The Monastic Rules of Visigothic Iberia - eTheses Repository ...

In answer to the question, then, of why Leander would attach an epistle to the start of a
monastic rule, rather than a normal preface, it seems clear that it satisfies various functions: it
allows him to write a small treatise on virginity which, although nothing novel, is the type of
literature that such a figure might be interested in writing; it allows for a personal
correspondence from a brother to a sister whom he cares greatly for, possibly as his final
action or gift for her owing to his old age; it permits Leander to seek atonement for his
earthly sins and ask Florentina to pray for his entry into Heaven, relying on her own holiness;
finally, it may be that Leander was imitating previous examples of „epistle-rules‟, although
any evidence of these have now been lost. In itself, the presence of the epistle cannot be
taken to imply that the text is not a monastic rule; it does not constitute the main part of the
text, and is at best an interesting addition rather than something that defies categorisation
completely. However, its importance lies in the fact that it clearly sets out the work to be for
a individual, Florentina, and not for a monastic community in general. An important question
arises from this; namely, to what extent might Leander have meant it to be seen only by his
sister, or did he ever have a wider audience in mind?
There is nothing unexpected in a writer from antiquity addressing correspondence to an
individual whilst having the intention of distributing it to a much wider audience; such a
practice was frequent during the Greco-Roman period and continued in the post-Roman
world (Ebbeler 2009). 36 If for nothing else, it makes practical sense; parchment was
expensive and producing written work was a timely activity, and it is therefore sensible that
such an investment of both material and time should benefit as many as possible. The fact
36 The use of an epistle in technical literature in general is well attested. Thus, Langslow (2007: 220),
“a polar distinction is between letters serving as dedications or prefaces, and those standing as
treatises in their own right. The technical letter as a treatise is attested to in both Latin and Greek”.
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