Capacidad contributiva

Although the apostles are most often indicated with the word discipuli, Juvencus uses several other words too. The comparisons of the disciples to sailors (Eu. 2,34 and 3,104) has already been mentioned: it emphasises the anxiety of the apostles when they are at sea in a storm. The first passage is part of the versification of Matt 8.23-7 (Jesus calms the storm): the emphasis in the Gospel is on the fear of the disciples. The other passage belongs to the story of Jesus walking on the water (Matt 14.22-33) where the stress is on Jesus and Peter, who tries to walk towards his master. In Eu. 2,34-5 little is added compared to the corresponding Biblical text Matt 8.25 (Et accesserunt discipuli eius

et suscitauerunt eum dicentes: ‘Domine, libera nos, perimus.’): Illum discipuli pariter nautaeque pauentes / euigilare rogant pontique pericula monstrant.343 _{Since there were}

no seamen in the boat according to the Biblical story, nautae pauentes is probably to be understood as describing the apostles. The word pauentes underlines the fear of the apostles. The word nautae enlivens the depiction of the story. The direct discourse of the Bible seems to be replaced by pontique pericula.

The other passage is much more elaborated by Juvencus. The fear of the apostles is discussed in detail (Eu. 3,103-8):344

(...) -mirabile visu-!

Iamque propinquabat puppi, sed nescia nautae

105 attoniti tremulo uibrabant corda pauore clamoremque simul confusa mente dederunt.

Tum pauidis Christus loquitur: ‘Timor omnis abesto, credentumque regat uegetans constantia mentem.’

‘Wonderful to behold! He already approached the ship, but the seamen, astonished by tremulous fear, trembled in their ignorant hearts and they cried

343 _{‘The disciples and the trembling seamen with them ask him to wake up and show him the} dangers of the sea.’ For the vast influence of the Aeneid here, see Canali, Santorelli et al. (2011) 291-4 and Green (2006) 62-3.

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while their mind was confused. Then Christ speaks to the terrified: “Put away any fear, and may firmness that invigorates rule the mind of those who believe.’”

In Matt 14.26-7 the situation is described as follows:

Videntes autem illum super mare ambulantem turbati sunt dicentes quia fantasma est et praetimore clamauerunt. 27 Statimque Iesus locutus est eis dicens: ‘Constantes estote. Nolite timere (...).’

The word pavidis in Eu. 3,107 has no corresponding equivalent in the Bible and emphasises the fear of the apostles,345 _{probably in order to make the scene}

more lively.346 _{Credentumque stresses that the apostles do not have (enough) faith}

and is therefore a negative remark, in the focalisation of Christ himself. However, nescia corda (Eu. 3,104-5) seems almost to be an exonerating, positive addition. Nolite timere is rendered with the Vergilian phrase timor omnis abesto (Aen. 11,14), referring to a victorious (safe) moment when Aeneas has killed king Mezentius, ally of Turnus.347

A slightly more common term for the apostles in Juvencus’ work is

comites, which is also used twice in the singular to designate an apostle, for

Phillip and Peter. In Eu. 3,323 it is used to indicate Peter, Jacob and John instead of the twelve. The word is used three times for the twelve apostles, always in an impartial context.

The word socii is used three times to indicate the disciples.348 _{In Eu.}

4,508 it is used by Juvencus to clarify the Biblical text. In the gospel, Jesus

345 _{Cf. Bauer (1999) 105: “Unbiblisch ist auch die Epiphaniefurcht der Jünger (...).”}

346 _{“(…) a mettere in evidenza la psicologia dei personaggi (…)”, Canali, Santorelli et al. (2011)} 343.

347 _{The phrase timor omnis abesto, coined by Vergil, appears four times in Latin poetry until} Prudentius, always in the last part of a verse. Where Juvencus employs it in his account of Jesus encouraging the apostles, like Proba in 665 (Jesus appears to his apostles after his Resurrection), Prudentius again uses it in a context similar to the original, when rejoicing at the defeat of Alaric at Pollentia (C.Symm. 2,737). It is also cited in the cento of Hosidius Geta (Medea Tragoedia 181).

