{"slug":"tmp829.tmp829.opp-lat1","id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp829.tmp829.opp-lat1","title":"(De Gratia Dei Et Libero Voluntatis Arbitrio/) Liber in Quo Proferuntur Auctoritates Episcoporum, etc. / S. PROSPERI AQUITANI LIBER CUI TITULUS PRÆTERITORUM SEDIS APOSTOLICÆ EPISCOPORUM AUCTORITATES, DE GRATIA DEI ET LIBERO VOLUNTATIS ARBITRIO","title_source":"(De Gratia Dei Et Libero Voluntatis Arbitrio/) Liber in Quo Proferuntur Auctoritates Episcoporum, etc. / S. PROSPERI AQUITANI LIBER CUI TITULUS PRÆTERITORUM SEDIS APOSTOLICÆ EPISCOPORUM AUCTORITATES, DE GRATIA DEI ET LIBERO VOLUNTATIS ARBITRIO","author":"Prosperus Aquitanus","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":"2026-11-15T06:26:40Z","cost_usd":0.005535},"source":{"registry_id":"latin:ogl-pl:tmp829.tmp829.opp-lat1","work_id":"tmp829.tmp829.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/tmp829/tmp829/tmp829.tmp829.opp-lat1.xml"},"stats":{"passages":11,"english_words":2534,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":10669,"commentary_units":63,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":20,"work_notes":6,"external_links":0,"timeline":4},"summary":{"work":"tmp829.tmp829.opp-lat1","abstract":"This work, attributed to Prosper of Aquitaine, is a florilegium of patristic and papal authorities, especially from the Roman see, arguing for the coexistence of grace and free will. It targets both Pelagian and extreme Augustinian positions during the Semi-Pelagian controversy in Gaul (ca. 431–435). The text survives in multiple manuscripts, often appended to Augustinian collections, and its title varies. It was cited in medieval canon law and by scholastics like Gratian. Attribution to Prosper is traditional but disputed; some scholars see it as a later compilation. The edition lacks a critical apparatus for patristic citations; readers should consult Chéné (1972) for textual details.","historical_context":"Composed ca. 431–435 in Gaul, during the Semi-Pelagian controversy following Augustine's death (430). Prosper, a lay theologian and supporter of Augustine, compiled this florilegium to defend Augustinian grace against critics who accepted the condemnation of Pelagius and Caelestius but opposed Augustine's teachings. The work collects authorities from popes (e.g., Innocent I, Zosimus) and African councils, integrating North African conciliar authority into papal tradition. It survives in Latin manuscripts, often appended to Augustinian florilegia, with varying titles. Its transmission reflects its use in medieval canon law collections and by scholastics like Gratian. The attribution to Prosper is traditional but not universally accepted; some scholars question whether the florilegium is his own composition or a later compilation.","significance":"The work is a key witness to the 5th-century Semi-Pelagian controversy and the development of Augustinianism. It shaped medieval theological compilations and canon law, influencing later debates on grace and free will. Its florilegial form and use of papal authorities prefigure later scholastic methods.","timeline":[{"date":"ca. 431–435","event":"Composition during the Semi-Pelagian controversy in Gaul."},{"date":"5th c.","event":"Transmission in Latin manuscripts, often appended to Augustinian florilegia."},{"date":"12th c.","event":"Cited in Gratian's Decretum, influencing medieval canon law."},{"date":"1972","event":"Critical edition by J. Chéné published."}],"relations":[{"work":"Augustine, De gratia et libero arbitrio","relation":"Provides theological foundation for the florilegium's argument.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Prosper of Aquitaine, Epistula ad Augustinum","relation":"Related as another work by Prosper defending Augustinian grace.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Gratian, Decretum","relation":"Cites this work as a witness to papal teaching on grace.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Council of Carthage (418)","relation":"Canons cited in the florilegium, later approved by the Roman see.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Pelagius, Libellus fidei","relation":"Opposing position condemned in the florilegium.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["Attribution to Prosper is traditional but disputed; some scholars see it as a later compilation.","Date is approximate (ca. 431–435) based on the Semi-Pelagian controversy; no precise date is known.","Title varies across manuscripts; the work is sometimes called 'Liber de gratia Dei et libero arbitrio' or 'Praeteritorum sedis apostolicae episcoporum auctoritates'.","The edition lacks a critical apparatus for patristic citations; consult Chéné (1972) for textual details."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000446,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:26:40Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Open Greek and Latin Patrologia Latina","url":"https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/patrologia_latina-dev/blob/master/data/tmp829/tmp829/tmp829.tmp829.opp-lat1.xml"}],"checks":{"work":"tmp829.tmp829.opp-lat1","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":11,"translated":11,"commentary_passages":11,"commentary_units":63,"english_words":2534,"source_letters":10605,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work collects patristic and papal authorities (especially from the Roman see) to argue that grace and free will coexist, countering both Pelagian and extreme Augustinian positions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Transmitted under Prosper’s name, the work survives in multiple manuscripts, often appended to collections of Augustinian florilegia. Its title varies across witnesses.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Composed ca. 431–435, during the Semi-Pelagian controversy in Gaul. Prosper, a lay theologian and supporter of Augustine, compiled these authorities to defend Augustinian grace against critics.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Cited in medieval canon law collections and by later scholastics (e.g., Gratian) as a witness to papal teaching on grace. Its florilegial form influenced later theological compilations.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The work’s attribution to Prosper is traditional but not universally accepted; some scholars question whether the florilegium is his own composition or a later compilation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This edition does not collate all manuscript variants or provide a critical apparatus for the patristic citations. Readers should consult the critical edition by J. Chéné (1972) for textual details.","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: 11 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":11},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"S. PROSPERI AQUITANI LIBER CUI TITULUS PRÆTERITORUM SEDIS APOSTOLICÆ EPISCOPORUM AUCTORITATES, DE GRATIA DEI ET LIBER0 VOLUNTATIS ARBITRIO a.