CORIPPO, FLAVIO CRESCONIO. - Formerly a teacher of grammar in a municipality of Africa, he subsequently went to Carthage. In 549 or 550 he published an epic poem in 8 books, entitled Iohannis or De bellis Libycis, in which he celebrated the exploits accomplished by Giovanni, magister militum of Africa, in the war of the Romans against the Moors, from 546 to 548; Book VIII is unfinished. The poem appears to have won C. a position at the court of Constantinople. Later, reduced to poverty, he published, in order to obtain assistance from the Emperor, a panegyric of Giustino, in 4 books.
The choice of subject is not easy in the epic poem, which celebrates episodes of contemporary history, still less in the panegyric, in which the first 3 books celebrate the first eight days of Giustino’s reign, while the IV, unfinished, deals with the protagonist’s assumption of the consulship and the festivities that accompanied II. The author regards it as the duty of a Christian poet to reject mythological subject matter, while introducing Christian elements in several places, such as prayers to God, to Christ, and to the Virgin, as well as a brief compendium of the Catholic faith. Artistically his importance is quite limited, especially in the panegyric; he is, however, of considerable interest as a historical source, for his account of a phase of the war and for his descriptions of the character and customs of the Moorish peoples.