Arator: Historia Apostolica

Arator’s Historia Apostolica, a poetic rewriting of the Acts of the Apostles first published in 544, is a heady mix of epic verse and mystical commentary, which not just proved an instant success in sixth-century Rome but enjoyed lasting popularity, not least among the monks of Anglo-Saxon England and the Carolingian continent.

Arator’s Historia Apostolica,published with papal approval and to great acclaim in 544, is an enthralling epicpoem which retells the story of the Actsof Apostles, following clearly in the stylistic footsteps of Vergil andLucan. On the other hand, it is also a detailed commentary on what Aratorperceived to be the hidden meaning of the biblical text, divined and revealedthrough the technique of allegorical interpretation and drawing upon the exegesisof Origen, Ambrose, Augustine, and others. Narrative and commentary alternatethroughout the work to enthralling effect, as the apostles Peter and Paulembark on their separate missionary adventures, eventually to be reunited in martyrdom in Nero’s Rome.

The translation is preceded by an introduction which begins with a re-evaluationof the sources which detail Arator’s life, in particular taking a fresh look athis relationship with his mentor Ennodius. There follow an examination of thepoet’s aims, methods and inspirations and a discussion of his attitudes toheresies both past and present. The introduction ends with a ground-breakingexamination of the ‘afterlife’ of Arator’s poem, mapping the extent of hisinfluence, as evident in quotation and allusion, the copying of manuscripts,and inclusion in medieval libraries from the sixth century to the eleventh.Arator’s influence on several later authors, most notably the Venerable Bede,is explored in more detail in a number of appendixes. Arator’s combination ofepic verse and mystical commentary was a heady and potent mix and ensured thepoem’s popularity, not least among the monks of Anglo-Saxon England and theCarolingian continent.

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