Latin Epics of the New Testament
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loginThis book explores some early works of Christian literature, thosedevoted to the New Testament in the 200 years or so after the rise ofConstantine by Juvencus, Sedulius, and Arator. They have beensomewhat neglected in the Anglophone world, at least, thoughthere are notable exceptions among the small number of relevantmonographs; it is important, especially in an increasingly interdis-ciplinary world, that they should be made accessible and their aimsand methods carefully presented to readers. This book, it is hoped,will serve as an introduction for those new to theWeld, a companionfor those who want to probe more deeply, an instrument of furtherstudy for specialists in this or relatedWelds, and perhaps a rehabili-tation of these authors for those who have been deterred by the lackof material or for any other reason. As well as the presentation of thenecessary biographical detail, there are in it numerous critical ques-tions, great and small (and of course answers to small questions oftencontribute to the solution of major problems), which need carefulassessment or reappraisal; and, above all, it needs to be explained forall who are interested in the classical tradition, as well as to anydoubters, why these works are legitimately called epic, how theyrelate to their Christian backgrounds as well as to classical epic,and what their value was to later centuries.
