Catholic Latin literature
Catholic Latin literature
Term applied to those writings of the Christian era which are composed in Latin, are peculiar to the Church in the West, and whose contents are Christian, as opposed to pagan , in spirit. This literature falls into two periods.
(1) From the 1st-5th century, when it appears intensely practical in nature, oratorical and moral in tone, and consists mainly of apologies, chronicles, translations, and catalogues of cemeteries, bishops, and martyrs . Writers of this period are:
Pope Saint Leo I
Saint Ambrose of Milan
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Saint Cassian
Saint Cyprian
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli
Saint Hilary of Arles
Saint Hilary of Poitiers
Saint Jerome
Saint Patrick
Saint Peter Chrysologus
Saint Prudentius
Saint Rufinus
Saint Sulpicius Severus
Saint Victorinus of Pettau
Saint Zeno of Verona
Arnobius
Firmicus Maternus
Gennadius
Juvencus
Lactantius
Lucifer of Cagliari
Minucius Felix
Novatian
Optatus of Mileve
Phaebadius of Agen
Tertullian
Vincent of Lerins
(2) From the 6th-17th century, when the literature manifests itself in drama and poetry. The drama, an outgrowth of Church liturgy, included such writers as
Andreas Fabricius
Beccadelli
Bruni
Cornelius Crocus
Cornelius Laurimanus
Dati
De Loches
Filelfo
Hannardus Gamerius
Holonius
Jacob Locher
Johann von Kitzcher
Levin Brecht
Mussato
Poggio
Reuchlin
Wimpfeling
Among the poets of this period may be mentioned:
Adam Widl
Famian Strada
Hieronymus Petrucci
Hosschius
Jacob Masen
Johannes Dantiscus
John Bissel
John Salmon
Nicola Avancini
Nicolaus Copernicus
Robert Bellarmine
Sarbiewski
Simon Rettenbacher
Tarquinius Galuzzi
Vida
The writers of the neo-Latin epic included:
Saint Alcuin
Saint Aldhelm
Saint Boniface
Saint Columbanus
Saint Thomas More
Venerable Bede
Balde
Dante Alighieri
Flodoard
Hildebert of Tours
Hroswitha
John of Salisbury
Maffeo Vegio
Marbod
Petrarch
Sadolet
Theodulf the Goth
Venantius Fortunatus
Walafrid Strabo
the five Ekkehards
the four Notkers
New Catholic Dictionary