Ad Heliodorum Epitaphium NepotianiClarendon Press, 1993 - 260 pages Jerome (c. 347-420 A.D.) is best remembered as the author of the Vulgate translation of the Bible. But he was also an untiring letter writer. Among the many letters which have survived are several written to friends who had suffered recent bereavement. In the most impressive of these, Letter 60, Jerome consoles Heliodorus, Bishop of Altinum in north-east Italy, on the early death of his young nephew Nepotianus. The letter is composed from a thoroughly Christian perspective, but it belongs to a tradition of consolatory literature that reaches far back into the pagan world. In this commentary, Scourfield places the letter in the context of this tradition, showing how in the late fourth century a highly literate Christian author could take pagan ideas and put them to Christian use. The commentary also includes a full discussion of matters of language and style, theology and exegesis, as well as the historical background. There is a freshly revised text, as well as a completely new translation of the Letter. |
Common terms and phrases
Altinum Ambr Anaxagoras anima Apoll atque autem barbarian bereaved bishop caelorum CCSL 76 century Christ Christian Church Cicero Cicero's Consolatio clausula commentary consolation consolatory context cotidie Courcelle Crantor cretic cursus Dalmatiae death dial dominus e.g. Cic e.g. epist eius enim erat etiam Eustochium exempla Favez fuit funeral Greek grief haec Hagendahl heaven Heliodorus Hesiod Hilberg Iesus igitur illius illud illum infernus ipse Jerome Jerome's Kelly lacrimas Latin Letter 60 magis mihi molossus mors morte mortis Nepotianus nobis omnes omnis orat Oxford pagan Pannonia passage Paula Phaedo Plut potest praeteritio pref proparoxytone pseudo-Plutarch Quadi quae quam quia quid quidquid Quint quod quoque quoted refers resurrection rhetorical rhythm Roman Rufin Scripture Seneca sense sunt super tantum tibi Tusc Valentinian Virg vita Vulg Vulgate words writing δὲ καὶ τὴν τῆς τὸ τοῦ τῶν