Iberian Fathers (review)

With the appearance of this volume it will be exactly thirty years ago that the Fathers of the Church series published the second volume of the Iberian Fathers, translated and edited by Claude W. Barlow. It has been a long time coming. Although there has been marked advancement among scholars of late antiquity and medieval studies to give due attention to the Iberian peninsula in the last thirty years, there is still a long way to go. This volume holds promise, at least in this series, to provide more translations of the Iberian Fathers for an English-speaking audience, and there is room for many more volumes of authors faring from Iberia. For those of us who deal with Iberian patristics, this is a most welcome translation of Pacian of Barcelona and Orosius of Braga. Pacian and Orosius flourished in the Iberian peninsula in the fourth and early fifth centuries and were intensely involved in some of the major heretical controversies, which they opposed, representing the orthodox view.

Pacian of Barcelona was apparently a cleric of some renown as evidenced by the accolades showered upon him by Jerome, who praised his eloquence. We do not have the bulk of what Pacian wrote, but what has survived is found in the present translation: three letters, and treatises on penitents and baptism. The letters written to the Novatianist Sympronian reveal to us much of the concern in Iberia over this heresy. His treatises on baptism and penitents are thoughtful, and evidence deep influences from the Bible, Tertullian, Cyprian, and pagan authors. Craig L. Hanson, moreover, notes that, “equally striking is Pacian’s originality in terms of figurative language, symbolism, and metaphorical expressions” (13).

Orosius of Braga is already better known because of his authorship of Seven Books of History against the Pagans and his close relationship with such towering figures as Augustine and Jerome. Like Pacian his writings demonstrate a solid education in Christian teaching and the classics. Hanson, however, points out that in comparison to Pacian’s polished writing abilities, “His writings often show signs of haste, carelessness, and lack of focus. Lengthy digressions, lost threads of arguments, and obscurities abound” (111). The two works translated in this volume are: Book in Defense against the Pelagians and Inquiry or Memorandum to Augustine on the Error of the Priscillianists and Origenists. His book against the Pelagians is considered by Hanson to be an impressive case against Pelagianism, notwithstanding his faulty writing abilities (109). The memorandum to Augustine regarding Priscillianism and Origenism does not reflect an exhaustive representation of these heresies. Much of the information that he is passing on to Augustine for judgment very likely comes from an earlier work written by one of Priscillian’s most ardent opponents, Ithacius of Ossonuba. Hanson points out that Augustine’s response did not address every issue raised by Orosius concerning Priscillianism and that he merely refers a great deal to his own works against the Manichaeans. Regarding Origenism, Augustine was more cautious and restrained in his remarks attributing much of the problem with misunderstandings (107–8). In the end, these two works by Ororius clearly demonstrate how a distant province such as Gallaecia and a bishopric like Bracara Augusta in northwestern Iberia were deeply affected and embroiled in the major doctrinal debates in greater Christendom.

Craig L. Hanson has accomplished for us a great service with the translation of these two Iberian Fathers. Raising greater awareness among patristic scholars on the importance of including and not marginalizing Iberian authors in our research is of utmost importance. It is the hope of this reviewer that this new volume of the Iberian Fathers is but the beginning of finally seeing in the Fathers of the Church series a full representation of all the Iberian Fathers into English up to the eighth century, so that scholars and students will gain a greater appreciation of the vital role the Iberian...