Nature and the Tradition of Late Latin Christian Poetry

The book Nature and the Tradition of Late Latin Christian Poetry is a collection of eleven scholarly essays by prominent international scholars that explore how nature was perceived and interpreted by Christian poets during Late Antiquity and beyond. Alongside the studies dedicated to the most relevant Latin poets of this age, the book features two chapters dedicated to Medieval Latin poetry and two on the Greek poet Gregory of Nazianzus, adding a broader cultural and intellectual dimension to the discussion. The essays investigate how natural phenomena, animals, landscapes, and the cosmos were understood not just as elements of the physical world, but as symbolic expressions of divine order and providence, and explore topics such as the description of spiritualized landscapes, the allegorical use of natural imagery in Biblical exegesis, and the moral dimension of animals and plants. Nature, in this context, is seen as a creation that reflects God’s wisdom and purpose.

By illuminating the Christianized vision of nature in this formative period, the book sheds light on how these early interpretations shaped Western thought for centuries to come.

Introduction (Donato De Gianni, Luciana Furbetta & Francesco Lubian)

The Natural World in Old and New Testament Latin Poetry
Phénomènes naturels et regard de l’homme dans l’Alethia de Claudius Marius Victorius : le problème des fins des trois livres (Michele Cutino)
The Role of Nature and the Natural World in Avitus’s De spiritalis historiae gestis (Michael Roberts)
Iordanes amoenus. Zur fluvialen Natursymbolik christlichen lateinischen Dichtung (Stefan Freund)
Les lois de la nature face aux miracles chez Sédulius et Arator (Bruno Bureau)

Nature in the Tradition of Christian Latin Poetry
Salubres aurae. Natura, spiritualità e poesia nel propemptikon cristiano di Paolino di Nola (Marco Onorato)
Sur trois tempêtes dans les Vie de saint Martin de Paulin de Périgueux et de Venance Fortunat : le traitement d’un motif hagiographique, entre références scripturaires et intertextes classiques (François Mottais)
Le paysage dans la Johannide de Corippe : la nature, les hommes et Dieu (Vincent Zarini)
Close Reading Walahfrid. Der zweifache Blick des ‘Schielers’ auf seinen Klostergarten (Hortulus) (Kurt Smolak)
Der Versuch einer Versöhnung von biblischem Kreationismus und zeitgenössischer Naturwissenschaft? Das pseudo-ambrosianische Gedicht De naturis rerum (Christoph Schubert)

Nature in Greek Christian Poetry: Gregory Nazianzen
Natura, paesaggio e uomo in Gregorio di Nazianzo (Domenico Accorinti)
Nature in the Poetry of Gregory Nazianzen. Humans, Animals, Salvation (Fotini Hadijttofi & Anna Lefteratou)

Index
The Authors