Las teorías existentes sobre el servicio público
VII.- Capacidad de pago
The list of apostles, which can be found in all the synoptic gospels (Matt 10.1- 4; Mark 3.16-9; Luke 6.14-6), has not been versified by Juvencus. The election of the twelve disciples is described without naming them in Eu. 2,430-1: Haec
fatus populo ex omni delecta seorsum / fortia conglomerat bisseno pectora coetu.354
353 But cf. Knappitsch (1912-1913) 85: “anxia – et propter ea, quae euentura essent et propter Iudaeorum metum.”
354 ‘After he had said this, he gathered in a group twelve strong hearts, elected out of all the people.’
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Presumably, Juvencus has omitted the names, because he wanted to avoid alienating effects in his work: he often omitted Jewish names, e.g. in Eu. 2,100 (John 1.44) and 4,714-5 (Matt 27.55-6). Moreover, most apostles do not have an important role in the gospels.355 Therefore, Juvencus was not interested in
the apostles as individuals (cf. I.4.2 below), but as a group of Jesus’ closest followers.
After Eu. 2,162 the disciples mentioned in John 2.17 are not mentioned, maybe because Juvencus tends to avoid citations of the Old Testament.356 Although in Eu. 2,101-346 Juvencus versified the gospel of John,
he left out John 3.22-4.2. Consequently, he does not versify a remark about the fact that the disciples were baptising people. In an epic about the Christi uitalia
gesta, it is not surprising that Juvencus omitted this Biblical verse. In Eu. 2,728
Juvencus has omitted the reference to the disciples which can be read in the corresponding Biblical passage Matt 12.49: Et extendens manum in discipulos suos
dixit: Ecce mater mea et fratres mei. But here the evangelist seems to suggest that
Jesus spoke about the mass of people he is talking to (Matt 12.46).357 Maybe
Juvencus has omitted the designation discipulos to avoid confusion between the twelve and Jesus’ other followers.
After Eu. 4,315 Juvencus has left out the versification of John 11.5-10 one would expect to follow. In the Biblical passage the dilatory attitude of
355 “Nel tipo di parafrasi praticata da Giovenco spesso i personaggi minori dell’azione biblica perdono le connotazioni geografiche e sociali (...).”, Santorelli (2005) 112. This aspect of Juvencus’ versification technique has also much been discussed as “Entjudaisierung”, particularly after the study of the poet’s anti-Semitism by Poinsotte (1979). Most scholars have a less outspoken view than he, and explain the anti-Jewish features of the poem by the widespread negative view on Jews that was embedded in classical and early Christian culture, without considering Juvencus to be more anti-Semitic than others: cf. e.g. Green (2006) 103- 112. This seems to be the better explanation (if it is combined with stylistic aspects). Moreover, Green remarks that Juvencus did not leave out every reference to Jewish culture (p. 109). I do not really see Green’s argument about metrical considerations as a reason for the omission of Jewish names (p. 106): especially in foreign names the spelling could easily be adapted to the constraints of the metre.
356 John 2.17 reads: Rememorati sunt discipuli eius, quia scriptum est: Zelus domus tuae comedit me. See Santorelli (2005) 88. Maybe in this case Juvencus also wants to retain the vivacity of the story, see id. 128.
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Jesus (he rests two days before going to Lazarus) and the fear of the apostles for the Jews is described:
5. Diligebat autem Iesus Martham et sororem eius Mariam et Lazarum. 6. Vt ergo
audiuit, quia infirmatur tunc quidem mansit Iesus, in eodem loco biduo. 7. Deinde post haec dicit discipulis suis: ‘Eamus in Iudaeum iterum.’ 8. Dicunt ei discipuli: ‘Rabbi, nunc quaerebant te lapidare Iudaei et iterum uadis illuc?’ 9. Respondit Iesus: ‘Nonne duodecim horae sunt diei? 10. Si quis ambulauerit inter die, non offendit, quia lucem mundi huius uidet.
