E06985: The Greek Life of *Pachomios (Egyptian monastic founder, ob. 346, S00352) is translated into Latin by Dionysius Exiguus at Rome in the early 6th c.

Life of Saint Pachomius the Abbot (Vita sancti Pachomii abbatis, BHL 6410)

[This is a translation of an anonymous Greek Life of Pachomius.]

The preface
Dionysius begins his translation with a preface addressed to an unnamed woman whom Dionysius addresses as 'venerable lady' (domina veneranda). It begins:

Pio venerationis vestrae proposito qua valui facultate respondi, sancti Pachomii Vitam, sicut in graeco reperta est, fide translatoris exsolvens.

'I have responded to the pious request of Your Reverence with as much ability as I am able, rendering the Life of Saint Pachomius, just as it is found in Greek, with the faith of a translator.'

Dionysius goes on to describe the conflicts and hatreds which characterise secular society, then concludes the preface by paying tribute to the father of his addressee, described as 'a blessed and glorious man' (vir beatus atque gloriosus), who Dionysius says had fallen victim to such conflicts.


The translation
The exact source text used by Dionysius appears not to be extant, but it is closest to the version of the Greek Life known as G2 (BHG 1400), which represents a variant tradition from the earliest Greek Life, G1 (BHG 1396, on which see E00611), and was obviously in existence by the early 6th century. The editor of the modern edition of Dionysius' translation concluded that Dionysius used a version of G2 earlier than the one now extant (van Cranenburgh 1969, 23).


Text: van Cranenburgh 1969. Translation and summary: David Lambert.