\n\nPraefatio.\n\nAlias CAPUT III.\n\nQuia nonnulli qui catholico nomine gloriantur, in damnatis autem haereticorum sensibus, seu pravitate, sive imperitia demorantes, piissimis disputatoribus obviare præsumunt; et cum Pelagium atque Cælestium anathematizare non dubitent, magistris tamen nostris, tamquam necessarium modum excesserint, obloquuntur, eaque tantummodo sequi et probare profitentur, quæ sacratissima beati apostoli Patri sedes contra inimicos gratiæ Dei, per ministerium praesulum suorum sanxit, et docuit: necessarium fuit diligenter inquirere, quid rectores Romanæ Ecclesiæ, de hæresi, quæ eorum tempori bus exorta fuerat, judicarint, et contra nocentissimos liberi arbitrii defensores, quid de gratia Dei sentiendium esse censuerint: ita ut etiam Africauorum conciliorum quasdam sententias jungeremus, quas utique suas fecerunt apostolici antistites, cum probarunt. Ut ergo plenius, qui in aliquo dubitant, instruantur, constitutiones sanctorum Patrum compendioso manifestamus indiculo,.ano si quis non nimium est contentiosus, agnoscat omnium disputationum connexionem ex hac subditarum auctoritatum brevitate pendere, nullamque sibi contradictionis superesse rationem, si cum catholicis credat et dicat:","english":"The Book of Prosper of Aquitaine, Entitled: The Authoritative Statements of the Bishops of the Apostolic See of Former Times, on the Grace of God and the Free Will of the Will.\n\nPreface.\n\nOtherwise Chapter III.\n\nBecause some who glory in the Catholic name, but who linger in the condemned opinions of heretics, whether through depravity or ignorance, presume to oppose the most pious disputants; and although they do not hesitate to anathematize Pelagius and Caelestius, they nevertheless speak against our teachers, as if they had exceeded the necessary measure, and they profess to follow and approve only those things which the most sacred See of the blessed Apostle Peter, against the enemies of the grace of God, through the ministry of its bishops, decreed and taught: it was necessary to inquire diligently what the rulers of the Roman Church judged concerning the heresy which had arisen in their times, and what they determined ought to be thought concerning the grace of God against the most harmful defenders of free will: so that we might also join certain sentences of the African councils, which the apostolic bishops certainly made their own when they approved them. Therefore, so that those who doubt in some matter may be more fully instructed, we set forth in a compendious index the constitutions of the holy Fathers, and if anyone is not overly contentious, he will recognize that the connection of all disputations depends on this brevity of the appended authorities, and that no reason for contradiction remains for him, if he believes and says with the Catholics:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Praefatio. Alias CAPUT III.","severity":"info","text":"The heading indicates that this preface is also known as Chapter III, suggesting a complex textual history where the preface was later renumbered or incorporated into a chapter structure.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"nonnulli qui catholico nomine gloriantur, in damnatis autem haereticorum sensibus ... demorantes","severity":"info","text":"This describes semi-Pelagians who accepted the condemnation of Pelagius and Caelestius but opposed Augustine's teachings on grace, a key controversy in 5th-century Gaul.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"liber0","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text has 'liber0' which is likely a typographical error for 'libero' (free), as in the title 'De Gratia Dei et Libero Voluntatis Arbitrio'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Africauorum conciliorum quasdam sententias","severity":"info","text":"Prosper includes African council decrees, which the Roman see later approved, showing the integration of North African conciliar authority into papal tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"nullamque sibi contradictionis superesse rationem","severity":"info","text":"Prosper asserts that the compiled authorities leave no room for contradiction, framing the work as a definitive collection that resolves the grace-free will debate.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Alias CAPUT III' is ambiguous: it may indicate that the preface was later designated as chapter 3 in some manuscript tradition, or that it serves as an alternative heading.","The Latin 'liber0' is a textual corruption; the intended reading is 'libero' (free)."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"INCIPIT LIBER.\n\nCAPITULUM I. Alias CAPUT IV.\n\nQuod Adam omnes homines læserit, nec quemquam, nisi Christi gratia posse salvari.\n\nIn praevaricatione Adæ omnes homines naturalem possibilitatem et innocentiam perdidisse, et neminem de profundo illius ruinae per liberum arbitrium posse consurgere, nisi eum gratia Dei miserantis erexerit: pronuntiante beatae memoriæ papa Innocentio, atque dicente in epistola ad Cathaginense concilium (Vide inter epist. Innoc. tomo nostro XX): * Liberum enim arbitrium ille perpessus, dum suis inconsultius utitur bonis, cadens in prævaricationis profunda demersus est; et nihil, quemadmodum exinde surgere posset invenit: suaque in æternum Blibertate deceptus, hujus ruinæ latuisset oppressu nisi eum post Christi pro sua gratia relevasset adventus, qui per novæ regenerationis purificationem, omne præteritum vitium sui baptismatis lavacro purgavit.","english":"Here begins the book.\n\nChapter I. Otherwise Chapter IV.\n\nThat Adam harmed all men, and that no one can be saved except by the grace of Christ.\n\nIn the transgression of Adam all men lost natural ability and innocence, and no one can rise from the depth of that ruin through free will, unless the grace of a merciful God has raised him up: as declared by Pope Innocent of blessed memory, saying in his letter to the Council of Carthage: \"For free will was suffered by him, who, using his goods too rashly, fell and was submerged in the depths of transgression; and he found nothing by which he could rise from that state; and, deceived by his own liberty, he would have lain crushed by this ruin forever, had not the coming of Christ afterwards raised him up by his grace, who, through the purification of new regeneration, cleansed all past vice by the washing of his baptism.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"INCIPIT LIBER. CAPITULUM I. Alias CAPUT IV.","severity":"info","text":"The heading indicates that this chapter is numbered both as Chapter I and as Chapter IV, suggesting a dual numbering system or a later redivision of the work.