Juvenal and Christian Apologetics in Prudentius' Hymn to Romanus (Peristephanon 10)

Tsartsidis, Thomas (2021): Juvenal and Christian Apologetics in Prudentius' Hymn to Romanus (Peristephanon 10). In: Classical Philology, Vol. 116, No. 2: pp. 231-246

Abstract

Prudentius' Hymn to Romanus, a work also known as Peristephanon 10, is replete with allusions to Juvenal. Although previous scholarship has focused on identifying these allusions, less attention has been paid to his Christian background, against which his poems can be more fully appreciated. In this study, without attempting to downplay Juvenal's influence on Prudentius, I will revisit some of his allusions to the Roman satirist in their broader context, taking cognizance of the Christian apologetic material on which Prudentius drew heavily in order to write his Hymn to Romanus. In so doing, I wish to show how and why Prudentius combines Juvenal with Christian apologetics, and what that can tell us both for Prudentius' modes of allusion, and for the reception of Juvenal and satire into a Christian context.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Languages and Literatures > Department 2
• Subjects: 400 Language > 400 Language
• ISSN: 0009-837X
• Language: English