Venantius Fortunatus and Christian Theology at the End of the Sixth Century in Gaul

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Venantius Fortunatus and Christian Theology at the End of the Sixth Century in Gaul Venantius Fortunatus and Christian Theology at the End of the Sixth Century in Gaul by Benjamin Byron Wheaton A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by Benjamin Byron Wheaton 2018 Venantius Fortunatus and Christian Theology at the End of the Sixth Century in Gaul Benjamin Byron Wheaton Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto 2018 Abstract The writings of the poet Venantius Fortunatus are a major historical source for the study of Gallic society in the sixth century CE. The amount of Christian doctrine treated in these writings is considerable, and provides a fascinating perspective on late sixth-century Gallic theological thought and how it fit into broader Christian discussions of doctrine across the Mediterranean world. This approach to studying Fortunatus’ writings is different from previous scholarship on the poet, and in addition to shedding light on Gallic society’s approach to doctrinal issues will also serve to illumine Fortunatus’ own capacity for theological discourse. Part 1 of this thesis explores his two extant sermons, one on the Apostles’ Creed (The Expositio symboli) and the other on the Lord’s Prayer (The Expositio orationis dominicae). The Expositio symboli of Fortunatus, when considered in the context of both the text from which it was adapted, Rufinus of Aquileia’s fifth-century Expositio symboli, and other sermons on the same subject from the fifth and sixth centuries, showcases his skill at shaping and transmitting Christian doctrine. The Expositio dominicae orationis also does this, but has the additional facet of containing a strong polemic against semi- Pelagianism. It becomes clear from this polemic that Fortunatus held to a strongly ii Augustinian doctrine of the freedom of the will. Part 2 of this thesis looks at Fortunatus’ interaction with the Christological controversies of the sixth century, centring around the Three Chapters schism fomented by the decisions of the Second Council of Constantinople held in 553. Fortunatus’ writings that touch on the subject display a careful attitude towards the schism that sought to reconcile the two sides. Venantius Fortunatus shows himself to be adept at doctrinal exposition amidst a late sixth-century Gallic church that retained a vibrant interest in these matters. iii Acknowledgments There are many people whose generous assistance and kind encouragement enabled this thesis to be successfully completed, and to whom my sincerest thanks are due. Michael Herren stepped in at a time of need and has been an excellent co-supervisor. His insightful comments on my text and enthusiasm for this project have been invaluable. Alexander Murray has been a supportive and wise co-supervisor whose expertise has been equally invaluable. Nicholas Everett rounded out my advisory committee, and I am grateful to have benefited from his thoughtful critiques and advice throughout my degree. Michael Roberts and Jesse Billett were very helpful external and internal readers. The broader scholarly community at the Centre for Medieval Studies and the University of Toronto has been a pleasure to be a part of. Special thanks are due to William Robins, Dorothea Kullmann, Christopher Berard, Paul Greenham, Richard Shaw, Andrew Dunning and Justin Haynes for their encouragement and many a stimulating conversation. Most of the work on this thesis was done in the pleasant confines of the library of the Pontifical Institute for Mediaeval Studies, whose staff could not have been kinder. My parents, Byron and Jackie Wheaton, have been incredibly supportive throughout this entire process. To them as well my loving thanks are due (although I got my doctorate 20 years earlier than you did, Dad!). I believe that what I have written contributes to our knowledge of the truth. But as Fortunatus reminded me: Unde in homine mendace causa veritatis sit, nisi ipsa veritas se ministret, hoc est, nisi in hominem ipsam bonam voluntatem Deus veritatis inspiret qui et velle tribuit et posse conplevit? Therefore I say, in gratitude, Soli Deo gloria: to God alone be the glory. