{"slug":"tmp352.tmp352.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp352.tmp352.opp-lat1","title":"Libellus De Fidei","title_source":"Libellus De Fidei","author":"Phoebaudus Aginnensis 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":"2026-11-15T06:00:12Z","cost_usd":0.001759},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp352.tmp352.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp352.tmp352.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/tmp352/tmp352/tmp352.tmp352.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":2,"english_words":492,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":1905,"commentary_units":11,"commentary_kinds":6,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":3,"work_notes":6,"external_links":0,"timeline":6},"summary":{"work":"tmp352.tmp352.opp-lat1","abstract":"The 'Libellus De Fidei' is a Latin treatise on orthodox Trinitarian faith, traditionally attributed to Phoebaudus of Agen (4th century). It defends Nicene theology against Arian subordinationism, employing creedal affirmations and negations. The work survives in a single late medieval manuscript tradition, with the earliest witness from the 9th century. Its dating is uncertain, but internal references to mid-4th-century Arian controversies suggest composition between ca. 360 and 380. The text was cited by later Gallic synods, such as the Council of Orange (529), as a patristic authority on the Trinity, and appears in Carolingian florilegia. Attribution to Phoebaudus is traditional but disputed; some scholars assign it to an anonymous Gallic author.","historical_context":"The 'Libellus De Fidei' was likely composed in Gaul during the mid- to late 4th century, a period of intense Trinitarian controversy following the Council of Nicaea (325). The work reflects the struggle between Nicene orthodoxy, which affirmed the Son's consubstantiality (homoousios) with the Father, and various Arian or semi-Arian positions that subordinated the Son. Phoebaudus, bishop of Agen, was a known Nicene supporter who participated in the Council of Rimini (359). The treatise's creedal structure echoes the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed but expands on Trinitarian theology. The manuscript tradition is sparse: the earliest surviving witness dates from the 9th century, and the text was transmitted through Carolingian florilegia and cited by the Council of Orange (529). Scribal interpolations are possible, especially in doctrinal passages. The attribution to Phoebaudus rests on a single medieval manuscript heading and is not universally accepted; some scholars posit an anonymous Gallic author.","significance":"The 'Libellus De Fidei' is a rare Gallic witness to 4th-century Nicene theology, bridging Eastern conciliar definitions and Western Latin expression. It was later used as a patristic authority in Gallic synods and Carolingian collections, influencing medieval Trinitarian doctrine. Its disputed authorship and fragmentary transmission highlight the challenges of reconstructing early Christian literary traditions.","timeline":[{"date":"ca. 325","event":"Council of Nicaea defines the Son as homoousios (consubstantial) with the Father."},{"date":"ca. 359","event":"Council of Rimini; Phoebaudus of Agen participates as a Nicene supporter."},{"date":"ca. 360–380","event":"Probable composition of the 'Libellus De Fidei' in Gaul."},{"date":"529","event":"Council of Orange cites the work as a patristic authority on the Trinity."},{"date":"9th century","event":"Earliest surviving manuscript witness of the work."},{"date":"Medieval","event":"Work appears in Carolingian florilegia but not in standard canon law collections."}],"relations":[{"work":"Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed","relation":"The Libellus follows its creedal pattern and expands on Trinitarian theology.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"John 1:14","relation":"The phrase 'Verbum caro factum' echoes this verse, foundational for Christology.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Council of Orange (529)","relation":"The work was cited as a patristic authority on the Trinity.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Carolingian florilegia","relation":"The work appears in these collections, indicating its medieval reception.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Arian controversies","relation":"The Libellus opposes Arian subordinationism and affirms Nicene orthodoxy.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The dating is uncertain; scholarly consensus places it ca. 360–380 based on internal references, but no external witness securely dates the work.","Attribution to Phoebaudus is traditional but not universally accepted; some scholars assign the work to an anonymous Gallic author.","The sole surviving manuscript tradition is late medieval; the earliest witness is from the 9th century, and scribal interpolations are possible.","This edition relies on the OGL-PL transcription, which may normalize orthography and punctuation; variant readings from other witnesses are not recorded."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000563,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:00:12Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp352/tmp352/tmp352.tmp352.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp352.tmp352.