{"slug":"tmp429.tmp429.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp429.tmp429.opp-lat1","title":"De vitis apostolorum","title_source":"De vitis apostolorum","author":"Hieronymus","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":"2026-11-15T06:00:43Z","cost_usd":0.002009},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp429.tmp429.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp429.tmp429.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/tmp429/tmp429/tmp429.tmp429.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":3,"english_words":483,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":2081,"commentary_units":18,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":7,"work_notes":6,"external_links":0,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"tmp429.tmp429.opp-lat1","abstract":"De vitis apostolorum is a series of brief hagiographic sketches of the apostles, traditionally attributed to Jerome but likely compiled in the 6th–7th century during the Merovingian period. Drawing on apocryphal Acts and patristic traditions, the work describes apostolic missions, martyrdom accounts, and burial places. It survives in numerous medieval manuscripts with significant variation, indicating fluid transmission. Widely used in medieval liturgy and hagiography, it influenced later compilations such as the Legenda Aurea. The text is considered legendary rather than historical, and this edition follows the OGL-PL base text without collating all manuscript variants.","historical_context":"The work is pseudepigraphically attributed to Jerome (c. 347–420), but its composition likely dates to the 6th–7th century in Merovingian Gaul or a related Latin-speaking milieu. It was compiled from earlier apocryphal Acts (e.g., Acts of Philip, Acts of Andrew) and patristic sources, reflecting the early medieval interest in apostolic legends. The text survives in many medieval manuscripts, often appended to Jerome's authentic works, and shows significant variation across copies, suggesting a fluid transmission shaped by liturgical and hagiographic needs. The OGL-PL edition provides a base text but may not represent the earliest or most reliable witness. The work's legendary material—such as apostolic missions to Scythians, Sogdians, and Sacae—reflects ancient geographical traditions from the Black Sea to Central Asia, and its martyrdom accounts (e.g., at Aegeas in Edessa) are not corroborated by early Christian sources.","significance":"De vitis apostolorum is a key witness to the development of apostolic legends in early medieval Latin Christianity. It shaped later hagiographic compilations like the Legenda Aurea and influenced medieval liturgy and popular piety. Its fluid transmission and legendary content highlight the gap between historical apostolic traditions and medieval hagiography, making it a valuable source for studying the evolution of apostolic cults and the reception of apocryphal Acts.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 347–420","event":"Life of Jerome, to whom the work is falsely attributed."},{"date":"6th–7th c.","event":"Probable composition of De vitis apostolorum in Merovingian Gaul or Latin West."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Widespread manuscript transmission, often appended to Jerome's works."},{"date":"13th c.","event":"Influence on Legenda Aurea and other hagiographic compilations."},{"date":"Modern era","event":"OGL-PL edition published, based on a selected manuscript tradition."}],"relations":[{"work":"Legenda Aurea","relation":"Influenced by this work's apostolic legends","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Acts of Philip","relation":"Source for legendary material (e.g., Philip's burial with daughters)","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"De viris illustribus (Jerome)","relation":"Falsely attributed to Jerome, sometimes appended to this authentic work","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Sophronius' Greek version of De viris illustribus","relation":"Erasmus found a similar appendix in this version","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The attribution to Jerome is spurious; the work likely dates from the 6th–7th century, not the 4th–5th.","The OGL-PL edition may not represent the earliest or most reliable manuscript witness; significant variation exists across copies.","The text contains legendary material not corroborated by early Christian sources; treat as hagiography, not history.","Specific dates for composition are uncertain; only a broad century range is supported by evidence."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000519,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:00:43Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp429/tmp429/tmp429.tmp429.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp429.tmp429.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":3,"translated":3,"commentary_passages":3,"commentary_units":18,"english_words":483,"source_letters":2080,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work is a series of brief, hagiographic sketches of the apostles, traditionally attributed to Jerome but likely compiled from earlier sources in the 6th–7th century.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The attribution to Jerome (c. 347–420) is spurious; the text probably dates from the Merovingian period, drawing on apocryphal Acts and patristic traditions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Survives in numerous medieval manuscripts, often appended to Jerome’s authentic works; the text shows significant variation across copies, indicating a fluid transmission.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Widely used in medieval liturgy and hagiography; influenced later apostolic legends and was cited in the Legenda Aurea and other compilations.