Juvencus’ Präsenz im Proömium des Cento Probae: ein bisher unbemerkter Fall akustischer Imitation

Abstract

In the prooemium of the Cento Vergilianus de Laudibus Christi of Faltonia Betitia Proba (lines 1–23) there are fragments not only of Vergil’s works but also of Lucan’s Bellum Civile and Juvencus’ Evangeliorum Libri. This article shows that in these lines Juvencus has a particular importance, for the references to his work increase until they reach a remarkable intensity in lines 22–23 and they stand out on different levels both formally and semantically. This thesis is supported by re-examining the origin of a reference in line 22 of the Cento (erige mentem) that is usually ascribed to Lucan. The attribution to Juvencus can be established through the phenomenon of acoustic imitation.