{"slug":"tmp374.tmp374.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp374.tmp374.opp-lat1","title":"Beati Filastrii Episcopi Carmen Saphicum Pentametrum","title_source":"Beati Filastrii Episcopi Carmen Saphicum Pentametrum","author":"Gaudentius Brixiae Episcopus","genre":"poetry","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":"2026-11-15T06:02:32Z","cost_usd":0.002124},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp374.tmp374.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp374.tmp374.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/tmp374/tmp374/tmp374.tmp374.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":3,"english_words":714,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":2672,"commentary_units":17,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":5,"work_notes":5,"external_links":0,"timeline":6},"summary":{"work":"tmp374.tmp374.opp-lat1","abstract":"The 'Carmen Saphicum Pentametrum' is a late antique Latin poem in Sapphic stanzas, attributed to Gaudentius, bishop of Brescia (c. 387–410). It honors Filastrius, the seventh bishop of Brixia (Brescia), and is set in northern Italy, referencing local toponyms such as the Ollius River and Lake Garda. The poem survives in a single manuscript tradition, likely from a northern Italian codex, with no early medieval liturgical or canonical citations. Its irregular strophic structure and metrical anomalies suggest a learned, classicizing composition. The edition lacks an apparatus criticus, leaving textual variants and editorial choices unverifiable.","historical_context":"The poem is traditionally assigned to the episcopate of Gaudentius of Brescia (c. 387–410), a contemporary of Filastrius, who was bishop of Brixia in the late 4th century (c. 380–397). The work likely originated in northern Italy, within a Christian community that venerated local bishops. The Sapphic meter, rare in late antique Latin hymnody, indicates a classicizing, learned milieu. The poem survives in a single manuscript tradition, probably from a northern Italian codex, but its transmission is obscure; it is not cited in early medieval liturgical or canonical collections. The source edition (ogl-pl) provides no manuscript base or collation, limiting textual criticism. The poem's local references (Clossa, Melta, Benacus) situate it firmly in the region of Brixia, suggesting a commemorative or liturgical function.","significance":"The poem is a rare witness to late antique Christian metrical practice, employing the Sapphic stanza in a local episcopal encomium. It attests to the veneration of Filastrius as a heresiographer and bishop, and to the literary culture of northern Italian Christianity in the late 4th–early 5th century. Its survival, though fragmentary, provides insight into the intersection of classical poetic forms and Christian commemorative traditions.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 380–397","event":"Episcopate of Filastrius, seventh bishop of Brixia (Brescia)."},{"date":"c. 387–410","event":"Episcopate of Gaudentius, bishop of Brescia, to whom the poem is attributed."},{"date":"c. 395–406","event":"Probable period of composition, contemporary with Gaudentius's sermons."},{"date":"Late 4th–early 5th c.","event":"Composition of the 'Carmen Saphicum Pentametrum' in northern Italy."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Survival in a single manuscript tradition, likely from a northern Italian codex."},{"date":"Modern era","event":"Limited reception; chiefly of philological interest as a witness to late antique Christian metrical practice."}],"relations":[{"work":"Sermons of Gaudentius of Brescia","relation":"Contemporary with the poem; both reflect Gaudentius's episcopal activity and literary output.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Filastrius's 'Diversarum Hereseon Liber'","relation":"Filastrius is the subject of the poem; his heresiography is a key work of late antique Christian polemic.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Late antique Latin hymnody (e.g., Ambrose of Milan)","relation":"The poem's Sapphic meter is rare in Christian hymnody, contrasting with Ambrosian hymns.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Local Brescian hagiographical traditions","relation":"The poem likely served a commemorative or liturgical function within the local church.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The poem's attribution to Gaudentius is traditional and lacks external confirmation; it may be a later ascription.","The date of composition is uncertain; it is placed in the late 4th–early 5th century based on Gaudentius's episcopate, but no precise date is known.","The poem survives in a single manuscript tradition; variants and the manuscript base are not specified in the source edition.","The text is corrupt at certain points (e.g., 'Concine (??)'), and the edition lacks an apparatus criticus, limiting textual reconstruction.","The poem's reception is limited to modern philological interest; it is not cited in early medieval liturgical or canonical collections."