Coelius Sedulius
Sedulius (sometimes with the nomen Coelius or Caelius, both of doubtful authenticity)[1] was a Christian poet of the first half of the 5th century.
Biography
Extremely little is known about his life. Sedulius is the Latin form of the Irish name Siadhal.[2] The only trustworthy information is given by his two letters to Macedonius, from which we learn that he devoted his early life, perhaps as a teacher of rhetoric, to secular literature. Late in life he converted to Christianity, or, if a Christian before, began to take his faith more seriously.[3] One medieval commentary states that he resided in Italy.[1] He is termed a presbyter by Isidore of Seville and in the Gelasian decree.[4]
Works
His fame rests mainly upon a long poem, Carmen paschale, based on the four gospels. In style a bombastic imitator of Virgil, he shows, nevertheless, a certain freedom in the handling of the Biblical story, and the poem soon became a quarry for the minor poets.[4] His description of the Four Evangelists in Carmen Paschale became well-known; the English translation below is from Springer (2013, p. 21).
Hoc Matthaeus agens hominem generaliter implet; |
Matthew plays the role of the whole human race; |
His other writings include an Abecedarian hymn in honour of Christ, A solis ortus cardine, consisting of twenty-three quatrains of iambic dimeters. This poem has partly passed into the liturgy, the first seven quatrains forming the Christmas hymn "A solis ortus cardine";[5] and the Epiphany hymn, "Hostis Herodes impie." A "Veteris et novi Testamenti collatio" in elegiac couplets has also come down.[4]
Editions
- Faustino Arévalo (Rome, 1794), reprinted in Jacques Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina vol. xix.
- Johann Huemer (Vienna, 1885).
- Victoria Panagl (Bearb.), Sedulius, Opera Omnia, Ex Recensione Iohannis Huemer (Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, 10), Wien, 2007, XLVII, 532 S.
- Springer, Carl P. (2013), Sedulius, The Paschal Song and Hymns, Ancient Israel and Its Literature, vol. 35, SBL Press, ISBN 978-1589837447
References
- ^ a b Paul Lejay (1913). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ "libraryireland.com".
- ^ "Biography of Sedulius (5th century poet) at Christian Classics Ethereal Library". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ a b c Chisholm 1911.
- ^ This incipit was borrowed for the Carolingian Planctus de obitu Karoli; see Peter Godman (1985), Latin Poetry of the Carolingian Renaissance (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press), 206–211.
Sources
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sedulius". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 580. This work in turn cites:
- Johann Huemer, De Sedulii poetae vita et scriptis commentatio (Vienna, 1878)
- Max Manitius, Geschichte der christlich-lateinischen Poesie (Stuttgart, 1891)
- Teuffel-Schwabe, History of Roman Literature (Eng. trans.), 473
- Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopädie für protestantische Theologie, xviii. (Leipzig, 1906)
- Smith and Wace, Dictionary of Christian Biography (1887)
Further reading
- Roger P H Green, Latin Epics of the New Testament: Juvencus, Sedulius, Arator, Oxford UP 2008 ISBN 978-0-19-928457-3 (reviewed by Teresa Morgan in the article "Poets for Jesus", Times Literary Supplement 4 April 2008 p 31).
External links