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition does not collate all known manuscript variants; the base text follows the OGL-PL edition, which may not represent the earliest or most reliable witness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The work contains legendary material (e.g., apostolic missions, martyrdom accounts) not corroborated by early Christian sources; readers should treat it as hagiography, not history.","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":"APPENDIX.\n\nQuam versioni Graecae Libri de viris Illustribus sub SOPHRONII nomine in ms. codice suo intextam (cap. 1, post cap. 1, et caetera post cap. 4) ERASMUS reperit.\n\nI. DE VITIS APOSTOLORUM,\n\nI. Andreas frater hujus 1, ut majores nostri prodiderunt, Scythis et Sogdianis et Saccis praedicavit Evangelium Domini nostri Jesu Christi, et in Sebastopoli praedicavit, quae cognominatur magna, ubi est irruptio Apsari, et Phasis fluvius: illic incolunt AEthiopes interiores 2. Supultus est autem Patris civitate Achaiae, cruci suffixus ab AEgea praefecto Edessenorum.\n\nII. Jacobus Zebedaei filius, duodecim tribus quae erant in dispersione, omnibus praedicavit Evangelium Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Interfectus est autem gladio ab Herode tetrarcha Judaeorum.\n\nIII. Philippus apostolus in Phrygia praedicat Evangelium Domini Jesu. Sepelitur Hierapoli, cum filiabus, honorifice.","english":"APPENDIX.\n\nWhich Erasmus found woven into the Greek version of the Book of Illustrious Men under the name of Sophronius in his manuscript codex (chapter 1, after chapter 1, and the rest after chapter 4).\n\nI. ON THE LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.\n\nI. Andrew, brother of this one [Peter], as our ancestors handed down, preached the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Scythians, Sogdians, and Sacae, and he preached in Sebastopolis, which is called Great, where the Apsarus breaks through and the Phasis River flows; there dwell the inner Ethiopians. He was buried in the city of Patras in Achaia, crucified by Aegeas, prefect of the Edessenes.\n\nII. James, son of Zebedee, preached the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to all the twelve tribes that were in the dispersion. He was killed by the sword by Herod, tetrarch of the Jews.\n\nIII. Philip the apostle preaches the Gospel of the Lord Jesus in Phrygia. He is buried at Hierapolis, with his daughters, honorably.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"Appendix","severity":"info","text":"This appendix is not by Jerome but was found by Erasmus in a Greek version of De viris illustribus attributed to Sophronius.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Scythis et Sogdianis et Saccis","severity":"info","text":"These peoples (Scythians, Sogdians, Sacae) are ancient groups from the Black Sea to Central Asia, reflecting legendary apostolic mission fields.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Sebastopoli","severity":"info","text":"Sebastopolis (modern Sukhumi) on the Black Sea was a Roman colony; the Apsarus and Phasis rivers are in Colchis (Georgia).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"AEgea praefecto Edessenorum","severity":"info","text":"Aegeas is the legendary proconsul of Edessa (not the Macedonian city but Edessa in Osrhoene, modern Urfa).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"I. II. III.","severity":"info","text":"The text is a numbered list of apostles, each entry giving field of mission, manner of death, and burial place.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"cum filiabus","severity":"caution","text":"Philip's burial 'with his daughters' is a legendary detail; the canonical Acts of Philip mention his daughters but not joint burial.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The appendix's relation to Jerome's original work is unclear; Erasmus found it inserted in a Greek version under Sophronius's name.","The phrase 'hujus 1' (brother of this one) likely refers to Peter, but the text does not name him explicitly."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"IV. Bartholomaeus apostolus, Indis iis qui dicuntur Fortunati praedicavit Evangelium Christi, et Evangelium quod est secundum Matthaeum eis tradidit. Dormivit autem Albanopoli oppido majoris Armeniae.\n\nV. Thomas apostolus, quemadmodum traditum est nobis, Parthis et Medis et Persis et Carmanis et Hyrcanis et Bactris et Magis praedicavit Evangelium Domini. Dormivit in civitate Calamina, quae est Indiae.\n\nVI. Simon Chananaeus, cognomento Judas, frater Jacobi episcopi, qui et successit illi in episcopatum, post obitum Jacobi cognomento Justi, vixit annos viginti supra centum. Crucifixus autem sub Trajano imperatore, mota persecutione gravi, dormivit.\n\nVII. Matthias, cum unus esset e numero Septuaginta, allectus est in ordinem undecim apostolorum, in locum Judae Iscariotae, qui fuit proditor. In altera AEthiopia 3, ubi est irruptio Apsari, et Hyssi portus, praedicavit Evangelium, cum essent homines agrestes. Et illic dormivit, et illic sepultus est, usque ad hodiernum diem.","english":"IV. The apostle Bartholomew preached the Gospel of Christ to those Indians who are called the Fortunate, and delivered to them the Gospel according to Matthew. He fell asleep at Albanopolis, a town of Greater Armenia.\n\nV. The apostle Thomas, as has been handed down to us, preached the Gospel of the Lord to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Carmanians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and Magi. He fell asleep in the city of Calamina, which is in India.\n\nVI. Simon the Canaanite, surnamed Judas, brother of James the bishop, who also succeeded him in the episcopate after the death of James surnamed the Just, lived for one hundred and twenty years. He was crucified under the emperor Trajan, when a severe persecution was stirred up, and fell asleep.