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"naturalem possibilitatem et innocentiam","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'natural ability and innocence' denotes the prelapsarian state of humanity, lost through Adam's sin, and is central to Prosper's argument against Pelagian views on human capacity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"per novae regenerationis purificationem, omne praeteritum vitium sui baptismatis lavacro purgavit","severity":"info","text":"This passage echoes the New Testament concept of baptismal regeneration (cf. Titus 3:5, John 3:5) and the cleansing of sin, though no direct citation is given.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"epistola ad Cathaginense concilium","severity":"info","text":"Pope Innocent I's letter to the Council of Carthage (416 AD) condemned Pelagian views on free will and grace, providing a key patristic authority for Prosper's argument.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"pronuntiante beatae memoriae papa Innocentio","severity":"info","text":"Prosper invokes Pope Innocent I as a revered authority, reflecting the early 5th-century reception of papal statements as normative in the grace controversy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"nisi eum post Christi pro sua gratia relevasset adventus","severity":"caution","text":"The Latin text is slightly awkward; 'post Christi pro sua gratia relevasset adventus' may be a scribal error or compression, but the sense is clear: Christ's coming raised humanity by grace.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The dual numbering 'Caput I. Alias Caput IV' is ambiguous: it may reflect a later editorial reorganization or a parallel numbering system within the manuscript tradition."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"CAPITULUM II. Alias CAP. V..\n\nQuod nemo sit bonus suis viribus, nisi participatione ejus qui solus est bonus.\n\nNeminem esse per semetipsum bonum, nisi participationem sui ille donet, qui solus est bonas: quod in eisdem scriptis ejusdem pontificis sententia protestatur dicens (Vide ubi supra), Nom quid nos de eorum posthac rectum mentibus æstimemus, qui sibi se putant e debere quod boni sunt, nec illium considerant cujus quotidie gratiam consequuntur, a qui sine illo tantum se assequi posse confidunt?\n\nCAPITULUM III. Alias CAP. VI.\n\nQuod nisi gratia Dei continua juvemur, insidias diaboli superare non possumus.\n\nNeminem etiam baptismatis gratia renovatum, — — idoneum esse ad superandas diaboli insidias, et ad vincendas carnis concupiscentias, nisi per quotidianum adjutorium Dei perseverantiam bonae conversationis acceperit: quod ejusdem antistitis in iisdem paginis doctrina confirmat dicens (Vide ubi supra): Nam quamvis hominem redemerit a præteritis ille peccatis; tamen sciens illum iterum posse peccare, ad reparationem sibi, quemadmodum posset illum et post ista corrigere. multa servavit: quotidiana præstat ille remedia, quibus nisi freti, confisique nitamur, nullatenus humanos vincere poterimus errores. Necesse est enim ut quo auxiliante vincimut, eo iterum non adjuvante vincamur.","english":"Chapter II. Otherwise Chapter V.\n\nThat no one is good by his own strength, except by participation of him who alone is good.\n\nThat no one is good through himself, unless he who alone is good grants him participation in himself: which is attested in the same writings of the same pontiff by a sentence declaring (See above), \"Let us not henceforth think rightly of those who suppose that they owe it to themselves that they are good, and do not consider him whose grace they daily receive, and who trust that they can achieve so much without him?\"\n\nChapter III. Otherwise Chapter VI.\n\nThat unless we are continually aided by the grace of God, we cannot overcome the snares of the devil.\n\nThat no one, even renewed by the grace of baptism, is fit to overcome the snares of the devil and to conquer the lusts of the flesh, unless he receives through the daily help of God the perseverance of good conduct: which the teaching of the same bishop in the same pages confirms, saying (See above): \"For although he has redeemed man from his past sins, yet knowing that he can sin again, he has kept many things for his own restoration, as he could also correct him after these things. He provides daily remedies, relying and trusting upon which, if we do not lean, we will by no means be able to overcome human errors. For it is necessary that, by whose help we conquer, without whose help we are conquered.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"CAPITULUM II. Alias CAP. V.","severity":"info","text":"The double numbering (Alias CAP. V.) indicates that this chapter corresponds to a different chapter in another manuscript tradition or edition, reflecting the fluid organization of Prosper's florilegium.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"participationem","severity":"info","text":"The term 'participationem' (participation) echoes the Platonic and Augustinian language of sharing in the divine goodness, central to Prosper's argument that human goodness derives from God alone.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"nisi participatione ejus qui solus est bonus","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'qui solus est bonus' (who alone is good) alludes to the biblical concept of God as the sole source of goodness, possibly echoing Psalm 136:26 or Wisdom 7:30, though no direct citation is given.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Innocent","severity":"info","text":"Pope Innocent I (401–417) is the pontiff cited; his letters against Pelagianism, especially to the Council of Carthage (416), provided key authorities for Prosper's argument on grace and free will.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"quotidianum adjutorium Dei","severity":"info","text":"The concept of 'daily help of God' (quotidianum adjutorium Dei) was later influential in medieval discussions of grace, particularly in the works of Thomas Aquinas and the Council of Trent.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Vide ubi supra","severity":"caution","text":"The repeated reference 'Vide ubi supra' (see above) suggests that the source text is not fully quoted here; the reader must consult the earlier part of the work for the complete papal statement, which may affect interpretation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin 'bonas' in 'qui solus est bonas' is likely a scribal error for 'bonus' (good), as the context requires the nominative singular masculine form.","The phrase 'ad reparationem sibi' is ambiguous: it may mean 'for his own restoration' (referring to God) or 'for restoration to himself' (referring to man); the translation follows the former reading."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"CAPITULUM IV. Alias CAP. VII.\n\nQuod per Christum libero bene utamur arbitrio.\n\nQuod nemo, nisi per Christum, libero bene utatur arbitrio, idem magister in epistola ad Milevitanum concilium data praedicat, dicens (Vide ubi supra): Adverte tandem, o pravissimarum mentium perversa doctrina, quod primum hominem ita libertas ipsa decepit, ut dum indulgentius frenis ejus utitur, in prævaricationem præsumptione e concideret, nec ex hac potuit erui nisi ei providentia regenerationis statum pristinæ libertatis Christi Domini reformasset adventus.