Antiqua servare, nova quaerere — Latin Patristic texts in translation
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Sermones Tres in Nativitate Domini (c. 1100-1130 CE)
This 12th-century collection of three Christmas sermons presents sophisticated theological reflections on the Incarnation, examining the mystery of Christ's dual... -
Ethica seu Liber dictus Scito Te Ipsum (c. 1200 CE)
A 12th-century ethical treatise that revolutionized medieval moral philosophy by locating sin in intention rather than action, arguing that moral... -
Altercatio Monachi et Clerici (c. 1120 CE)
A 12th-century theological dialogue defending the right of monks to preach and teach publicly against clerical opposition. Written in debate... -
Dialogus inter Deum et Peccatorem (c. 1195-1215)
A 13th-century devotional dialogue between God and a sinner that explores themes of confession, divine mercy, and human redemption through... -
Epistolae Tres (c. 610 CE)
Three 7th-century diplomatic letters from a Visigothic count to a Frankish bishop, providing rare documentation of official correspondence between the... -
De Planctu Naturae (c. 1200 CE)
A 12th-century allegorical prosimetrum in which personified Nature laments humanity's deviation from divine order, particularly focusing on sexual transgression and... -
De Octo Vitiis (c. 600 CE)
A 6th-century monastic treatise systematically analyzing eight principal vices that corrupt the spiritual life, drawing on earlier desert fathers' wisdom... -
De cultu imaginum (c. 840)
Jonas of Orléans' "De cultu imaginum" represents a crucial moment in Western Christianity's theological defense of sacred art. Written during... -
Libellus de Ratione Inveniendi Crassitudinem Sphaerae (c. 1000)
An 11th-century mathematical treatise in which Adelbold, Bishop of Utrecht, presents his method for calculating the volume of a sphere... -
Vita Annonis Minor (c.1180)
Hagiographic biography of Archbishop Anno II of Cologne, compiled by Siegburg Abbey monks around 1180 as canonization evidence, demonstrating how... -
Conflictus de Deo Trino et Uno (c.449-451)
A theological dialogue defending Chalcedonian Christology against Monophysite objections, written during the critical period surrounding the Council of Chalcedon (451).... -
Libellus de Laude Eremi (c.428)
Eucherius of Lyon's epistle to Hilary of Arles defending the eremitical life through biblical precedents and classical rhetorical techniques, illustrating... -
De Spiritus Sancti Potentia (c.335–414)
A catechetical treatise on the power of the Holy Spirit written for baptismal candidates as part of his third instructional... -
Sermones (c.400–490)
Homiletical works that demonstrate the intersection of Lérins monastic spirituality and pastoral preaching in late antique Gaul. -
Epistola ad Childebertum (c.537-538)
Leo of Sens's letter to King Childebert I (c. 537-538) protesting the king's attempt to create a new bishopric at... -
Responsio de salute primi hominis (c.1160)
Philip of Harveng's scholastic treatise examining Adam's salvation, original sin, and human nature through systematic theological inquiry characteristic of 12th-century... -
Exorcismus (c. 500-600)
An ancient Latin exorcism prayer of unknown authorship, falsely attributed to St. Ambrose, representing one of the earliest recorded baptismal... -
Potamii Olisiponensis Tractatus de martyrio Isaiae (c. 355)
Fourth-century homiletic text in which Potamius of Lisbon examines the martyrdom of Isaiah through a combination of anatomical description and... -
De profectu mortis (c. 1200)
Renier of St. Laurent's theological treatise examines death through the lens of Christian spiritual advancement, reframing mortality not as an... -
De Fide ad Petrum (c.519)
A concise theological compendium from a leading North African bishop defending Nicene Trinitarianism, Chalcedonian Christology, and Augustinian soteriology against heretical... -
Epistolae de Sanctus Leo III Pontifex Romanus (c.800)
Letters from Pope Leo III's pontificate (795-816) illuminating the complex alliance between papal authority and Carolingian power, containing diplomatic correspondence... -
De Pelagiana Haeresi, S Leonis Magni Aevo Gliscente (c.445)
This historical-theological compilation documents Pope Leo the Great's decisive campaign against Pelagianism in 5th-century Italy, demonstrating how his papal authority... -
De Eutychiana haeresi et historia (c.450)
Leo the Great's systematic treatise addressing the Eutychian controversy, chronicling the turbulent events from Eutyches' condemnation in 448 through the... -
Libellus contra Maximum Arianum (c.484)
This 5th-century treatise by Bishop Cerealis of Castellum directly addresses Arian challenges to Nicene orthodoxy in Vandal-controlled North Africa, methodically... -
De Quatuor Voluntatibus in Christo (c.1130)
Hugh of St. Victor's treatise analyzes Christ's volitional framework through a fourfold schema: the divine will (voluntas divinitatis) directed toward... -
Liber de conceptu virginali et originali peccato (c.1099)
Anselm's theological treatise explores the intersection of the Virgin Birth and original sin, presenting a sophisticated understanding of sin as... -
Responsio de damnatione Salomonis (c.1150)
A 12th-century theological treatise by Philip of Harveng addressing the controversial question of whether King Solomon was saved or damned,... -
Passio S. Mauricii et sociorum (c.450)
A fifth-century hagiographical text by Eucherius of Lyon documenting the martyrdom of the Theban Legion, examining the theological tension between... -
Libellus emendationis (c. 418)
The Libellus emendationis, written by the Gallic monk Leporius around 418 AD, represents a pivotal theological self-retraction that addresses early... -
