ROGER P. H. GREEN
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199284573
- eISBN:
- 9780191713804
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284573.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Sedulius is a rather shadowy figure, though he himself describes a circle of Christian devotees, probably in Italy, to which he belongs. Almost exactly one hundred years later than Juvencus – this ...
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Sedulius is a rather shadowy figure, though he himself describes a circle of Christian devotees, probably in Italy, to which he belongs. Almost exactly one hundred years later than Juvencus – this chapter includes a brief survey of the significant developments in Christian poetry in that time – Sedulius differs notably from him, concentrating for the most part on the New Testament miracles, which he elaborates with powerful rhetoric. Each of his five books is examined in turn, with particular attention to the first, introductory book, in which his ingenious and obviously admiring uses of Vergil are prominent. Sedulius's strong theological position centres on his attacks on the controversial Nestorius, but it is also clear throughout the work, that he too engages thoughtfully with the diction and artistry of Vergil (though not, it is argued, with his hero Aeneas).Less
Sedulius is a rather shadowy figure, though he himself describes a circle of Christian devotees, probably in Italy, to which he belongs. Almost exactly one hundred years later than Juvencus – this chapter includes a brief survey of the significant developments in Christian poetry in that time – Sedulius differs notably from him, concentrating for the most part on the New Testament miracles, which he elaborates with powerful rhetoric. Each of his five books is examined in turn, with particular attention to the first, introductory book, in which his ingenious and obviously admiring uses of Vergil are prominent. Sedulius's strong theological position centres on his attacks on the controversial Nestorius, but it is also clear throughout the work, that he too engages thoughtfully with the diction and artistry of Vergil (though not, it is argued, with his hero Aeneas).
Jerome J. McGann
- Published in print:
- 1988
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198117506
- eISBN:
- 9780191670961
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198117506.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
One of the difficulties which an explicitly Christian poem, or artwork, presents for criticism is its appearance of thematic uniformity. Readers of such a poem frequently seem to think that the ideas ...
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One of the difficulties which an explicitly Christian poem, or artwork, presents for criticism is its appearance of thematic uniformity. Readers of such a poem frequently seem to think that the ideas are transcendent rather than historically particular. The enormous revival of interest in Christian and even Catholic poetry which began in the Modern Period and which flourished with New Criticism did not take any serious account of the work of Christina Rossetti. This chapter asks why is it that not a single critic associated with the New Critical movement ever wrote anything about Christina Rossetti. Fortunately, the ultimate marginality of Rossetti 's particular Christian stance was to become the source of its final strength, the privilege of its historical backwardness.Less
One of the difficulties which an explicitly Christian poem, or artwork, presents for criticism is its appearance of thematic uniformity. Readers of such a poem frequently seem to think that the ideas are transcendent rather than historically particular. The enormous revival of interest in Christian and even Catholic poetry which began in the Modern Period and which flourished with New Criticism did not take any serious account of the work of Christina Rossetti. This chapter asks why is it that not a single critic associated with the New Critical movement ever wrote anything about Christina Rossetti. Fortunately, the ultimate marginality of Rossetti 's particular Christian stance was to become the source of its final strength, the privilege of its historical backwardness.
ROGER P. H. GREEN
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199284573
- eISBN:
- 9780191713804
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284573.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter begins by assembling a detailed picture of the author, based on various evidence, and this is followed by an analysis of his preface, a striking manifesto for Christian poetry. Detailed ...
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This chapter begins by assembling a detailed picture of the author, based on various evidence, and this is followed by an analysis of his preface, a striking manifesto for Christian poetry. Detailed comparison of Juvencus's poetic paraphrase with the New Testament shows how carefully he planned what to include and, no less significantly, what to omit. Epic touches in style and vocabulary, and even the occasional reconfiguration of an episode, appear often, and are illustrated with specimen passages quoted in Latin and with English translation. Further sections of the chapter illustrate the poet's keen if unobtrusive awareness of theological issues, and among other things make a case for seeing an even-handed attitude towards the Jewish nation. A final section discusses the work's particular purpose in the age of Constantine, to whom Juvencus dedicates the poem.Less
This chapter begins by assembling a detailed picture of the author, based on various evidence, and this is followed by an analysis of his preface, a striking manifesto for Christian poetry. Detailed comparison of Juvencus's poetic paraphrase with the New Testament shows how carefully he planned what to include and, no less significantly, what to omit. Epic touches in style and vocabulary, and even the occasional reconfiguration of an episode, appear often, and are illustrated with specimen passages quoted in Latin and with English translation. Further sections of the chapter illustrate the poet's keen if unobtrusive awareness of theological issues, and among other things make a case for seeing an even-handed attitude towards the Jewish nation. A final section discusses the work's particular purpose in the age of Constantine, to whom Juvencus dedicates the poem.
