[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review.]
In the footsteps of Michael Roberts’s The Jeweled Style (1989)—a seminal and almost comprehensive description of the literary aesthetics of late antique poetry—the volume at hand aspires to a comparable undertaking for prose writings. This aim, although it is not stated explicitly, lies at the book’s core. It is certainly ambitious, perhaps even audacious, for a collective volume of this scope. Yet what the editors and contributors have achieved is indeed an important step towards the literary appreciation of Christian prose writers: (re)claiming these texts for philology and for a specifically literary approach opens up a new field of investigation for scholars. The contributions range from close rhetorical and structural readings (for example, Lactantius, Ambrose, and Augustine) to the rehabilitation of lesser-studied figures such as Firmicus Maternus and Arnobius. The collection of papers, originally presented at the conference “Latin Church Fathers as Literature” organised by the editors (Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 2022), thus deliberately challenges the persistent opposition between “classical” or secular and Christian prose, a dichotomy whose dissolution can only benefit our understanding of both late antique and, more broadly, classical literature.
In the introduction to the volume, the editors Sophia Papaioannou and Thomas Tsartsidis first set out the publication’s principal concern: the field of tension between Christian writers’ admiration of the simple style of the Scriptures and their own sophisticated prose, which clearly exhibits continuities with the often-problematised classical, non-Christian literary past. The more concise state-of-the-art survey that follows highlights the lacunae addressed in the present publication. Thereby, the editors pursue two objectives: first, to shine a light on the literary qualities of the writers under discussion; second, to explore their intertextual interactions beyond mere Quellenforschung and utilitarian readings. The editors then provide an overview of the book’s structure and summaries of the individual chapters, which are kept to a minimum. Some readers might appreciate a little more information on the insights and results of the articles, but this is by no means a necessity. The introduction ends with an outline of future research interests and follow-up inquiries.
Part 1 (“The Style, Imagery, and Rhetorical Techniques of Early Christian Writers”) and 2 (“Intertextuality and Interpretation in Early Christian Writers”) are well-balanced. The chapters in Part 1 are organised chronologically by the author discussed: Chiara Tommasi surveys Tertullian’s style; Stefan Freund analyses Lactantius’ Divine Institutes; Maijastina Kahlos examines Firmicus Maternus’ De errore profanarum religionum; and Adam Trettel treats Augustine’s Confessions 10. In Part 2 the arrangement seems to follow a more thematic principle. The first four chapters focus on intertextuality, with Papaioannou and Ivor Davidson treating Ambrose’s engagement with individual classical authors—Vergil and Cicero, respectively. Tsartsidis’s piece on satire in Arnobius and Ingo Schaaf’s discussion of ethnography in Jerome, on the other hand, thematise the exploration of genres and literary traditions more generally. Therese Fuhrer’s concluding article on Augustine’s comprehension and interpretation of texts largely stands on its own. Read almost as an epilogue, this essay seems to give a taste of another publication, which is already hinted at in the subchapter “Future Trends” of the introduction to the volume. A “List of Contributors”, a very short “General Index” and an “Index Locorum” complete the book and noticeably enhance its usability and quality. A more detailed version of the general index, however, might have made it even easier for readers to identify and understand the common characteristics of the individual authors and features in their texts that are discussed across the various chapters. This is, in my opinion, definitely desirable in a publication aspiring to a more encompassing assessment of the literary qualities and aesthetics of Christian writers as a whole.
Turning to the individual contributions, Tommasi collects and systematises the critical reception of Tertullian’s style, before diving into a few examples of the writer’s oeuvre which illustrate what triggered these sometimes harsh judgements. The first part is very comprehensive and includes long quotationss, which, to some readers, may feel somewhat cumulative and might have been presented more succinctly. Yet, it is useful to have the material collected and it will serve as a reference for future research in the field. Similarly, the argumentation and the language in the article by Kahlos at times feel slightly asyndetic, accumulating various examples one after the other. Still, it offers a well-structured overview of the author’s stylistic features and rhetorical means, and is commendable for drawing positive attention to a lesser-known, often disparaged writer. It is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in Firmicus Maternus and/or his De errore profanarum religionum. Also Trettel’s chapter on Augustine’s Confessions 10—and above all its appendix, as he himself points out—will certainly “serve as a point of engagement for future study” (p. 85), though the analysis of rhetorical techniques itself is rather short. Although the discussion of global, and above all U.S., institutional practice with regard to Augustine and his oeuvre is, in my opinion, not vital to the paper’s argument, it is a neat addition to the overview of previous scholarship and of Augustine’s own stance on rhetoric.
