Prudentius (? in

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

– 6 April 861 at

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) was

bishop of Troyes The Diocese of Troyes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Trecensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Troyes'') is a Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt ...

, a chronicler and an opponent of

Hincmar of Reims Hincmar (; ; la, Hincmarus; 806 – 21 December 882), archbishop of Reims, was a Frankish jurist and theologian, as well as the friend, advisor and propagandist of Charles the Bald. He belonged to a noble family of northern Francia. Biography Ea ...

in the controversy on

predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...

Life

Prudentius left Spain in his youth and came to the

Frankish Empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

, where he changed his name from Galindo to Prudentius. He was educated at the

Palatine School A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.

, At the court of King

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

he took over writing the '' Annals of St Bertin'' from about 835 until his death in 861. He became Bishop of Troyes in 843. At Troyes his feast is celebrated on 6 April as that of a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

, though the

Bollandists The Bollandist Society ( la, Societas Bollandistarum french: Société des Bollandistes) are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century h ...

do not recognize his cult. His works, with the exception of his poems, are printed in

Migne Jacques Paul Migne (; 25 October 1800 – 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the Church Fathers, with the goal of providing a u ...

's ''

Patrologia Latina The ''Patrologia Latina'' (Latin for ''The Latin Patrology'') is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1841 and 1855, with indices published between ...

'', CXV, 971–1458. His poems in ''

Monumenta Germaniae Historica The ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica'' (''MGH'') is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of Northwestern and Central European history from the end of the Roman Empire ...

Poetæ'' Lat., II, 679 sq. He is commemortaed on 6 April in Martyrologium Romanun (2004)

Theological views

In the controversy on predestination between

Gottschalk of Orbais Gottschalk (Latin: Godescalc, Gotteschalchus) of Orbais (c. 808 – 30 October 868 AD) was a Saxon theologian, monk and poet. Gottschalk was an early advocate for the doctrine of two-fold predestination, an issue that ripped through both Italy and ...

, Archbishop

, and Bishop

Pardulus of Laon Pardulus of Laon was bishop of Laon from 847 to 857. He is known for his participation in theological controversy. A letter of his to Hincmar of Reims is known. Pardulus was a deacon of the cathedral of Reims before he became bishop. He was a bish ...

, he opposed Hincmar in an epistle addressed to him. In this epistle, which was written about 849, he defends a

double predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby ...

, ''

viz. The abbreviation ''viz.'' (or ''viz'' without a full stop) is short for the Latin , which itself is a contraction of the Latin phrase ''videre licet'', meaning "it is permitted to see". It is used as a synonym for "namely", "that is to say", "to ...

'', one for reward, the other for punishment, not, however, for sin. He further upholds that Christ died only for those who are actually saved. The same opinion he defends in his ''De prædestinatione contra Johannem Scotum'', which he wrote in 851 at the instance of Archbishop

Wenilo of Sens Wenilo, , , . ''Wanilo'' is a contemporary Latin variant. (died 865) was the archbishop of Sens from 836 or 837. Prior to becoming bishop, Wenilo was a palatine chaplain. As bishop, he was one of the leading men in Aquitaine and crowned Charles the ...

who had sent him nineteen articles of

Eriugena John Scotus Eriugena, also known as Johannes Scotus Erigena, John the Scot, or John the Irish-born ( – c. 877) was an Irish people, Irish Neoplatonism, Neoplatonist Philosophy, philosopher, Theology, theologian and poet of the Early M ...

's work on predestination for refutation. Still it appears that at the

synod of Quierzy A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word meani ...

, he subscribed to four articles of Hincmar which admit only one predestination, perhaps out of reverence for the archbishop, or out of fear of King

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...

. In his ''Epistola tractoria ad Wenilonem'', written about 856, he again upholds his former opinion and makes his approval of the

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

of the new bishop

Æneas of Paris Aeneas of Paris (died 27 December 870) was bishop of Paris from 858 to 870. He is best known as the author of one of the controversial treatises against the Byzantines ("Greeks"), called forth by the encyclical letters of Photius. His comprehensive ...

depend on the latter's subscription to four articles favouring a double predestination. Of great historical value is his continuation of the ''

Annales Bertiniani ''Annales Bertiniani'' (''Annals of Saint Bertin'') are late Carolingian, Frankish annals that were found in the Abbey of Saint Bertin, Saint-Omer, France, after which they are named. Their account is taken to cover the period 830-82, thus contin ...

'' from 835 to 61, in which he presents a reliable history of that period of the Western Frankish Empire. He is also the author of ''Vita Sanctæ Mauræ Virginis'' and some poems. Hincmar of Reims wrote that Prudentius died "still scribbling away at many things that were mutually contradictory and contrary to faith."Story, ''Carolingian Connections'' p. 230, n. 77

References

*Girgensohn, ''Prudentius und die Bertinianischen Annalene'' (Riga, 1875) *Freystedt, ''Ueber den Prädestinationsstreit in Zeitschrift für wissenschaftl. Theologie'' (1893), 315 sq., 447 sq. *Breyer, ''Les vies de St. Prudence Evéque de Troyes, et de St. Maura, vierge'' (Troyes, 1725) *Meddeldorff, ''De Prudentio et theologia Prudentiana commentatio in Zeitschrift für histor. Theol.'', II (1832), 127-190

Notes

External links

*
Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes
{{Authority control 861 deaths Bishops of Troyes French Christian theologians 9th-century Latin writers Writers from the Carolingian Empire 9th-century French bishops Year of birth unknown Medieval French theologians 9th-century Christian theologians Carolingian poets Medieval German saints History of Catholicism in Germany 9th-century bishops 9th-century Frankish saints 9th-century Frankish writers 9th-century poets Roman Catholic bishops in Germany Spanish saints