Karla Pollmann
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- March 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198726487
- eISBN:
- 9780191793295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198726487.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies, Religion and Literature
The conclusion highlights authority as a key for understanding early Christian poetry, predominantly focusing on the Latin West. Ancient poetry in general made the claim of divine inspiration, thus ...
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The conclusion highlights authority as a key for understanding early Christian poetry, predominantly focusing on the Latin West. Ancient poetry in general made the claim of divine inspiration, thus deriving authority from a supernatural source. Accordingly, it based the validity of its message on a foundation beyond argument, which has consequences both for the relationship between poets and their poems, as well as between poems and their readers. In Christian late antiquity, the divine inspiration of poetry had to be renegotiated, and as a consequence authorities, aesthetics, and arguments had to be given a new role and a new foundation in the Christian poetic discourse. The conclusion summarizes the various possibilities and their consequences, also looking at the issue in terms of how far pagan poetry already foreshadowed such a development. This fresh programmatic perspective invites a changed appreciation and evaluation of early Christian poetry in general.Less
The conclusion highlights authority as a key for understanding early Christian poetry, predominantly focusing on the Latin West. Ancient poetry in general made the claim of divine inspiration, thus deriving authority from a supernatural source. Accordingly, it based the validity of its message on a foundation beyond argument, which has consequences both for the relationship between poets and their poems, as well as between poems and their readers. In Christian late antiquity, the divine inspiration of poetry had to be renegotiated, and as a consequence authorities, aesthetics, and arguments had to be given a new role and a new foundation in the Christian poetic discourse. The conclusion summarizes the various possibilities and their consequences, also looking at the issue in terms of how far pagan poetry already foreshadowed such a development. This fresh programmatic perspective invites a changed appreciation and evaluation of early Christian poetry in general.
Marc Mastrangelo
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199355631
- eISBN:
- 9780199355655
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199355631.003.0014
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The ancient “quarrel between philosophy and poetry,” articulated anew as a quarrel between poetry and theology, became fundamental to the Christian conception of literature in the fourth through ...
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The ancient “quarrel between philosophy and poetry,” articulated anew as a quarrel between poetry and theology, became fundamental to the Christian conception of literature in the fourth through sixth centuries of the Latin West. Mediated through patristic literature, a Platonist critique of poetry dominated, denying poetry’s claims to truth and conferring upon poetry a secondary intellectual status. This chapter argues that Boethius counters this critique by merging poetic and philosophical discourses in order to renew poetry’s claims to truth and to develop a dualist poetics in which poetry shares in unifying the human and the divine. Finally, the chapter suggests that Boethius’s use of poetry in the consolatio helps to clarify the poetics of early Christian poets, among them Prudentius, whose work, like the consolatio, reflects a rapprochement between the poeta and the theologus, a development that Dante, Petrarch, and Milton would take for granted.Less
The ancient “quarrel between philosophy and poetry,” articulated anew as a quarrel between poetry and theology, became fundamental to the Christian conception of literature in the fourth through sixth centuries of the Latin West. Mediated through patristic literature, a Platonist critique of poetry dominated, denying poetry’s claims to truth and conferring upon poetry a secondary intellectual status. This chapter argues that Boethius counters this critique by merging poetic and philosophical discourses in order to renew poetry’s claims to truth and to develop a dualist poetics in which poetry shares in unifying the human and the divine. Finally, the chapter suggests that Boethius’s use of poetry in the consolatio helps to clarify the poetics of early Christian poets, among them Prudentius, whose work, like the consolatio, reflects a rapprochement between the poeta and the theologus, a development that Dante, Petrarch, and Milton would take for granted.
Karla Pollmann
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- March 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198726487
- eISBN:
- 9780191793295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198726487.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies, Religion and Literature
The Introduction offers a broad setting of the stage regarding the state of research in the still under-researched field of early Christian poetry. By challenging both classicists for whom this ...
