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Prudentius of Troyes (D. 861) and the Reception of the Patristic Tradition in the Carolingian Era

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Prudentius of Troyes (D. 861) and the Reception of the Patristic Tradition in the Carolingian Era Prudentius of Troyes (d. 861) and the Reception of the Patristic Tradition in the Carolingian Era by Jared G. Wielfaert A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto © Copyright by Jared Wielfaert 2015 Prudentius of Troyes (d. 861) and the Reception of the Patristic Tradition in the Carolingian Era Jared Gardner Wielfaert Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto 2015 ABSTRACT: This study concerns Prudentius, bishop of Troyes (861), a court scholar, historian, and pastor of the ninth century, whose extant corpus, though relatively extensive, remains unstudied. Born in Spain in the decades following the Frankish conquest of the Spanish march, Prudentius had been recruited to the Carolingian court under Louis the Pious, where he served as a palace chaplain for a twenty year period, before his eventual elevation to the see of Troyes in the 840s. With a career that moved from the frontier to the imperial court center, then back to the local world of the diocese and environment of cathedral libraries, sacred shrines, and local care of souls, the biography of Prudentius provides a frame for synthesis of several prevailing currents in the cultural history of the Carolingian era. His personal connections make him a rare link between the generation of the architects of the Carolingian reforms (Theodulf and Alcuin) and their students (Rabanus Maurus, Prudentius himself) and the great period of fruition of which the work of John Scottus Eriugena is the most widely recogized example. His involvement in the mid-century theological controversy over the doctrine of predestination illustrates the techniques and methods, as well as the concerns and preoccupations, of Carolingian era scholars engaged in the consolidation and interpretation of patristic opinion, particularly, that of Augustine. ii Acknowledgments Over the many years this thesis has taken to research and write, I have had the support of a remarkable committee. The project was conceived under the supervision of Nick Everett, who first introduced me to the Carolingians in a seminar taught his first semester (and mine) in Toronto (Fall 2003). His enthusiasm for this project and constant encouragement, even during the lengthy intermission of 2008-10, convinced me that I had a unique angle on an interesting and much neglected topic. Nick’s generosity with his time and willingness to meet, often on very short notice, helped me to keep working amidst the pressures and demands of a new teaching position in Tennessee. And his willingness to push his own work in new directions has inspired me to keep an eye open to ideas from beyond the more familiar world of scholarship on the Carolingians. My debts to Joe Goering go well beyond this dissertation, though it could not have been written without him. Joe introduced me to the intellectual culture of the Middle Ages and trained me to hew closely to the evidence. He provided instant and incisive criticism of each of the several drafts of my chapters, saved me from many errors, and kept me from expending energy on fruitless lines of inquiry. Joe and Paula Goering also provided material support. They opened their home to me during lengthy research visits to Toronto in the summers of 2010-2013, offered warm conversation, and provided numerous meals. Joe’s deep erudition is surpassed only by his generosity. And my time in Toronto has been enriched deeply by his friendship and by his example. Isabelle Cochelin, Giulio Silano, and Ken Mills each provided valuable support during my early years in Toronto. Thus, it was particularly gratifying to have them join my committee for the dissertation defense. Isabelle encouraged me to humanize Prudentius, and Giulio urged me to see him as a lawyer. Their incisiveness in the defense will doubtless prove crucial to developing this project further. Ken Mills gave generously of his time and deep learning in the summer of 2006. Our reading on multiple Marys in sixteenth-century Spain proved crucial to my discovering multiple Augustines in ninth-century Francia. Tom Noble provided astute advice on a number of topics, and has helped me begin to think of my dissertation as a book. It was an honor to have him as an external examiner. The work for this dissertation has happened amidst an eventful domestic life shared in Toronto and in Tennessee with Stacey and the kids, whom I can never thank adequately. When we drove a rickety UHaul into Toronto in the summer of 2003, we were seeing the city for the first time. The friends we soon made eased the transition to urban life and helped make our time in that city into one of the most exciting and rewarding periods of our time together. Kris and Krystal Kobold, Steve