Marianus Scholasticus’ APl 201. A Christian rewriting of Eros from Justin II and Sophia’s reign

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to perform a deep analysis of APl 201, a fi ve-couplet epigram ascribed in all manuscripts to the almost unknown Marianus Scholasticus. When describing a work of art also unidentifi able, the poet progressively transforms the Eros he (probably) sees in the image of the Christian saviour, by means of a cautious wordplay and a symbolic re-signifi cation of the pagan attributes of that god. Furthermore, some connections between Marianus’ other epigrams and the reign of Justin II and his wife Sophia’s, particularly the last one, come to suggest a commissioned relation of the poet with the imperial couple, in relation to an intentional advertising propaganda that aimed to promote both of them to icons of orthodoxy in the second half of the sixth century AD.