Epistolae et decreta Felicis Papae IV (c.530)
A comprehensive analysis of Pope Felix IV's letters and decrees (526-530 CE), revealing his influence on clerical discipline, church governance,... -
Explanatio in Ferculum Salomonis (c.853-856)
Hincmar of Rheims' allegorical commentary on Song of Songs 3:9-11, interpreting Solomon's couch as the Church united with Christ, written... -
Roriconis Constitutio (c. 961)
The Constitutio of Roricon, Bishop of Laon (961), documents his revival of the Abbey of St. Vincent after Viking devastation... -
Sancti Valerii Abbatis Opuscula (c.695)
Comprehensive analysis of Saint Valerius of Bierzo's collected works preserved in Patrologia Latina Volume 87, revealing the spiritual, literary and... -
Liber adversus Joannem Scotum (c.852)
A scholarly polemic by Florus of Lyon that methodically dismantles John Scotus Eriugena's rationalistic approach to predestination, defending Augustinian theology... -
Libellus de Waldrada (c.862)
The Libellus de Waldrada is a 9th-century legal-theological brief authored by Bishop Adventius of Metz defending King Lothar II's attempt... -
Opusculum de vigiliis servorum Dei (c.400)
A concise 4th-century treatise by Saint Nicetas of Remesiana defending nocturnal prayer vigils, long misattributed to other Church Fathers, that... -
Quomodo per annum jejunandum sit (c. 850-883)
Bertharius's 9th-century treatise on fasting from Monte Cassino systematically outlines monastic fasting practices throughout the liturgical year, including Ember Days... -
Liber de grandine et tonitruis (c.820)
An influential Carolingian treatise by Archbishop Agobard of Lyon (c. 820) refuting the widespread folk belief in weather-making sorcerers (tempestarii).... -
De Sex Dierum Creatione (c.700)
Latin text and English translation of "On the Six Days of Creation," a medieval treatise attributed to Bede that systematically... -
De glorificatione Trinitatis et processione sancti Spiritus (c.1128)
Rupert of Deutz's final major theological work defends the Western "double procession" (Filioque) doctrine through extensive biblical exegesis, presenting the... -
Liber de Synodis seu Fide Orientalium (c.358)
Hilary of Poitiers' influential theological treatise written in 358/359 AD during his exile in the East, analyzing and explaining Eastern... -
De Partu Virginis (c.847)
Carolingian monk Paschasius Radbertus's influential theological treatise defending Mary's miraculous virginity during childbirth against contemporaries who argued for a natural... -
Libri Carolini (c.790)
The Libri Carolini, commissioned by Charlemagne and authored primarily by Theodulf of Orléans, represents the Carolingian response to the Second... -
Contra Graecorum Opposita (c.868)
Latin text and English translation of Ratramnus of Corbie's influential 9th-century treatise defending Western Christianity against Byzantine criticisms during the... -
Commentaria in Apocalypsin (c.540)
Primasius of Hadrumetum's "Commentary on Revelation" represents a pivotal 6th-century work that preserved Tyconius's interpretive approach while purging it of... -
Epistola consolatoria ad Arcadium (c.437-440)
A powerful consolatory letter from Bishop Honoratus Antoninus to Arcadius, a Roman official awaiting martyrdom for refusing to renounce Nicene... -
Epistolae duae Mappinii Episcopi Remensis (c.550)
Two surviving letters from Mappinius, Bishop of Reims (c.535-550), offer a window into Merovingian ecclesiastical politics: one addresses Bishop Vilicus... -
Confessio et Confessio prolixior (c. 849)
These two confessional writings by Gottschalk of Orbais, a 9th-century Saxon monk-theologian, represent a pivotal moment in Carolingian theological controversy.... -
Concilium Rhemense praeside Seulfo (c. 923-924)
The Council of Rheims under Archbishop Seulfus (923-924) stands as a remarkable ecclesiastical response to civil war, imposing equal penance... -
Libellus de Mundi Duratione (c. 397 AD)
Hilarianus's 4th-century treatise "Libellus de Mundi Duratione" calculates a 6,000-year timeline of world history based on biblical chronology, concluding Christ... -
Epistola de cynocephalis (c.865)
Ratramnus of Corbie's 9th-century theological letter examining whether dog-headed people possess rational souls, using their cultural practices as evidence of... -
De Ordine Creaturarum (c.670-700)
A 7th-century Irish synthesis of biblical cosmology and natural philosophy that shaped medieval understanding of universal order through its hierarchical... -
Vita Sancti Odonis Abbatis Cluniacensis Secundi (c. 943)
John of Salerno's intimate 10th-century hagiography of St. Odo, written just months after the abbot's death, provides crucial insights into... -
Expositio brevis antiquae liturgiae Gallicanae (c.700)
Examines the ancient Gallican liturgy, with its distinctive ceremonial elements and theological symbolism that differed significantly from the Roman Rite... -
Defensio Eruditionis Hieronymianae (c.1700)
Latin text and English translation of Martianay's defense of St. Jerome against Jean Le Clerc's Enlightenment criticisms, revealing the clash...
About Bibliothecarius Modernus
Bibliothecarius Modernus (The Modern Librarian) is a project utilizing AI technology to translate Latin Patristic texts into accessible audio content. The focus is on making these important historical texts available to those interested in theology, church history, and Latin.
These translations are made possible through the use of AI tools including ChatGPT and Claude, with appropriate safeguards to ensure quality. Recent videos include the original Latin text to allow for comparison with the English translation.
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