The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Juvencus
fl. c. AD 330 (death unrecorded) · Spanish presbyter · First Christian epic poet · Hispania
The Nicene Age
Who Juvencus was
A Spanish presbyter of noble family who set the four Gospels 'almost word for word' into Virgilian hexameters under Constantine — four books of Evangelic History that made Christian Latin verse respectable and taught a classically schooled elite to hear the gospel in the metre of the Aeneid. Jerome, no easy grader, gave him his chapter.
Common questions
When was Juvencus active?
Juvencus is dated fl. c. AD 330 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Juvencus in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
What did Juvencus write?
Juvencus has 1 catalogued writing in the archive: The Four Books of the Gospels (Evangeliorum Libri IV).
Which early sources mention Juvencus?
Juvencus is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Jerome of Stridon and Jerome. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Juvencus from?
The archive associates Juvencus with Hispania.
Writings (1)
The Four Books of the Gospels (Evangeliorum Libri IV)
Matthew retold in 3,200 Virgilian hexameters — the first Christian epicIf songs woven of lies won the ancient poets so long a fame, how much more shall the life-giving deeds of Christ, sung without falsehood, be my glory and my hope.Read the interlinear source text →
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Chronicle of Jerome (the gospels in hexameters)
c. AD 380On Illustrious Men 84
c. AD 393Juvencus, a Spaniard of very noble family and a presbyter, translated the four gospels almost word for word into hexameter verses, and composed them in four books.Jerome · 84 · source text
Letter 70.5 (among the Christian poets)
c. AD 397Juvencus, a presbyter under Constantine, set forth in verse the story of our Lord and Saviour, and did not shrink from submitting the majesty of the gospel to the rules of metre.Jerome of Stridon · Letter 70.5 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Juvencus.
- 1Hispaniaprovince only