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000534,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:02:32Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp374/tmp374/tmp374.tmp374.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp374.tmp374.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":3,"translated":3,"commentary_passages":3,"commentary_units":17,"english_words":714,"source_letters":2672,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The title 'Carmen Saphicum Pentametrum' indicates a poem in Sapphic stanzas, a metrical form rare in late antique Latin hymnody, suggesting a learned, classicizing composition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Gaudentius was bishop of Brescia c. 387–410. The poem is traditionally assigned to his episcopate, but no external evidence confirms a precise date; it may be contemporary with his sermons (c. 395–406).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The poem survives in a single manuscript tradition, likely from a northern Italian codex. The source edition (ogl-pl) does not specify the manuscript base; variants may be lost.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The poem is not cited in early medieval liturgical or canonical collections. Its reception is limited to modern philological interest, chiefly as a witness to late antique Christian metrical practice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The edition provides no apparatus criticus or collation of witnesses. Readers cannot assess textual variants or the editor's choices in reconstructing the poem's wording.","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: poetry 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":"AD LAUDEM BEATI FILASTRII EPISCOPI CARMEN SAPHICUM PENTAMETRUM.\n\nFert lum cantum habitator omnis, Quo fluit a Clossa, fluit atque Melta, Circuit currens Ollium recurvum, Concine (??). Istius, canius modulator adsit Nostra Benaci habitans et ora: Liber, et servus; recinantque cunctis Vocibus odas.\n\nLaeta plebs cuncta populi resultet; Brixiae quisquis genitus, et hospes, Clerus, et laici populi phalanges, Sexus, et aetas, Ad melos tanti patris excitemur, Ossibus cujus fruimur perenne; Praesul et quisquis fuit in hac urbe Tempore prisco. Septimus sedis solio resedit Brixiensis hic bonus, et beatus. Nobilis, prudensque, Filastrius qui Nomine dictus. Turribus quorum genitus hic fuit, Nullus ex nobis meminit, a sapit nec: Scimus hoc sed nos, Abraham beatum\n\nEsse secutam. Rebus, et notis patria relictis, Ac fide sese comitante semper. Dogma quaesivit jugiter supernum Sensibus imis. Is vigil sacros relegendo libros, Continens, solus veluti fuisset, Instruit sese sapiens amore Valde superno. Vir bonus, simplex, bonitate fartus, Portionem qui propriam suamque Esse credebat Dominum Deumque, Sorte perenni. Sorte divina sacer est sacerdos Consecratus; tum studuit deinceps Orbis ad metas populos docere","english":"For the Praise of the Blessed Bishop Filastrius, a Sapphic Pentameter Poem.\n\nEvery inhabitant of the Clusa sings a song, whence flows the Clossa, whence flows the Melta, the Ollius runs winding in its curve, sing in harmony (??). Let a singer of this man be present, dwelling on our Benacus and its shore: free man and slave; and let them sing odes with all their voices.\n\nLet the whole joyful populace of the people resound; whoever is born in Brixia, and the guest, the clergy, and the ranks of the lay people, sex and age, let us be roused by the melody of such a father, in whose bones we delight perpetually; and every bishop who was in this city in ancient times. This good and blessed man sat as the seventh on the episcopal throne of Brixia. He was noble and prudent, who was called by the name Filastrius. From whose towers he was born, none of us remembers, nor does he know; but we know this, that he followed the blessed Abraham.\n\nHaving left behind his homeland with its property and acquaintances, and with faith always accompanying him, he sought the divine teaching with his inmost senses. This man, vigilant in reading the sacred books, continent, as if he were alone, instructed himself, a wise man with a love very much for the divine. A good man, simple, filled with goodness, who believed that the Lord and God was his own portion and his own lot. Consecrated as a priest by divine lot, he then strove to teach the peoples to the ends of the earth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Carmen Sapphicum Pentametrum","severity":"info","text":"The title identifies the meter as Sapphic pentameter, a late antique Latin lyric form. The poem's strophic structure is irregular, with lines of varying length and occasional metrical anomalies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Clossa, Melta, Ollius, Benacus","severity":"info","text":"These are local toponyms: Clossa and Melta are tributaries of the Ollius (Oglio River), and Benacus is Lake Garda. The poem situates Filastrius in the region of Brixia (Brescia) in northern Italy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Concine (??)","severity":"caution","text":"The text is corrupt at 'Concine (??)'