Maybe Juvencus wanted to avoid these words because verses 9 and 10 are rather obscure. However, a willingness to depict the apostles positively could also have been a reason: Juvencus did not want to versify the reprimand of the disciples by Jesus.358 The fact that Juvencus chose to include the story of
Lazarus in his versification that primarily follows the gospel of Matthew, reflects the popularity of this story of resurrection,359 which is also a clear
example of the Christi uitalia gesta.360
The washing of the feet before the Last Supper, only described in John 13.3-20, is not versified by Juvencus. Although the poet in general followed the gospel of Matthew, it is still remarkable that he did not make an exception for this famous story, especially since he did so in other cases (e.g. the story of Lazarus). Probably the modesty shown by Christ in this Biblical passage did not fit Juvencus’ idea of the divine.
358 Deproost (2000) 133 comments: “Considérant peut-être qu’ils relèvent plutôt de l’anecdote narrative, dont il cherche constamment à dépouiller son poème, Juvencus omet ensuite de paraphraser les versets bibliques qui rapportent les lenteurs puis le départ du Christ pour la Judée, et la réaction apeurée des apôtres.” However, in general Juvencus does versify lessons of Jesus like those that are described in John 11.9-10. Canali, Santorelli et al. (2011) 400 only mention the omission, but do not try to explain it.
359 The resurrection of Lazarus is one of the most popular scenes in early Christian art, because it was seen as a example of the resurrection from the death at the Last Judgment, see e.g. Dresken-Weiland (2010) 213-33.
360 Other passages in which the apostles are mentioned and which have been left out by Juvencus are too insignificant to mention separately: Matt 23.1, Matt 26.1-2, Matt 27.56 (names are often omitted; in this case the addition ‘of the sons of Zebedee’). Matt 13.44-52 is omitted entirely, including the remark of the apostles that they understood what Jesus told them.
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I.2.3 Individual apostles
There are of course also instances of individual apostles mentioned by Juvencus. They are usually called by their proper names. Just three times, Juvencus uses a general noun to indicate an individual apostle: iuvenis and comes for Peter (both in Eu. 4,571) and comes for Philip (Eu. 2,100).361 In three other
passages Juvencus refers to some of the twelve apostles with a general word (comites: Eu. 3,323; ministros: Eu. 4,481; discipulos: Eu. 4,494: Peter and the two sons of Zebedee are referred to here).
Only Peter and Judas are mentioned more than three times. By contrast, Bartholomew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot (Cananeus) are never mentioned.362
I.2.3.1 Peter
In the Bible as well as in the Euangelia, Peter is mentioned more often than all the others apostles. He is indicated 27 times by his name Peter, four times as Simon and once as comes and iuvenis.363 He is the only disciple of Jesus whose
personality has been elaborated upon in the Eu.364
In contrast with the group of the twelve apostles, Peter as an individual is often openly depicted in a positive way by Juvencus.365 Several positive epitheta
361 Nathanael is mentioned as comes in Eu. 2,117. His status is unclear. He is only named in the Gospel of John (1.45-51). Nowadays, he is identified with the apostle Bartholomew in the other Gospels. Cf. below, I.3.3.3.
362 Since Juvencus only versifies the gospels, Paul and Matthias are not mentioned either. 363 Petrus, book 1: 422, 767; book 2: -; book 3: 110, 114, 122, 159, 271, 273, 274, 278, 296, 319, 324, 382, 384, 387, 433, 538, 534; book 4: 467, 473, 475, 482, 496, 539, 570, 580. Simon: 1,422; 3,120; 3,391; 4,583. Comes/iuvenis: 4,571. Maybe Juvencus has used comes only to refer to the
Aeneid (6,528) where Ulysses is also called comes additus, see Green (2006) 64. But there is no
link in content between this passage and the Euangelia. Eu. 1,767-70 is the versification of the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law by Christ (Matt 8.14-5). Juvencus seems to have chosen this story as the end of book one for compositional matters only, see Thraede (1998), pp. 288-9 in particular; the person of Peter is mentioned in an impartial way.
