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Claudianus Mamertus in the eyes of Sidonius Apollinaris The present paper discusses the person and literary achievements of Claudianus Mamertus as seen by his fellow writer and friend, Sidonius Apollinaris. In his extant writings, Sidonius presents a sympathetic and, indeed, impressive image of his friend as both a devout member of the Christian community and an outstanding intellectual. Both the letters to Mamertus and the eulogy written after his death testify to the friendship between the two writers, and the intellectual, spiritual, and personal qualities of Claudianus Mamertus. Sidonius’ works concerning Mamertus are often analysed to underscore the philosophical and theological character of Mamertus’ work; yet their elegant form and their deep connection to cultural tradition deserves also an analysis from a more aesthetic, literary point of view.

The Sublime as a Literary-Aesthetic Category The paper discusses the rhetorical and literary concept of the sublime (tὸ u`qos) and its development in the theory and practice of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Special emphasis is put on pseudo-Longinus' treatise De sublimitate and its understanding of the concept of the sublime.