Fortunatianus of Aquileia was the
bishop of Aquileia in the mid-fourth century A.D.
Writings
According to
Saint Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
, Fortunatianus was the author the oldest apparently surviving Western commentary on the
Gospels
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
known from a few excerpts (two identified by
Wilmart from a Troyes manuscript and another by
Bischoff
Bischoff is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Amaury Bischoff, French-Portuguese footballer
* Anna Catharina Bischoff (1719–1787), wife of pastor Lucas Gernler
* Bernard J. Bischoff (1931–1980), American politician and j ...
from Angers) and a reference in Jerome's correspondence (thus predating Hilary on St. Matthew).
In 2012, his commentary was identified by the editor Lukas Dorfbauer in a ninth-century manuscript from the library of
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese ...
.
Theology
Fortunatianus was assumed to have favoured anti-
Nicene
The original Nicene Creed (; grc-gre, Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας; la, Symbolum Nicaenum) was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is a ...
doctrine, though a text from 984 to 986 clearly states that
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
was one substance he inclined. He also admitted a large figurative element in the Gospel narratives. An interesting detail is his identification of two of the four
Evangelists based on
Ezekiel
Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible.
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is ac ...
and
the Apocalypse at the opening of his text:
Mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Finn ...
is the eagle and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
the lion.
Fortunatianus was a signatory at the western
Council of Serdica The Council of Serdica, or Synod of Serdica (also Sardica located in modern day Sofia, Bulgaria), was a synod convened in 343 at Serdica in the civil diocese of Dacia, by Emperors Constans I, augustus in the West, and Constantius II, augustus in th ...
which condemned
Arius
Arius (; grc-koi, Ἄρειος, ; 250 or 256 – 336) was a Cyrenaic presbyter, ascetic, and priest best known for the doctrine of Arianism. His teachings about the nature of the Godhead in Christianity, which emphasized God the Father's ...
' teaching. He subsequently entertained Athanasius on his return journey from Treves to Alexandria, and was chosen by Pope Liberius to defend Athanasius at the
Council of Milan The Synod of Milan or Council of Milan may refer to any of several synods which occurred in late Roman Mediolanum or medieval Milan in northern Italy's Po valley:
Synod of 345
In 353 or 354, Pope Liberius wrote thus: ''"Eight years ago the Euseb ...
. However he yielded to pressure from Emperor
Constantius II
Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic ...
. In the aftermath of the council, he urged
Pope Liberius
Pope Liberius (310 – 24 September 366) was the bishop of Rome from 17 May 352 until his death. According to the ''Catalogus Liberianus'', he was consecrated on 22 May as the successor to Pope Julius I. He is not mentioned as a saint in t ...
to conform.
References
*Fortunatianus Aquileiensis: Commentaria in Evangelia, ed. Lukas J. Dorfbauer, (
Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum
The ''Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum'' (CSEL) is an academic series that publishes critical editions of Latin works by late-antique Christian authors.
Description
The CSEL publishes Latin writings of Christian authors from the tim ...
, Band 103), De Gruyter 2017
*H. Houghton
English translation CSEL (extra seriem), 2017
External links
*Houghton, H
"Lost Latin commentary on the Gospels rediscovered after 1,500 years thanks to digital technology" Article about the discovery of the manuscript.
{{Authority control
Bishops of Aquileia
4th-century Italian bishops
4th-century Latin writers