FULGENZIO DI RUSPE, UN VESCOVO A SERVIZIO DELLA COMUNITÀ: IL MODELLO DI SANTITÀ EPISCOPALE NELLA VITA FULGENTII

Abstract

The paper aims to analyze the model of episcopal holiness that the Vita Fulgentii’s author outlines for Fulgentius, bishop of Ruspe. The text, presumably composed around 534 and come down to us adespota in the manuscripts, is articulated into twenty-nine chapters preceded by a prologue. They narrate the troubled life of the protagonist, that reflects
the impact of the Aryan Vandals on the populations of Catholic Africa between the Vth and the VIth centuries. The hagiographic model proposed in the Vita Fulgentii, starting from the representation of the martyr as the first imitator of Christ, extends to that of the monk and the bishop: in particular, Fulgentius deals with the numerous civil tasks and carries out the pastoral role with great devotion, such as to became a holy bishop in the service of the community. The interest and the affection that Fulgentius shows towards the community are amply rewarded; the community loves Fulgentius, and seeks a spiritual patronage in him.