Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century/Juvencus, C. Vettius Aquilinus
Juvencus, C. Vettius Aquilinus, a Christian
poet, by birth a Spaniard, descended from a
noble family. He was a presbyter, and composed
his poem on the gospels during the reign
of peace established by Constantine (Hist. Ev.
iv. 808 sqq.; Hieron. de Vir. Ill. c. 84; Ep.
lxx. Chronica ad 332 A.D.). His works shew
an acquaintance with the chief Latin poets.
(i) Historia Evangelica. This is the only extant work attributed to him on the authority of St. Jerome. It is an hexameter poem on our Lord's life, based upon the gospels. It is of interest as the first Christian epic, the first effort to tell the gospel story in a metrical form. Its chief merit lies in its literal adherence to the text. Commencing with the events of Luke i. ii. (i. 1–258), it passes to the account of St. Matthew (i. 18), and follows that to the end, omitting only a few short passages (xiii. 44–53, xx. 29–34, xxi. 10–13, xxiii. 15–26, 29–36, xxiv. 28), rarely supplemented from the other Synoptists (v. i. 355, ii. 43), but having large extracts from St. John, viz. i. 43–iv. (lib. ii. 99–348), v. 19–47 (ii. 639 sqq.), xi. (iv. 306–404). It is saved from baldness by a clear fluent style, which shews a knowledge of Vergil, Ovid, and Lucan. It seems to have been widely known from the first and quoted with approval by St. Jerome (ad Matt. ii. 11), pope Gelasius, Venantius Fortunatus (de Vita S. Martini, 1), Isidore, Jonas Scotus, Bede, and Alcuin (Migne, Prolegg. col. 42 sqq.) It has been edited no less than 30 times. The best separate edd. are by Reusch (Frankfort, 1710); Arevalo (Rome, 1792) (reprinted in Migne); and esp. Huemer (Vienna, 1891) in Corpus Script. Eccl. Lat. xxiv. Cf. Gebser, de G. Vett. Aq. Vita et Scriptis (lib. i. with intro. and notes), Jena, 1827; C. Marold, Ueber d. Evang.-buch des Juvencus in seinen Verhältniss z. Bibeltext in Zeitschr. für wissenschaft. Theol. xxxiii. p 329 (1890); Kritische Beiträge zur Hist. Evang. des Juvencus von Dr. J. Huemer in Wiener Studien (Vienna, 1880), pp. 81–112.
(ii) St. Jerome (u.s) attributes to him "nonnulla eodem metro ad sacramentorum ordinem pertinentia," but these are not extant.
(iii) Historia Vet. Testamenti. Only extant in parts, and its authorship doubtful.
(iv) Some later writers attribute hymns to him, but there is no trace of any except the canticles in Hist. Ev. and Hist. Vet. Test.
[W.L.]