Nature and the Tradition of Late Latin Christian Poetry

De Gianni, Donato (ed.)
Furbetta, Luciana (ed.)
Lubian, Francesco (ed.)

The book Nature and the Tradition of Late Latin Christian Poetry is a collection of eleven scholarly essays by prominent international scholars that explore how nature was perceived and interpreted by Christian poets during Late Antiquity and beyond. Alongside the studies dedicated to the most relevant Latin poets of this age, the book features two chapters dedicated to Medieval Latin poetry and two on the Greek poet Gregory of Nazianzus, adding a broader cultural and intellectual dimension to the discussion. The essays investigate how natural phenomena, animals, landscapes, and the cosmos were understood not just as elements of the physical world, but as symbolic expressions of divine order and providence, and explore topics such as the description of spiritualized landscapes, the allegorical use of natural imagery in Biblical exegesis, and the moral dimension of animals and plants. Nature, in this context, is seen as a creation that reflects God’s wisdom and purpose.
By illuminating the Christianized vision of nature in this formative period, the book sheds light on how these early interpretations shaped Western thought for centuries to come.