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Title: L'encre du sang des martyrs
Subtitle: Étude d'un motif littéraire chrétien dans le De uiris illustribus de Jérôme
Author(s): INOWLOCKI, Sabrina
Journal: Latomus
Volume: 83    Issue: 3   Date: 2024   
Pages: 469-487
DOI: 10.2143/LAT.83.3.3293727

Abstract :
This article examines Jerome’s treatment of Pamphilus of Caesarea in notice 75 of his De uiris illustribus, focusing on Jerome’s metaphorical association between the martyr’s blood and the manuscripts he copied. The author demonstrates how Jerome christianizes classical judicial and poetic motifs of blood traces (uestigia sanguinis) while developing the innovative theme of martyrs’ blood as ink. Through careful analysis of the term signare, the article explores four possible interpretations: marking, writing, sealing, and signing. The study reveals how Jerome transforms Pamphilus’s manuscript copies into textual relics, establishing a significant connection between martyrdom and textuality that would influence later Christian literature. This representation reflects broader late antique Christian discourse linking textual materiality with martyrs’ relics. The article situates this development within both classical literary traditions and emerging Christian attitudes toward manuscripts, scribal authority, and martyrological discourse.

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