324 Lozovsky
Romans who like himself had loyally served Ostrogothic kings. In the context
of Justinian’s successful wars of conquest, those goals must have been directly
connected to practical questions of survival and access to power in a post-Ost-
rogothic Italy.33
Thus Cassiodorus carefully crafted the image of Theoderic, not only as a
wise imperial ruler who observed Roman laws and civilized customs, but
also as a philosopher-king who was interested in literature, natural philoso-
phy, and practical sciences.34 These were subjects that apparently interested
Cassiodorus himself: in many digressions throughout the Variae Cassiodorus
showcased his erudition, discussing natural phenomena and animals, describ-
ing various locations in Italy, and talking about the origins of the liberal arts.35
This erudition as well as knowledge of classical literature, history, and mythol-
ogy resulted from the education he had received. So did Cassiodorus’ style:
repetitive, rhythmic, full of classical quotations and rhetorical figures. Common
to late antique writings this ornate style responded to literary tastes and expec-
tations of the contemporary learned audiences.36
Magnus Felix Ennodius (ca. 473–521) pursued an ecclesiastical career, but
his intellectual and literary interests were similar to those of Cassiodorus.
Born in Provence and educated in Italy, he entered the clergy at Pavia; he then
became a deacon in Milan and was later consecrated as bishop of Pavia, the
city where he died in 521. According to the current scholarly consensus, most
of Ennodius’s works that survive (including an extensive collection of letters,
a panegyric to Theoderic, a vita of Ennodius’ patron, bishop Epiphanius, and
some verses of a very secular nature) were written during the period of his
deaconate at Milan.37
Unlike Cassiodorus, Ennodius never held secular office, but he also belonged
to the number of educated Catholic Romans who promoted the imperial
image of the Arian king. In 507, Ennodius produced a panegyric in honour of
Theoderic, composed according to the established conventions of the genre.
Scholars have not yet reached an agreement about the audience, aims, and
method of delivery of this long rhetorical composition. Full of verbal flourishes
and the usual topoi, the panegyric hailed Theoderic as an invincible general
33 On various interpretations of Cassiodorus’ goals, see Barnish, “Introduction”, p. xv;
O’Donnell, Cassiodorus, pp. 55–102; Gillett, “Purposes of Cassiodorus’ Variae”; Bjornlie,
Politics.
34 Cassiodorus, Variae 9.24.8; Vitiello, Il Principe, pp. 28–35.
35 Riché, Education and Culture, pp. 41–2; O’Donnell, Cassiodorus, pp. 88–92.
36 Roberts, Jeweled Style; Kennell, Ennodius.
37 Kennell, Ennodius; Schröder, Bildung und Briefe; Marconi, Ennodio.