\n\nCAPITULUM V. Alias CAP. VIII.\n\nQuod omnia sanctorum merita dona sint Dei.\n\nQuod omnia studia et omnia opera ac merita sanctorum ad Dei gloriam laudemque referenda sint quia nemo aliunde ei placeat, nisi ex eo quod ipse donaverit. In quam nos sententiam dirigit beatae recordationis papæ Zosimi regularis auctoritas, cum scribens ad totius orbis episcopos ait (Non exstat hæc epistola), Nos autem instinctu Dei (omnia enim bona ad auctorem suum referenda sunt, unde nascunfur) ad fratrum et coepicoporum nostrorum conscientiam universa retulimus.","english":"Chapter IV. Otherwise Chapter VII.\n\nThat we make good use of free will through Christ.\n\nThat no one makes good use of free will except through Christ, the same teacher proclaims in the epistle given to the Council of Milevis, saying (See above): Observe at last, O perverse teaching of the most depraved minds, that liberty itself deceived the first man in such a way that, while he used its reins too indulgently, he fell into transgression through presumption, nor could he be rescued from this except that the providence of regeneration restored the state of his former liberty by the coming of Christ the Lord.\n\nChapter V. Otherwise Chapter VIII.\n\nThat all the merits of the saints are gifts of God.\n\nThat all the pursuits and all the works and merits of the saints are to be referred to the glory and praise of God, because no one pleases him from any other source than from what he himself has given. The regular authority of Pope Zosimus of blessed memory directs us into this opinion when, writing to the bishops of the whole world, he says (This epistle does not survive): But we, by the instinct of God (for all good things are to be referred to their author, from whom they arise), have referred everything to the conscience of our brothers and fellow bishops.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Capitulum IV. Alias CAP. VII.","severity":"info","text":"The double numbering reflects two different chapter systems in the manuscript tradition; the 'alias' indicates an alternative enumeration, likely from a later recension.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Milevitanum concilium","severity":"info","text":"The Council of Milevis (416 AD) was a North African synod that condemned Pelagianism and sought papal support; Prosper cites a letter from Pope Innocent I to that council.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"papæ Zosimi regularis auctoritas","severity":"info","text":"Pope Zosimus (417–418 AD) initially showed leniency toward Pelagius and Caelestius but later condemned them; Prosper here invokes his authority to support the Augustinian position on grace.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Non exstat hæc epistola","severity":"caution","text":"Prosper notes that Zosimus's letter to the bishops of the whole world does not survive; the citation is thus unverifiable and may be a paraphrase or invention.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"instinctu Dei","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'instinctu Dei' (by the instinct of God) echoes a key Augustinian concept: that even the will to act rightly is a divine gift, not a human achievement.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact source of the quotation attributed to Pope Innocent I (Vide ubi supra) is not specified; it may refer to a lost or composite text.","The phrase 'omnia enim bona ad auctorem suum referenda sunt, unde nascunfur' contains a possible scribal error: 'nascunfur' likely stands for 'nascuntur' (they arise)."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Hunc autem sermonem sincerissimæ veritatis luce radiantem tanto Afri episcopi honore venerati sunt, ut ita ad eumdem virum scriberent (Neque hac epistola exstat): lllud vero quod in litteris, quas in universas provincias curasti esse mittendas, posuisti dicens: « Nos tamen instinctu Dei, » etc., sic accepimus dictum, ut illos, qui contra Dei adjutorium extollunt humani arbitrii libertatem, disticlo gladio veritatis, velut cursim transiens amputares. Quid enim tam libero fecisti arbitrio, quam quod universa in nostræ humilitatis conscientiam retulisti; et tamen instinctu Dei factum esse fideliter sapienterque vidisti, veraciter fidenterque dixisti? Ideo utique quia præparatur voluntas a - Domino, ut boni aliquid præparatur voluntas a Domino, et ut boni aliquid agant, paternis inspirationibus suorum ipse tangit eordafiliorum. Quotquot enim Spiritu Dei aguntur, hi filii Dei sunt (Rom. VIII, 14): ut nec nostrum deesse sentiamus arbitrium, et in bonis quibusque voluntatis humanæ singuli. motibus, magis illius,alere non dubitemus auxilium.","english":"But this discourse, shining with the light of the most sincere truth, the African bishops honored with such great reverence that they wrote to the same man as follows (though this letter is no longer extant): \"That statement, however, which you placed in the letters you caused to be sent throughout the provinces, saying: 'We, nevertheless, by the instinct of God,' etc., we have accepted as spoken in such a way that you, as if passing swiftly by, would cut down with the two-edged sword of truth those who exalt the freedom of human will against the help of God. For what did you do with such free will as that you referred everything to the awareness of our humility; and yet you saw faithfully and wisely, and said truthfully and confidently, that it was done by the instinct of God? This is so, assuredly, because the will is prepared by the Lord, so that they may do something good; and the Lord Himself touches the hearts of His sons with paternal inspirations, that they may do something good. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Rom. 8:14): so that we may neither feel that our own will is absent, nor doubt that in every good motion of human will, the help of that One is more present.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Afri episcopi","severity":"info","text":"The African bishops referenced are those of the Council of Milevis (416 AD), a key synod in the Pelagian controversy that endorsed Augustine's anti-Pelagian positions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Quotquot enim Spiritu Dei aguntur, hi filii Dei sunt (Rom. VIII, 14)","severity":"info","text":"This citation of Romans 8:14 (Vulgate numbering) is a standard Augustinian proof-text for the necessity of divine grace, linking spiritual agency to divine sonship.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"instinctu Dei","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'instinctu Dei' (by the instinct of God) is a key term in the Pelagian debate, denoting divine prompting of the will, as opposed to purely human initiative.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"Neque hac epistola exstat","severity":"caution","text":"The parenthetical remark notes that the African bishops' letter quoted here is no longer extant, indicating a loss in the manuscript tradition of Prosper's sources.