The Patrologia Latina Full-Text Database
On the Internet
The Patrologia Latina Full-Text Database includes the full 221 volumes of Jacques-Paul
Migne's Patrologia Latina. This scholarly work, printed originally in the 1850's,
contains the works of Christian Latin authors from AD 200 to AD 1216. Later
commentaries on these works by other Latin authors has also been added, but
the emphasis of the database is on the original medieval and late Roman writings.
Location
The Patrologia Latina Database (PLD) on the Internet is located at http://jeeves.library.yale.edu/pld
and is accessible to anyone with a Yale IP address, that is, using a computer
which is networked through the Yale University system. The PLD is also
available on CD-ROM in the Electronic Text Center, SML 509. A comparison
of the two versions can be viewed at http://www.library.yale.edu/etc/pldcomp.html.
Searching Patrologia Latina
The online database has been divided into several different types of search
engines. These include:
- Simple Searches: This search engine allows you to search for single
word and phrase searches throughout the entire PLD. While it requires a tight
specificity in your search terms, it provides a quick, simple result.
- Boolean Searches: This search engine uses Boolean operators like
AND and NOT to locate combinations of two or three words in a given paragraph,
verse, or section. This is a good search engine for a comparative search or
a more in depth search.
- Proximity Searches: This search engine allows you to locate words
or phrases near each other, to find, for instance, every time that "Augustine"
and "Spiritus Sanctus" appear in the same paragraph. It allows for more distance
between phrases than the Boolean searches do.
- Bibliography Searches: Identify works by author and title. If the
author or title of the work is known, this may be the fastest way to locate
it.
Browsing Patrologia Latina
The last link on the opening screen allows you to browse through the contents
of the PLD database. Unfortunately, these contents are organized by volume number,
so this link will be somewhat unhelpful if you do not know the specific volume
you are looking for, since there are 221 of them.
Interpreting Results
Once you choose the appropriate search engine, you will be allowed to
enter your search terms and restrict the search by period, author, date, and
type of source. By restricting your search, you make it more likely to find
your specific term.
Once your search is entered, the results will be shown, organized by volume,
not by priority or frequency. A brief quote revealing the context of your search
term, known as a sententia, for each document will be shown. You can also view
the full text of each of the documents which are shown on the results screen
by clicking on the appropriate link; however, this will not show you the surrounding
context of your search term, but rather the complete document, making it somewhat
difficult to use.
Printing and Saving Results
To print or save a document, highlight a section of text and go to the
File menu under Netscape. Use the Print and Save commands just as you would
for a word processing document. However, more large-scale printing is not permitted
due to copyright infringements.
For More Information:
Consult the on-line help, the user manual available at the Electronic Text
Center, or ask an ETC staff member. Please be aware that the ETC also has the
Patrologia Latina Database on CD-ROM, which we recommend for more complex,
exhaustive searches. If you are unable to find what you are looking for online,
you may wish to try the CD-ROM version.
©
2000 Yale University Library
E-mail questions to
etc@yale.edu
Phone Reference (203) 432-1775/1780
© 2007 Yale University Library
This file last modified 07/16/01
Send comments to the SML Reference
Desk
