Alegorická exegéza v Iuvencovom epose Evangeliorum libri quattuor
Allegorical Exegesis in Iuvencus’ Epic Evangeliorum libri quattuor

Summary/Abstract: Gaius Vettius Aquilinus Iuvencus was a 4th-century Christian poet who founded the literary genre of the biblical epic. His narrative poem, known as the Evangeliorum libri quattuor, retells the Gospel in the form of the classical epics of Homer and Vergil. Apart from the stylistic enhancement of the biblical text, the work also contains numerous exegetical amplifications by which the poet adapts the original text to the understanding of the contemporary Roman aristocracy. This article offers the first comprehensive analysis of the poem’s allegorical passages in the context of patristic exegesis, demonstrating that there are two ways in which the poet treats allegory: he either attributes an allegorical meaning to a passage usually interpreted literally (i. e.), or he uncovers the inherent meaning of a passage that is fundamentally allegorical (i. e. deallegorisation). The article concludes that, even though the primary function of Iuvencus’s allegoresis is explanatory, it may also serve an apologetic and dogmatic purpose.

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