I 170. FLORUS MAGISTER OF LYONS. 733
cellaneous Poems,1 including epistles, epigrams, inscriptions and hymns.
§ 170. Floi*u$ Magistcr, of Lyons.
I. FLORUS, diaconus Lugdunensis : Opera omnia, in Migne, Tom. CXIX.
col. 9-424. His poems are given by DUMMLER : Poet. Lat. cev. Carolini, II. (Berlin, 1884), pp. 507-566.
II. BACH: Dogmengeschichte des Mittelalters, Wien, 1873-1875, 2 Abth.
I. 240. Hist. lit. de la France, V. 213-240. CEILLIER, XII. 478- 493. BAHR, 108, 109 ; 447-453. EBERT, II. 268-272.
FLORUS was probably born in the closing year of the eighth century and lived in Lyons during the reigns of Louis the Pious, Charles the Bald and Louis IT. He was head of the cathedral school, on which account he is commonly called Floras Magister. He was also a deacon or sub-deacon. He enjoyed a wide reputation for learning, virtue and ability. He stood in confidential relations with his bishop, Agobard, and with some of the most distinguished men of his time. His library was a subject of remark and wonder for its large size.2
Like every other scholar under Charles the Bald, he made his contribution to the Eucharistic and Predestination contro versies. In the former he took the side of Rabanus Maurus and Ratramnus against the transubstantiation theory of Paschasius Radbertus; in the latter he opposed Johannes Scotus Erigena, without, however, going entirely over to the side of Gottschalk. He sat in the council of Quiercy (849), the first one called by Hincmar in the case of Gottschalk. He died about 860.
His complete works are :
1. A patristic cento on the election of Bishops* written in 834, to show that in primitive Christian times the bishops were always chosen by the free vote of the congregation and the clergy. There fore the interference of the king in such elections, which was
1 Dummler, pp. 350-428. Mipne, CXIV, col. 1083-1120.
2 Cf. Wandalbert, in Migne, CXXL col. 577.
8 Liber de electionibus episcoporum, collectus ex sententiis patrum, Migne CXIX. col. 11-14.
734 FOURTH PERIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
one of the growing evils of the time, was unwarranted by tradi tion and only defensible on the plea of necessity to preserve the union between Church and State.
2. An Exposition of the Mass,1 compiled, according to his own express statement, for the most part, from Cyprian, Am brose, Augustin, and other Fathers.
3. A Treatise against Amalarius,2 in which he supports Agobard against Amalarius, who had explained the liturgy in a mystical and allegorical manner.3
4. A Martyrology* a continuation of Bede's.
5. Sermon on Predestination.5
6. A treatise against Scotus Erigena's errors? written in 8523 in the name of the church of Lyons. He calls attention to Erigena's rationalistic treatment of the Scriptures and the Fathers ; rejects the definition of evil as negation ; insists that faith in Christ and an inner revelation are necessary to a right understanding of the Scriptures. It is noticeable that while he censures Erigena for his abuse of secular science, he claims that it has its proper use.7
7. St. Augustin' s Exposition of the Pauline Epistles,* long attributed to Bede.
8. Capitulary collected from the Law and the Canons.9
9. Miscellaneous Poems,10 which prove him to have had a spark of true poetic genius.11
10. There is also extant a letter which he wrote to the empress Judith.12
1 Opusculum de expositions missce, Migne, CXIX, col. 15-72.
2 Opusculum adversus Amalarium, ibid. col. 71-96.
3 See Amalarius in Migne, CV. col. 815 pqq.
4 Martyrologium, Migne, ,XCIV. col. 797 sqq.
5 Sermo de prcedestinaiione, Migne, CXIX. col. 95-102.
6 Adversus J. S. Erigence, erroneas definitiones liber, ibid. col. 101-250.
7 See his preface (col. 101-103).
8 Expositio in epistolas Beati Fault ex operibus Sancti Augustini collecta, ibid. col. 279-420. 9 Capitula exlege et canone collecta, ibid. col. 419-422.
10 Carmina varia, ibid. col. 249-278. n Ebert discusses them, II. 269-272. 13 Flori epistola ad imperatricem Judith, Migne, CXIX. col. 423, 424.