Regional Influences on the Sermons of Venantius Fortunatus

The two sermons of the sixth-century poet Venantius Fortunatus, the Expositio symboli and the Expositio orationis dominicae, deserve more attention than they have received. Where did Fortunatus obtain this knowledge of theology? What do his theological emphases in these sermons say about where he obtained it? Finally, what does his theological outlook say about his identity as an Italian émigré in Merovingian Gaul at the end of his life? Based on the internal evidence of his poetic and prose works, Fortunatus shows influences on his theological outlook that derive initially from Ravenna, where he also received his liberal education, and later on Gaul itself. Despite the suggestions of some, Aquileia is most probably not a source of his theology. The sources he used in these sermons were widely available throughout the Latin West. His focus in the Expositio symboli on the cross demonstrates the influence of the presence of the relic of the True Cross in Poitiers, and the strong Augustinianism present in his Expositio orationis dominicae reflects his training in Rome-influenced Ravenna. By the end of his life, when he became bishop of Poitiers, he showed a confidence in his own judgment that demonstrates his integration into Gallic society.