb; the English draft supplies a plausible reading, but the original is uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact reading of 'memora·...' is unclear; it may be a lacuna or abbreviation for 'memorandum' or 'memorare'. The identity of 'Perricius' and the location 'Aronnaco' are not further attested in the source edition."],"confidence":"medium","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":"Petimus vestrae dulcissimae sanctitati, ut in sanctis orationibus vestris nos memores esse dignetis.\n\nEPISTOLA III\n\nDomno semper suspiciendo, et cum omni honore venerabiliter nominando domno Desiderio papae Sulpicius peccator.\n\nSingularibus mysteriis pastorale competenter implestis officium, eo quod ad nostram parvitatem sollicitudinis destinantes affectu, dum gaudium, quod nobis ipsius resurrectionis dominicae solemnitatis principale contulit, pastoralis visitatio geminavit, in qua utrinque partim et benedictio in oblationes, et affectio praefulsit in apices. Reddentes ergo munia sospitatis, optamus, ut multiplicatis annorum curriculis, vestris mereamur et eulogiis recipi, et affatibus benedici. Annis innumeris vobis serviam, et prosperis perseverantibus polle, beatissime papa.","english":"We petition your most sweet holiness, that you deign to remember us in your holy prayers.\n\nLETTER III\n\nTo my lord, always to be looked up to, and to be named with all honor and reverence, lord Desiderius the pope, Sulpicius, a sinner.\n\nYou have competently fulfilled the pastoral office with singular mysteries, in that you have directed the concern of your solicitude to our insignificance, while the joy which the principal solemnity of the Lord's Resurrection itself conferred upon us was doubled by the pastoral visitation, in which on both sides both blessing shone forth in the offerings, and affection shone forth in the letters. Therefore, rendering the gifts of well-being, we wish that, with the courses of years multiplied, we may merit both to be received by your blessings and to be blessed by your words. May I serve you for countless years, and may you flourish with continuing prosperity, most blessed pope.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Epistola III","severity":"info","text":"This third letter is a self-contained unit with its own salutation and closing, distinct from the preceding passage which ends mid-sentence in the draft.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"eulogiis","severity":"info","text":"Eulogiis (from Greek εὐλογία) here means 'blessings' or 'consecrated gifts', often bread sent as a token of communion, not merely verbal benediction.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"apices","severity":"info","text":"Apices (literally 'tips' or 'summits') is a Late Latin term for 'letters' or 'written characters', here referring to the pope's correspondence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Desiderio papae","severity":"info","text":"Desiderius was bishop (papa) of Cahors in the early 7th century, a correspondent of Sulpicius of Bourges; the title papa was used for bishops in Gaul at this time.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Sulpicius peccator","severity":"info","text":"The self-designation 'peccator' (sinner) is a humility topos common in early medieval epistolography, echoing Pauline and patristic usage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"munia sospitatis","severity":"caution","text":"Munia sospitatis is an unusual phrase; munia may be a variant of munera (gifts) or a scribal error; the sense is 'gifts of well-being' as in the draft.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'munia sospitatis' is textually uncertain; the draft reads 'gifts of well-being' but the Latin may be corrupt or a rare usage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}