. The reading is uncertain; it may be an imperative 'concine' (sing together) or a noun. The edition marks the lacuna with '(??)', indicating a textual crux.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Abraham beatum Esse secutam","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'he followed the blessed Abraham' likely alludes to Abraham as a model of faith and obedience (cf. Hebrews 11:8-12). It may also echo the idea of Abraham as a patriarch leaving his homeland, paralleling Filastrius's own departure.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Gaudentius Brixiae Episcopus","severity":"info","text":"The poem is attributed to Gaudentius, bishop of Brescia (late 4th–early 5th century). He was a contemporary of Filastrius and likely composed this encomium for liturgical or commemorative use, reflecting local veneration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"Septimus sedis solio resedit","severity":"info","text":"The poem states Filastrius was the seventh bishop of Brixia. This places his episcopate in the late 4th century, consistent with his known activity (c. 380-397) and his role as a heresiographer.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Concine (??)' is corrupt; the intended word or phrase is uncertain. The identity of 'Turribus quorum genitus hic fuit' (from whose towers he was born) is unclear—possibly a place name or a family reference. The poem's metrical scheme is not consistently Sapphic pentameter, suggesting textual corruption or a looser adaptation."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Dogmate sancto. Barbaras gentes Idolis recurvas, Atque Judaeos homines iniquos, Perfidos contra monitis supernis Restitit ipse Regis aeterni amabilis minister; Perfidae sectae monita magis sed Arianorum fore falsa dixit, Semper ubique Intimo sensu veluti repugnans. Sedulis flagris sua membra fundant Caesa currentem rosei coloris Saepe cruorem. Curlosus dum jugiter moneret, Impiis tantum licuit in ipsum,\n\nUt suis membris nimium referret Stigmata Christi. Sed tibi, Auxenti, miser, imperite, Restitit fortis fidei vigore, Morsibus vestris populum refellens Usque cruentis.\n\nIn fide multas populi cohortes Urbis orbem per stabilivit ipse; Brixiam donec adiit, volente Rege polorum; Et rudem, sed tunc cupidam moneri, Insciam quamquam, tamen ad docendum Firmiter promptam, studio sagaci, Ingenioque. Nam rudem plebem, maculas habentem Exuit multas veteres, novisque Induens, ipsam recreando Christo, Moribus almis. Sanctus hic vates fuit hujus aevi, Nescius pompae, Domini honoris Arduus cultor, sua non requirens; Euge, fidelis! Istius saecli vacuos honores Credidit vilis pretii fuisse, Lege sub Christi meditatus est qui Nocte dieque. Sacculi magna et pretiosa quaeque Sprevit ut parvum, nihilumque duxit; Venditores sed pretii minoris Anxerat emptor. Patris affectu patiens, ad iram Et brevis, nec non facile remittens; Dulcis, humanus, sobrius, benignus, Omnia cunctis.","english":"With holy teaching. The barbarian peoples, bent before idols, and the wicked Jewish men, treacherous against the heavenly warnings, the beloved minister of the eternal King himself withstood; he said that the teachings of the perfidious sects, but especially those of the Arians, were false, always and everywhere opposing them with his inmost feeling, as if in conflict. With constant whips his limbs, beaten, pour forth a flowing stream of rosy blood. While he tirelessly warned the curious, the impious were only permitted so much against him, that he might bear back upon his own limbs the stigmata of Christ to an excessive degree. But for you, Auxentius, wretched, unskilled one, he stood firm with the strength of faith, refuting your people with your very bloody bites.\n\nIn the faith he himself established many cohorts of people throughout the city and the world; until he came to Brixia, by the will of the King of the heavens; and the people, though untaught, yet eager to be warned, though ignorant, yet firmly ready to be taught, with shrewd zeal and natural ability. For he stripped the untaught people of many old stains they had, and clothing them anew, renewing them in Christ, with nourishing morals. This holy man was a prophet of this age, ignorant of pomp, an ardent worshiper of the Lord's honor, not seeking his own; Well done, faithful one! He believed the empty honors of this age to be of cheap value, he who meditated day and night under the law of Christ. He spurned the great and precious things of the age as small and counted them as nothing; but the buyer increased the price of the lesser goods. With a father's affection, patient to anger, and brief, nor easily forgiving; sweet, humane, sober, kind, to all.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Dogmate sancto","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Dogmate sancto' (with holy teaching) opens a new section, contrasting the preceding praise of the populace with the doctrinal stance of Filastrius.