The Patrologia Latina · Volume XIII
The Pope of the Catacombs
Volume 13 spans the generation that made Christianity the law of the empire: Pope Damasus’ letters and his verse epitaphs for the martyrs, the furious exile pamphlets of Lucifer of Cagliari, Pacian of Barcelona — “Christian is my name, Catholic my surname” — the first papal decretal, the ancient Roman calendars, and the laws of Theodosius. We are translating every one into English.
About this volume
The generation that established the church
Damasus became bishop of Rome in 366 AD after a violently contested election, and spent his eighteen years monumentalizing the church’s memory: his verse inscriptions for the martyrs’ tombs — cut into the catacombs by the calligrapher Filocalus, whose ancient calendar this volume also carries — begin Christian epigraphic poetry, and his commission to his secretary Jerome to revise the Latin Gospels began the Vulgate. His successor Siricius issued the letter to Himerius of Tarragona in 385 AD that stands as the first surviving papal decretal.
Around the popes stand the fighters and pastors of the age: Lucifer of Cagliari, exiled by Constantius II, hurling pamphlets at the emperor himself — On Apostate Kings, That We Must Die for the Son of God — stuffed with quotations of the pre-Vulgate Latin Bible; the Luciferian petition of Faustinus and Marcellinus with Theodosius’ answering rescript; Pacian of Barcelona’s letters on penance and the catholic name; the chronologies of Hilarianus; Pacatus’ panegyric of Theodosius; and the emperor’s own laws on religion, from Cunctos Populos onward.
As across the whole project, we translate the original works only, in fresh English, and give them away free to read.
Where to start
Three to begin with
The epitaphs
The Epigrams
Carmina
The pope’s verse epitaphs for the martyrs, cut into the catacomb walls — the beginning of Christian epigraphic poetry.
Read →The defiance
For Saint Athanasius
Pro Sancto Athanasio
Two books hurled at a reigning emperor in defense of the exiled Athanasius, by the most uncompromising bishop of the age.
Read →The definition
Three Letters to Sympronian
Epistolae Tres ad Sympronianum
“Christian is my name, Catholic my surname” — the letters that defined catholicity against rigorism.
Read →The contents
33 works
Each is a fresh English translation from the Latin, free to read online, in the order Migne printed them.
- 01
The Letters and Decrees of Pseudo-Felix II Epistolae et Decreta
Twenty-one canons on accusing and trying bishops, framed as correspondence between Rome and Athanasius, but composed long after Felix II's own lifetime.
24 ch. Read free → - 02
On the Trinity, or On the Faith against the Arians De Trinitate sive De Fide contra Arianos
Written for an empress seeking arguments against Arian teaching, this treatise defends the Son's true divinity and eternal generation through a barrage of scriptural proof-texts.
45 ch. Read free → - 03
The Faith of Faustinus the Presbyter, Presented to the Emperor Theodosius Fides
A short creed presented to Emperor Theodosius, defending one divine substance against both Arian and Sabellian error.
2 min Read free → - 04
The Book of Prayers Against Damasus Libellus Precum ad Imperatores Valentinianum, Theodosium et Arcadium
A petition from two persecuted Luciferian presbyters recounting Rome's bloody schism between Damasus and Ursinus and decades of suffering for the unyielding faithful.
31 ch. Read free → - 05
Rescript of Theodosius in Favor of Faustinus and Marcellinus Rescriptum Theodosii pro Marcellino et Faustino
Emperor Theodosius' reply to a plea from two Luciferian presbyters, granting them protection while withholding endorsement of their separatist stance.
3 min Read free → - 06
The Letters of Pope Damasus I Epistolae
Rome's bishop defends the Nicene faith, condemns rival claimants at Constantinople, and sets Jerome to work on Scripture.
42 ch. Read free → - 07
The Epigrams of Pope Damasus I Carmina
Pope Damasus's own verse inscriptions for the tombs of Rome's apostles and martyrs, many still cut in stone by the calligrapher Filocalus.
56 ch. Read free → - 08
The Apocryphal Letters of Pope Damasus Opera Apocrypha
Six forged papal letters on canon law and church discipline, circulated under Pope Damasus's name but composed centuries after his death.
15 ch. Read free → - 09
The Catalogue of Roman Pontiffs down to Liberius Catalogus Romanorum Pontificum sub Liberio Descriptus
An anonymous fourth-century list of the bishops of Rome from Peter to Liberius, with calendars recording where earlier bishops and martyrs were buried.
2 ch. Read free → - 10
The Panegyric on Theodosius Panegyricus Pacati Theodosio Dictus
A pagan orator's speech to the Roman Senate in 389 AD praising Theodosius and his defeat of the usurper Maximus.
75 min Read free → - 11
Selected Decrees of Theodosius the Great Concerning Religion Selecta Theodosii de Religione Decreta
A working anthology of Theodosius the Great's religious laws, from Sunday rest and Nicene orthodoxy to the suppression of heresy and pagan sacrifice.
20 ch. Read free → - 12
The Synodical Letter of the Council of Constantinople to the Emperor Theodosius Epistola Concilii Constantinopolitani Oecumenici ad Theodosium Imperatorem
The bishops assembled at Constantinople report to Theodosius their restored unity, their confirmation of the Nicene faith, and their newly issued canons.