Freund’s balanced, carefully-organised article on Lactantius’ Divine Institutes is both informative and gratifying, and deserves mention in Part 1. Its presentation of the work’s disposition, as well as the literary and rhetorical devices at work, sheds light on possible interpretative readings of the text, while it deepens the appreciation of Lactantius as a skilled writer. Likewise in Part 2, the contribution by Papaioannou presents a meticulous close reading of the texts by Symmachus and Ambrose concerning the restoration of the altar of Victory and their use of Vergil to support their respective stances. The result is an an interesting and, overall, convincing argument. Fuhrer’s short article also provides a good survey of a difficult issue: it addresses Augustine’s theses on language, knowledge, and the exegesis of (biblical) texts. Extracting clear evidence of the author’s sceptical strategies regarding claims to “(true) knowledge”, the chapter makes, despite its brevity, a substantive contribution to our understanding of Augustine’s hermeneutical principles.
Davidson, on the other hand, offers an exhaustive overview of Ambrose’s De officiis. Although he provides helpful lists and collections of references to passages which exemplify the discussed features, the sheer density of information can make the article a challenging read for somebody who is unfamiliar with Ambrose and his writings. For a knowledgeable reader, however, it is invaluable. In another elaborate article, Tsartsidis discusses the main satirical features of Arnobius’ Adversus nationes. Due to its many examples, however, the well-structured chapter is also suitable for readers with limited prior knowledge. Despite its length, the contribution is entertaining as well as informative, while the argumentation—although some points are made somewhat repetitively—is coherent and convincing. Schaaf’s far shorter study analyses three ethnographic passages in Jerome from a literary perspective, that is, asking what these passages do for the text rather than assessing their factual truth. He thereby sheds light on an aspect of the author that is little known or often misinterpreted and whets the appetite to read more of Jerome’s works.
Collectively, the essays stake a claim for a renewed philological agenda: literary tools such as close reading, rhetorical analysis, and attention to disposition and sententiae can and should be applied to Christian prose. The volume provides concrete models for such work and rehabilitates several authors long regarded as marginal. One could argue that a more comparative approach in some of the chapters instead of each focusing on a specific writer could also have benefitted the overall goal of the volume. However, as emphasised in the introduction by Papaioannou and Tsartsidis, this publication does not aim at comprehensiveness and understands itself as an initial impetus for further studies. In fact, the contributions offer a wealth of information, and while they cohere as a collective, each can also be read profitably as a standalone study.
This book will serve as a valuable starting point for graduate seminars and for scholars seeking methodological models for literary approaches to late antique prose. I recommend it for academic libraries and for readers interested in the crossover between classical philology and late antique Christian literature. As the publication highlights aspects which often go unmentioned or are ignored, it has the potential to spark a new discourse concerning the Latin Christian writers.
Authors and Titles
Sophia Papaioannou & Thomas Tsartsidis: Early Christian Writers in the West: Old and New Questions (Introduction)
I. The Style, Imagery, and Rhetorical Techniques of Early Christian Writers
Chiara O. Tommasi, Tertullian, “acris et vehementis ingenii”: An evaluation of his style in literature and scholarship
Stefan Freund: “Aedificium totum paene usque ad summa perduximus”. The architecture of Lactantius’ Divine Institutes
Maijastina Kahlos: Stylistic and Rhetorical Techniques in Firmicus Maternus’ De errore profanarum religionum
Adam Trettel: Augustine, Confessions 10 as literature? Yes, and no
II. Intertextuality and Interpretation in Early Christian Writers
Sophia Papaioannou: Studying Ambrose Reading Vergil: Christian Culture Wars in Classical Context
Ivor J. Davidson: “That I too should write”: Cicero’s Legacy and Ambrose as Christian Teacher
Thomas Tsartsidis: Arnobius as a Satirist
Ingo Schaaf: Jerome as an ethnograph(icis)er
Therese Fuhrer: Augustine on the comprehension and interpretation of literature