Tuesday 15 October 2013

The Texts attributed to Priscillian

Most scholars are agreed that Priscillian is the author of some writings which are still extant. Among these are:-
A codex (Mp. th. Q.3) now in the library of the University of Würzburg.
Usually known as The Würzburg Tractates. (1)

Canons on the 14 Pauline Epistles which are included in 22 different manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate with an introduction by Priscillian himself. Unfortunately we only have a version expurgated and reworked by an unknown bishop calling himself 'Peregrinus'. He clearly states in his introduction, preceding that of Priscillian, that he has removed all possible heretical content and ideas, and that the "work [is] restored to the right doctrine". (2) 

A Fragment quoted in Orosius. This is a supposed quote from the teaching of Priscillian quoted in the Commonitorium de errore Priscillianistarum et Origenistarum which was sent by Orosius from Spain to Augustine in Hippo in the year 416 A.D. (3). Chadwick gives a good exposition of this in Priscillian pp.191 - 4

There are two other documents which reflect Priscillianist teaching and theology but their style and inelegant phraseology set them apart from the elegance of the Tractates and most scholars accept that their author(s) were other than Priscillian.
 These are "On the Trinity of the Catholic Faith" extant in a single document in the Bibliotheque de Laon (4) and the "Prologues of the Monarchians" found in a number of manuscripts of Jerome's Vulgate.(5)

We are fortunate that Marco Conti has given us an excellent translation of all these works in the form of a diglot with the English translation facing the original Latin text. with this we are able to read the words of Priscillian himself, and perhaps form our own judgement on the heretical nature of his teaching and practice.
 
(1) Marco Conti. Priscillian of Ávila - The Complete Works. Oxford Early Christian Texts 2010 (1st Edition) pp. 14 - 17 and pp. 32 - 163
(2) Conti. p. 17 - 19 and p.165 - ff.
(3) Conti. p. 19 and pp. 210 - 211
(4) Conti. pp. 19 - 20 and pp. 212 - 249
(5) Conti. pp. 20 -21 and pp. 250 - 257

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