Le liber ad gregoriam d'arnobe le jeune : édition, traduction, étude historique, doctorinale et littéraire
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Abstract EN:
The liber ad gregoriam attributed to arnobius junior is enigmatic concerning the author, maybe an african, his pelagian views and the work by itself. By twenty five chapters, arnobius answers the existentiel questions of a rich and christian matrone who asks for help and advice about her conjugal disappoint, ments and her hope for heavenly happiness. Indeed, facing a husband showed as violent, the author calls her to order about wife's and housewife's duties, in particular towards the servants. He also proves to her that it is possible to be married and to have a pious christian life. Our research has first consisted in stating precisely where and when lived gregoria and her husband, with their personality and their social position( ch. I), before studiing carefully the conjugal difficulties and the answers of the spiri, tual director, also appropriate to other couples ( ch. Ii). Then from the biblical, patristic, and pelagian sources of the work ( ch. Iii) we have carefully studied the auther's purposes, convictions and style ( ch. Iv). The historical and sociological harvest remains doubitful : arnobius, who was probably a monk from cesarian mauritania, as a refugee in rome during the vandal invasion in 430, would haveexercised his spiritual and literary activity between 430 and 46i. This work also brings the evocation of a roman married couple and his environment during the vth century. Besides we see arnobius making use of the best sources for his message, even pelagian. His work with a rethoric skill being used. For the christian truth shows evidence of an important "acculturation" which seems to hesitate over two conceptions of christianity and marriage : pelagius's conception, more "elitist", and augustin's conception, the shepherd of the "mode, rate christians ". But the " liber ad gregoriam " appears as a beautiful homage to the women and as a real treatise on the conjugal and christian morality.
Abstract FR:
Le liber ad gregoriam attribue a arnobe le jeune pose plusieurs enigmes sur l'auteur, peut-etre africain, sur ses idees pelagianisantes,et sur cette oeuvre. En 25 chapitres, arnobe repond aux questions existentielles d'une riche matrone chretienne demandant aide et conseils pour ses deboires conjugaux et son espoir de bonheur celeste. Face en effet a un mari presente comme violent, l'auteur la rappelle a ses devoirs d'epouse et de maitresse de grande maison, notamment envers ses esclaves. Il lui montre aussi qu'une sainte vie de couple est possible. Notre recherche a consiste d'abord a preciser le cadre spatial et temporel ou gregoria et son mari, qu'on a essaye de cerner dans leur personnalite et leur condition sociale, ont pu vivre (chap. I), avant d'examiner les difficultes conju, gales rencontrees et les reponses du directeur spirituel, valables aussi pour d'autres couples (chap. Ii). Puis a partir des sources bibliques, patristiques et pelagiennes de l'oeuvre (ch. Iii), on a mieux envisage les intentions et les con, victions de l'auteur, ainsi que sa maniere d'ecrire (ch. Iv). La moisson historique et sociologique demeure incertaine : arnobe, sans doute un moine de mauritanie cesarienne refugie a rome lors des invasions vandales de 430, aurait exerce son activite spirituelle et litteraire entre 430 et 46i. On a aussi l'evocation d'un couple romain et son entourage au veme siecle. On voit en autre arnobe puiser aux meilleures sources pour son message, meme pelagien. Son oeuvre, d'une facture rhetorique au service de la verite chretienne, temoigne d'une epoque de grande intensite spirituelle et intellectuelle, ainsi que d'une inculturation religieuse paraissant hesiter entre deux conceptions du christia, nisme et du mariage : celle de pelage, plus elitiste, celle d'augustin, pasteur des "chretiens moyens". Mais le liber ad gregoriam apparait comme un bel hommage aux femmes et comme un vrai traite de morale conjuguale chretienne.