Paul the Deacon | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Paulus Diaconus from a 10th-century manuscript (Laurentian Library Plut. 65.35 fol. 34r) | |
| Title | Deacon |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Paulus Warnefridus c. 720s |
| Died | 13 April in 796, 797, 798, or 799 AD |
| Nationality | Lombard |
| Parent(s) | Warnefrid and Theodelinda |
| Known for | History of the Lombards |
| Occupation | Benedictine monk, scribe, and historian |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | pre-Schism Latin Church |
| Order | Benedictines |
| Ordination | c. 782 |
Paul the Deacon (c. 720s – 13 April in 796, 797, 798, or 799 AD), also known asPaulus Diaconus,Warnefridus,Barnefridus, orWinfridus, and sometimessuffixedCassinensis ("ofCasīnum", the citadel of which was present dayMonte Cassino), was aBenedictine monk,scribe, andhistorian of theLombards.
An ancestor of Paulus's named Leupichis emigrated to Italy in 568 in the train ofAlboin, King of the Lombards. There, he was granted lands at or nearForum Julii (Cividale del Friuli). During an invasion by theAvars, Leupichis's five sons were carried away toPannonia, but one of them, his namesake, returned toItaly and restored the ruined fortunes of his house. The grandson of the younger Leupichis was Warnefrid, who by his wife Theodelinda became the father of Paul.[1] Paulus was his monastic name; he was born Winfrid, son of Warnefrid, about 720 in theDuchy of Friuli.[2]
Thanks to the possible noble status of his family, Paul received an exceptionally good education, probably at the court of the Lombard kingRatchis inPavia, learning the rudiments ofGreek from a teacher named Flavian. Paul was probably the secretary of the Lombard kingDesiderius, a successor of Ratchis. After Desiderius's daughterAdelperga had marriedArichis II, duke of Benevento, Paul, at her request, wrote his continuation ofEutropius'sSummary of Roman History (Latin:Breviarium Historiae Romanae).[1]
He lived at the court ofBenevento for at least several years before 774, whenCharlemagne captured Pavia, and he may have fled the city during that conquest. Eventually he entered a monastery onLake Como, and before 782 he entered the greatBenedictine house ofMonte Cassino, where he made the acquaintance of Charlemagne. Around 776, Paul's brother Arichis was carried off toFrancia as a prisoner after a revolt in Friuli. When Charlemagne visitedRome five years later, Paul wrote to him on behalf of Arichis, who was then freed.[1]
After Paul's literary achievements had drawn the attention ofCharlemagne, he became an important contributor to theCarolingian Renaissance. In 787 he returned to Monte Cassino, where he died on 13 April probably in the year 799.[2] His epithetDiaconus indicates that he took orders as adeacon; and some believe he was amonk before the fall of theLombard Kingdom.[1]
Paul's chief work is hisHistoria Langobardorum, an incomplete history in six books that he wrote after 787 but no later than 795–96. It covers the history of the Langobards from their legendary origins in the north (in "Scadinavia") and their subsequent migrations—notably to Italy in 568–69—to the death ofKing Liutprand in 744. The books contain much information about theEastern Roman Empire, the Franks, and other peoples. The history is written from a Lombardian point of view and is especially valuable for its depictions of the relations between the Franks and the Lombards. It begins:[1]
The region of the north, in proportion as it is removed from the heat of the sun and is chilled with snow and frost, is so much the more healthful to the bodies of men and fitted for the propagation of nations, just as, on the other hand, every southern region, the nearer it is to the heat of the sun, the more it abounds in diseases and is less fitted for the bringing up of the human race.[1]
Among Paul's sources were the document called theOrigo gentis Langobardorum, theLiber pontificalis, the lost history ofSecundus of Trent, and the lost annals ofBenevento. He also heavily drew upon the works ofBede,Gregory of Tours, andIsidore of Seville.[1]
Related to his history of the Langobards is Paul'sHistoria Romana; this is a continuation ofEutropius'sBreviarium, which covers the period 364–553 CE. Paul compiled theHistoria Romana at Benevento between 766 and 771. He is said to have advised Adelperga to read Eutropius; she did, but complained that this pagan writer said nothing about ecclesiastical affairs and stopped with the accession of the EmperorValens in 364. Consequently, Paul interwove extracts from theScriptures, from ecclesiastical historians, and from other sources with the writings of Eutropius. The six books he ultimately added thus carried Lombardian history down to 553. This work, which was very popular during the Middle Ages, has value for its early historical presentation of the end of theRoman Empire inWestern Europe. It was edited byHans Droysen and published in theMonumenta Germaniae Historica. Auctores antiquissimi series, Band ii. (1879)[1] as well as by A. Crivellucci, inFonti per la storia d' Italia, N° 51 (1914).[3]
At the request ofAngilram,Bishop of Metz (d. 791), Paul wrote a history of the bishops of Metz to 766, the first work of its kind north of theAlps. This was translated into English in 2013 asLiber de episcopis Mettensibus. He also wrote many letters, verses, and epitaphs, including those of Duke/Prince Arichis II of Benevento and of many members of the Carolingian family. Some of these letters were published with theHistoria Langobardorum in theMonumenta; poems and epitaphs edited byErnst Dümmler were published in thePoetae latini aevi carolini, Band i. (Berlin, 1881). Fresher material having come to light, a newer edition of the poems (Die Gedichte des Paulus Diaconus) was edited by Karl Neff (Munich, 1908).[4] Neff denied, however, that Paul had written the most famous poem in the collection, the hymn to St. John the BaptistUt queant laxis, whichGuido of Arezzo set to a melody that had previously been used forHorace'sOde4.11.[5] From the initial syllables of the first verses of the resultant setting, Guido then took the names of the first notes of the musical scale. Paul also wrote anepitome, which has survived, ofSextus Pompeius Festus'sDe verborum significatu, which he dedicated to Charlemagne.[6]
While Paul was in Francia, Charlemagne asked him to compile a collection ofhomilies. Paul granted this request after returning to Monte Cassino; the compilation was largely used in the Frankish churches. Paul also composed two important homiliesIn Assumptione, in the second of which, unlikeAmbrose Autpert, he admits the possibility ofMary's bodily assumption into heaven.[7]
A life ofPope Gregory the Great has also been attributed to Paul,[4] and he is credited with a Latin translation of the GreekLife ofSaint Mary the Egyptian.[8]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Paulus Diaconus".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 964–965. Endnotes:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Paul the Deacon".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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