Бесите и Carmen XVII на Павлин Нолански
The Bessians and the Carmen XVII of Paulinus of Nola

Summary/Abstract: Carmen XVII of Paulinus of Nola is the principal source of information about the conversion of the Bessians. The poem, written in 398 A.D., is dedicated to the missionary activity of the bishop of Remesiana – St. Nicetas among different barbarian tribes including the Bessians.Paulinus of Nola praises the great success of Nicetas in the conversion of the barbarians. He presents the Bessians as rude people who refuse to be slaves and as robbers, transformed by Nicetas in monks. The poet uses different rhetorical techniques to present the transformation from paganism to Christianity and to magnify the power of the Christian faith. That fact questions the credibility of the missionary activity of Nicetas and puts the question if Paulinus writes about historical events or if he uses his imagination to show the greatness of the Christianity. The author gives precise details and an exact information about the Bessians, their past and their culture so the information about their conversion also does not be put under question.The geographical area of the missionary activity of Nicetas is not certain – the region of Remesiana and the province of Dacia but without more precise details. The date of the conversion of the Bessians is not evident – around 398 because in the poem the Bessians are presented as already converted to the Christianity. Nevertheless the conversion of the Bessians should be regarded as a historical event considering the historical context of the end of IV c. A.D. and the historical fate of Thrace and the Thracian tribes.

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