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Hunc autem sermonem...","severity":"info","text":"This passage continues the narrative of Chapter IV, presenting a quotation from the African bishops that reinforces the argument that free will is prepared by God, a structural pivot in Prosper's compilation of authorities.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'præparatur voluntas a Domino' is repeated in the Latin text, possibly a scribal duplication; the English draft treats it as a single statement. The reading here follows the English draft's simplification."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"CAPITULUM VI. Alias CAP. IX.\n\nQuod omnis sancta cogitatio et motus piæ voluntatis ex Deo sit.\n\nQuod ita Deus in cordibus hominum, atque in ipso libero operetur arbitrio, ut sancta cogitatio, pium consilium, omnisque motus bonæ voluntatis ei Deo sit, quia per illum aliquid boni possumus, sine quo nihil possumus. Ad hanc enim nos professionem idem doctor instituit, qui cum ad totius orbis episcopos de divinæ gratias opitulatione loqueretur: Quod ergo, ait (Ubi supra), tempus intervenit, quo ejus non egeamus auxitio? In omnibus igitur actibus, causisque, cogitationibus, motibus, adjutor et protector orandus est. Superbum est enim, ut quidquam sibi humana natura præsumat; clamante Apostolo: Non est nobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem, sed contra principes et potestates aeris hujus, contra spiritalia nequitiæ in cælestibus (Ephes. VI, 12). Et sicut ipse iterum dicit: Infelix ego homo, quit me liberabit de corpore mortis hujus? Gratia Dei per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum (Rom. VII, 24); et iterum. Gratia Dei sum id quod sum, et gratia ejus in me vacua non fuit, sed plus illis omnibus laboravi; non ego autem, sed gratia Dei mecum (I Cor. xv, 10).","english":"CHAPTER VI. Otherwise Chapter IX.\n\nThat every holy thought and movement of pious will is from God.\n\nThat God so works in the hearts of men, and in free will itself, that a holy thought, a pious counsel, and every movement of good will is from God, because through him we are able to do some good, without whom we can do nothing. For this same teacher instructs us to this profession, who, when speaking to the bishops of the whole world about the assistance of divine grace, says: \"What time, therefore, intervenes, in which we do not need his help? In all acts, therefore, and causes, and thoughts, and movements, the helper and protector is to be prayed to. For it is proud for human nature to presume anything for itself, with the Apostle proclaiming: 'Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the princes and powers of this air, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places' (Ephes. 6:12). And as he himself says again: 'Unhappy man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord' (Rom. 7:24); and again: 'The grace of God is what I am, and his grace in me has not been empty, but I have labored more than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God with me' (1 Cor. 15:10).","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"CAPITULUM VI. Alias CAP. IX.","severity":"info","text":"The chapter numbering is inconsistent across manuscripts; this passage is designated as Chapter VI in some traditions and Chapter IX in others, indicating a fluid textual transmission.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"sancta cogitatio et motus piæ voluntatis","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'holy thought and movement of pious will' encapsulates Prosper's argument that all interior spiritual acts originate from divine grace, not from unaided human effort.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ephes. VI, 12","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Ephes. VI, 12' corresponds to Ephesians 6:12 in the Vulgate, but modern editions place this text at Ephesians 6:12; the verse describes spiritual warfare against evil powers.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Rom. VII, 24","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Rom. VII, 24' refers to Romans 7:24, where Paul laments his inability to escape the 'body of this death' without divine grace.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"I Cor. xv, 10","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'I Cor. xv, 10' points to 1 Corinthians 15:10, though the verse numbering differs in some editions; the text emphasizes that grace is the source of the apostle's identity and labor.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"idem doctor","severity":"info","text":"The 'same teacher' refers to Augustine of Hippo, whose writings on grace and free will were foundational for Prosper's compilation of authoritative statements against Pelagianism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The chapter numbering (VI or IX) is uncertain due to manuscript variation.","The phrase 'idem doctor' is ambiguous but contextually identifies Augustine."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"CAPITULUM VII. Alias CAP. X.\n\nQuod gratia Dei non solum peccata dimittat, sed etiam adjuvet ne committantur, et praestet ut lex implea tur; non sicut ait Pelagius, facite, quasi sine gratia Dei difficilius possit impleri.\n\nIllud etiam quod intra Carthaginensis synodi decreta constitutum est, quasi proprium apostolica sedis amplectimur, quod scilicet tertio capitulo definitum est (Vide append. p. 272): Ut quicumque dixerit gratiam Dei, qua justificamur per Jesum Claristum Dominum nostrum, ad solam remissionem peccatorum valere, quæ jam commissa sunt, non etiam ad adjutorium, ut non committantur, anathema sit. Et iterum quarto capitulo: Ut quisquis dixerit, gratiam Dei per Jesum Christum propter hoc tantum nos adjuvare ad non peccandum, quia A per ipsum nobis revelatur et aperitur intelliyentia mandatorum, ut sciamus quid appetere et quid vitare debeamus; non autem per illam nobis præstari, ut quod faciendum cognovimus, etiam facere diligamus atque valeamus, anathema sit. Cum enim dicat Apostolus, Scientia inflat, charitas vero ædificat (I Cor. VIII, 1), valde impium eat ut credamus, ad eam quæ inflat nos habere gratiam Christi, et ad eam quæ ædificat non habere; cum sit utrumque donum Dei, et scire quid facere debeamus, et diligere ut faciamus, ut ædificante charitate, scientia non possit inflare. Sicut autem de Deo scriptum est, Qui docet hominem scientiam (Psal.","english":"CHAPTER VII. Otherwise Chapter X.\n\nThat the grace of God not only forgives sins, but also assists so that they are not committed, and provides that the law may be fulfilled; not as Pelagius says, \"Do it,\" as if without the grace of God it could be fulfilled with more difficulty.