Juvencus facts for kids
Gaius Vettius Aquilinus Juvencus was an early Roman Christian poet. He lived around the year 330 AD and wrote in Latin. He was from Hispania (modern-day Spain and Portugal).
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Who Was Juvencus?
We don't know much about Juvencus's life. Most of what we know comes from St. Jerome, a famous Christian scholar. St. Jerome tells us that Juvencus was from a very good family in Spain. He also became a priest. Juvencus wrote his poems during the time of Constantine I, who was a Roman Emperor. From his writings, it seems he wrote around the year 330 AD.
His Main Work: The Gospels in Poetry
Juvencus's most important poem is called Evangeliorum libri. This means "Books of the Gospels." It's a long poem written in a style called dactylic hexameter. This was a common style for epic poems in ancient Rome.
His poem tells the story of Christ's life. He mainly followed the Gospel of St. Matthew. But he also used parts from other Gospels, like St. Luke, for stories he didn't find in St. Matthew. For example, he used St. Luke's account for the story of Jesus's childhood. St. Jerome said that Juvencus followed the original Gospel text very closely, "almost literally."
Juvencus's Writing Style
Juvencus's main goal was to turn the Gospel stories into beautiful poetry. He wanted his language to sound like the famous Latin poets, especially Virgil. He tried to make the Gospel text easy to read in a poetic way.
He showed his creativity by:
- Making up new words, like auricolor (gold-colored) or flammiuomus (flame-vomiting).
- Using elegant words for Christian ideas. For example, he used tonans (thunderer) for "God." He used genitor (father) for God the Father. He used spiramen (breath) for the Holy Ghost. And he used uersutia (cunning) for the Devil.
- Using some older, classic Latin words.
His writing was correct, and his verses were well-made. However, some people felt his poems lacked strong emotion or action. A few small mistakes in the rhythm of his poetry show the time he lived in. Overall, his work was very carefully put together.
The Poem's Message and Structure
In the beginning of his poem, called the prologue, Juvencus explained his purpose. He wanted to challenge the made-up stories of pagan poets like Homer and Virgil. Instead, he wanted to share the truth and glory of the Christian Faith. He hoped his poem would last forever, even if the world ended in fire. He also hoped it would save him from hell.
Instead of asking pagan gods like the Muses or Apollo for inspiration, Juvencus asked the Holy Spirit for help.
His poem is divided into four books. These books tell different parts of Christ's life. The number four might be important because there are four Gospels. People have found other hidden meanings in Juvencus's work. One famous example is the meaning he gave to the gifts of the Magi. He said the incense was for God, the gold for the King, and the myrrh for the Man (Jesus). This idea became very popular later on.
There are also eight short verses at the beginning of the poem. Some people aren't sure if Juvencus wrote them. These verses describe the Evangelists and give them symbols. But they give the eagle to St. Mark and the lion to St. John, which is different from later traditions.
What Inspired Juvencus?
Juvencus used an old version of the Bible text for his poem. Sometimes, he might have even looked at the original Greek text. For his poetic style, he was most inspired by Virgil. He also learned from other famous Roman poets like Lucretius, Propertius, Horace, Ovid, Silius Italicus, and Statius.
Because his work was so well-structured and correct, it was very popular in the Middle Ages. People often quoted it, copied it, and used it as a model for their own writing.
St. Jerome also mentioned that Juvencus wrote another, shorter Christian poem. It was about "the order of the mysteries" (Sacramentorum ordinem). Sadly, this work is now lost.
Some modern writers have mistakenly said that Juvencus wrote other works. For example, they thought he wrote the Heptateuchus, which was actually by Cyprianus Gallus. They also thought he wrote De Laudibus Domini, but that was by a student from Augustodunum (Autun).
Editions and Translations
- Reginald Oliver published a version of Historia Evangelica in Ipswich in 1534.
- C. Marold published an edition in Leipzig in 1886.
- J. Hümer published an edition in Vienna in 1891.
See also
In Spanish: Juvenco para niños
