(468-533) theologian
After the collapse of the western half of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, Western Europe entered a period of cultural decline and political disunity. The Christian Church, however, remained intellectually active, producing a large number of important theologians. One of these was Saint Fulgentius.
Fulgentius was born in the city of Telepte, North Africa, and received an excellent education in the Greek and Latin classics; it is believed he memorized all of homer’s works. After beginning a political career, he abruptly took monastic vows and became a monk. Although he traveled throughout the Mediterranean, he lived in voluntary poverty for the rest of his life.
The early centuries of the Christian Church were a time of tremendous theological controversy and debate, as proponents of rival interpretations of Christianity struggled with one another for supremacy. Fulgentius was deeply involved in these intellectual quarrels, writing numerous theological treatises to promote his views of scripture. He believed fervently in the ideas of St. augustine and accepted the absolute damnation of all nonbeliev-ers, as can be seen in the three books that make up his Ad Monimum. He also struggled mightily against the Arian sect of Christianity, writing numerous sermons against them, including Contra Arianos liber unus (A Work Against Arians), which still exists today. By the time of his death, these struggles were not yet over, but they would end in triumph for the forces Fulgentius supported.
His best-known work, still extant, is “De Fide” (“Of Life”), about the matter of “true” faith. His “Liber ad Victorem” and “Liber ad Scarilam de In-carnatione” concern the religious view at the time of incarnation and the Holy Trinity. These, along with his other existing works, make Fulgentius one of the leading theologians of his day.
An English Version of Works by Saint Fulgentius
Fulgentius: Selected Works. Translated by Robert B. Eno. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1997.
A Work about Saint Fulgentius
Ferguson, Thomas S. Visita Nos: Reception, Rhetoric, and Prayer in a North African Monastery, Vol. 203. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 1999.