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The Introduction offers a broad setting of the stage regarding the state of research in the still under-researched field of early Christian poetry. By challenging both classicists for whom this literature tends to be ‘too late’, and theologians for whom this literature does not bear sufficient relevance regarding exegetical and dogmatic issues it emphasizes the need for an unbiased look at late antiquity and its insufficient qualification as a period of ‘decline’. Inter- and transdisciplinary literary theories like reception aesthetics and intertextuality, littérature au second degré and the general blossoming of reception studies in classics in recent years enable the fruitful study of early Christian poetry from a fresh perspective. This will not only fill a considerable gap in our knowledge of the history of European literature, mentality, and thought, but will also enable a better understanding of later literature in this tradition, from Beowulf to Milton’s Paradise Lost.Less
The Introduction offers a broad setting of the stage regarding the state of research in the still under-researched field of early Christian poetry. By challenging both classicists for whom this literature tends to be ‘too late’, and theologians for whom this literature does not bear sufficient relevance regarding exegetical and dogmatic issues it emphasizes the need for an unbiased look at late antiquity and its insufficient qualification as a period of ‘decline’. Inter- and transdisciplinary literary theories like reception aesthetics and intertextuality, littérature au second degré and the general blossoming of reception studies in classics in recent years enable the fruitful study of early Christian poetry from a fresh perspective. This will not only fill a considerable gap in our knowledge of the history of European literature, mentality, and thought, but will also enable a better understanding of later literature in this tradition, from Beowulf to Milton’s Paradise Lost.
Aaron Pelttari
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452765
- eISBN:
- 9780801455001
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452765.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
When we think of Roman Poetry, the names most likely to come to mind are Vergil, Horace, and Ovid, who flourished during the age of Augustus. The genius of Imperial poets such as Juvenal, Martial, ...
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When we think of Roman Poetry, the names most likely to come to mind are Vergil, Horace, and Ovid, who flourished during the age of Augustus. The genius of Imperial poets such as Juvenal, Martial, and Statius is now generally recognized, but the final years of the Roman Empire are not normally associated with poetic achievement. Recently, however, classical scholars have begun reassessing a number of poets from Late Antiquity—names such as Ausonius, Claudian, and Prudentius—understanding them as artists of considerable talent and influence. This book offers the first systematic study of these fourth-century poets since Michael Robert's foundational The Jeweled Style. It is the first to give equal attention to both Christian and Pagan poetry and the first to take seriously the issue of readership. Like the Roman Empire, Latin literature was in a state of flux during the fourth century. As the book shows, the period marked a turn towards forms of writing that privilege the reader's active involvement in shaping the meaning of the text. In the poetry of Ausonius, Claudian, and Prudentius we can see the increasing importance of distinctions between old and new, ancient and modern, forgotten and remembered. The strange traditionalism and verbalism of the day often concealed a desire for immediacy and presence. We can see these changes most clearly in the expectations placed upon readers. The space that remains is the space that the reader comes to inhabit, as would increasingly become the case in the literature of the Latin Middle Ages.Less
When we think of Roman Poetry, the names most likely to come to mind are Vergil, Horace, and Ovid, who flourished during the age of Augustus. The genius of Imperial poets such as Juvenal, Martial, and Statius is now generally recognized, but the final years of the Roman Empire are not normally associated with poetic achievement. Recently, however, classical scholars have begun reassessing a number of poets from Late Antiquity—names such as Ausonius, Claudian, and Prudentius—understanding them as artists of considerable talent and influence. This book offers the first systematic study of these fourth-century poets since Michael Robert's foundational The Jeweled Style. It is the first to give equal attention to both Christian and Pagan poetry and the first to take seriously the issue of readership. Like the Roman Empire, Latin literature was in a state of flux during the fourth century. As the book shows, the period marked a turn towards forms of writing that privilege the reader's active involvement in shaping the meaning of the text. In the poetry of Ausonius, Claudian, and Prudentius we can see the increasing importance of distinctions between old and new, ancient and modern, forgotten and remembered. The strange traditionalism and verbalism of the day often concealed a desire for immediacy and presence. We can see these changes most clearly in the expectations placed upon readers. The space that remains is the space that the reader comes to inhabit, as would increasingly become the case in the literature of the Latin Middle Ages.
Robin Whelan
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780520295957
- eISBN:
- 9780520968684
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520295957.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter explores the limits to the importance of heresiological distinctions in the kingdom’s social and political life. It argues that elite individuals could use their Christian piety to ...