\n\nVII. Matthias, being one of the number of the Seventy, was chosen into the order of the eleven apostles in the place of Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor. In another Ethiopia, where is the mouth of the Apsarus and the port of Hyssus, he preached the Gospel, the people there being rustic. And there he fell asleep, and there he was buried, up to the present day.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Bartholomaeus apostolus, Indis iis qui dicuntur Fortunati","severity":"info","text":"The 'Fortunate Indians' likely refers to the inhabitants of Arabia Felix (modern Yemen), a region sometimes identified with the legendary 'Fortunate Isles' in ancient geography.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Albanopoli oppido majoris Armeniae","severity":"info","text":"Albanopolis is traditionally identified with the city of Derbent or a site in Caucasian Albania, not Greater Armenia; the text may reflect a conflation of regions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Calamina, quae est Indiae","severity":"info","text":"Calamina is often identified with Kalyan in western India, a port city associated with the apostle Thomas's mission in early Christian tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Simon Chananaeus, cognomento Judas, frater Jacobi episcopi","severity":"info","text":"Simon the Canaanite is here identified with Jude, brother of James the Just, conflating two distinct figures: Simon the Zealot and Jude Thaddaeus.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"In altera AEthiopia 3, ubi est irruptio Apsari, et Hyssi portus","severity":"caution","text":"The 'other Ethiopia' and the port of Hyssus (likely the river Hysus in Colchis) suggest a location on the Black Sea, not sub-Saharan Africa; the text may be geographically confused.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"Matthias, cum unus esset e numero Septuaginta","severity":"info","text":"The claim that Matthias was one of the Seventy disciples, not the Twelve, is a late tradition found in Eusebius and later hagiography, diverging from Acts 1:23-26.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The location of 'Albanopolis' is ambiguous: it may refer to a city in Caucasian Albania or a site in Armenia proper.","The 'other Ethiopia' is ambiguous: it could denote a region near the Black Sea (Colchis) rather than the African Ethiopia.","The identification of Simon Chananaeus with Judas is a conflation of two distinct apostles, leaving the intended figure uncertain."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"VΠI. Timotheus autem, Ephesiorum episcopus, ordinatus a beato Paulo, ex gentibus erat, non ex circumcisione. De quo multa testatur Paulus, admonens ut honestam professionem dati sibi doni servaret, qui et gloriose illic testificatus est.\n\nIX. Titus, episcopus Cretae, in eadem et in circumjacentibus insulis praedicavit Evangelium Christi. Ibidem autem et dormivit, et sepultus est, nempe in Creta.\n\nX. Crescens in Galliis praedicavit Evangelium, et illic sepultus est. Eunuchus Candaces AEthiopum reginae in Arabia cognomento Felici, et in Taprobana insula maris Rubri praedicavit Evangelium Domini. Aiunt autem eum et ibidem martyrium pertulisse, et honorifice fuisse sepultum.","english":"VIII. Timothy, however, bishop of the Ephesians, ordained by the blessed Paul, was from the Gentiles, not from the circumcision. Concerning him Paul testifies much, admonishing him to preserve the honorable profession of the gift given to him, who also there gloriously bore witness.\n\nIX. Titus, bishop of Crete, preached the Gospel of Christ in the same place and in the surrounding islands. There also he fell asleep and was buried, namely in Crete.\n\nX. Crescens preached the Gospel in Gaul, and was buried there. The eunuch of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, preached the Gospel of the Lord in Arabia Felix, and in the island of Taprobana of the Red Sea. They say that he also suffered martyrdom there, and was honorably buried.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Timotheus autem, Ephesiorum episcopus, ordinatus a beato Paulo","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'a beato Paulo' (by the blessed Paul) reflects the author's reverential epithet for Paul, common in late antique hagiography.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ex gentibus erat, non ex circumcisione","severity":"info","text":"The distinction 'from the Gentiles, not from the circumcision' clarifies Timothy's ethnic and religious background, contrasting Jewish and Gentile Christian origins.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Crescens in Galliis praedicavit Evangelium","severity":"info","text":"Crescens is traditionally associated with the evangelization of Gaul; this entry aligns with later martyrologies, though historical details are sparse.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Eunuchus Candaces AEthiopum reginae","severity":"info","text":"The eunuch of Candace likely refers to the Ethiopian official baptized by Philip in Acts 8:27-39, here credited with missionary work in Arabia and Taprobana (Sri Lanka).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Aiunt autem eum et ibidem martyrium pertulisse","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'they say' (aiunt) signals the author's reliance on oral tradition or uncertain sources for the eunuch's martyrdom, a common hagiographic trope.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"VIII. ... IX. ... X.","severity":"info","text":"The passage continues the sequential numbering of apostles and associates, each entry following a formula: name, field of mission, and death/burial.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'Crescens' is uncertain; some traditions distinguish him from the Crescens mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:10.","The eunuch of Candace is not named here; later tradition names him as 'Simeon' or 'Bachos', but the text leaves it open."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}