364 Kany (2001) 293. 365 Cf. Thraede (2001) 901-3.
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accompany the figure of Peter:366 praesolidus (Eu. 1,422), stabilis (Eu. 3,271) fortis
(Eu. 3,273) and fortissime (Eu. 4,473). A striking addition by Juvencus regarding the Biblical text can be found in Eu. 3,534: Tum Petrus fidei munitus moenibus
infit.367 This is the versification of the Biblical phrase: Tunc respondens Petrus dixit
ei (Matt 19.27). The phrase fidei munitus moenibus is added by Juvencus and
immediately calls Matt 16.18 to mind: Et ego dico tibi quia tu es Petrus et super hanc
petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam, a Biblical verse that exalted Peter as the most
important disciple and leader of the Church.368 Juvencus’ text runs as follows
(Eu. 3,271-87):
Sed stabilis Petrus: ‘Tu Sancti filius, inquit, Christus, magnifico terras qui lumine conples.’ Tum Dominus forti respondit talia Petro: ‘Petre, beatus eris, nam talia pandere certe
275 humanus sanguis vel terrae portio corpus haut umquam poterit. Genitoris munera sola possunt tam validum fidei concedere robur.369
Tu nomen Petri digna uirtute tueris. Hac in mole mihi saxique in robore ponam
280 semper mansuras aeternis moenibus aedes. 370 Infernis domus haec non exsuperabile portis Claustrum perpetuo munitum robore habebit; caelestisque tibi claues permittere regni est animus; terrisque tuo quae nexa relinques
285 arbitrio, caelo pariter nodata manebunt; soluerit et rursus tua quae sententia terris, haut aliter uenient caeli sub sede soluta.’371
366 Cf. Canali, Santorelli et al. (2011) 350.
367 ‘Then Peter said, strengthened by the walls of faith.’ Cf. Bauer (1999) for the reference to Matt 16.18 and Eu. 3,278-80 (see also Knappitsch (1911-1912) 59). PL 19 a.l. (column 258), only has: “Ut u. 271, Sed stabilis Petrus.”
368 Cf. Rimoldi (1955), p. 224 in particular, about the reception of the verse in the early Church. 369 See the commentary by Bauer (1999) 161 for the implication of the versification of vv. 276- 7.
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‘But firm Peter said: ‘You, Christ, the son of the holy one, you fill the earth with your magnificent light.’ Then the Lord answers to strong Peter as follows: ‘Peter, you will be blessed, for surely human blood nor part of a body of the earth can ever reveal this to you. The gifts of the Creator alone can grant such a powerful strength of faith. You are bearing the name Peter deservedly through your virtue. On this rock and on the strength of this boulder I will build my ever standing house with its eternal walls. This house, invincible for the infernal gates, will have a lock protected with eternal strength. It is my will to entrust to you the keys of the heavenly kingdom. What you will leave bound on earth, according to your judgment, will equally be tied in heaven. But what your judgment will have unbound on earth, will be likewise unbound in the seat of heaven.’
This passage is the versification of Matt 16.16-9:
16. Respondens Simon Petrus dixit: ‘Tu es Christus, filius Dei uiui.’ 17. Respondens
autem Iesus dixit ei: ‘Beatus es, Simon Bariona, quia caro et sanguis non revelavit tibi, sed pater meus, qui in caelis est. 18. Et ego dico tibi tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam; et portae inferi non praeualebunt eius. 19. Et tibi dabo claues regni caelorum; et quaecumque ligaueris super terram, erunt ligata et in caelis; et quaecumque solueris super terram, erunt soluta et in caelis.’372
Juvencus clearly wanted to emphasise this passage about Peter’s position. Eu. 1,422 already foreshadows it: praesolidum Simonem, dignum cognomine Petri (Matt 4.18: Simonem qui dicitur Petrus). Juvencus has added praesolidum and dignum, which shows his partiality for Peter more elaborately found in the passage cited above. There, Peter’s strength and dignity are also mentioned throughout the passage (stabilis, v. 271; forti, v. 273; tam validum fidei concedere robur, v. 277; digna
uirtute, v. 278) just as his connection with heavenly power (certe, 274, umquam, v.
371 Underlined words and phrases do not have an equivalent in the Biblical text. 372 Underlined words and phrases are not versified by Juvencus.
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276).373 Likewise, Peter’s own opinion is held in great esteem by Jesus in
Juvencus text (tuo...arbitrio, vv. 284-5; tua sententia, v. 286). Line 279 has rightly been called an “überbordende Periphrase” for the simple petra in Matthew.374
Verse 280 is almost entirely invented by Juvencus (only the classical word aedes has an equivalent in the Biblical ecclesiam meam. This verse stresses the strength and everlastingness of the church. Exsuperabile (v. 281) is also used in Vergil’s
Georgica 3,39 where it agrees with the saxum that Sisyphus has to roll up the hill.