\n\nWe also embrace as proper to the apostolic see that which is established within the decrees of the Council of Carthage, namely what is defined in the third chapter (See appendix p. 272): That if anyone says that the grace of God, by which we are justified through Jesus Christ our Lord, avails only for the remission of sins that have already been committed, and not also for assistance so that they are not committed, let him be anathema. And again in the fourth chapter: That if anyone says that the grace of God through Jesus Christ helps us not to sin only for this reason, that through it the understanding of the commandments is revealed and opened to us, so that we may know what we ought to seek and what we ought to avoid; but not that through it it is granted to us that we also love and are able to do what we have learned ought to be done, let him be anathema. For since the Apostle says, \"Knowledge puffs up, but charity builds up\" (1 Cor. 8:1), it is very impious to believe that we have the grace of Christ for that which puffs up, and do not have it for that which builds up; since both are a gift of God: both to know what we ought to do, and to love so that we do it, so that with charity building up, knowledge cannot puff up. Just as it is written of God, \"Who teaches man knowledge\" (Ps.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Capitulum VII. Alias CAP. X.","severity":"info","text":"The double numbering reflects two different chapter divisions in the manuscript tradition; the 'alias' signals that this chapter is also known as Chapter X in some copies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"intra Carthaginensis synodi decreta","severity":"info","text":"The Council of Carthage (418) condemned Pelagian views on grace; Prosper here cites its canons (chapters 3 and 4) as authoritative, aligning the apostolic see with conciliar decrees.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Scientia inflat, charitas vero ædificat (I Cor. VIII, 1)","severity":"info","text":"The verse is 1 Cor 8:1 in the Vulgate numbering (modern 1 Cor 8:1 is different); Prosper uses it to argue that grace is needed for both knowledge and love, countering Pelagius.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Qui docet hominem scientiam (Psal.","severity":"info","text":"The citation is incomplete; it likely refers to Psalm 94:10 (Vulgate) or similar, where God is said to teach knowledge, supporting the claim that all good knowledge is from God.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"gratia Dei","severity":"info","text":"Here 'gratia Dei' is defined as both remissive and preventive, and as enabling both knowledge and love; this counters Pelagius' view that grace only makes obedience easier.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"anathema sit","severity":"info","text":"The repeated anathemas echo the conciliar style of the Council of Carthage (418), which Prosper uses to assert that denying grace's dual role is heretical.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The incomplete Psalm citation ('Psal.') cannot be identified with certainty; it may be Psalm 94:10 (Vulgate) or another verse. The English draft supplies 'Who teaches man knowledge' but the Latin breaks off.","The phrase 'Vide append. p. 272' refers to an appendix in the source edition (ogl-pl) that is not reproduced here."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"XCIII, 10), ita etiam criptum est: Charitas ex Deo est (I Joan. IV, 7). Item quinto capitulo: Ut quisquis dixerit, ideo nobis gratiam justificationis dari, ut quod facere per liberum jubemur arbitrium, facilius possimus implere per gratiam; tamquam si gratia non daretur, non quidem facite, sed tamen possimus etiam sine illa implere divina mandata, anathema sit. De fructibus enim mandatorum Dominus loquebatur, ubi non ait, Sine me difficilius potestis facere: sed ait, Sine me nihil potestis facere (Joan. xv, 5).\n\nCAPITULUM VIII. Alias CAP. XI.\n\nQuod præter statuta sedis apostolicæ, omnes orationes Ecclesiæ Christi graliam resonant, qua genus huma num ab aeterna damnatione reparatur.\n\nPræter beatissimæ et apostolicae sedis inviolabiles sanctiones, quibus nos piissimi patres, pestiferæ novitatis elatione dejecta, et bonae voluntatis exordia, et incrementa probabilium studiorum, et in eis usque in finem perseverantiam ad Christi gratiam referre docuerunt, obsecrationum quoque sacerdotalium sacramenta respiciamus, quæ ab apostolis tradita, in toto mundo atque in omni catholica Ecclesia uniformiter celebrantur, ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi. Cum enim sanctarum plebium praesules mandata sibimet legatione fungantur apud divinam clementiam, humani generis agunt causam, et tota secum Ecclesia congemiscente, po.","english":"CHAPTER VIII. Otherwise Chapter XI.\n\nThat besides the statutes of the apostolic see, all the prayers of the Church of Christ resound with the grace by which the human race is restored from eternal damnation.\n\nBesides the inviolable sanctions of the most blessed and apostolic see, by which our most pious fathers, having cast down the pride of pestilential novelty, taught us to refer both the beginnings of good will, and the increases of praiseworthy endeavors, and perseverance in them unto the end, to the grace of Christ, let us also consider the sacraments of priestly supplications, which, handed down from the apostles, are celebrated uniformly throughout the whole world and in every catholic church, so that the law of praying establishes the law of believing. For when the presidents of the holy peoples, undertaking a legation entrusted to them, plead before divine clemency, they conduct the cause of the human race, and with the whole Church groaning together with them, [they plead]...","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Charitas ex Deo est (I Joan. IV, 7)","severity":"info","text":"The citation is from 1 John 4:7, though the Vulgate reads 'caritas' and the verse number may vary; Prosper uses it to support the divine origin of charity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Sine me nihil potestis facere (Joan. xv, 5)","severity":"info","text":"This is John 15:5, where Christ says 'without me you can do nothing,' a key proof-text for Prosper against Pelagian claims of self-sufficiency.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"gratiam justificationis","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'grace of justification' is a technical term in the Pelagian controversy, denoting the grace that enables fulfillment of divine commands, not merely forgiveness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi","severity":"info","text":"This maxim, 'the law of praying establishes the law of believing,' is a classic principle of liturgical theology, later associated with Prosper and the Rule of Faith.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"CAPITULUM VIII. Alias CAP. XI.","severity":"info","text":"The dual chapter numbering reflects a later editorial division; the passage is the eighth chapter in one tradition, eleventh in another, indicating textual fluidity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"obsecrationum quoque sacerdotalium sacramenta","severity":"info","text":"Prosper appeals to universal liturgical practice as a witness to grace, a method later influential in the development of the lex orandi, lex credendi principle.