Nazarius (speaker)

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Nazarius was a late antique orator who lived at the end of the 3rd / beginning of the 4th century AD.

Nazarius was probably from Gaul . Ausonius according to which he was a professor of rhetoric in Burdigala to have enjoyed great prestige and seems, at least this sets a statement in the Chronicle of Jerome close. Nazarius probably had a daughter named Eunomia who was a Christian, but he himself was likely a pagan. Otherwise little is known about his person.

In 321 Nazarius held two panegyrici , probably in Rome , in honor of the 15th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Constantine I and the five-year anniversary of the reign of Caesar (lower emperor) Crispus . However, it is uncertain whether the speeches were really given in Rome and also in the presence of Constantine or Crispus. One of these speeches is handed down in honor of Constantine in the so-called Panegyrici Latini (No. 4 according to Mynor's count). The theme is the same as that of the unknown panegyric poet of 313 (No. 12 according to Mynor's count): Constantine's victory over his rival Maxentius in 312.

The speech itself is an important source and offers a wealth of information on the campaign, but also on other topics. Nazarius' style is quite flowery and sometimes very complex, one of his models is probably Marcus Tullius Cicero . The military skills of the emperor and his son are praised, while the campaign against Maxentius is described in such a way that Constantine was forced to attack and, under the guidance of his "divine" deceased father Constantius I, won the day. This is an obvious reference to the “Christian vision of victory” as it is handed down by Laktanz and Eusebius of Caesarea . Constantine's kingdom of peace is praised, but significantly, Nazarius does not address the current political situation: Due to the tense situation, Licinius , who ruled in the east of the empire, is not mentioned.

Text editions and translations

  • Charles EV Nixon, Barbara Saylor Rodgers (Eds.): In Praise of Later Roman Emperors. The Panegyrici Latini. University of California Press, Berkeley et al. 2015, ISBN 978-0-520-28625-2 , pp. 334–385, 608–628 (critical edition after Roger AB Mynors and English translation with introduction and commentary)

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ However, this is not without controversy, cf. Charles E. Nixon, Barbara S. Rodgers: In Praise of Later Roman Emperors. Berkeley et al. 1994, pp. 334f.
  2. ↑ Chronicle, sub anno 324
  3. ↑ Cf. Charles E. Nixon, Barbara S. Rodgers: In Praise of Later Roman Emperors. Berkeley et al. 1994, p. 338.
  4. ↑ Cf. Elisabeth Herrmann-Otto : Constantine the Great. Darmstadt 2007, pp. 54 f., 112 f.
personal data
SURNAME Nazarius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION late antique speaker
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century
DATE OF DEATH 4th century