E06983: The Greek Life of *Taisia/Thais (penitent of Egypt, S02646) is translated into Latin at Rome in the early 6th c. by Dionysius Exiguus.

Penitence of Thais (Paenitentia sanctae Taysis, BHL 8012)

This is a translation into Latin of one of the Greek accounts of the conversion of Thais, on which see $E06987.

The preface
The translation is preceded by a preface, addressed by Dionysius to an abbot named Pastor. It begins as follows:

Sanctae Thaisiae quondam meretricis mirabilem paenitentiam simplici sermone conscriptam, quam inter alios eximiae conuersationis uiros Aegyptus protulit [t]alium fecunda uirtutum, de graeco me transferre iussisti.

'You have ordered me to translate from Greek, written out in simple speech, the wonderful penitence of the holy Thaisia, the former prostitute, whom Egypt, fertile in such virtues, brought forth among the men of outstanding life.'

Dionysius goes on to talk about the importance of the story of Thais as a lesson that even the worst sinners can hope to achieve forgiveness through penitence.

The translation
Dionysius' translation is based on an anonymous Greek account of the conversion of Thais (BHG 1695), edited, with others, by F. Nau (Nau 1903, 86-112). In the Acta Sanctorum text (there is no edition more recent than this), Dionysius' translation omits the beginning of the Greek Life (which narrates Thais' early life and sale into prostitution by her mother), opening with the terse statement 'There was a certain prostitute named Thais' (Fuit quaedam meretrix nomine Thaisis) and moving immediately into the narrative of her conversion. Dionysius gives the name of the Desert Father who converts Thais as Paphnutius rather than Serapion, but otherwise follows the Greek original closely, up to the point where Serapion/Paphnutius returns to the convent where Thais had been confined. The remainder of the Greek text, describing Thais' final days and death, is reduced to a brief paraphrase.

Text: Glorie 1972 (preface); Acta Sanctorum, Oct. IV, 225 (life). Summary: David Lambert.