Prudentius

Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (348–ca. 406) is one of the great Christian Latin writers of late antiquity. Born in northeastern Spain during an era of momentous change for both the Empire and the Christian religion, he was well educated, well connected, and a successful member of the late Roman elite, a man fully engaged with the politics and culture of his times. Prudentius wrote poetry that was deeply influenced by classical writers and in the process he revived the ethical, historical, and political functions of poetry. This aspect of his work was especially valued in the Middle Ages by Christian writers who found themselves similarly drawn to the Classical tradition. Prudentius's Hamartigenia, consisting of a 63-line preface followed by 966 lines of dactylic hexameter verse, considers the origin of sin in the universe and its consequences, culminating with a vision of judgment day: the damned are condemned to torture, worms, and flames, while the saved return to a heaven filled with delights, one of which is the pleasure of watching the torments of the damned. As Martha A. Malamud shows in the interpretive essay that accompanies her lapidary translation, the first new English translation in more than forty years, Hamartigenia is critical for understanding late antique ideas about sin, justice, gender, violence, and the afterlife. Its radical exploration of and experimentation with language have inspired generations of thinkers and poets since—most notably John Milton, whose Paradise Lost owes much of its conception of language and its strikingly visual imagery to Prudentius's poem.

An English Translation of the "Hamartigenia"

The Origin of Sin

Carmina expressa juxta editionem Arevali ...

Poems, Volume 2

Poems

Psychomachia

Aurelius Prudentius Clemens

H. J. Thomson

Prudentius (born 348 CE) used allegory and classical Latin verse forms in the service of Christianity. His works include the Psychomachia, an allegorical description of the struggle between (Christian) virtues and (pagan) vices; lyric poetry; and--a valuable source on Christian iconography--poetic inscriptions for biblical scenes on the walls of a church. Prudentius (Aurelius Prudentius Clemens) was born in 348 CE probably at Caesaraugusta (Saragossa) and lived mostly in northeastern Spain, but visited Rome between 400 and 405. His parents, presumably Christian, had him educated in literature and rhetoric. He became a barrister and at least once later on an administrator; he afterwards received some high honour from Emperor Theodosius. Prudentius was a strong Christian who admired the old pagan literature and art, especially the great Latin poets whose forms he used. He looked on the Roman achievement in history as a preparation for the coming of Christ and the triumph of a spiritual empire. The Loeb Classical Library edition of the poems of Prudentius is in two volumes. Volume I presents: Preface (Praefatio); The Daily Round (Liber Cathemerinon); 12 literary and attractive hymns, parts of which have been included in the Breviary and in modern hymnals; The Divinity of Christ (Apotheosis), which maintains the Trinity and attacks those who denied the distinct personal being of Christ; The Origin of Sin (Hamartigenia) attacking the separation of the "strict" God of the Old Testament from the "good" God revealed by Christ; Fight for Mansoul (Psychomachia), which describes the struggle between (Christian) Virtues and (Pagan) Vices; and the first book of Against the Address of Symmachus (Contra Orationem Symmachi), in which pagan gods are assailed. The second volume contains the second book of Against the Address of Symmachus, opposing a petition for the replacement of an altar and statue of Victory; Crowns of Martyrdom (Peristephanon Liber), 14 hymns to martyrs mostly of Spain; Lines To Be Inscribed under Scenes from History (Tituli Historiarum), 49 four-line stanzas which are inscriptions for scenes from the Bible depicted on the walls of a church; and an Epilogue.

Or, the Battle of the Virtues, and Vices. Translated from Aur. Prudentius Clemens

Psychomachia; the War of the Soul

Marc Mastrangelo

This new translation brings to life Prudentius' Psychomachia, one of the most widely read poems in western Europe from Late Antiquity through the Renaissance. With accompanying notes and introduction, this volume provides a fresh exploration of its themes and influence. The Psychomachia of Prudentius (348-c. 405), an allegorical epic poem of nearly 1000 lines about the battle between the virtues and the vices for possession of the human soul, led early modern scholars to refer to the late antique poet as the Christian Vergil. Combining depictions of violent, single combats with allusions to pagan epic poetry, biblical scenes, and Christian doctrine, the poem captures the dynamism of the later Roman Empire in which the pagan world was giving way to a new, Christian Europe. In this volume, the introduction sets the historical and literary context and illuminates the Psychomachia's prominent role in western literary history. Mastrangelo's translation aims to capture the rhetorical power of the author's Roman Christian Latin for the 21st century reader. The notes provide the reader with in-depth information on Prudentius' Latinity, the Roman epic tradition, and Christian doctrine. This volume is directed at students and scholars across the disciplines of comparative literature, classics, religion, and ancient and medieval studies, as well as any reader interested in the history and development of literature in the West.

Prudentius' Psychomachia

The Psychomachia of Prudentius

Rosemary Burton

Bryn Mawr Commentaries provide clear, concise, accurate, and consistent support for students making the transition from introductory and intermediate texts to the direct experience of ancient Greek and Latin literature. They assume that the student will know the basics of grammar and vocabulary and then provide the specific grammatical and lexical notes that a student requires to begin the task of interpretation.

"This new translation brings to life Prudentius' Psychomachia, one of the most widely read poems in western Europe from Late Antiquity through the Renaissance. With accompanying notes and introduction, this volume provides a fresh exploration of its themes and influence. The Psychomachia of Prudentius (348-c. 405), an allegorical epic poem of nearly 1000 lines about the battle between the virtues and the vices for possession of the human soul, led early modern scholars to refer to the late antique poet as the Christian Vergil. Combining depictions of violent, single combats with allusions to pagan epic poetry, biblical scenes, and Christian doctrine, the poem captures the dynamism of the later Roman Empire in which the pagan world was giving way to a new, Christian Europe. In this volume, the introduction sets the historical and literary context and illuminates the Psychomachia's prominent role in western literary history. Mastrangelo's translation aims to capture the rhetorical power of the author's Roman Christian Latin for the 21st century reader. The notes provide the reader with in-depth information on Prudentius' Latinity, the Roman epic tradition, and Christian doctrine. This volume is directed at students and scholars across the disciplines of comparative literature, classics, religion, and ancient and medieval studies, as well as any reader interested in the history and development of literature in the West"--

Psychomachia; the War of the Soul: or the battle of the virtues and vices

Betrifft die Handschrift Cod. 264 der Burgerbibliothek Bern (S. LXV).

Prudentius

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