[Handout] "Philosophical Education in Sidonius' Gaul"

Reading Sidonius' Epistles, 2019

Sidonius Apollinaris' letters offer a vivid series of glimpses into an otherwise sparsely documented period. His rich anecdotes feature the events, characters, and moments that defined his life, ranging from the treason trial of Arvandus to the Visigothic raiding of Clermont, from the corrupt and vile Seronatus to the holy widow Eutropia, and the day-to-day incidents that confronted a Gallo-Roman poet, aristocrat, and bishop as the Late Roman West transitioned into the barbarian successor kingdoms. Like any good storyteller, Sidonius exploited a wide array of narratological tools, manipulating temporality for dramatic effect, sketching his heroes and villains in vivid detail, and recreating witty dialogue in a collection that is highly organised and carefully strategised. This book provides a fuller understanding of his contribution to Latin literature, as a careful arranger of his self-image, a perceptive exploiter of narrative dynamics, and an influential figure in Late Antique Gaul.

Acta Classica Universitatis Scientiarum Debreceniensis. Tom. XXXVI. (2000) 293–302. p., 2000

T. H O R V A TH C aius M odestus Sollius Sidonius A pollinaris is one o f the m ost interesting fig ures o f the L ater Rom an Empire. H is special career started as a typical one o f his age, based on the political and fam ily relations and ended in an ecclesiasti cal career, w hich m eant the only option for activity among the pressing histori cal circum stances. This duality o f his public activity -which m akes his per sonality attractive -can be connected w ith the duality o f his literary education: poetical and prosaic works. His contem poraries com pared his talent as prose-w riter to Pliny and as a poet to A usonius and C laudius.1 H e belonged to the poetical group formed in side the Church. This trend started w ith Prudentius and Paulinus o f N ola and was characterized in style and content by strong devotion to classical authors. C hrist and the gods o f Olym pus got on well together in the w orks o f Sidonius." In his literary activity there w ere no conflicts betw een C hristianity and pagan classical authors, ju s t between classical Rom an traditions and barbarism .3 Si donius versified quite easily and w ith pleasure, but he thought little o f his po ems. He w rote o f them: "Porro autem super huism odi opusculo tutius conticueramus, contenti versuum fe lic iu s quam p eritiu s editorum opinione, de qua m ihi iam pridem in portu iudicii p u b lici p o st lividorum latratuum Scyllas enavigalas sufficientis gloriae ancora sedet."A It is difficult to decide how much m odesty, characteristic for this age, or C hristian prudery m ay be in this state-1 W. H. Semple, Apollinaris Sidonius a Gallo-Roman Seigneur. Bulletin o f the John Ryland Li brary 50 (1967) p. 136. ' H. Hagendahl, Von Tertullian zu Cassiodor. Die profane literarische Tradition in dem laleinischen christlichen Schrifttum. Studia Graeca et Latina XLIV. Acta Universitatis Gothoburgiensis. 1983, p. 93.

[Conference Presentation] Classical Association Conference (CA), 07/04/2016, 2016

Mnemosyne , 2022

Mamertus Claudianus, a priest in Vienne in the mid-fifth century, has been identified by some scholars as a professional teacher of Latin rhetoric. This article contests this classification, arguing that Claudianus was an active member of learned Christian literary circles and leader of philosophical and theological 'literary salons.' It demonstrates the importance of correctly identifying teachers in the prosopography and illustrates the potential of incorrect identifications to produce flawed and distorted historical reconstructions of the cultural transformations of the late antique west. A close reading of the sources for Claudianus, coupled with a firm understanding of the cultural and educational realities of late antique Gaul, sheds light on the evolution of an increasingly Christian intellectual culture among the Gallo-Roman litterati of the fifth century, and a better understanding of the transformation of educational practices in this period and after the 'fall' of Rome.

Cultus atque humanitas apud populum Romanum est urbem tueri et a periculo rem publicam prohibere. Multa sunt exempla hominum, qui non modo pro sua ipsorum patria bella suscipiebant verum etiam sese patriae dedebant ut eam imperio, agris gloriaque augerent. Quomodo instructi sunt ad tantum officium?

