Page 164 - Envoys and Political Communication in the Late Antique West 411 - 533

Envoys and Political Communication,411–533

the lives of orientius of auch and vivianus of saintes
Two Gallic hagiographies display elements derived from Constantius’
portrait of Germanus as an envoy: the Vitae of Orientius, bishop of Auch,
and of Vivianus, bishop of Saintes. Like Germanus, both bishops lived
in the first half of the fifth century, but their anonymous Vitae were
composed later. Estimates of the dates of composition range from the early
sixth century to Carolingian times; opinion on the veracity of the events
they describe similarly ranges from credence to dismissal. The greatest part
of each Vita concerns one or more journeys undertaken by the bishop.
Ata literary level, itis clear thatboth Vitae were constructed from ele-
ments drawn from Vita Germani and Sulpicius’ Vita Martini and Dialogi. 93

Orientius of Auch

As with Germanus, the little that is known about the historical Orientius
94
differs sharply from his appearance in Vita Orientii. Orientius is usually
identified as one of the early fifth-century Gallic Christian poets, the
author of an elegiac poem conventionally referred to as the Commonito-
rium. 95 The poem calls for recent disasters to be seen only as particular
intimations of the universal approach of death (per varias mors ruit una vias),
and as spurs for spiritual withdrawal from the world. Praising monasti-
cism as the only true response to signs of temporal destruction, the poet

93 Courcelle, Histoire litt´ eraire, 145–6 and Appendix vii: ‘Histoire ou clich´ e hagiographique? Trois
dˆ ıners chez le roi wisigoth d’Aquitaine’, 339–47, sees Vita Viviani,cc. 4–6,and Vita Orientii,c. 5,
as imitations of Ennodius, Vita Epiphani,cc. 85–92. But the common elements cited by Courcelle
(primarily the convivium scenes) are presentalso in the earlier Vita Martini and Vita Germani,and
there are other direct echoes of Vita Martini and Vita Germani in Vita Viviani and Vita Orientii,
which do notappear in Vita Epiphani (see below). Ennodius was familiar with Vita Germani,and
there is no evidence of Vita Epiphani circulating in Gaul (cf. MGH AA 7, 333: ‘Index scriptores
qui Ennodium compilaverunt’). It is very likely that Vita Martini and Vita Germani, rather than
Vita Epiphani, served as models for Vita Viviani and Vita Orientii. Griffe, La Gaule chr´ etienne ii,
69–71 nn. 13 and 16, rejects Courcelle’s suggestion, seeing the Vitae of Vivianus and Orientius
as preserving ‘la tradition orale’, though he admits the similarity of the cup motif in Vita Martini,
20 and Vita Viviani, 6.
94
For edition, see ‘Note on editions, commentaries, and translations’ below. On Orientius: Duch-
esne, Fastes ´ episcopaux ii, 96; Heinzelmann, ‘Gallische Prosopographie’, 659–60.On Vita Orientii:
C. L´ ecrivain, ‘Note sur la Vie de Saint Orientius, ´ evˆ eque d’Auch’, Annales du Midi 3 (1891),
257–8 (dismissing the Vita as derived from Salvian and other sources); Griffe, La Gaule chr´ etienne
ii, 31–4; 69 and n. 13; 276–7 (cautious acceptance of the account of the Vita, which he dates
to early sixth century); iii, 257; Courcelle, Histoire litt´ eraire, 146 (dismisses convivium scene as a
literary imitation, but accepts embassy to Aetius and Litorius).
95
Orientius, Commonitorium, ed. R. Ellis (CSEL 16; Vienna, 1888); trans. M. D. Tobin, (Washing-
ton, DC, 1945). On the Comm.: Schanz-Hosius iv, 2, 367; Courcelle, Histoire litt´ eraire, 98–101;
Patrology iv: The Golden Age of Latin Patristic Literature from the Council of Nicea to the Council of
Chalcedon [Quasten], ed. A. di Berardino (Westminster, MD, 1994), 326–8; Wood, ‘Continuity
or Calamity?’, 9–10.
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