This could again be a reference to the saxi in v. 279 and petram in the corresponding Bible text.375 After Jesus’ speech (Eu. 3,274-95/Matt 16.17-21),
Peter’s grief about the impending death of Jesus (predicted to the apostle in
Eu. 3,290-5, cf. Matt 16.21) is accentuated in vv. 296-9: Tum Petrus magno percussus corda dolore.
‘Absint, Christe, tuis,’ inquit, ‘tam tristia sanctis monstra procul membris; nec fas est credere tantum, nec tibi tam durus poterit contingere casus.’376
This text is the versification of Matt 16.22: Et adsumens eum Petrus coepit increpare
et dicere: ‘Absit a te, propitius tibi, Domine, non erit istud.’ The direct discourse of
Peter is spread out over three lines by Juvencus. The word increpare, which could be interpreted as presumptuous, has been omitted.377 The grief and
reverence of Peter towards his master are emphasised by the addition tam tristia
sanctis (297).
373 Cf. Pietri (1976) 1517 about the Roman Church emphasising the strength of Peter and connecting it to the idea of his auctoritas.
374 Bauer (1999) 161. The exact wording of the line is disputed (see id. 161-2), but this does not influence my analysis.
375 Green (2006) 60.
376 ‘Then Peter said, overcome by great grief in his heart: ‘May such sad terrors be away from your holy limbs; one should not believe something like that, nor that such a hard fate could reach you.’’
377 Maybe the reproach is versified in the apparent addition nec fas est credere tantum (v. 298). Cf. Canali, Santorelli et al. (2011) 351: “In Matteo 16,22 la reazione di Pietro è di protesta (coepit
increpare); in questi versi (vv. 296-9, rd) l’esito è diverso: prevale un sentiment di dolore così
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In Juvencus’ next passage, about the Transfiguration (Eu. 3,316-52, cf. Matt 17.1-9),378 Peter’s reaction to the appearance of Moses and Elijah has been
retained in vv. 325-9, but Peter’s joy about the event has been turned into awe.379 The redundant second part of Matt 17.4 is changed into a more
elaborate description of Peter’s plan.380 Verse 323 has been suggested to
remind of visual representations of the Transfiguration, but I do not see In another well-known story of the Gospels, Jesus walks on the water and Peter tries to do likewise (Matt 14.22-33). This passage is versified by Juvencus in Eu. 3,93-126. The description of Peter’s request is elaborated by Juvencus vis-à-vis the Biblical text.381 His esteem for Jesus is expressed in
words like dignatur (v. 111) and permitte (v. 112). Juvencus emphasises the courage or zeal of Peter in the narrator text by the addition of audet: Adnuit his
Dominus; nauem mox linquere Petrus / audet (...).382 In vv. 116-8 the intensity of the
storm is described extensively by Juvencus. Peter not only fears the wind, but also the tantarum...miracula rerum (v. 116). Juvencus’ versification is psychologically more elaborate, but there is also another effect: the fear of Peter seems more justified since he seems to have more reason to fear. The
378 I fail to see any connection between v. 323 and scenes of the Transfiguration (which are absent from early Christian art anyway, unless one interprets a scene on the Lipsanotheca from Brescia as such, see II.1.3.4). The verse does not seem to go beyond the Biblical account, pace Bauer (1999) 174: “Der sprachliche Ausdruck erinnert an bildhafte Darstellungen der Verklärungsszene in der frühchristlichen Kunst: Christus flankiert von den beiden Assistenzfiguren Moses und Elias als Verkünder der messianischen Zeit (Dtn. 18, 15; Mal. 3, 23).”