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This chapter explores the limits to the importance of heresiological distinctions in the kingdom’s social and political life. It argues that elite individuals could use their Christian piety to display their social status in spite of contemporary ecclesiastical controversy. Apart from specific moments that required a courtier or aristocrat to define their Christian faith more exactly, the nature of courtly and aristocratic social interaction and the limits of government enforcement provided ample scope for artful dissimulation regarding doctrinal or ecclesiastical affiliation. The evidence of Christian martyrology, poetry, letters, and tombs is adduced to demonstrate that elite Christians, both Vandal and Romano-African, found ways to claim a determinedly Christian prestige that was nonetheless potentially acceptable to other members of the religiously heterogeneous elite.Less
This chapter explores the limits to the importance of heresiological distinctions in the kingdom’s social and political life. It argues that elite individuals could use their Christian piety to display their social status in spite of contemporary ecclesiastical controversy. Apart from specific moments that required a courtier or aristocrat to define their Christian faith more exactly, the nature of courtly and aristocratic social interaction and the limits of government enforcement provided ample scope for artful dissimulation regarding doctrinal or ecclesiastical affiliation. The evidence of Christian martyrology, poetry, letters, and tombs is adduced to demonstrate that elite Christians, both Vandal and Romano-African, found ways to claim a determinedly Christian prestige that was nonetheless potentially acceptable to other members of the religiously heterogeneous elite.
Ad Putter
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199587230
- eISBN:
- 9780191820410
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199587230.003.0017
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter focuses on the works of Prudentius and the tradition of late classical biblical epic exemplified by the poets Juvencus, Proba, Sedulius, Arator, and Avitus, with particular reference to ...
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This chapter focuses on the works of Prudentius and the tradition of late classical biblical epic exemplified by the poets Juvencus, Proba, Sedulius, Arator, and Avitus, with particular reference to their place in the history of classical reception. This place is doubly important. On the one hand, their verse provided a filter through which pagan classics, most notably Virgil, were transmitted to the Christian West; on the other hand, these poets themselves achieved canonical status. Particular attention is paid to the use of biblical epics in the school curriculum of the early Middle Ages, and to their influence on both Old and Middle English narrative and lyric verse.Less
This chapter focuses on the works of Prudentius and the tradition of late classical biblical epic exemplified by the poets Juvencus, Proba, Sedulius, Arator, and Avitus, with particular reference to their place in the history of classical reception. This place is doubly important. On the one hand, their verse provided a filter through which pagan classics, most notably Virgil, were transmitted to the Christian West; on the other hand, these poets themselves achieved canonical status. Particular attention is paid to the use of biblical epics in the school curriculum of the early Middle Ages, and to their influence on both Old and Middle English narrative and lyric verse.
Gianfranco Agosti
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- December 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198728788
- eISBN:
- 9780191795510
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198728788.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This paper studies the reception of the Homeric Hymns in some pagan and Christian poets of Late Antiquity. It offers some methodological remarks on ‘quotations’ or ‘allusions’ and re-use of epic ...
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This paper studies the reception of the Homeric Hymns in some pagan and Christian poets of Late Antiquity. It offers some methodological remarks on ‘quotations’ or ‘allusions’ and re-use of epic code; and on the need to distinguish between instances of epic language reused by Late Antique poets and actual quotations or borrowings from the Homeric Hymns. After an overall view on the presence of the Hymns in some major poets of Late Antiquity (especially Nonnus of Panopolis, Proclus, the Orphic Argonautica), I deal with the reception of the Hymns to Hermes, whose presence can be detected in papyri, inscriptions and highbrow poems (either pagans or Christians) from the second century until the fifth century AD. I argue that in Late Antiquity the concept of epic code was extended to the whole Homeric corpus, probably by the influence of school education.Less
This paper studies the reception of the Homeric Hymns in some pagan and Christian poets of Late Antiquity. It offers some methodological remarks on ‘quotations’ or ‘allusions’ and re-use of epic code; and on the need to distinguish between instances of epic language reused by Late Antique poets and actual quotations or borrowings from the Homeric Hymns. After an overall view on the presence of the Hymns in some major poets of Late Antiquity (especially Nonnus of Panopolis, Proclus, the Orphic Argonautica), I deal with the reception of the Hymns to Hermes, whose presence can be detected in papyri, inscriptions and highbrow poems (either pagans or Christians) from the second century until the fifth century AD. I argue that in Late Antiquity the concept of epic code was extended to the whole Homeric corpus, probably by the influence of school education.
