Original scientific paper
MARULIĆ'S CLAUDIAN
Bratislav Lučin
Abstract
At the beginning of 2005 the author of this article established that a copy of a poem by Claudius Claudianus (circa 370/75-circa 404) on the last pages of the famous Trogir codex (Codex Parisiensis lat. 7989 olim Traguriensis) was written by the Croatian writer
Marko Marulić. This discovery prompted him to thoroughly investigate the entire codex after which he reached conclusions which have significant implications not only for thephilological studies of Marulić but also for the history of this famous manuscript in general.
These discoveries will be described elsewhere. The theme of this paper is Marulić’s copy of Claudian’s poem Phoenix (Carm.min.27) and it will attempt to give answers to three questions. What original did Marulić use to make his copy? When was it made? What motivated it? (In other words: why was Claudian important to Marulić; why did he copy precisely this poem?) In the absence of other data, the answer to the first question is based on a textual and
paleographic analysis of the transcript. On the basis of this it is concluded that Marulić’s original was a manuscript and not a published edition. On the basis of a comparison of the handwriting in the copy of Phoenix with Marulić’s other autographs, some of which can be at least approximately dated, it can be established that the copy of the Phoenix probably derives from the 80ies of the 15th century. Firmer evidence can be found for the answer to the third question. Marulić devoted to Claudius two pages of his epigraphic treatise In epigrammata priscorum commentarius. Copying the inscription (CIL VI 1710=Dessau 2949) which the Roman Senate placed to honor Claudius while he was still alive, Marulić in his accompanying commentary expressed a short but clear praise of the Roman poet: he is worthy of being compared with his predecessors and he superceded those that followed. It is impossible to establish whether Marulić considered Claudian a Christian or a pagan. However, the story of the fabulous bird phoenix which arises out of its own ashes for the Christians always has had the symbolic meaning of the resurrection of Christ. Marulić must have known this meaning. The Christian symbolic meaning of the theme as well as the high esteem in which he held
Claudian as a poet were sufficient reasons why the humanist from Split copied Phoenix on the empty pages of his precious codex.
As an appendix the author publishes the first edition of Marulić’s copy of Claudian’s poem.
Keywords
Claudius Claudianus; Phoenix; Marko Marulić; Codex Parisiensis lat. 7989 olim Traguriensis
Hrčak ID:
17294
URI
Publication date:
12.2.2007.
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