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":2,"translated":2,"commentary_passages":2,"commentary_units":11,"english_words":492,"source_letters":1905,"commentary_kinds":6},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work is a treatise on the orthodox faith, likely written by Phoebaudus of Agen (4th century). The title 'Libellus De Fidei' is conventional; the manuscript tradition is sparse.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Dating rests on internal references to Arian controversies of the mid-4th century. No external witness securely dates the work; scholarly consensus places it ca. 360–380.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The sole surviving manuscript tradition is late medieval; the earliest witness is from the 9th century. Gaps and scribal interpolations are possible, especially in doctrinal passages.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work was cited by later Gallic synods (e.g., Council of Orange, 529) as a patristic authority on the Trinity. It appears in some Carolingian florilegia but not in standard medieval canon law collections.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition does not collate all known manuscripts; it relies on the OGL-PL transcription, which may normalize orthography and punctuation. Variant readings from other witnesses are not recorded.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Attribution to Phoebaudus is traditional but not universally accepted; some scholars assign the work to an anonymous Gallic author. The ascription rests on a single medieval manuscript heading.","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":"III. LIBELLUS FIDEI.\n\nCredimus a unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, et unum unigenitum Filium ejus Deum et Dominum Salvatorem nostrum, et Spiritum sanctum Deum: non tres Deos Patrem et Filium et Spiritum sanctum, sed unum Deum esse confitemur. Non sic unum Deum, quasi solitarium, nec eumdem, qui ipse sibi Pater sit, ipse et Filius; sed Patrem verum, qui genuit Filium verum, ut est Deus de Deo, lumen de lumine, vita ex vita, perfectum de perfecto, totum a toto, plenum a pleno; non creatum, sed genitum; non ex nihilo, sed ex Patre, unius substantiae cum Patre: e Spiritum (??)ero sanctum Deum, non ingenitum, neque genitum; non creatum, nec factum; sed Patris et Filii, semper in Patre, et Filio coaeternum. Veneramur tamen unum Deum: quia ex uno Patre totum quod Patris est, natus est Filius Deus; et in Patre totum quod inest, totum genuit Filium. Pater Filium generans non minuit, nec amisit plenitudinis suae deitatem: totum autem i quod Deus Pater est, id esse et Filium ab eo natum, certissime tenentes. Cum Spiritu sancto unum Deum piissime confitemur Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum, Dei Filium, per quem omnia facta sunt, quae in coelis et quae in terra, visibilia et invisibilia: propter nostram salutem descendit de coelo; qui numquam desierit esse in coelo: natus de Spiritu sancto ex virgine Maria. Verbum caro factum non amisit quod fuerat, sed coepit esse quod non erat.","english":"III. A Little Book on the Faith.\n\nWe believe in one God, the Father almighty, and one only-begotten Son of his, God and Lord our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, God: we confess not three Gods, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, but one God. We do not affirm one God as if solitary, nor the same one who is himself Father, himself also Son; but a true Father, who begot a true Son, as God from God, light from light, life from life, perfect from perfect, whole from whole, full from full; not created, but begotten; not from nothing, but from the Father, of one substance with the Father: and the Holy Spirit, God, not unbegotten, nor begotten; not created, nor made; but of the Father and the Son, always in the Father, and coeternal with the Son. Yet we venerate one God: because from one Father, everything that is of the Father, the Son God was born; and in the Father, everything that is in him, everything begot the Son. The Father, in begetting the Son, did not diminish nor lose the fullness of his divinity: holding most certainly that everything which God the Father is, that also the Son born from him is. With the Holy Spirit we most piously confess one God, Jesus Christ our Lord, the Son of God, through whom all things were made, which are in the heavens and which are on earth, visible and invisible: for our salvation he descended from heaven; who never ceased to be in heaven: born of the Holy Spirit from the virgin Mary. The Word made flesh did not lose what it had been, but began to be what it was not.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage is a creedal confession structured as a series of affirmations and negations, following the pattern of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed but with expansions on Trinitarian theology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"unius substantiae","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'unius substantiae' (of one substance) renders the Greek 'homoousios', a key Nicene term asserting the Son's consubstantiality with the Father.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Verbum caro factum","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Verbum caro factum' echoes John 1:14, 'Et Verbum caro factum est' (And the Word became flesh), a foundational text for Christology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Phoebaudus wrote this libellus in the context of 4th-century Trinitarian controversies, opposing Arian subordinationism and affirming Nicene orthodoxy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This creedal statement was later cited in medieval florilegia as a patristic witness to the consubstantiality of the Son and the procession of the Holy Spirit.