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Latin text is fragmentary at the end ('po.'), possibly a truncation of 'populus' or 'postulant'; the English draft supplies 'they plead' as a conjectural completion.","The exact source of the conciliar anathema in the first paragraph is not specified; it may derive from the Council of Carthage (418) or a related African synod."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"stulant et precantur ut infidelibus donetur fides, ut idololatrae ab impietatis suae liberentur erroribus, ut judæis, ablato cordis velamine, lux veritatis appareat, ut hæretici catholicae fidei e perceptione resipiscant, ut schismatici spiritum redivivæ charitatis accipiant, ut lapsis pœnitentiæ remedia conferantur, ut denique, catechumenis ad regenerationis sacramenta perductis, cœlestis misericordiæ aula reseretur. Haec autem non perfunctorie neque inaniter a Domino peti, rerum ipsarum monstrat effectus: quandoquidem ex omni errorum genere plurimos Deus dignatur attrahere, quos erulos de potestate tenebrarum transferat in regnum Filii charitatis suae (Coloss. I, 13), et ex vasis irae faciat vasa misericordiae (Rom. IX, 22). Quod adeo totum divini operis esse sentitur, ut haec efficienti Deo gratiarum semper actio, laudisque confessio, pro illuminatione talium vel correctione referantur.","english":"ask and pray that faith be given to the unbelievers, that idolaters be freed from the errors of their impiety, that for the Jews, the veil being removed from their heart, the light of truth may appear, that heretics may come to their senses through the reception of the catholic faith, that schismatics may receive the spirit of revived charity, that remedies of penance be conferred upon the lapsed, and finally, that for the catechumens who are led to the sacraments of regeneration, the court of heavenly mercy be opened. But that these things are not asked of the Lord perfunctorily nor in vain, the effect of the things themselves shows: since from every kind of error God deigns to draw many, whom he transfers, torn from the power of darkness, into the kingdom of his Son of love (Coloss. 1:13), and from vessels of wrath makes vessels of mercy (Rom. 9:22). This is felt to be so entirely a work of the divine operation that for the enlightenment or correction of such persons, thanksgiving and confession of praise are always rendered to the God who accomplishes these things.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"stulant et precantur","severity":"info","text":"The passage continues the list of petitions from the previous chapter, forming a single extended sentence that catalogs the Church's prayers for various groups.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Coloss. I, 13","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'regnum Filii charitatis suae' echoes Colossians 1:13, though the Vulgate reads 'regnum filii sui' without 'charitatis'; Prosper may be paraphrasing or citing a variant.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Rom. IX, 22","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'ex vasis irae faciat vasa misericordiae' alludes to Romans 9:22, where Paul speaks of vessels of wrath; Prosper adapts it to contrast wrath and mercy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"lapsis pœnitentiæ remedia","severity":"info","text":"The 'lapsed' (lapsis) refers to Christians who renounced their faith under persecution, a concern in early church discipline; Prosper lists them among those prayed for.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"rerum ipsarum monstrat effectus","severity":"info","text":"Prosper argues that the efficacy of prayer is proven by observable results, a point later echoed in semi-Pelagian debates about the role of grace and human effort.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"erulos","severity":"info","text":"The word 'erulos' (from 'eruo') means 'torn away' or 'rescued'; it emphasizes the violent separation from the power of darkness, underscoring divine agency.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'regnum Filii charitatis suae' may be a conflation of Colossians 1:13 with a liturgical or patristic expression; the exact source is uncertain.","The term 'erulos' is a rare form; the reading 'erutos' (rescued) is possible but less likely given the context of violent removal."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"CAPITULUM IX. Alias CAP. XII.\n\nQuod gratiam Dei etiam baptizandorum testetur insti tuta purgatio, cum exorcismi, et exsufflationibus spi ritus ab eis abiguntur immundi.\n\nIllud etiam quod circa baptizandos in universo mundo sancta Ecclesia uniformiter agit, non otioso contemplemur intuitu. Cum sive parvuli, sive juvenes ad regenerationis veniunt sacramentum, non prius fontem vitae adeunt, quam exorcismis el exsufflationibus clericornm spiritus ab eis immundus abigatur; ut tunc vere appareat, quomodo princeps mundi hujus mittatur foras (Joan. XII, 31), et quomodo prius alligetur fortis, et deinceps vasa ejus diripiantur (Matth. XII, 29; Marc. III, 27), in possessionem translata victoris, qui captivam ducit captivitatem (Psal. LXVII, 19), et dat dona hominibus (Ephes. iv, 8).\n\nHis ergo ecclesiasticis regulis, et ex divina sumptis auctoritate documentis, ita adjuvante Domino. conformati sumus, ut omnium bonorum affectuum, atque operum, et omnium Itudiorum, omniumque virtutum, quibus ab initio fidei ad Deum tenditur, Deum profiteamur auctorem, et non dubitemus ab ipsiusgratia omnia hominis merita praeveniri, per quem fit ut aliquid boni et velle inci. piamus et facere. Quo utique auxilio et munere Dei non aufertur liberum arbitrium, sed liberatur, ut de tenebroso lucidum, de pravo rectum, de languido sanum, de imprudente sit providum.","english":"CHAPTER IX. Otherwise Chapter XII.\n\nThat the grace of God is also attested by the instituted purification of those to be baptized, when unclean spirits are driven from them by exorcisms and exsufflations.\n\nLet us also contemplate, not with idle attention, that which the holy Church uniformly performs throughout the whole world concerning those to be baptized. For whether they are infants or young people coming to the sacrament of regeneration, they do not approach the font of life before the unclean spirit is driven from them by the exorcisms and exsufflations of the clergy; so that it may then truly appear how the prince of this world is cast out, and how the strong one is first bound, and then his vessels are plundered, transferred into the possession of the victor, who leads captivity captive and gives gifts to men.