Hermeneutical strategies and interpretatio Christiana in Proba's Cento Vergilianus de laudibus Christi
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Watson, Cristalle
issued: 2025-05-29T16:39:35Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: My study of Proba's fourth-century CE Biblical epic Cento Vergilianus (CV), a Biblical epic formed out of excerpts taken from Vergil, begins by laying out the main theoretical lens though which I propose to analyse the work: interpretatio Christiana (IC), the re-interpretation of pagan religious, mythological, or theological material within a Christian framework. I present a sevenfold classification scheme for early Christian IC, discussing how, prior to Proba, IC tends to be almost entirely negative (interpreting pagan religious elements as false or misleading); in contrast, Proba's own IC is overwhelmingly positive (interpreting pagan religious elements as true or indicative of the truth). In the second chapter, I present my database-centred methodology: here I analyse the CV line by line, before seeking broader patterns of significant Vergilian re-use by Proba. In the third chapter, I briefly summarize the main periphrastic techniques which Proba applies to the Biblical narrative before outlining, in more detail, her six hermeneutical strategies for performing Christian exegesis on Vergilian material: a) literal; b) allusive; c) conceptual; d) typological; e) contextual; and f) thematic. The fourth chapter analyses Proba's conceptual exegesis, where a Christian narrative, concept, or practice is depicted using pagan religious concepts. The fifth chapter examines Proba's re-application of Christian typological exegesis (where an OT type is read as prefiguring a NT antitype) to her Vergilian source text (reading Vergilian characters as types of Christ). The sixth chapter explores one of Proba's major themes in the CV: the constant threat of war/violence as opposed to Christ's mission of peace. The seventh chapter concludes the study with an examination of how Proba's hermeneutical strategies function in tandem, as well as a concluding section summarizing my main findings. I end with a discussion of how the methodology employed in this study might be adapted to anal…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/91226
note: HERMENEUTICAL STRATEGIES AND INTERPRETATIO CHRISTIANA IN PROBA'S CENTO VERGILIANUS DE LAUDIBUS CHRISTI by CRISTALLE WATSON B.A., Dalhousie University, 2017M.A., Dalhousie University, 2020A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Classics) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) May 2025 © Cristalle Watson, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: Hermeneutical Strategies and Interpretatio Christiana in Proba's Cento Vergilianus de Laudibus Christi submitted by Cristalle Watson in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Classics Examining Committee: Michael Griffin, Professor, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, UBC Supervisor Sigrid Schottenius Cullhed, Professor, Literature and Rhetoric, Uppsala University Co-supervisor Rachel Philbrick, Professor, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Florence Yoon, Professor, Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, UBC University Examiner Gernot Wieland, Professor Emeritus, English Language and Literatures, UBC University Examiner Scott McGill, Professor, Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures, Rice University External Examiner iii Abstract My study of Proba's fourth-century CE Biblical epic Cento Vergilianus (CV), a Biblical epic formed out of excerpts taken from Vergil, begins by laying out the main theoretical lens though which I propose to analyse the work: interpretatio Christiana (IC), the re-interpretation of pagan religious, mythological, or theological material within a Christian framework. I present a sevenfold classification scheme for early Christian IC, discussing how, prior to Proba, IC tends to be almost entirely negative (interpreting pagan religious elements …
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0448986
language: eng
degree discipline: Classics
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Griffin, Michael J. (Michael James), 1982-
contributor: Cullhed, Sigrid Schottenius
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/91226