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgments iv Table of Contents v List of Appendices vii Abbreviations viii General Introduction 1 PART 1 THE SERMONS OF VENANTIUS FORTUNATUS Introduction to the Sermons 0.1 The Sermons of Venantius Fortunatus and the Context in the Carmina 4 0.2 The Composition of the Final Two Books of the Carmina 4 0.3 The Purpose of the Sermons in the Carmina 11 Chapter 1: The Expositio symboli: Reception and Literary Context 1.0 Introduction to the ES 14 1.1 Later Medieval Reception of the ES 15 1.2 The Symbol in Italy and Gaul 32 1.3 Symbol Sermons in Italy and Gaul 38 1.3.1 Northern Italian Symbol Sermons 39 1.3.2 Gallic Symbol Sermons 55 1.4 Conclusion 62 Chapter 2: The Expositio symboli of Rufinus of Aquileia and the ES of Venantius Fortunatus 2.0 Introduction 63 2.1 The Secondary Literature 64 2.2 Rufinus of Aquileia’s Expositio symboli 76 2.3 Rufinus and his Summarizers 78 2.4 Venantius Fortunatus and Rufinus of Aquileia Compared 83 2.5 Conclusion 122 Chapter 3: Background to the Expositio orationis dominicae 3.0 Introduction 125 3.1 The Secondary Literature on the EOD 126 3.2 The Authenticity of the EOD 132 3.3 The Sources of the EOD 138 3.4 The Content of the EOD 151 3.5 Conclusion 153 Chapter 4: The EOD of Venantius Fortunatus and the Semi-Pelagian Controversy 4.0 Introduction 154 4.1 The Semi-Pelagian Controversy in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries 156 4.2 The Semi-Pelagian Controversy in Sixth-Century Gaul 165 v 4.3 Venantius Fortunatus on the Freedom of the Will in the EOD 175 4.4 The Augustinianism of Fortunatus, Compared with Gregory of Tours 202 4.5 Conclusion 205 Appendix: The Roman View of Grace and Free Will 208 PART 2 VENANTIUS FORTUNATUS AND THE THREE CHAPTERS SCHISM Chapter 5: The Background to the Three Chapters Controversy 5.0 Introduction 229 5.1 The Christological Questions at the Councils of Ephesus (431) and 230 Chalcedon (451) 5.2 From Chalcedon (451) to the Second Council of Constantinople (553) 240 5.3 The Three Chapters Schism 249 5.4 Justinian and his Successors on Christology 271 5.5 The Gallic Response to the Christological Controversies 274 5.6 Conclusion 282 Chapter 6: Venantius Fortunatus in the Context of the Christological Controversies of the Sixth Century 6.0 Introduction 284 6.1 The Panegyric Ad Iustinum iuniorem imperatorem 284 et Sophiam Augustos 6.2 The Christology of the Carmina 299 6.3 The In laudem sanctae Mariae of Fortunatus 302 6.4 Venantius Fortunatus and the Three Chapters Schism 308 6.5 Conclusion 325 Conclusion 327 Bibliography 329 vi List of Appendices Appendix to Part 1: The Roman View of Grace and Free Will vii Abbreviations AA Auctores Antiquissimi ACO Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum BAV Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana BnF Bibliothèque nationale de France CCSL Corpus Christianorum Series Latina CCSM Corpus Christianorum Series Mediaevalis codd. codices CSEL Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum MGH Monumenta Germaniae Historica MS manuscript PG Patrologia Graeca PL Patrologia Latina SSRM Scriptores rerum Merowingicarum viii General Introduction Everywhere in the literature produced by the society of sixth-century Merovingian Gaul the centrality of Christian doctrine is evident. “Since I am about to relate the wars of kings with foreign enemies, martyrs with pagans and churches with heretics, I desire first of all to demonstrate my faith, so that anyone who reads this does not doubt that I am a catholic,” writes Gregory of Tours at the beginning of his Histories.1 Moreover, expositions of the Apostles’ Creed (or Symbol) were a popular topic of sermons prepared for Gallic congregations, suggesting that, as Lisa Bailey observes, “the ‘ordinary people’ they addressed probably cared more about theology than we tend to give them credit for.”2 Holding to correct Christian doctrine was very important for all levels of Gallic society, from the aristocratic churchmen and the elites of the royal courts addressed by Gregory to the rural congregations addressed by their priest in sermons. For all the importance of correct doctrine to society under the Merovingians, the reputation of this period for sophisticated theological thought is very poor. A dearth in specifically theological texts such as commentaries and a glut in such “popular” works as hagiographies have led scholars to underrate the theological acumen of the Gallic church of the late sixth century. Yet such texts as hagiographies can display more sophisticated and innovative theology than it might at first appear. Scholars have begun to realize this and the time is ripe for a re-assessment of the Gallic church’s doctrinal activities. Using the Italian-born poet Venantius Fortunatus to contribute to a re-assessment may seem at first glance an unusual choice. Yet when looking at the development of theology in 1 “Scripturus bella regum cum gentibus adversis, martyrum cum paganis, ecclesiarum cum hereticis, prius fidem meam proferre cupio, ut qui ligiret me non dubitet esse catholicum.” Gregory of Tours, Historia, ed. B. Krusch and W. Levison, MGH SSRM, vol. 1.1 (Hanover, 1951), 3. 2 Lisa Kaaren Bailey, Christianity’s Quiet Success (Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press, 2010), 61. 1 Merovingian Gaul, it is important to take into consideration parallel developments across the Christian world. Venantius Fortunatus was educated in Byzantine Italy, migrated to Gaul in 566 and was heavily involved in Gallic society thereafter. He was made bishop of Poitiers at some point in the 590s. This means that his experiences on the one hand set him apart from the local clergy while on the other hand included him at the highest levels of the Gallic ecclesiastical hierarchy.
