Commodianus

Commodianus Synopsis

Commodianus: Introduction, Text, Translation, Commentary offers a new critical edition and the first complete English translation of the poetry of the early Christian poet Commodianus. It includes also an extensive introduction and commentary which elucidate the relevant linguistic, historical, and theological issues. Commodianus is the first Christan poet whose works survive to this day, but he has enjoyed only minimal attention from scholars in Patristics and Classics.

The book presents him as an important witness to the political and social turmoil of the Crisis of the Third Century CE. Commodianus' poetry offers insights into the lives and beliefs of early Christians from different social strata and in different circumstances, such as persecution and warfare. Many of those views are highly idiosyncratic and even otherwise unattested, such as the poet's eschatology.

Commodianus will also be of interest to students and specialists in Latin poetry due to his reliance on popular parlance and critical engagement with Roman literary tradition. The Latin text is not a reproduction of earlier editions and instead derives from consultation and study of the manuscript evidence, shedding additional light on the textual history and reception of texts in questions. The book, being one of the very few full-scale treatments of Commodians in the history of scholarship, will prove useful to students and scholars in history, classics, and theology.