Commonitorium (Orientius)

The Commonitorium (Latin: [kom.moˈni.to.ri.um]) is the name of an elegiac poem by the Christian Latin poet Orientius, written c. AD 430. Composed of 1036 verses and divided into two books, the poem describes the way to heaven, with warnings against its hindrances.

Not much is known about Orientius; he is mentioned in passing by Venantius Fortunatus in his Vita S. Martini, and a brief description of his life appears in the Acta Sanctorum. From what information is available, he was evidently a Gaul, who had converted to Christianity after realizing that he had been living a life of sin. He eventually became the bishop of Auch. He devoted his life to promoting Christian spirituality to his followers, and it is almost certain that the Commonitorium was the result of this devotion.

Given the paucity of information concerning Orientius himself, dating his poem has proven difficult. There are several clues that have helped scholars provide a rough timeframe in which the Commonitorium was likely written and published. First, the poem explicitly references the AD 406 invasion of Gaul by various barbarian tribes, suggesting that the poem was written sometime after this event. Second, the Vita S. Martini claims that Orientius was sent sometime in the mid-5th century by the Visigothic king Theodoric I (d. 451) to Roman commanders Flavius Aetius (d. 454) and Litorius (d. 439) to negotiate peace between Rome and the Visigoths. Given these reference points, Tobin suggests that the poem was likely written c. AD 430.

The Commonitorium is a Latin elegiac poem written in couplets that focuses mostly on morality and theology. The poem can be roughly divided into seven main sections: an introduction, a discussion of the "two-fold life of man", an explanation for why humans were created, a delineation on how God should be worshiped, considerations for the reader, an exhortation on the necessity of believing in the Trinity, and a conclusion. In the first section, the poet invites the reader to listen to what he has to say before calling upon God to offer guidance. In the second portion of the Commonitorium, the poet discusses the life of the body, as well as the life of the soul. In the third section, Orientius explains why humans were created. In the fourth section, the poet lays out the ways that humans can love God: by keeping His commandments (namely, the Great Commandment), by believing in the resurrection of the dead and the glories of Heaven to come, by praying for strength, and by avoiding sin (the seven sins Orientius discusses are: "wanton pleasure, envy, avarice, deceitful pleasure, lying, [and the] over-indulgence in food [and] drink"). In the fifth section, the poet considers a number of issues, including: the sorrows of life versus the joys of heaven, death, judgement, the punishments awaiting in Hell, and the rewards awaiting in Heaven. In the penultimate portion of the poem, Orientius stresses to the reader the utmost importance in believing in the Trinity. The work then concludes both with a request for the reader to remember Orientius in prayer, as well as a prayer from the poet that blesses the reader.

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