Lucretius in the Libellus carminum of Eugenius II, Bishop of Toledo: a Preliminary Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23808/rel.v25i1.117101Keywords:
Eugenius II od Toledo, Lucretius, De rerum natura reception, Visigothic SpainAbstract
This paper presents a preliminary study of the possible direct reuse of Lucretian iuncturae in the Libellus carminum of Eugenius II, Bishop of Toledo. While the parallels noted in Farmhouse Alberto’s 2005 edition can generally be traced to intermediary sources or explained through polygenesis, a different picture emerges when focusing on the seventh poem of the collection (Contra crapulam). This text appears to be particularly rich in Lucretian echoes, many of which seem to bypass the usual channels of indirect transmission. The idea that Eugenius II may have had direct access to the De rerum natura therefore seems far from implausible. If confirmed, this hypothesis would carry significant implications for our understanding of Lucretius’s reception in Visigothic Spain. The cases of Isidore and Sisebut – until now regarded as exceptional – would no longer appear as isolated instances. Instead, they might point to a broader and more sustained presence of Lucretius’s work in the intellectual landscape of early medieval Hispania.
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