Leiden University Student Repository

Mooiman, Hubert (2023)

Non uno itinere: Quintus Aurelius Symmachus and the invention of ‘paganism’

Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)

This thesis tries to review the traditional categories of 'pagan' and 'Christian' in late antique Roman literature by studying the literary afterlife of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. Symmachus is a figure that plays a prominent role in the invention of 'paganism' in late antique Christian apologetics. Through the lens of Ambrose's apologetic letters and Prudentius' epic poem 'Contra Symmachum', Symmachus has often been branded a 'prototypical pagan', even though his own works (especially Relatio 3) and Macrobius' near-contemporary 'Saturnalia' show very different pictures of the Roman senator. The case of the reception of Symmachus and the invention of 'paganism' in late antique literature highlight the biases of our reference system to interpret late antique literature.

Author

Mooiman, Hubert

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Classics

Supervisors

J.K. Zangenberg
C.H. Pieper

ECTS Credits

30

Language

en