and Jan Pede, and Lisa Chen helped us get through that first year. Kris, Steve, and Lisa shared with me the daily joys and hardships of learning Latin. Shawn and Myrna Keough, Dave and Heather Delaney, and Bronwyn and Andrew McDonald provided warm companionship and doted first on Hallie, then on Sadie, our little Canadian. Myrna, Heather, and Bronwyn became lively colleagues and friends to Stacey, while Shawn Keough taught me how to get work done amidst the many distractions of the city and helped me to surmount the barriers that blocked me from seeing myself as a scholar. I remember warmly and with gratitude our conversations about our research and especially our shared faith. In Cleveland, Tennessee, we have been fortunate to find a congenial community in which to live and work. But living so distant from the library and faculty resources of Toronto posed certain challenges to finishing the dissertation. I could not have completed the research and writing without the generous iii financial support of the Lee University. Paul Conn and the President’s Office provided travel stipends in the summer of 2010-11 and generous tuition support in spring 2015, and the University’s Committee on Faculty Research has funded two summer research visits to Toronto. Special thanks go to the several colleagues who frequently asked about my work and provided stimulating conversation on related topics. Rickie Moore shared generously of his time and wisdom on a January afternoon and without his mentorship I would not be working at Lee. Randy Wood, Bob Barnett, Alan Wheeler, David Schlosser, and Aaron Johnson have been particularly supportive. Aaron, who has often acted as a surrogate supervisor, has endured numerous conversations on Prudentius, has read and commented on Chapters 3-5, and has frequently made available his deep learning on the literary cultures of late antiquity and on Neoplatonism. My time at Lee has been enriched greatly by the kindness and support of my students. Jared Johnson worked diligently through the Migne edition of the De praedestinatione and helped me produce the provisional list of patristic citations. He also worked tirelessly on my bibliography. His queries about medieval poetry quickly outgrew my expertise, but I am pleased that he will have more adequate resources now, as he completes his own PhD in the CMS, Toronto. Special thanks also go to Matthew Orsag, another Lee student in Toronto, who has taught his teacher much about the Middle Ages. I am fortunate to have had the support of generous parents, Doug and Marcy Wielfaert, without whom none of my academic pursuits would have been possible. Both parents worked tirelessly to provide the elementary and secondary education upon which all subsequent learning was based. They supported me financially throughout my undergraduate training and gave crucial material support during the years spent in Toronto. More recently, they, together with David and Cindy Beavers, have made our time in Tennessee more productive and more enjoyable through countless acts of kindness. Rachel and Michael Frazier have endured with good humor a brother’s distractedness and have provided great conversation and companionship along the way. During the years in Toronto, Helen Wielfaert generously hosted us on many visits to the farm. Mildred Norris provided financial and moral support at several important moments. She will remember that my grandfather, Gardner Norris, always said I’d write a book. One of my great sadnesses is that he did not live to see me do it. Stacey gave up a job and the close support of many friends and family to help me pursue my dream of an academic career. She has been my constant companion and has endured with me the deep personal costs of doctoral research. The dissertation is dedicated to her and to Hallie and Sadie, who have lived with Prudentius for far too long. iv For Stacey, Hallie, and Sadie v Table of Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One: Student, Court Chaplain, Bishop 11 Carmen 79 and Theodulf of Orleans 14 Education 18 Arrival at Court 19 Court and Court Chapel in Imperial Administration 23 Friends and Associates 25 Prudentius, “unworthy Bishop of Troyes” 27 The Diocese of Troyes 30 Bishop and Diocese 34 Bishop in Council, c. 845-861 36 Chapter Two: Extant Works 41 Annals of St. Bertin, c. 835-861 42 Epistola ad Hincmarum et Pardulum (849/850) 44 De praedestinatione contra Eriugenam (851/852) 45 Epistola Tractoria (856) 47 Epistola ad fratrem (ca. 843-c. 850) 48 Florilegium scripturae, or ‘Precepta’ (ca. 843-861) 48 Dedicatory verse on the Four Gospels (ca. 843-861) 49 Flores Psalmorum (uncertain: c. 830-33 or 840-43) 54 Inauthentic: The “Pontifical of Prudentius” 56 Sermo de vita et morte gloriosae Virginis Maurae 57 Conclusion 72 Chapter Three: Ordering Disorder in the Annals of St. Bertin 73 The Annals of St. Bertin 73 From Court Historian to Universal Historian 78 835-840 80 840-c.844 81 c.
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