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Auxenti","severity":"info","text":"'Auxenti' refers to Auxentius of Milan, an Arian bishop opposed by Filastrius. The vocative 'miser, imperite' (wretched, unskilled one) underscores the polemical tone.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Stigmata Christi","severity":"info","text":"'Stigmata Christi' echoes the Pauline concept of bearing the marks of Christ (cf. Galatians 6:17), here applied to Filastrius's physical suffering as a sign of his faith.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Arianorum","severity":"info","text":"The Arian controversy, central to 4th-century Christianity, is the backdrop. Filastrius's opposition to Arianism aligns with the Nicene orthodoxy championed by figures like Ambrose.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"In fide multas populi cohortes","severity":"info","text":"This line marks a shift from Filastrius's suffering to his missionary success, establishing a chiastic structure: persecution (lines 1-12) then establishment of faith (lines 13-24).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Euge, fidelis!","severity":"info","text":"The exclamation 'Euge, fidelis!' (Well done, faithful one!) is a direct address to Filastrius, typical of hagiographic praise, and may reflect liturgical acclamation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Curlosus dum jugiter moneret' is unclear; 'Curlosus' may be a corruption or a proper name, but the translation treats it as 'the curious' (i.e., the inquisitive).","The line 'Venditores sed pretii minoris Anxerat emptor' is syntactically ambiguous; the translation interprets it as a contrast between spurning worldly goods and the buyer increasing the price of lesser goods."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Rectus et judex, medicusque prudens, Spiritalem qui sapuit medelam: Miscuit Baccho latices olivi, Vulnera curans. Ac pater quamvis minimis fuisset Nexior semper, tamen ipse nexos Sexus, aetatis, famulatus, atque Nobilitatis. Euge mirandus, imitandus atque! Vilis, et grati habitus fuitque: Vilitas spureo caruitque gestu, 100. Gratia fastu. Sexies terna rapuit dies quem Julii mensis, lacrymante clero; Flente sed multum populi caterva Vocibus altis. Unde nos semper meritis beatis, Credimus nostri relevarierque Fasce peccati, veniae locumque Posse tenere, Luminis Patris, Genitique si sit, Spiritus sancti, miserendo nostrum, Gratia perpes jugibus medelis Omnibus annis. Amen.","english":"A righteous man and judge, and a prudent physician, who knew the spiritual remedy: he mixed the waters of olive oil with wine, healing wounds. And although he was a father bound to the very least, he himself was always bound by sex, age, servitude, and nobility. Hail, wondrous one, and imitable! His bearing was humble and gracious: his humility lacked foul gesture, his grace lacked arrogance. The twenty-eighth day of the month of July snatched him away, with the clergy weeping; but the great crowd of the people wept with loud cries. Hence we believe that by his blessed merits we are always lightened of our burden of sin, and that we can hold a place of pardon, if the Father of Light, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in their mercy toward us, grant perpetual grace through continual remedies for all years. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"miscuit Baccho latices olivi","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'he mixed the waters of olive oil with wine' likely refers to the practice of using oil and wine as medicinal or sacramental anointings, possibly alluding to the bishop's role as a healer of souls.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"sexies terna","severity":"info","text":"'Sexies terna' means 'six times three,' i.e., eighteen, but the English draft renders it as 'the twenty-eighth day.' This discrepancy suggests a textual corruption or a variant reading; the Latin clearly indicates the 18th, not the 28th, of July.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"Julii mensis","severity":"info","text":"The mention of the month of July provides a temporal anchor for the subject's death, though the exact day is uncertain due to the numerical ambiguity (18th vs. 28th).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Euge mirandus, imitandus atque!","severity":"info","text":"This exclamatory line marks a rhetorical climax, praising the subject as both admirable and imitable, typical of hagiographic encomium.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Luminis Patris, Genitique si sit, Spiritus sancti","severity":"info","text":"The Trinitarian formula 'Father of Light, Son, and Holy Spirit' reflects orthodox Nicene theology, possibly countering Arian views mentioned earlier in the poem.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The numeral 'sexies terna' (18) conflicts with the English translation's 'twenty-eighth,' suggesting either a scribal error or a different counting convention.","The identity of the subject (Filastrius or another bishop) is not explicitly stated in this passage, though the context implies a saintly figure."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]}]}