VITAE PATRUM. – A Latin collection of legends of the saints, in 10 books, formed in the 6th century, edited by H. Rosweyde, Antwerp 1615 (reproduced in PL 73–74; BHL, nos. 6524–47).
The collection contains writings by St. Girolamo, Rufinus, Sulpicius Severus, Cassian, etc. The most important texts are contained in Books III, V, VI, and VII of this collection and comprise the Verba seniorum, that is, a Latin translation of a recension of the Apophthegmata patrum (v.) in Greek. The translation of Book III was wrongly attributed to Rufinus. Book V was translated by the deacon Roman Pelagius, later known as Pope Pelagius I (555–61); his work was continued by the Roman subdeacon Giovanni, and was known to Photius, who says that it was an excerpt from a larger collection (“the great Meadow”). Pascasius of Dumio, a disciple of Martin of Dumio, better known BRETAGNA (v.), also translated the Sententiae patrum Aegyptiorum. The old Apophthegmata patrum (PG 65, 71–440) are an anonymous collection of sayings and deeds of the monks of the Egyptian desert; they were collected in the 5th century and circulated in various recensions and translations throughout the Christian world. They are of the greatest importance for reconstructing the primitive spirituality of asceticism in Egypt. The history of the influence of these writings on the formation of spirituality
in subsequent centuries has not yet been written. Quotations from the Vitae patrum and Verba seniorum are frequently found in the Rule of St. Benedict.