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 PI. 73-74; BHL, nos. 6524-47).
The collection contains writings by St. Jerome, Rufinus, Sulpicius Severus, Cassian, and others. The most important texts are found in Books III, V, VI, VII of this collection and contain the *Verba seniorum*, that is, a Latin translation of a recension of the *Apophthēgmata patrum* (q.v.) in Greek. The translation of Book III was erroneously attributed to Rufinus. Book V was translated by the deacon Pelagius Romanus, later known as Pope Pelagius I (555-61); his work was continued by the Roman subdeacon John, and was known to Photius, who states that it was an excerpt from a larger collection (the *Pratum magnum*). Paschasius of Dumium, a disciple of Martin of Dumium, better known as Martin of Braga (q.v.), also translated the *Sententiae patrum Aegyptiorum*. The older *Apophthēgmata patrum* (PG 65, 71-440) are an anonymous collection of sayings and deeds of the monks of the Egyptian desert; they were compiled 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 the following centuries has not yet been written. Quotations from the *Vitae patrum* and *Verba seniorum* are often found in the Rule of St. Benedict.