Dwntive in them. History tutd tiixeady been raduoed method of expoeition, but aieo furniohes some of the to a number of itereotyped Bcenee by the profuie maa- themes developed, commonpkces of popular morality, t«Ta, &nd hod been incorpor&ted, at Alexandria, in that modified and adapted, but still recognuable. WitA- elementary literature which condeosed b11 knowledge out repudiating tnis indebtedness of Christian lit«ra- into ft minimum of dry formula. The "Chronicle "of ture to pagan literary form, one cannot he!p seeing in St. Jerome, really only a continuation of that of Eu- itsdoublecharacter, oratorical and moral, the peculiar sebius, is in turn continued by a seriea of special stamp of Roman genius. This explains the con- writers, and even a Sulpicius Severus betrays the in- stant tone of exhortation which makes most works of fluence of the new form of chronicle. While in these ecclesiastical writers so monotonous and tiresome, departments of literature the West but imitates the Exegesis borrows from Greek and Jewish literature East, it follows at the same time its own practical ten- the system of allegory, but it lends to these parables a dencics. Indeed, the Latin writeis make no pretence moralizing and edifymg turn, ll^iography finds its to originality; they take their materials from their models in biographies Tike thtsc of Plutarch, but al- E^tem brethren. Five of them, Hilary, Jerome, ways accentuates their panegyrical and moral tone. Rufinus, Caasian, and Marius Mercator, have been Some compensation is to be found in the autobiograph- described as helleniEing Westerns. St. Ambrose is ical writings, the personal letters, memoira, and con- generally considered an authentic representative of feesions. In the "Confessions" of St. Augustine we the Latin mind, and this is true of the bent of his gen- have a work the value of which is unique in the litera- ius and of his exercise of authority as the head of a ture of all time.
Church; but no one, perhaps, translated more fre- Although its oratorical methods are chosen with an quently from the Greek writers, or did it with more eye to the character of its public, there is nothing t>op- ^irit or more care. It is an acknowledged fact that ular in the form of Christian Latin literature, notliing his exegesis is taken from St. Basil's " Hexaemeron" even corresponding to the freedom of the primitive and from a series of treatises on Genesis by Philo. translationsof the Bible. In prose, the work of Luci- Tbe same holds good in respect to his dogrnatic or fer of Cagliari stands almost alone, and reveals the mystical treatises: the "De mysteriis", written in his aforesaid rhetorical influence almost as much as it does last years, before 397, is largelj' taken from Cyril of the writer's incorrectness. The Christian poets might Jerusalem and a treatiKe of DidjTnus of Alexandria have wandered somewhat more freely from the beaten publislied a little before 381, while the "De Spiritu path; nevertheless, they were content to imitate olas- Sancto", written before Easier, 381, is a compilation sical poetry in an age when prosody, owing to the from AthanasiuB, Basil, Didymus, and Epiphanius, changes in pronunciation, had ceased to be a living from a recension of thp "Catecheses" of Cyril made thing. Juveneus was more typical than Pnidentius. after 3(50, and from some theological discourses which The verses of the Christian poets arc as artificial as had been delivered by Gregory of Naiiangus leas than those of good scholars in our own time. Commo- atwclvemonth previously (i)30). St. Augustine is less dianus, out of sheer ignorance, supplies the defects of erudite; his learning, if not his philosophy, is more prosody with the tonic accent. Indeed, anew type of Latin than Greek. But it is the strength of his genius riiythm, based on accent, was about to develop from which makes him the most original of the Latin the new pronunciation; St. Augustine gives an exam- Fathers, pie of it m his " psalmus abecedarius ", It may there- One influence, however, no Christian writer in the fore be said that from the point of view of literaiy West escaped, that of the literary school and the lit- history the work of the Latin Christian writers is little erary tradition. From the licginning similarities of more than a survival and a prolongation of the early Style with Pronto and Apuleius appear numerous and profane literature of Rome. It counta amone its distinctly perceptible in Minucius Felix, Tertullian, celebrities some gifted writers and one of the noblest and Zeno of Verona; owing, perhaps, to the fact tha g n use h m ..... all writers, sacred and profane, adopted then the sam und ■
fashions, particularly unitation of the old Latin wri ^ '■ — .--
crs. To its traditional character also, early Christian ^^ rf'dVlMjWo*'
Latin literature owes two characteristics more pecu n, mdiu d Arad-mM dn
iarly its own ; it is oratorical, and it is moral. From ntm to v ^ """' r^ ■^ " j' ^J.'""""