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"e Spiritum (??)ero sanctum Deum","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text has a lacuna or corruption at 'e Spiritum (??)ero sanctum Deum'; the intended reading is likely 'et Spiritum vero sanctum Deum' (and the Holy Spirit truly God).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'e Spiritum (??)ero sanctum Deum' is corrupt; the reading adopted is 'et Spiritum vero sanctum Deum' based on context and parallel creedal formulas."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"j Non demutatum sed permanentem etiam hominem natum, non putative, sed vere; non aerium, sed corporeum; non pha(??)tasticum, sed carneum; ossa, sanguinem, sensum et animam habentem; ita verum Deum et verum hominem intelligimus: ita verum hominem verum Deum fuisse nullo modo ambigimus. Confitendum est hunc cumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum adimplesse legem et prophetas, passum sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixum secundum Scripturas, mortuum et sepultum secundum Scripturas, tertia die a mortuis surrexisse, assumptum in coelos, sedere ad dexteram Patris; inde venturum judicare vivos et mortuos exspectamus. In hujus morte et sanguine mundatos remissionem peccatorum consecutos; resuscitandos nos ab eo in his corporibus et in eadem carne qua nunc sumus; sicut et ipse in eadem carne qua natus est el passus et mortuus, resurrexit: et animas cum hac carne vel corpora nostra ab eo, aut vitam aeternam, praemium boni meriti, aut sententiam pro peccatis aeterni supplicii recepturos.","english":"Not changed but remaining, and also man born, not putatively but truly; not airy but corporeal; not phantasmic but fleshy; having bones, blood, sensation, and a soul: thus we understand him to be true God and true man: thus we in no way doubt that he was true man and true God. It must be confessed that this same our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the law and the prophets, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified according to the Scriptures, died and was buried according to the Scriptures, rose from the dead on the third day, was taken up into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father; we expect him to come from there to judge the living and the dead. By his death and blood we have been cleansed and have obtained remission of sins; we are to be raised up by him in these bodies and in the same flesh in which we now are; just as he himself rose again in the same flesh in which he was born and suffered and died: and our souls with this flesh or our bodies are to receive from him either eternal life, the reward of good merit, or a sentence of eternal punishment for sins.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"non aerium, sed corporeum; non pha(??)tasticum, sed carneum","severity":"info","text":"The Latin text has a lacuna or corruption: 'pha(??)tasticum' likely represents 'phantasticum' (Greek φανταστικόν), meaning 'imaginary' or 'illusory'. This contrast with 'carneum' (fleshy) affirms Christ's real physicality against docetic or gnostic views.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"passum sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixum secundum Scripturas, mortuum et sepultum secundum Scripturas, tertia die a mortuis surrexisse","severity":"info","text":"This sequence echoes the Apostles' Creed and the New Testament passion narratives, particularly the phrase 'secundum Scripturas' (1 Cor 15:3-4) and the resurrection on the third day (1 Cor 15:4).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"resuscitandos nos ab eo in his corporibus et in eadem carne qua nunc sumus","severity":"info","text":"This affirms a physical resurrection in the same flesh, a point of contention in early Christian debates against Origenist spiritualizing and gnostic rejection of the body. Phoebaudus here aligns with the emerging orthodox consensus.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Confitendum est hunc cumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum adimplesse legem et prophetas","severity":"info","text":"This clause introduces a creedal summary of Christ's life, death, and resurrection, following the pattern of the Old Roman Creed. The phrase 'adimplesse legem et prophetas' is a distinctive addition, emphasizing Christ's fulfillment of Jewish prophecy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"et animas cum hac carne vel corpora nostra ab eo, aut vitam aeternam, praemium boni meriti, aut sententiam pro peccatis aeterni supplicii recepturos","severity":"info","text":"This eschatological statement, with its pairing of 'animas cum hac carne' and 'corpora nostra', reflects the Latin tradition's insistence on the unity of body and soul in final judgment, a theme later developed by Augustine.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin 'pha(??)tasticum' is corrupt; the intended reading is 'phantasticum' (imaginary), but the exact manuscript reading is uncertain.","The phrase 'in his corporibus et in eadem carne' could be read as referring to the same bodies and flesh we now have, or to the same kind of flesh; the translation takes it as the same individual flesh."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}