\n\nTherefore, by these ecclesiastical rules and documents derived from divine authority, with the Lord's help, we are so conformed that we profess God to be the author of all good affections and works, and of all endeavors and all virtues by which from the beginning of faith one tends toward God, and we do not doubt that all human merits are anticipated by His grace, through whom it happens that we both begin to will and to do something good. By this help and gift of God, free will is not taken away, but is liberated, so that from dark it becomes bright, from perverse it becomes right, from languid it becomes healthy, from imprudent it becomes prudent.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"CAPITULUM IX. Alias CAP. XII.","severity":"info","text":"The chapter numbering is inconsistent: the same chapter is called IX in one tradition and XII in another, likely due to divergent manuscript divisions of Prosper's work.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"princeps mundi hujus mittatur foras","severity":"info","text":"The phrase echoes John 12:31, where Christ speaks of the prince of this world being cast out, though the Vulgate wording differs slightly.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"alligetur fortis, et deinceps vasa ejus diripiantur","severity":"info","text":"This alludes to Matthew 12:29 and Mark 3:27, where binding a strong man and plundering his vessels is a metaphor for exorcism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"captivam ducit captivitatem","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'leading captivity captive' is from Psalm 68:19 (LXX), used here to describe Christ's triumph over evil.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"dat dona hominibus","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Ephesians 4:8, where Christ gives gifts to men, though the Vulgate text reads 'dedit dona'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"exorcismis et exsufflationibus","severity":"info","text":"Exsufflation (ritual blowing) was a common exorcistic practice in the early Church, especially in baptismal rites, to expel unclean spirits.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'princeps mundi hujus' may refer to Satan or to a demonic power; the reading taken is Satan as the prince of this world.","The scriptural allusions are composite and not exact quotations; the reading taken is that Prosper adapts them freely for rhetorical effect."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"Tanta enim est erga omnes homines bonilas Dei, ut nostra velit esse merita, quae sunt ipsius dona, et pro his quae largitus est, aeterna praemia sit donaturus. Agit quippe in nobis, ut quod vult et velimus et agamus; nec otiosa esse in nobis patitur, quae exercenda, non negligenda donavit; ut et nos cooperatores simus gratiae Dei; ac si quid nobis ex nostra viderimus remissione languescere, ad illurn sollicite recurramus, qui sanat omnes languores nostros, et redimit de interitu vitam nostram (Psal. cit, 5), et cui quotidie dicimus: Ne inducas nos in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo (Matth. VI, 13).!\n\nCAPITULUM X. Alias CAP. XIII.\n\nQuod profundiores quæstiones nec contemnendæ sint, nec penitus asserendæ.\n\na Profundiores vero difficilioresque partes incurentium quæstionum, quas latius pertractarunt qui hæreticis restiterunt, sicut non audemus contemnere, ita non necesse habemus astruere. Quia ad confitendam gratiam Dei, cujus operi ac dignationi nihil penitus subtrahendum est, satis sufficere credimus, quidquid secundum praedictas regulas apostolicae sedis nos scripta docuerunt, ut prorsus non opinemur catholicum, quod apparuerit præfixis sententiis esse contrarium.","english":"For so great is the goodness of God toward all men, that He wishes our merits to be those things which are His own gifts, and for those which He has bestowed, He is about to give eternal rewards. For He acts in us, so that we both will and do what He wills; nor does He permit those things which He has given to be exercised, not neglected, to be idle in us; so that we may also be co-workers with the grace of God; and if we see something in us languishing from our own remission, we may diligently have recourse to Him who heals all our weaknesses, and redeems our life from destruction (Psalm 102:5), and to whom we daily say: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13).\n\nCHAPTER X. Otherwise Chapter XIII.\n\nThat deeper questions are neither to be despised nor to be fully asserted.\n\nBut the deeper and more difficult parts of the questions that arise, which those who resisted heretics have treated more extensively, just as we do not dare to despise, so we do not have the necessity to assert. Because for confessing the grace of God, from whose work and condescension nothing at all is to be subtracted, we believe that whatever the writings of the apostolic see have taught us according to the aforementioned rules is sufficiently sufficient, so that we may not at all consider as catholic that which appears to be contrary to the fixed sentences.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Tanta est erga omnes homines bonitas Dei","severity":"info","text":"Prosper summarizes the paradox of grace and free will: God’s gifts become our merits, and He rewards us for them. This is a key Augustinian formulation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Psal. cit, 5","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Psal. cit, 5' refers to Psalm 102:5 in the Vulgate (modern Psalm 103:5), which speaks of God healing and redeeming life from destruction.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Matth. VI, 13","severity":"info","text":"The citation 'Matth. VI, 13' refers to Matthew 6:13 in the Vulgate (modern Matthew 6:13), the Lord’s Prayer petition 'Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"CAPITULUM X. Alias CAP. XIII.","severity":"info","text":"The chapter numbering varies in the manuscript tradition; this passage is labeled both Chapter X and Chapter XIII, indicating a textual variant in the division of chapters.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"apostolicae sedis nos scripta docuerunt","severity":"info","text":"Prosper appeals to the writings of the apostolic see (Rome) as authoritative for defining grace, reflecting the 5th-century appeal to papal authority in the Pelagian controversy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"profundiores vero difficilioresque partes","severity":"caution","text":"Prosper advises against asserting deeper questions, but the Latin 'astruere' (to assert) may imply a stronger rejection than the English 'fully assert' suggests; the nuance is debated.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'nostra velit esse merita, quae sunt ipsius dona' could be read as God willing our merits to be His gifts, or as God willing that our merits be those things which are His gifts; the translation takes the latter.","The chapter numbering (X or XIII) is ambiguous due to manuscript variation; the edition follows the 'alias' indication."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}