remote antiquity there had existed a moral literature '^™ "" ™^ ^ A^>a£ uJb enrnmr Bmlau 1879-
more exactly a preaching, which brought certain 88 one nl « in ed C Bfouanum od
truths within the reach of the masses, and by the tnpioTeM m»du» M tafiwum latiniuau (Pans, 16<B); Ronsch,
j>Knroft»r nf its Bii[lipn<>D won cnm™illiul tr. omr.1^., ""' "" Vvloala, Dot SpToth-idiam drr Ilala nndder Vaigala
cnaracier oi iia auuience was compellea to employ -jiartjuiK, 1875); Hopra. Svntaj- raid Slil drt Tmullianv*
certam modes of expression. On this common ground (Leip.ig, 19031. cf. Snue Criitow. I (1908), 107; moM of tlw
the CVnic and the Stoic philosophies had met since at.adiam'W6lWii'aArctiiv{'iTlai.LriikotrafAiiundGrairaiH-
tne tnira century dci ore Chnst. trom the still ex- ^^^ priKillian. HI (1888). 300; Luri/n- of CagHiri. ill
tant remains of leles and Bion of Bor\'sthenes we (i8.se), l; the Pernmnofiu orf lora mncto of Silvia iEtkmn).
can form some idea of this style of preacliine. From IV (1887), 259; XV (1901). 238: XV (19(>8). 5<B; Crfanu.,
this source the satire of Horace borrows some of its "" (1003). I; SaiMBaudicl. IX p896), 493; Jordanc, XI
themes. This Cynico-Stoic morality finds expression iss*);' Bonskt. Ct latin dr Grfooi-n dr Toun (Parii. 1890)!
also in the Greek of Musonius, Epictetus, and some of «i™» gnwral importajica Be* Ihc hiBionsna of laliu
of Plutarch's treatises, likewise in the Latin of Son- J|^h'/hi?oriS' oTcbriSra Ef"mVim"{H' bnT^"" N™*'!?"
eca's letters and opuicula. Its decidedly oratorical ALXnn. Bahdbhreves), atao the artiplM of thii eno-clo-
Charactcr it owes to the factthatwith the beginning of rwdia. r^tivo to pKtrolop', theology. ChHsliiui writcn, imtl
the Christian era rhetoric became the sole form of , ™'." rS^ J2 I'JfS^ !n^.?:l T™i™ iK^.ii^« tiH
... ,, J f ^ L- ,¥M ■ A |..- ArHFI-is, Die Munymioffim (Berlin. IWKl); I^AUW^AItx, (w*
literary culture and of teaching. This tradition was rT.-rv )jnii> arr rlmiKhm Cfmittrim in Rom. Quattaltthrifl,
perpetuated bv the Fathers. It furnished them the XV (1901), 1; DycHFBNB, Let Prmndeux in M/lansn dr
inrmn most, n^dirl Tnr thpir wnrlt nf instmetinn- tho I^Scolt de Romi. XXIV (1904), 76; Lejat. Reoue ShtUatre tt
lomis most needed tor their work of instruction the ^ jituroi^ ««ffi™.«. vn (19621, 367: Stwhachiii. t'((»T dit
letter, developed mto a brief treatise or reasoned ex- ^Ualt ptntHlidu RrgiHerweien in MiUrilunnrn dit IntliluU
position of opinion in the correspondence of Seneca f oiierrricJi. OtKhirhiifvrKhuns, XXIII (1901). 1; Hab-
with Lucilius; the treatise in the shape of a discourse 1,'i^^^J' zi^D^^h^'i'v^- ^^T^owin %S^«I,"
tn- as Seneca again calls it a dialf>!7u«,- lastly, the ser- KnC<itvi<<». p.29e(oaChTutiuipmching).
mon itself, in all its varieties of conference, funeral Paul Lejat, oration, and homily. Indeed, homily {homtiia) is a
technical term of the Cyi>ic and Stoic moralists. And IT. Sixth to Twintibth CBNTtmT. — During the
the aforesaid literwy tradition not only dominAtee the Middle Ages the so-called church Latin was to a great
