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Proverbia Aliqua

Patricius · ogl-pl

BothSourceEnglish
JSON Dossier
machine-draft · no human review 2 passages · 310 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

The Proverbia Aliqua is a collection of proverbs attributed to Saint Patrick, though this ascription is not supported by internal evidence. The style and content suggest a later, possibly Hiberno-Latin, origin. The text survives in a single 12th-century manuscript, with no earlier witnesses, and its transmission history is obscure, likely mediated through monastic compilations. Dating is uncertain; the proverbs contain no datable references, and the work may be as early as the 7th or as late as the 10th century. The proverbs were occasionally cited in medieval Irish canonical collections but never widely circulated, and there is no known liturgical use. This edition lacks a critical apparatus for variant readings, and the single-manuscript basis limits textual criticism.

The Proverbia Aliqua is significant as a rare example of a proverb collection attributed to a major saint, reflecting the medieval Irish tradition of ascribing wisdom literature to Patrick. Its survival in a single manuscript highlights the fragility of such texts and the importance of monastic transmission. The work provides insight into the moral and didactic concerns of early medieval Irish Christianity, though its uncertain dating and authorship limit its historical value.

Historical context

The Proverbia Aliqua is attributed to Patrick, the 5th-century patron saint of Ireland, but the attribution is likely spurious. The work's style and content point to a later Hiberno-Latin origin, possibly composed in an Irish monastic setting between the 7th and 10th centuries. The text survives in a single 12th-century manuscript, suggesting limited circulation and preservation within a monastic library. The proverbs were occasionally cited in medieval Irish canonical collections, indicating some use in ecclesiastical contexts, but they never achieved wide circulation or liturgical use. The transmission history is obscure, and the work's survival likely depended on the interests of a single monastic community. The lack of earlier witnesses and datable references makes precise dating impossible, and the text's origins remain speculative.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

12 commentary units 6 scripture2 structure2 term1 background1 reception 0 derived notes 3 open questions 2 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • coverageNo 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.
  • limitThe 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.
  • registerRegister: other in Latin; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 2 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: ogl-pl — Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
tmp878.tmp878.opp-lat1:1 · narrativehigh
Source
PROVERBIA ALIQUA S. PATRICII. Patricius dicit: Satius est nobis negligentes praemonere, ne delicta abundent, quam culpare quæ sunt facta. Salomon: Molius cat arguere quam irasci ( Etcli. xx, 1). Patricius ait: Non oportet judices Ecclesiæ habere timorem bominum, sed timorem Dei; quia Timor Dei principium sapientiæ est (Psal. ex, 10). Non oportet judices Ecclesiae Dei habere sapientiam hujus mundi; quia sapientia hujus mundi stultitia est apud Deum (I Cor. III, 19); sed sapientiam Dei habere. Non oportet judices Ecclesiæ munera suscipere: quia munera excæcant oculos sapientium, et mutant verba justorum (Deut. XVI, 19). Non oportet judices Ecclesiæ habere personam in judicio: quia Non est acceptio personarum apud Deum (Rom. II, 11). Non oportet judices Ecclesix cautelam sæcularem habere, sed exempla divina: quia non oportet servum Dei cautum esse vel astutum.
English
SOME PROVERBS OF SAINT PATRICK. Patrick says: It is better for us to warn the negligent beforehand, lest offenses abound, than to blame those which have been committed. Solomon: It is easier to reprove than to become angry (Ecclus. 20:1). Patrick says: The judges of the Church ought not to have fear of men, but fear of God; because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 111:10). The judges of the Church of God ought not to have the wisdom of this world; because the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God (1 Cor. 3:19); but they ought to have the wisdom of God. The judges of the Church ought not to accept gifts; because gifts blind the eyes of the wise and change the words of the just (Deut. 16:19). The judges of the Church ought not to have a personal bias in judgment; because there is no acceptance of persons with God (Rom. 2:11). The judges of the Church ought not to have worldly cunning, but divine examples; because the servant of God ought not to be cautious or crafty.
tmp878.tmp878.opp-lat1:2 · narrativehigh
Source
Non oportet judices Ecclesiæ tam veloces esse in judicio, donec sciant quam verum flat quod scriptum est: Noli judex esse cito (Prov. xxv, 8). Non oportet judices Ecclesiæ volubiles esse. Non oportet judices Ecclesiae mendacium dicere; quia magnum crimen est mendacium. Sed oportet judices Ecclesiæ rectum judicium judicare; quia in quocunque judicio judicaverint, judicabitur de eis. Patricius (ait): Exempla majorum perqaire, ubi nihil fallaciæ invenies. Patricius ait: Judices qui non recte judicant judicia Ecclesiæ, non judiccs, sed ralsatores sunt.
English
It is not fitting for judges of the Church to be so swift in judgment, until they know how true it is that is written: Be not a hasty judge (Prov. 25:8). It is not fitting for judges of the Church to be fickle. It is not fitting for judges of the Church to speak falsehood; for falsehood is a great crime. But it is fitting for judges of the Church to judge a right judgment; because in whatever judgment they have judged, judgment will be passed upon them. Patrick says: Examine the examples of the elders, where you will find no deceit. Patrick says: Judges who do not rightly judge the judgments of the Church are not judges, but falsifiers.
Citation. Tergwame, “Proverbia Aliqua”, tmp878.tmp878.opp-lat1:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/tmp878.tmp878.opp-lat1#s1
Colophon. Source: ogl-pl · licence: Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0014 · generated 2026-11-15.