Jerome’s letter 108 to Eustochium: Contemporary biography in service of ascetic ideology?
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Jerome’s letter 108 to Eustochium: Contemporary biography in service of ascetic ideology? | |
| Creator | Lamprecht, Johanna C. | |
| Description | Epistula (Letter) 108, one of the longest of Jerome’s letters, was written in 404 AD to console Eustochium for the loss of her mother Paula. Scholars have referred to this letter as a lengthy epitaphium with hagiographic features, a eulogistic tribute, a biographical eulogy of Paula, a laudatio funebris, a travelogue, a memoir, a metaphorical account of Paula’s pilgrimage through life, a piece of ascetic propaganda and a textual basis for a Bethlehem-centred cult of Paula the ascetic martyr-saint. The aim of this article is to analyse and comment on Jerome’s letter as an example of the genre of Graeco-Roman biography, containing various features of ancient βίοι. While Jerome cast the letter ostensibly as a consolatio for Eustochium, it turned out to be a commemoration of Paula, his patron, devoted disciple and monastic companion. The article will ultimately investigate whether this letter was written to sub-serve a higher motive of Jerome, the chief architect of 4th-century asceticism. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2017-06-28 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/hts.v73i3.4503 | |
| Source | HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies; Vol 73, No 3 (2017); 10 pages 2072-8050 0259-9422 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/4503/9642
https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/4503/9641
https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/4503/9643
https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/4503/9623
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