Pliny and the letters of sidonius johns hopkins university. The network, headed by gavin kelly edinburgh and joop van waarden amsterdam, is preparing a comprehensive commentary on the works of the 5thcentury galloroman author sidonius apollinaris. Letter collection of sidonius apollinaris university. This translation, in two volumes contains only the letters. Later, in book 7 of the letters, sidonius makes the first of three. The only rendering worth mention is a translation into english of the letters alone by o. Although a saint, a bishop, and an important figure in a turbulent age, sidonius is. Although his panegyric poetry is of little consequence, his letters are an interesting historical source. According to apollinaris sidonius, the naves of the cathedral of lyon founded about 470 were separated from each other by a forest of columns and were covered by gilded, paneled ceilings. We combine high quality scholarship with high production values to produce important and beautiful books. The site is also home to the saxxi project, sidonius apollinaris for the 21st century, which aims to produce stateoftheart commentaries on sidonius poetry and prose.
Galloroman writers epistles and verses sidonius apollinaris. The design for his collection of 147 letters explicitly recalls the earlier models of pliny the younger and symmachus, yet sidoniuss letters are more creative than has been recognized. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read delphi complete works of. Sidonius is the single most important surviving author from fifthcentury gaul according to eric goldberg. About 452 he married papianilla, daughter of avitus, who was proclaimed emperor at the end of 455, and who set up in the forum of traj an a. Sidonius apollinaris, epistulae, books iix, book 1. Gavin kelly is professor of latin literature and roman history at the university of edinburgh. He had a minor role in imperial politics and was bishop of clermont.
Sidonius in antiquity and modernity blog of the academic. In the course of the argument, a detailed discussion, combined with a translation of the letter, aims to explain how sidonius. Apollinaris the younger, latin apollinarius, born c. Bekker, and was the first of the family to become a christian. With his father, apollinaris the elder, he reproduced the old testament in the form of homeric and pindaric poetry and the new testament in the style of platonic dialogues after the roman emperor julian had. His rich anecdotes feature the events, characters, and moments that defined his life, ranging from the treason trial of arvandus to the visigothic raiding of clermont, from the corrupt and vile seronatus to the holy widow eutropia, and the daytoday incidents that confronted a gallo. Gaius sollius modestus apollinaris sidonius, better known as saint sidonius apollinaris 5 november of an unknown year, c.
Sidonius apollinaris and the fall of rome, ad 407485. The allusive historiancambridge university press, 2008. An epitaph written by his grandson for his tomb near lyons speaks of him in the highest terms, especially on this account. Saint gregory of tours relates that the church of bishop namatius of clermont built c. A champion of latin letters and roman aristocratic.
A civilized barbarian and a barbarous roman sidonius apollinaris was a wellconnected aristocrat from southwest gaul, many of whose letters survive. Sympathetic insight into sidonius predicament balances dispassionate analysis. I am to set presumptuous foot where symmachus of the ample manner, and pliny of the perfected art have. Sidonius apollinaris, a galloroman, was born at lugdunum lyon about 430 ce. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This text is part of the internet medieval source book. A comprehensive introductory volume, the edinburgh companion to sidonius apollinaris, was published in march 2020. He married papianilla, daughter of the emperor avitus in whose. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading delphi complete works of sidonius apollinaris illustrated delphi ancient classics book 74. He was one of four galloroman aristocrats of the fifth to sixthcentury whose letters survive in quantity. The history of the decline of roman influence in fifthcentury gaul depends significantly on the writings and experiences of one mansidonius apollinaris. His letters are less concerned with retelling events than with recalling thematic motifs of the inspiring reign of the emperor trajan. Pdf dating the letters of sidonius apollinaris ralph mathisen.
The article discusses sidonius apollinaris epistula ii. Dictionary of christian biography and literature to the. Sidonius constantio suo salutem sidonius agricolae suo salutem sidonius philomathio suo salutem sidonius gaudentio suo salutem sidonius heronio1 suo salutem sidonius eutropio suo salutem sidonius vincentio suo salutem sidonius. The letters of sidonius, volume 2 includes bibliographical references v. Explore genealogy for saint sidonius apollinaris born abt. Sidonius apollinaris letters offer a vivid series of glimpses into an otherwise sparsely documented period. New approaches to sidonius apollinaris edited by johannes a. Delphi complete works of sidonius apollinaris illustrated ebook written by sidonius apollinaris. Introduction caius sollius apollinaris modestus sidonius 1 was born at lyons, about the year 431, and died at clermont perhaps in a. Digital master created according to benchmark for faithful digital reproductions of monographs and serials, version 1. Sidonius apollinaris and the fall of rome, ad 407485 by. Gaius sollius modestus sidonius apollinaris, bishop of. Sidonius apollinaris and the fall of rome, 407485 a.
