Prudentius on the Martyrs

By: Anne-Marie Palmer

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Hardcover | 16 February 1989

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Hardcover
340 Pages

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21.59 x 13.97 x 2.24

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The Latin poet Prudentius, born in Spain in the mid-fourth century AD, rose to high office in the imperial secretariat in Milan. His pride in this achievement was tempered by a powerful Christian vocation to the composition of poetry, a medium largely determined by an education in the Latin classics. He is considered to be one of the greatest Christian poets of the Late Antique period. Written at a turning-point in the history of the Western Empire, his poetry gives expression to the new confidence felt by contemporary Christians. Prudentius accepted many aspects of secular poetry and combined them with the new ideals and forms of expression provided by Christianity and its growing literature. He wrote on many subjects, but it is his fourteen lyrics on martyrs, the Peristephanon, several of whom came from his native Spain, which are the subject of this book. Dr Palmer provides here, for the first time, a comprehensive study of these poems, which are so important to our understanding of the post-Constantinian period in the West. She examines the poet's life and society, investigates the purpose of the poems and their intended audience, and discusses them in relation both to the heritage of Classical literature and to sources in contemporary martyr-literature.

Industry Reviews

'the sophistication and sensitivity of its overall approach makes it indispensable reading for all students of Prudentius and the Latin poetry of Late Antiquity' Jill Harries, St Salvator's College, St Andrews, Classical Review 'This Oxford doctoral thesis is wholly worthy of its place in the series of Oxford Classical Monographs and worthy also of its subject ... this is an excellent work and an indispensable aid to understanding Prudentius and the veneration of martyrs in the West at the end of the fourth century' Henry Chadwick, Peterhouse, Cambridge, Journal of Ecclesiastical History 'she is intelligent and careful ... It is to be hoped that Palmer's book will achieve her expressed aim of enabling these poems to regain 'the recognition and appreciation they deserve' among students of Latin literature. The omens appear to be favourable.' T.D. Barnes, Journal of Theological Studies, Vol.41, No.2 'anyone interested in late antiquity will find plenty to savour, and food for much further thought, in these pages' Neil McLynn, Lincoln College, Oxford, Journal of Roman Studies LXXX 90 'this is a classicist's reading of Prudentius on the martyrs: an important reading' I.N. Wood, University of Leeds, History, Vol. 77, October 1992 'this is a classicist's reading of Prudentius on the martyrs: an important reading...' I N Wood, History, Oct 1992

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