Recommended publications
  • Gender and Violence in Gregory of Tours' 'Decem Libri Historiarum'
    GENDER AND VIOLENCE IN GREGORY OF TOURS' DECEM LIBRI HISTORIARUM Jennifer McRobbie A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2012 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3151 This item is protected by original copyright Gender and Violence in Gregory of Tours’ Decem Libri Historiarum Jennifer McRobbie This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews Date of Submission 19th August 2011 ii Declaration I, Jennifer McRobbie, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 76,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in September 2004 and as a candidate for the degree of PhD in August 2011; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St. Andrews between 2004 and 2011. Date…………..signature of candidate I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St. Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. In submitting this thesis to the University of St. Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby.
    [Show full text]
  • The Apologetics of Tertullian by John
    Identity and Religion in Roman North Africa: the apologetics of Tertullian by John Elmer P. Abad A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy Graduate Department of Classics University of Toronto @ copyright by John Elmer Abad (2018) John Elmer Abad Doctor of Philosophy Department of Classics University of Toronto 2018 Abstract This dissertation examines the strategies employed by Tertullian in the construction and articulation of Christian identity in the pluralistic Roman North African society. The focus will be the apologetic works of Tertullian, the Ad Martyras, the Ad Nationes and the Apologeticum written around 197 A.D. Popular biases against Christians, the Romanizing tendencies of local elites in North Africa, the marginalization of sub-elites, the influence of cultural and intellectual revolution known as the Second Sophistic Movement, and the political ideologies and propaganda of emperor Septimius Severus – all these influenced Tertullian’s attempt to construct and articulate a Christian identity capable of engaging the ever changing socio- political landscape of North African at the dawn of the third century A.D. I shall examine select areas in antiquity where identities were explored, contested and projected namely, socio- cultural, religious, and political. I have identified four spheres which I refer to as “sites” of identity construction, namely paideia, the individual, community and “religion”. Chapter One provides a brief survey of the various contexts of Tertullian’s literary production. It includes a short description of the socio-political landscape during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, a brief history of Christianity in Roman North Africa, an introduction to the person of Tertullian, and his place within the “apologetic” tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • FORTUNATUS I. with the Count of Flanders the Kingdom of Cyprus Is
    FORTUNATUS I. With the Count of Flanders The Kingdom of Cyprus 1 is an island situated close to where the sun rises from the sea: a delightful, merry, fertile island, full of all kinds of fruits, and known to many who have landed and passed some time there on their journey to Jerusalem, in the Holy Land. It contains a splendid city, Famagusta, which was once the seat of a noble burgher of ancient lineage. His parents had left him much money and property, so that he was very rich and powerful; but he was also very young and of a careless disposition. He had taken but little notice of how his parents had saved and increased their money, and his mind was wholly preoccupied with the pursuit of honour and physical pleasures. So he maintained himself in great state, jousting, tourneying and travelling around with the King’s Court, and losing much money thereby. His friends, soon noticing that he was in danger of losing more than his means could bear, thought of giving him a wife, in the hope that she would curb his expenditure. When they suggested this to him, he was highly pleased, and he promised to follow their advice; and so they began to search for a suitable spouse. Now there was a noble burgher in the city of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, where the King usually held court. This burgher had a beautiful daughter called Graciana, and she was married to the youth, Theodore, with no inquiries made as to what kind of a man he was – such was his reputation for wealth and power.