2 min Read free → - 13
The Two Letters of Vigilius of Trent Epistolae Duae
A bishop's eyewitness account of three missionaries martyred by pagan villagers in the Alpine valleys near Trent.
2 ch. Read free → - 14
Ancient Documents Relating to the History of the Arians Monumenta Vetera ad Arianorum Doctrinam Pertinentia
A documentary dossier of imperial letters, synodal decrees, and doctrinal fragments from the fourth-century Arian controversy and the Damasus-Ursinus schism at Rome.
82 ch. Read free → - 15
The Ancient Calendars of Filocalus and Polemius Silvius Duo Kalendaria Antiqua
Two Roman calendars from 354 and 448 AD, marking feast days, games, weather lore, and the earliest known record of Christmas on December 25.
6 ch. Read free → - 16
Letter of Lucifer, Pancratius, and Hilary to Eusebius of Vercelli Epistola ad Eusebium Episcopum Vercellensem
A brief joint letter urging the newly returned Bishop Eusebius of Vercelli to hasten his arrival and rout the Arian faction there.
1 min Read free → - 17
Letter of Pope Liberius to Lucifer in Exile Epistola ad Luciferum in Exsilio Constitutum
Pope Liberius writes from his own exile to console Lucifer of Cagliari, honoring his fellow bishop's suffering as a confessor's crown.
2 min Read free → - 18
On Not Assembling with Heretics De Non Conveniendo cum Haereticis
Lucifer of Cagliari's exiled protest to Emperor Constantius, arguing scripture-by-scripture why Catholics could never unite with Arians in worship.
61 min Read free → - 19
On Apostate Kings De Regibus Apostaticis
A defiant bishop in exile marshals apostate biblical kings—Gideon to Manasseh to Ahab—to warn Constantius that God's judgment delays but does not fail.
60 min Read free → - 20
In Defense of Saint Athanasius, to the Emperor Constantius Pro Sancto Athanasio Libri Duo
Lucifer of Cagliari's blistering two-book appeal to Constantius, defending the exiled Athanasius through an unbroken chain of scriptural precedent.
3 ch. Read free → - 21
The Correspondence of Lucifer of Cagliari and Florentius Epistolae cum Florentio
A brief exchange between an imperial official and the exiled bishop over a codex sent to the emperor in Lucifer's name.
3 ch. Read free → - 22
That Pardon Is Not to Be Granted to Those Who Sin Against God De Non Parcendo in Deum Delinquentibus
Lucifer of Cagliari marshals scripture from Moses to the Maccabees to tell the Arian emperor Constantius that apostasy must never be forgiven.
148 min Read free → - 23
That One Must Die for the Son of God Moriendum Esse pro Dei Filio
A Sardinian bishop in exile tells the Arian emperor Constantius that Christians would rather die than deny Christ's divinity.
66 min Read free → - 24
Two Letters of Athanasius to Lucifer of Cagliari Athanasius ad Luciferum Epistolae Duae
Two letters in which the exiled Athanasius praises Lucifer of Cagliari's confession and reports the Arians' manhunt for clergy and monks.
2 ch. Read free → - 25
The Faith of Lucifer and the Faith of Faustinus Appendix: Fides S. Luciferi et Fides Faustini
Two short professions of Trinitarian faith attributed to Lucifer of Cagliari and the Luciferian presbyter Faustinus, addressed to Emperor Theodosius.
2 ch. Read free → - 26
Three Letters to Sympronian Epistolae Tres ad Sympronianum
Three letters from a fourth-century Spanish bishop defending the name "Catholic" and the Church's power to forgive repentant sinners against a Novatianist critic.
45 ch. Read free → - 27
An Exhortation to Penance Paraenesis ad Poenitentiam
A pastoral sermon urging sinners toward public penance, distinguishing everyday faults from the three capital sins of apostasy, murder, and fornication.
12 ch. Read free → - 28
Sermon on Baptism Sermo de Baptismo
A bishop's sermon to baptismal candidates tracing humanity's bondage under sin to freedom won through Christ's death and resurrection.
7 ch. Read free → - 29
On the Duration of the World Chronologia sive Libellus de Mundi Duratione
A late fourth-century chronology that counts every year from Creation to calculate exactly how soon the world would end.
19 ch. Read free → - 30
The Exposition on the Day of Easter and the Month Expositum de Die Paschae et Mensis
An early Latin treatise calculating the date of Easter from the reckoning of sun and moon, completed in 396 AD.
16 ch. Read free → - 31
The Letters and Decrees of Pope Siricius Epistolae et Decreta
The earliest surviving papal decretal anchors this collection of Pope Siricius' rulings on baptism, clerical celibacy, ordination, and doctrinal disputes.
32 ch. Read free → - 32
Synodical Letter of the Council of Constantinople to Pope Damasus Epistola Synodica ad Damasum Papam
The bishops of the Second Ecumenical Council write to Rome explaining their faith, their new appointments, and why they could not all make the journey west.
7 ch. Read free → - 33
The Calendar of the Church of Carthage Kalendarium Ecclesiae Carthaginensis
A bare liturgical calendar recording the martyrs' feast days and bishops' depositions once kept as annual anniversaries by the Church of Carthage.
5 min Read free →
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