ENNODIUS, MAGNUS FELIX (A.D. of Pavia, Latin rhetorician and poet. He was born at Arelate (Arles) and brought up at Ticinum (Pavia) or possibly Medio lanum (Milan). When the lady to whom he was betrothed went into a convent Ennodius entered the Church, and was ordained deacon (about 493) . From Pavia he went to Milan, where he remained until made bishop of Pavia about 515. As bishop of Pavia he played a considerable part in ecclesiastical affairs. On two occasions (in 515 and 517) he was sent to Constantinople by Theodoric on an embassy to the emperor Anastasius, to en deavour to bring about a reconciliation between the Eastern and Western churches. He died on July 17, 521; his epitaph still exists in the basilica of St. Michael at Pavia (Corpus Inscrip tionum Latinarum, v., pt. ii., No. 6464).
Ennodius is one of the best representatives of the twofold (pagan and Christian) tendency of 5th century literature, and of the Gallo-Roman clergy who upheld the cause of civilization and classical literature against the inroads of barbarism. But his anxiety not to fall behind his classical models—the chief of whom was Virgil—his striving after elegance and grammatical correct ness, and a desire to avoid the commonplace have produced an affected style, which, aggravated by rhetorical exaggerations and popular barbarisms, makes his works difficult to understand.
His works include :—(I) Letters on a variety of subjects, ad dressed to high church and state officials, which are valuable for the religious and political history of the period. (2) Miscellanies, of which the most important are : The Panegyric of Theodoric, written to thank the Arian prince for his tolerance of Catholicism and support of Pope Symmachus (probably delivered before the king on the occasion of his entry into Ravenna or Milan) ; The Life of St. Epiphanius, bishop of Pavia, the best written and perhaps the most important of all his writings, an interesting pic ture of the political activity of the church; Eucharisticon de Vita Sua, a sort of "confessions," after the manner of St. Augustine; the description of the enfranchisement of a slave with religious formalities in the presence of a bishop; Paraenesis didascalica, an educational guide, insisting on the claims of grammar as a preparation for the study of rhetoric. (3) Discourses (Dictiones). That on the anniversary of Laurentius, bishop of Milan, is the chief authority for the life of that prelate; the scholastic dis courses, rhetorical exercises for the schools, contain eulogies of classical learning, distinguished professors and pupils; the con troversial deal with imaginary charges, the subjects being chiefly borrowed from the elder Seneca; the ethical harangues are put into the mouth of mythological personages. (4) Poems, including two Itineraria, descriptions of a journey from Milan to Brigan tium (Briancon) and of a trip on the Po; an apology for the study of profane literature; an epithalamium, in which Love is introduced as execrating Christianity; a dozen hymns, after the manner of St. Ambrose, probably intended for church use; epi grams on various subjects.
There are two excellent editions of Ennodius by G. Hartel (vol. vi. of Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Vienna, 1882) and F. Vogel (vol. vii. of Monumenta Germaniae historica, 1885, with ex haustive prolegomena) . Edition with French translation, by S. Leglise (1qo6 foil.). On Ennodius generally consult M. Fertig, Ennodius and seine Zeit (18S5-6o) ; A. Dubois, La Latinite d'Ennodius (1903) ; F. Magani, Ennodio (Pavia, 1886) ; A. Ebert, Allgemeine Geschichte der Litt. des Mittelalters im Abendlande, i. (1889) ; M. Manitius, Ge schichte der christlich-lateinischen Poesie (1891) ; Teuffel, Hist. of Roman Literature, § 479 (Eng. tr., 1892).