Poetic Rewritings between Literature and Doctrine: Prudentius, Cathemerinon 5

Hymn 5 of the Cathemerinon libri gives literary form to one of the vespers and is a form of poetic rewriting based on transcoding liturgical practice to an absolutely literary level of communication, which requires the adoption of a careful style and identifies clear poetic models. This article examines some sections of the poem to document the using a higher and more sophisticated level of communication. In fact Prudentius is not satisfied with rewriting biblical content in using a different and more literary code, but wishes to intervene on matters of faith: he shows their roots in the OldTestament tradition and evocatively suggests the complete realization of the latter, with a theological and catechetical purpose, and not only literary.