Early Christian Poetry: A Collection of Essays (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Early Christian Poetry: A Collection of Essays Carl P. E. Springer J. den Boeft and A. Hilhorst. Early Christian Poetry: A Collection of Essays. Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, 22. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1993. Pp. xi 1 319. $103.00. The sixteen essays collected in this volume were first presented at a conference held at Nijmegen in March of 1991 to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Dutch Foundation for Early Christian Studies. Although one would hardly expect such a vast field to be fully represented in a volume which consists of conference papers, when taken together these studies do give the reader at least some idea of the richness and variety of materials, many of which have not yet been exhaustively studied from either a theological or a literary perspective, available to the student of early Christian poetry. The essays address (without always resolving) a number of intriguing issues concerning the origin of Christian poetry, its function and audience, its complex relation to the classical tradition, and, of course, its debt to biblical themes and models. [End Page 392] From the earliest period, when “the Jewish legacy is clearly manifest,” we have P. W. van der Horst, all too briefly, on “Jewish Metrical Epitaphs,” G. P. Luttikhuizen with a provocative (but cursory) essay on “The Poetic Character of Revelation 4 and 5,” and G. J. M. Bartelink on the reception of the Oracula Sibyl-lina by early Christian Greek theologians from Justin Martyr to Origen. The second section, which features essays on Christian poetry in the Latin-speaking portion of the Roman Empire, fairly sparkles in comparison. Christine Mohrmann’s spirit obviously lives on! W. Evenepoel thoughtfully addresses the complex issues surrounding “The Place of Poetry in Latin Christianity,” looking especially at the problem of poetry not meant for “immediate ecclesiastical use.” A. Hilhorst offers a comparative examination of the treatment of the pericope of the cleansing of the temple (John 2.13–25) in the Latin Evangeliorum Libri Quattuor of Juvencus and the Greek metrical paraphrase of the Gospel of John by Nonnus. Jan den Boeft waxes practically rhapsodic in his praise of “Ambrosius lyricus,” undoubtedly the most original and influential hymn writer in the early church. M. J. Mans, also writing on the hymns of the bishop of Milan, examines the function of biblical figures and events featured in the hymns. Certainly the most theoretically astute article in the volume is the contribution of A. A. R. Bastiaensen on “Prudentius in Recent Literary Criticism.” Bastiaensen bravely tackles such controversial topics as the European reception of M. Cunningham’s CCSL edition of Prudentius (published in 1966), W. Ludwig’s thesis that the whole of Prudentius’ work, which may be seen as including all major poetic categories, such as “epic, didactic, lyric, epigrammatic and elegiac, even comic and tragic (in the Peristephanon),” actually constitutes a poetical unity (along the lines of an early Christian basilica), and K. Thraede’s determination to view Prudentius first and foremost as a rhetorical poet. This provocative article concludes with a fascinating glimpse into the Nachleben of Prudentius’ poetry, especially the Psychomachia. P. W. A. Th. van der Laan finishes this section with a thoughtful study of the problem of imitation in the Paschale Carmen of Sedulius, one of the most important of the biblical epics of Late Antiquity, whose popularity persisted well into the early modern period. The question posed by van der Laan is a crucial one: was Sedulius’ imitatio veterum by accident or by design? The answer is nuanced (as it should be), but decisive. The third part of the volume concentrates on Christian poetry from the eastern half of the Roman empire. Without question the most idiosyncratic article here is Andrew Palmer’s “The Merchant of Nisibis: Saint Ephrem and His Faithful Quest for Union in Numbers.” While it would be hard to overstate the importance of “the greatest poet in the Syriac language,” Palmer’s lengthy article (67 pages) almost manages to do so. The author’s lively translations which he hopes will be “sung and loved” are, to be sure, welcome, as is his personal identification with his subject (all too rare in academic circles), but...