For decades, ancient letters were only interesting to scholars for the historical information. Rome and constantinople in late antiquity oxford university press, 2012 and new approaches to sidonius apollinaris leuven, 20. The method of cultural and historical reconstruction with combination of biographical and. Apollinaris on the letter collection of the younger pliny has never been in doubt since. He married papianilla, daughter of the emperor avitus in whose honour he recited at rome on 1 january 456 a panegyric in verse. Sidonius has very seldom been translated into any language. With this useful methodology, we can achieve a new understanding of the single most important surviving author from fifthcentury gaul, sidonius apollinaris. He was of noble descent, his father and grandfather being christians and prefects of the pretorium of the gauls. The sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copypermitted texts related to medieval and byzantine history. Papianilla had two brothers, agricola and ecdicius, and possibly some sisters.
Papianilla floruit 455 was an aristocrat of roman gaul she was the daughter of eparchius avitus, who rose from the galloroman senatorial aristocracy to become western roman emperor from 455 to 456. Sidonius apollinaris has long been valued as a witness to the deathstruggle of roman gaul. He died, sometime after 480, and is canonised as a saint. Belonging to a noble family, he was educated under the best masters, and particularly excelled in poetry and polite literature. Sidonius was a man of many partsan aristocratic landowner with ancestral estates near lyons. Pdf the image of a christian in sidonius apollinaris letters. Stevenss sidonius apollinaris and his age oxford, 1933. Sidonius apollinaris 04300489 wikitree free family tree. Sidonius apollinaris, panegyric, preface, augustus, maecenas, virgil, horace a galloroman aristocrat who had an eventful life, closely linked to the history of the roman empire of the fifth century, sidonius apollinaris is the author of a collection of twentyfour poems and nine books of letters.
Reading the future, writing the present a literary and. Apollinaris sidonius caius sollius apollinaris sidonius. The digital loeb classical library extends the founding mission of james loeb with an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing virtual library of all that is important in greek and latin literature. This paper argues that sidonius letters deserve consideration as literary works, and that the time of the letters is best approached in narratological rather than strictly chronological terms. Sidonius lived long enough to outlive the last emperor, julius nepos.
Sollius apollinaris sidonius, bishop of clermont between c. Loyens outstanding study in 1943 of sidoniuss literary style and 2 c. Apollinaris the younger christian bishop britannica. Sidonius later joined a rebellion, it seems, but was finally reconciled to the emperor majorian and delivered at lyon in 458 a panegyric on. His grandfather apollinaris had been praefectus praetorio of gaul under the rival emperor constantine, a. Sidonius explicitly ruled out writing history owing perhaps to the political difficulties any such work would necessarily entail. About 452 he married papianilla, daughter of avitus, who was proclaimed emperor at the end of 455, and who set up in the. Delphi complete works of sidonius apollinaris illustrated delphi ancient classics book 74 kindle edition by apollinaris, sidonius. This translation, though it does not profess to follow the latin closely, has been justly welcomed by students of sidonius. The career of the galloroman senator and bishop, sidonius apollinaris c. Antoninus, to allay the thirst of the soldiers, whilst the enemy was discomfited by thunderbolts hurled upon them even by those historians who are at a wide remove from the doctrines that prevail among us, and who have been simply. Lectures in medieval history, by lynn harry nelson, emeritus professor of medieval history, the university of kansas, lawrence, kansas.
Delphi complete works of sidonius apollinaris illustrated. Gaius sollius modestus apollinaris sidonius or saint sidonius apollinaris c 430489 was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius apollinaris sidonius, christian author and bishop of clermont, b. Genealogy profile for saint sidonius apollinarius, bishop of clermont gaius sollius modestus sidonius apollinaris, bishop of clermont 430 489 genealogy genealogy for gaius sollius modestus sidonius apollinaris, bishop of clermont 430 489 family tree on geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Mgh text of the carmina and the epistulae, either in. What we have is a version meant to form a part of the second book of letters, and. Sidonius made his way to the city by boat and imperial post horses, arriving.