Capitula Martini

Title	Capitula Martini
Key	?
Century	saec. VI
European region of origin	Iberian Peninsula
General region of origin	Southern Europe and Mediterranean
Specific region of origin	Braga
Main author	Fowler-Magerl, Linda

A systematically arranged collection compiled by the bishop Martin of Braga after the first council of Braga in 561 would become far better known. The author adresses his prologue to bishop Nitigisius of Lugo and to the other bishops of his own province. The collection has not survived independently. It circulated as part of the so-called Epitome Hispana and as part of the Collectio Hispana. Martin explains in his prologue that because translations of the ancient canons were inadequate he was reformulating some of the texts. He divides the collection into canons pertaining to bishops and other clerics and those pertaining to the laity. In the Hispana the Capitula are entitled as follows: Canones ex Orientalium antiquorum patrum sinodis a venerabili Martino episcopo vel ab omni Bracarensi synodo excerpti et emendati. In the eleventh century, Burchard's Liber decretorum and Ivo's Decretum attribute the Capitula to Martinus papa.

Edition and Translation

The Capitula Martini was edited by Claude W. Barlow, Martini episcopi Bracarensis opera omnia (Papers and Monographs of the American Academy in Rome 12, New Haven 1950), pp. 80–144. The prologue to the Capitula Martini was translated into English by Somerville and Brasington, Prefaces, pp. 53–54. For older 3ditions, see Kéry, Collections p. 9

Literature

Maassen, Geschichte, pp. 802–806. - Kéry, Collections pp. 8–9