Prudentius’ Cathemerinon and the self-presentation of a hymnodist

The twelve literary hymns collected in the Cathemerinon liber have the form of prayers addressed to God. For this reason, the author seldom lets his poetical voice be heard; indeed, he is the spokesperson of the small community of believers gathered around him in the fourth/fifth-century Calagurris. Nonetheless, in two passages the poet reflects explicitly upon his own poetry, while in another one he refers indirectly to his poetic activity. My paper deals with these self-referential sections. The first passage I discuss is taken from Cath. 3; the first time Prudentius employs the pronoun ego he rejects the classical poetry by using its metaliterary terms. Then, I consider Cath. 9, where Prudentius alludes to Horace and mentions David, in order to proclaim that his song fulfils Horace’s odes as well as the psalms. Finally, my paper looks at Cath. 5, where the praising song of Prudentius is compared, through allusion, to the canticle that Moses sang after the drowning of Pharaoh’s army. In my analysis I point out that Prudentius defines his poetry through allusions to his forerunners, but, at the same time, he sets out a new lyrical poetry. I also show that the aforementioned passages are connected to one another by recurring metapoetical terms and motifs – both traditional and original. Moreover, I maintain that the three poems play a pivotal role in clarifying how the author presents himself as a new hymnodist, in relationship with the classical and the biblical tradition: the third hymn is marked by the presence of Virgil, the fifth is modelled on Horace, and Cath. 9 paraphrases some David’s verses. As a conclusion, I argue that the metaliterary passages in Prudentius’ Cathemerinon contribute to delineating the new genre of hymnody.