Paulinus of Nola

Dennis Trout (University of Missouri)

Ed. by William John Dominik, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (The American University of Paris)

Dates

Born 354
Died 22 Jun 431
Activity 394-431

Places

Born in Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire)
Active in Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire)

Activities

Primary

Bishop

Resources

Among his contemporaries the reputation of Meropius Pontius Paulinus (ca. 352-431 CE) was founded upon two qualities: first, the particular spiritual convictions that spurred him to renounce his secular lifestyle and political opportunities in favor of an ascetic regimen lived out in proximity to the tomb of a venerated third-century confessor (Felix of Nola); and, second, a facility with Latin prose and verse composition that made him a significant voice in the cultural reformation that accompanied the conversion to Christianity of a sizeable portion of the western Roman aristocracy in the later fourth century. It was no liability that Paulinus’ social and epistolary network included such leading literary and intellectual figures as A…

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1442 words

Citation: Trout, Dennis. "Paulinus of Nola". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 December 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13000, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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