Medicine and prayers in the deacon Ennodius' letters
The oeuvre of the late antique Latin author Magnus Felix Ennodius (473/4-521 CE) can provide some insights into several aspects of daily life. The focus of this paper is on medicine as belonging to science and on prayers, particularly intercessory prayers, as an element of faith. After a short intro...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Belgrade - Faculty of Philosophy - Institute for Philosophy
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Belgrade Philosophical Annual |
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| Online Access: | https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0353-3891/2024/0353-38912402199S.pdf |
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| Summary: | The oeuvre of the late antique Latin author Magnus Felix Ennodius (473/4-521 CE) can provide some insights into several aspects of daily life. The focus of this paper is on medicine as belonging to science and on prayers, particularly intercessory prayers, as an element of faith. After a short introduction I delineate some situations in which Ennodius mentions intercessory prayers. I then examine the image of medicine in his works showing that it proves to be a common and useful phenomenon. Primarily, I present some passages in which Ennodius writes about physical illnesses and the help of both physicians and prayers (in some letters and in the so-called Eucharisticon). Comparing the letters to various correspondents it is possible to recognise that Ennodius did not employ the same quantity and the same elements of Christian discourse for everybody, but was obviously well aware of their individual receptiveness and therefore considered what was appropriate (aptum) in each case. Moreover, as he was not a bishop when he wrote the letters, but still a deacon, his letters constitute an exceptional voice of someone not holding a top position in the church hierarchy. |
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| ISSN: | 0353-3891 2956-0357 |