379 See Canali, Santorelli et al. (2011) 354: “La spontanea reazione di Pietro, che in Matteo 17, 4 è di gioia immediata, è sostituita da una sorta di timore rispetto all’opportunità di essere presenti alla trasfigurazione, timore che egli manifesta anche a nome degli altri discepoli.” 380 Matt 17.4: “Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”” is versified in vv. 325-9:
Respice, num nobis potius discedere longe, / an istic tantae spectacula cernere molis / conveniat; trino tamen hic tentoria vobis, / si iubeas, frondis faciam diversa paratu, singula sub noctem quae vos auleae receptent. Canali,
Santorelli et al. (2011) 355 highlight the alliterations in vv. 327 and 328: “(...) ancora alliterazioni sono adoperate per rendere l’entusiasmo e la concitazione di Pietro che vuole costruire tre tende (...).”
381 Cf. Bauer (1999), who calls it a “bedeutsamer Eingriff in den Originaltext” (p. 105). And id. 106: “Freilich erzählt der Dichter nichts Neues, sondern leuchtet vielmehr den Moment argut aus, macht ihn plastisch faßbar, indem er den Zeitablauf verlangsamt, ja fast zerdehnt, und ihn psychologisch vertieft.”
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faith through which Peter could initially walk on the water is emphasised in line 119, which has no correspondence in the Gospel: quae validum fidei gestabant
aequora robur.383 Jesus’ reprimand of Peter after he has saved him is indeed
versified by Juvencus, but the direct discourse of the Bible (Matt 14.31: ‘Modicae fidei, quare dubitasti?’) is replaced by a less striking indirect discourse: et
dubitata fides uerbis mulcatur amaris.384
One of the most famous stories about Peter in the Gospels is his denial of Christ (Matt 26.69-75, cf. Eu. 4,570-85). The passage highlights the apostle’s lack of courage. But Juvencus tries to attenuate the negative depiction of Peter. This is already visible in the preamble to the passage, where Peter follows Jesus to the Sanhedrin. Matt 26.58 reads: Petrus autem sequebatur eum a longe usque in
atrium principis sacerdotum, et ingressus intro sedebat cum ministris, ut uideret finem rei.
Juvencus versifies as follows (Eu. 4,539-41):
At Petrus longe seruans uestigia solus occulte maestus sedit cum plebe ministra extremum opperiens tanto sub turbine finem.
‘And Peter alone followed the footprints from far and secretly upset he sat down with a group of servants, waiting for the ultimate outcome of the great tumult.’
Juvencus emphasises the fact that Peter is the only one (solus, v. 539) who followed Christ after his arrest, in spite of the seriousness of the situation (tanto
sub turbine, v. 541). Moreover, he shows Peter’s compassion with his master in
the words occulte maestus (v. 540). His sorrow is also stressed in v. 570 (Petrum...tristem) and vv. 583-4 (mentem Simonisque...tristem).385 In his versification
383 ‘the waves which bore the powerful strength of his faith.’ For the ‘psychological interpretation’ of the scene, see Bauer (1999) 115: “Das ihn auch die um ihn geschehenden Wunder überwältigen, ist ein eigenständiger Zusatz des Dichters mit dem Versuch, dem Ganzen eine psychologische Dimension zu verleihen (...).”
384 Eu. 3,123: ‘and his uncertain faith is reprimanded through bitter words.’
385 In Eu. 4,571 Peter is called iuuenis and comes when he is addressed by one of the servants, who recognises him as a member of the group of disciples (Matt 26.69). It is the only instance of Peter being called by a more general term instead of his proper name.
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of Matt 26.70 (At ille negauit coram omnibus dicens: ‘Nescio, quid dicis, neque intellego.’),
coram omnibus has been omitted by Juvencus (Eu. 4,573). In the passage where
Peter’s denial is announced by Christ (Matt 26.33-5), Juvencus elaborates Jesus’ prediction: Peter will be pauidus and he will tell mendacia (v. 472). Peter himself boasts even more than in the Bible, by saying that he will accept even a hard death (duram mortem, Eu. 4,475). But these additions, which do not contribute to a positive image of Peter, are compensated by an adjective used by Christ himself: he calls the apostle fortissime Petre (v. 473). Moreover, the denial of Peter was much discussed among Christians of the period: it was often explained as a symbol of ordinary Christians who sometimes doubted and could not believe, but were still to be given mercy by God (see II.1.3.1.1).
Juvencus also versifies the story about the temple tax (Matt 17.24- 7/Eu. 3,381-95): the collectors ask Peter if his master pays the tax. Peter