PONTIUS. - Biographer of St. Cyprian. About thirty manuscripts have handed down a writing that narrates the life of St. Cyprian from his Baptism to his election as bishop, to his pastoral activity (chaps. 1-10) and his passion (chaps. 11-19).

The author presents himself as a companion of Cyprian in exile and a witness of his martyrdom (chaps. 12,3; 13, 3-15; 14, 4.8). Neither in the narrative nor in the inscription of the oldest manuscripts does the name of the writer appear, which is known only from St. Jerome, who calls him a deacon of Cyprian (De vir. ill. 68). Therefore the authenticity of the Vita and its historical value are contested by various critics, but without convincing arguments. The evident apologetic, encomiastic and edifying intentions do not prevent acceptance of the substance of the narrative, which, moreover, adds very little to what is known of Cyprian from other sources.

Bibliography13 works

BIBL.: ed.: [J. Fell], in the works of St. Cyprian, Oxford 1684, pp. 1-10; Th. Ruinart, Acta Martyrum, Paris 1689, pp. 203-215; reproduced in the edition of St. Cyprian by Baluzius, ibid. 1726 reprinted several times, and in PL 3, 1541-58 with variants and notes taken from other edd.; Acta SS. Septembris, IV, Paris 1868, pp. 325-37; W. Hartel, in an appendix to St. Cyprian (CSEL, 3, 3), pp. xc-cx; A. Harnack, in Texte u. Unters., 39, III, Leipzig 1913. - Studies: besides A. Harnack-P. Monessux, Hist. litt. de l'Afr. christ., II, Paris 1902, pp. 190-97; R. Reizenstein, in Sitzungsber. at Heidelberger Abbad. d. Wimmerh., Phil. hist. Kl., 1913-1914 (against authenticity); P. Corssen, in Zeitschr. f. neut. Wissenschaft., 15 (1914), pp. 285-316; 16 (1915), pp. 214-29; 18 (1917-18), pp. 118-39, 202-216 (for authenticity); J. Martin, in Hist. Jahrbuch, 39 (1919), pp. 674-12 (against); H. Delehaye, Les passions des Martyrs et les genres litt., Brussels 1921, pp. 82-104; cf. Analecta Boll., 39 (1921), p. 168 f. (for authenticity).

Michele Pellegrino

@incollection{ec9_ponzio, author = {Pellegrino, Michele}, title = {Ponzio}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {1755--1758}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/ponzio} }

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Pontius

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