348 _{Bauer (1999) 155 is mistaken when he states that Juvencus uses the word five times for the} disciples. Juvencus indeed uses it five times in the Eu., but in 4,287 (daemonis horrendi sociis) the

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separates from Peter and the sons of Zebedee (Matt 26.37-8) and prays to his Father. In Matt 26.40 he returns for the first time to the three apostles and speaks to Peter. In Matt 26.43 he returns again (and summons the disciples to wake up, Matt 26.45-6), but it is not made explicit to whom of the apostles he returns: it seems as if he just awakes the three disciples whom he had separated from the eight others. But immediately afterwards, Jesus is arrested when the eleven disciples are with him (Matt 26.56). Juvencus clarifies the scene by indicating that Peter, James and John may see their fellow disciples again, by adding (licet) sociosque reuisere vestros. The phrase emphasises the unity among the disciples, like in Eu. 3,126 where cuncti, nauigio socios quos casus habebat versifies the neutral phrase qui autem in nauicula erant (Matt 14.33).349

In Eu. 4,481 Peter, James and John are indicated by the word

ministros.350 _{In Eu. 3,89 ministri is used to refer to all of the apostles. The word is}

also used in a general meaning (‘servant’, e.g. in Eu. 2,444).

In Eu. 2,100 Jesus incites Philip to follow ‘his friends’ (suis amicis, indirect discourse). This is an addition to the corresponding Biblical text, where Jesus says in a direct discourse to Philip: ‘Sequere me’.351 _{The only reason}

to use the word amicus here is emphasising the disciples’ closeness to Jesus. In Eu. 3,494 Juvencus uses plebs sectantum to indicate the apostles: he does something similar in Eu. 2,562 (populus sectantum discipulorum).352 _There

seems no specific reason to use these terms here.

In Eu. 4,784-9 (Matt 28.16-7) Juvencus stresses the fear and the lack of faith of the apostles:

word means ‘allies of the devil’ and in 4,176 (socium) ‘friend’ or ‘colleague’. In both cases it does not refer to the twelve.

349 _{‘all those, who chance had as companions in the boat.’ The other instance with the word}

socii is Eu. 3,238, where Jesus addresses his disciples to teach them (cf. Matt 16.6 seq.).

350 _{Cf. Bauer (1999) 77-8: “Ohne den Zusatz patris/patrii – die Hss. Variieren an allen} entsprechenden Stellen – bezeichnet ministri bei Juvencus üblicherweise die Apostel.” But

ministri appears just twice in the Eu.

351 _{De Wit (1947) 36 points to the Greek text of Luke 12.4: Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν τοῖς φίλοις μου. This is} another passage, but suggests that Juvencus’ addition was not original or unusual.

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Iamque Galilaeos conscenderat anxia montes mandatis Christi concurrens turba suorum: cernitur ecce suis proles ueneranda Tonantis, illum procumbens sancte chorus omnis adorat; nec tamen in cunctis pariter fundata manebat pectoribus uirtus, nam pars dubitabat eorum.

‘And the scared group of his disciples had already ascended the Galilean mountains, gathering on Christ’s commands: look, he is seen by them as the venerable sprout of the thunder God. And the whole chorus devotedly prostrates and adores him. But there was not a similarly well-founded faith in all their hearts, because a part of them was hesitating.’

This passage, which in the Gospel of Matthew describes the last meeting of the apostles with Jesus, is the only one in which Juvencus employs the words turba and chorus for the (now eleven) apostles. Their lack of faith is emphasised by verses 788-9, which do not have a corresponding Biblical example. In v. 784, Juvencus adds anxia: apparently, the apostles are afraid to meet someone whom they expect to be a ghost, because they cannot imagine that Christ has really risen (cf. Luke 24.37).353 _{At the other hand, the addition of sancte,}

emphasising the piety of the apostles, suggests that their fear is a holy fear. Just once, the disciples are called fratres in Juvencus (Eu. 4,773), which is a repetition of fratribus used in Matt 28.10.