    [Show full text]
  • The Expansion of Christianity: a Gazetteer of Its First Three Centuries
    THE EXPANSION OF CHRISTIANITY SUPPLEMENTS TO VIGILIAE CHRISTIANAE Formerly Philosophia Patrum TEXTS AND STUDIES OF EARLY CHRISTIAN LIFE AND LANGUAGE EDITORS J. DEN BOEFT — J. VAN OORT — W.L. PETERSEN D.T. RUNIA — C. SCHOLTEN — J.C.M. VAN WINDEN VOLUME LXIX THE EXPANSION OF CHRISTIANITY A GAZETTEER OF ITS FIRST THREE CENTURIES BY RODERIC L. MULLEN BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2004 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mullen, Roderic L. The expansion of Christianity : a gazetteer of its first three centuries / Roderic L. Mullen. p. cm. — (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, ISSN 0920-623X ; v. 69) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 90-04-13135-3 (alk. paper) 1. Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600. I. Title. II. Series. BR165.M96 2003 270.1—dc22 2003065171 ISSN 0920-623X ISBN 90 04 13135 3 © Copyright 2004 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands For Anya This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Preface ........................................................................................ ix Introduction ................................................................................ 1 PART ONE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN ASIA BEFORE 325 C.E. Palestine .....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Medieval Portolan Charts As Documents of Shared Cultural Spaces
    SONJA BRENTJES Medieval Portolan Charts as Documents of Shared Cultural Spaces The appearance of knowledge in one culture that was created in another culture is often understood conceptually as »transfer« or »transmission« of knowledge between those two cultures. In the field of history of science in Islamic societies, research prac- tice has focused almost exclusively on the study of texts or instruments and their trans- lations. Very few other aspects of a successful integration of knowledge have been studied as parts of transfer or transmission, among them processes such as patronage and local cooperation1. Moreover, the concept of transfer or transmission itself has primarily been understood as generating complete texts or instruments that were more or less faithfully expressed in the new host language in the same way as in the origi- nal2. The manifold reasons (beyond philological issues) for transforming knowledge of a foreign culture into something different have not usually been considered, although such an approach would enrich the conceptualization of the cross-cultural mobility of knowledge. In this paper, I will examine the cross-cultural presence of knowledge in a different manner, studying works of a specific group of people who created, copied, and modified culturally mixed objects of knowledge. My focus will be on Italian and Catalan charts and atlases of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, partly because the earliest of them are the oldest extant specimens of the genre and partly because they seem to be the richest, most diverse charts of all those extant from the Mediterranean region3. In addition, I have relied on the twelfth- century »Liber de existencia riveriarum et forma maris nostris Mediterranei«, a Latin 1 Charles BURNETT, Literal Translation and Intelligent Adaptation amongst the Arabic–Latin Translators of the First Half of the Twelfth Century, in: Biancamaria SCARCIA AMORETTI (ed.), La diffusione delle scienze islamiche nel Medio Evo Europeo, Rome 1987, p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Development of Marian Doctrine As
    INTERNATIONAL MARIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON, OHIO in affiliation with the PONTIFICAL THEOLOGICAL FACULTY MARIANUM ROME, ITALY By: Elizabeth Marie Farley The Development of Marian Doctrine as Reflected in the Commentaries on the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-5) by the Latin Fathers and Pastoral Theologians of the Church From the Fourth to the Seventeenth Century A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate in Sacred Theology with specialization in Marian Studies Director: Rev. Bertrand Buby, S.M. Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute University of Dayton 300 College Park Dayton, OH 45469-1390 2013 i Copyright © 2013 by Elizabeth M. Farley All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Nihil obstat: François Rossier, S.M., STD Vidimus et approbamus: Bertrand A. Buby S.M., STD – Director François Rossier, S.M., STD – Examinator Johann G. Roten S.M., PhD, STD – Examinator Thomas A. Thompson S.M., PhD – Examinator Elio M. Peretto, O.S.M. – Revisor Aristide M. Serra, O.S.M. – Revisor Daytonesis (USA), ex aedibus International Marian Research Institute, et Romae, ex aedibus Pontificiae Facultatis Theologicae Marianum, die 22 Augusti 2013. ii Dedication This Dissertation is Dedicated to: Father Bertrand Buby, S.M., The Faculty and Staff at The International Marian Research Institute, Father Jerome Young, O.S.B., Father Rory Pitstick, Joseph Sprug, Jerome Farley, my beloved husband, and All my family and friends iii Table of Contents Prėcis.................................................................................. xvii Guidelines........................................................................... xxiii Abbreviations...................................................................... xxv Chapter One: Purpose, Scope, Structure and Method 1.1 Introduction...................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Lives of the Saints
