CIPRIANO GALLO. — Under this name Peiper published in 1891 a Heptateuch, a paraphrase in hexameters of the first seven books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges. The work was previously known to us only in certain parts, attributed by editors to s. Cipriano di Cartagine and Giovenco. The author’s name is established by the best manuscripts. The date, taking into account that Cipriano imitates Claudiano and is imitated by Claudio Mario Vittore, falls between 400 and 450. The provenance of the codices and their linguistic features suggest Gaul.
The catalogue titles and fragments show that the poem also paraphrased various other historical books of the Old Testament. Brewer maintained that the author of the Heptateuch, a northern Italian rather than a Gaul, is identical with the presbyter Cipriano to whom s. Gerolamo sent Epistle 140 around 415–18, and that he is also the author of the poems Ad Senatorem, De Sodoma, De Iona, and especially the
Caena Cypriani. These identifications are not considered certain.
The poet versifies only the narrative parts of the Bible, following a pre-Jeromian Latin version and adhering slavishly to the text. Inspiration is rarely perceptible. The canticles are paraphrased in lyric metre (Phalaecian hendecasyllable). He willingly imitates pagan and Christian poets and prose writers, above all Virgilio. He makes extensive use of alliteration and permits himself many prosodic licenses.