Poem 10 of Paulinus of Nola is fundamental for understanding both his political thought and his mystical life. The reason for the disagreement between Paulinus and Ausonius is not, as has always been believed, the poet’s conversion to Christianity, but rather his attempt to transfer the secessus in villam from the sphere of Neoplatonism to that of Christianity. Paulinus thus claims a place in the history of ancient political thought, in overturning the classical concept of civis and giving new meaning (...) to aeternitas imperii, a fundamental concept of Roman imperial ideology. (shrink)

Poem XXII of Paulinus Nolanus constitutes an important testimony to the saint’s personality and of his mystical experience. Reinterpreting classical poetry according to Christian faith, he expresses the bond of love between Christ and man through erotic symbols and classic metaphors. Through this union, Paulinus also clarifies the concept of divine immutability, fundamental to the patristic theology of the first centuries.

The analysis of Letter XLV of Paulinus of Nola, addressed to Augustine, shows how the author rebuilds, at its deepest level, the conceptual nucleus of platonic reflection, founded on the notion of “harmony” – with clear mathematical-musical and political implications – which also determines the presence of the cursus of this subject in the letter’s prose. Contrasting this text with others by the Cimitilite ascetic, it is possible to point out a precise line of thought, intended to define an ideal (...) model of society founded on the polysemic value of concinentia through a revival of the common themes that pertain specifically to neoplatonic philosophy. (shrink)