    Itl 1 i ill 11 11 i 11 i I 'M^iii' I III! II lr|i^ P !| ilP i'l ill ,;''ljjJ!j|i|i !iF^"'""'""'!!!|| i! illlll!lii!liiy^ iiiiiiiiiiHi '^'''liiiiiiiiilii ;ili! liliiillliili ii- :^ I mmm(i. MwMwk: llliil! ""'''"'"'''^'iiiiHiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiii !lj!il!|iilil!i|!i!ll]!; 111 !|!|i!l';;ii! ii!iiiiiiiiiiilllj|||i|jljjjijl I ili!i||liliii!i!il;.ii: i'll III ''''''llllllllilll III "'""llllllll!!lll!lllii!i I i i ,,„, ill 111 ! !!ii! : III iiii CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY l,wj Cornell Unrversity Library BR 1710.B25 1898 V.5 Lives ot the saints. Ili'lll I 3' 1924 026 082 572 Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924026082572 THE ilibes? of tlje t)atnt0 REV. S. BARING-GOULD SIXTEEN VOLUMES VOLUME THE FIFTH THE ILities of tlje g)amt6 BY THE REV. S. BARING-GOULD, M.A. New Edition in i6 Volumes Revised with Introduction and Additional Lives of English Martyrs, Cornish and Welsh Saints, and a full Index to the Entire Work ILLUSTRATED BY OVER 400 ENGRAVINGS VOLUME THE FIFTH LONDON JOHN C. NFMMO &-• NEW YORK . LONGMANS, GREEN. CO. MDCCCXCVIll / , >1< ^-Hi-^^'^ -^ / :S'^6 <d -^ ^' Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson &> CO. At the Ballantyne Press *- -»5< im CONTENTS PAGE Bernardine . 309 SS. Achilles and comp. 158 Boniface of Tarsus . 191 B. Alcuin 263 Boniface IV., Pope . 345 S. Aldhelm .... 346 Brendan of Clonfert 217 „ Alexander I., Pope .
    [Show full text]
  • The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity
    The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Wilkinson, Ryan Hayes. 2015. The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17467211 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity A dissertation presented by Ryan Hayes Wilkinson to The Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of History Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts May 2015 © 2015 Ryan Hayes Wilkinson All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: Professor Michael McCormick Ryan Hayes Wilkinson The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity Abstract In the fifth and sixth centuries CE, the Roman Empire fragmented, along with its network of political, cultural, and socio-economic connections. How did that network’s collapse reshape the social and mental horizons of communities in one part of the Roman world, now eastern France? Did new political frontiers between barbarian kingdoms redirect those communities’ external connections, and if so, how? To address these questions, this dissertation focuses on the cities of two Gallo-Roman tribal groups.
    [Show full text]
  • The Apostolic Succession of the Right Rev. James Michael St. George
    The Apostolic Succession of The Right Rev. James Michael St. George © Copyright 2014-2015, The International Old Catholic Churches, Inc. 1 Table of Contents Certificates ....................................................................................................................................................4 ......................................................................................................................................................................5 Photos ...........................................................................................................................................................6 Lines of Succession........................................................................................................................................7 Succession from the Chaldean Catholic Church .......................................................................................7 Succession from the Syrian-Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch..............................................................10 The Coptic Orthodox Succession ............................................................................................................16 Succession from the Russian Orthodox Church......................................................................................20 Succession from the Melkite-Greek Patriarchate of Antioch and all East..............................................27 Duarte Costa Succession – Roman Catholic Succession .........................................................................34
    [Show full text]
  • Merovingian Queens: Status, Religion, and Regency
    Merovingian Queens: Status, Religion, and Regency Jackie Nowakowski Honors Thesis Submitted to the Department of History, Georgetown University Advisor: Professor Jo Ann Moran Cruz Honors Program Chair: Professor Alison Games May 4, 2020 Nowakowski 1 Table of Contents: Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………………..2 ​ Map, Genealogical Chart, Glossary……………………………………………………………3 ​ Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………7 ​ Chapter 1: The Makings of a Merovingian Queen: Slave, Concubine, or Princess………..18 ​ Chapter 2: Religious Authority of Queens: Intercessors and Saints………………………..35 ​ Chapter 3: Queens as Regents: Scheming Stepmothers and Murdering Mothers-in-law....58 ​ Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………....80 ​ Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………….83 ​ Nowakowski 2 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor Moran Cruz for all her guidance and advice; you have helped me become a better scholar and writer. I also want to thank Professor Games for your constant enthusiasm and for creating a respectful and fun atmosphere for our seminar. Your guidance over these past two semesters have been invaluable. I am also so grateful for my classmates, who always gave me honest and constructive feedback; I have enjoyed seeing where your projects take you. Most of all, I would like to thank my family and friends for listening to me talk nonstop about a random, crazy, dysfunctional family from the sixth century. I am incredibly thankful for my parents, sister, and friends for their constant support. Thank you mom for listening to a podcast on the Merovingians so you could better understand what I am studying. You have always inspired me to work hard and I probably wouldn’t have written a thesis without you as my inspiration. I also want to thank my dad, who always supported my studies and pretended to know more about a topic than he actually did.
