Presence in the distance: classical and biblical tradition in the voice of Prudentius

In my paper I have set out to investigate how Prudentius creates his lyrical voice and portrays himself as a writer of hymnody. Specifically, I intend to argue that the key to understanding the voice of Prudentius is the idea of presence in the distance. This concept has two different aspects: on the one hand, the classical and the biblical tradition – which, in a sense, are so distant from each other – are intertwined in the hymns of Prudentius; on the other hand, the double cultural heritage is not just a thing of the past that cannot be revived, but something that is still vital and capable of being transformed and renewed. In the former case, the distance is a cultural one, in the latter it is a chronological one, but both of them are covered by Prudentius in his poems. To illustrate my point, I have analysed the Exodus narrative and the first stanza of Cathemerinon 5, as well as the opening lines of Cathemerinon 9.