Although the emperor Tiberius is often associated with lurid and sensational pleasures, he seems also (or perhaps instead?) to have derived a great deal of enjoyment from the more sedate pursuits of a scholar. According to Suetonius, one of his favorite pastimes at dinner was to pose questions about his day's reading to literary experts, no doubt for the sport of catching them out. One particularly enterprising scholar, a man named Seleucus, tried to beat the odds by finding out from Tiberius' attendants what he'd been reading that day, so that he could bone up on the appropriate texts in advance before coming to dinner. Presumably this worked well for a while, but Tiberius eventually discovered the subterfuge and was not amused; Suetonius tells us that he first banished Seleucus from his company and later had him put to death (Suet. Tib. 56).

Ciceroniana On Line, 2024

SOMMAIRE – SOMMARIO “Lecturae Ciceronis I, 2024. Le De inuentione entre philosophie, droit et rhétorique” Actes du colloque – Atti del convegno – Proceedings Édités par – a cura di – edited by Charles GUÉRIN et Veronica REVELLO Carlos LÉVY, Avant-Propos. Le De inuentione, paradoxe des paradoxes 379 Charles GUÉRIN, Veronica REVELLO, Introduction. Le De inuentione entre philosophie, droit et rhétorique 383 Première partie De l’écriture à la réception / Dalla scrittura alla ricezione / From composition to reception 399 Thierry HIRSCH, The date of composition of Cicero’s De inventione 401 Catherine STEEL, Cicero’s De inventione and the shaping of the political sphere 439 Benjamin Adam JERUE, Cicero, Zeuxis and Aristotle: Bolstering auctoritas in De inventione Book 2 457 Thomas RIESENWEBER, Die Geschichte des De inventione-Textes im Altertum 483 Deuxième partie Le De inuentione au croisement des savoirs / Il De inventione al crocevia dei saperi / De inventione at the crossroads of knowledge 535 Dario MANTOVANI, La jurisprudence romaine des debuts du Ier siecle av. j.-c. au miroir du De inuentione 37 Henriette VAN DER BLOM, Cicero’s De inventione: Where is the Res Publica? 569 Matilde OLIVA, Dubitanter unum quicque dicemus (inv. 2, 10). L’ombra di Filone di Larissa nel De inventione di Cicerone 597 Carlo DELLE DONNE, Quidam magnus videlicet vir et sapiens. Rhetoric and Philosophy in Cicero’s De inventione 621 Troisième partie Le De inuentione et l’élaboration d’un lexique rhétorico-philosophique / Il De in-ventione e l’elaborazione di un lessico retorico-filosofico / De inventione and the development of a rhetorical-philosophical lexicon 641 Carlos LÉVY, Ratiocinatio et inductio dans le De inuentione 643 Camille MARROU, Inu. 2, 17-25 et l’expression de l’« émotion » en latin 659 Simone MOLLEA, Il mito della nascita della retorica e il lessico del progresso nel De inventione ciceroniano 683 Antje JUNGHANß, Bernhard KAISER, Haec argumenta locos communes appel-lamus. Cicero’s Concept of the Commonplace in De inventione 703 Comptes rendus – Recensioni 719 Stefania DE VIDO, Cécile DURVYE, Un monde partagé : la Sicile du premier siècle av. J.-C. entre Diodore et Cicéron (L. LODDO) 721 Emanuele Riccardo D’AMANTI (a cura di), Tibullo. Elegie. Saggio introduttivo, nuova traduzione (I. CICCARELLI) 725 Tommaso GAZZARRI (a cura di), Seneca. De tranquillitate animi (S. AUDANO) 729 Alessandro RE, Genus compositicium. La composizione nominale latina (C. SBORDONI) 735 Konstantinos KAVAFIS, Non sono morti gli dèi. Kavafis e l’eredità dell’Ellenismo, Antologia poetica con testo greco a fronte, traduzione, introduziοne e note di Aldo Setaioli (A. ROZOKOKI) 743 Bulletin bibliographique – Bollettino bibliografico 747 Abstracts – Key Words 751

the newest, in turn, is perhaps the quotation from the letter sent by Augustus to Agrippina the Elder (born in 14 BC). Nevertheless, as we will try to show, a main idea is present throughout: the demand for clearness (explanatio) and the priority of docere (not delectare or movere) as the main officium oratoris.