    [Show full text]
  • CYCLOPEDIA of BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL and ECCLESIASTICAL LITERATURE God- Gyrovagi by James Strong & John Mcclintock
    THE AGES DIGITAL LIBRARY REFERENCE CYCLOPEDIA of BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL and ECCLESIASTICAL LITERATURE God- Gyrovagi by James Strong & John McClintock To the Students of the Words, Works and Ways of God: Welcome to the AGES Digital Library. We trust your experience with this and other volumes in the Library fulfills our motto and vision which is our commitment to you: MAKING THE WORDS OF THE WISE AVAILABLE TO ALL — INEXPENSIVELY. AGES Software Rio, WI USA Version 1.0 © 2000 2 God from the same Saxon root as good, thus beautifully expressing the divine benignity as the leading attribute of the most general term for the Deity, and corresponding almost invariably to two Hebrew words, both from a common root (lWa, au, to be strong). Hengstenberg, however, regards the simpler of these words (lae, El) as a primitive (Auth. of Pent. 1:251), while some consider the extended form (H/leEa, Elo'dh) as derived from a different root (the obsolete Hl;a;, found in Arabic = to worship). The corresponding Shemitic terms are: Arabic, Al or Allah (q.v.); Syriac, Ilo or Eloho; Samar. El or Chilah (= powerful; Castell, in Walton's Polyglot Bible, 6, s.v.); Phoenician El (hjl or ijl), as in En-el (&Enulov, lany[), Gag-el (Gagilus, lagg), Ejloei>m (Sanchon.). SEE ALMIGHTY. The only other Hebrew word generally employed in naming the Supreme Being is Jehovah, h/;hy], which some (so Havernick, Historische-critsche Einleitung ins alte Testament, Berlin, 1839) propose to point hw,h]yi, Jahveh, meaning "the Existing One," holding that Elohim is used merely to indicate the abundance and super-richness contained in the Divine Being.
    [Show full text]
  • Isidore and the Akephaloi Maccoull, L S B Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Summer 1998; 39, 2; Proquest Pg
    Isidore and the Akephaloi MacCoull, L S B Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Summer 1998; 39, 2; ProQuest pg. 169 Isidore and the Akephaloi L. S. B. MacCoull HE TWELFTH PROCEEDING of the Second Council of Seville (15 November 619), held in the ninth regnal year of the T the pious Visigothic king Sisebut under the leadership of St Isidore of Seville, records the conversion of a Syrian bishop ex haerese Acephalorum to the Nicene-Dyophysite Christological position.1 Historians have often noted this incident as evidence of the presence of Syrians (usually traders) in Visigothic Spain2 and of the strength of the kingdom's Catholic ideology.3 I should like to approach it here from the Oriens Christianus point of view: to examine, bearing in mind the nuances of Syriac Monophysite theological argument, just what it was that this 1 P L 84.5980-599B. J. Vives, Concilios visigoticos e hispano-romanos (Barcelona/Madrid 1963) 163-185, esp. 171-172. 2 E.g. P. D. King, Law and Society in the Visigothic Kingdom (Cambridge 1972) 197-198; J. Orlandis, Historia de Espana visigotica (Madrid 1977) 82; J. Orlandis, D. Ramos-Liss6n, Die Synoden auf der iberischen Halbinsel bis zum Einbruch des Islam (711) (Paderborn 1981) 142 with n.108; J. N. Hillgarth, "The East, Visigothic Spain and the Irish," no. VI in his Visigothic Spain, Byzantium and the Irish (London 1985) 444-45; and, for nearby Septimania, E. James, "Septimania and its Frontier: An Archaeological Approach," in id., ed., Visigothic Spain: New Approaches (Oxford 1980) 239. However, not all scholars believe in the reality of these oriental traders: J.
    [Show full text]