He was noted for his knowledge of the principles of art and design, and frequent references in his works to pottery, mosaics, architecture, and manuscript illumination testify to his taste in such matters. Theodulf, unlike many of his more ascetically minded monastic contemporaries, celebrated the liberal arts and saw little conflict between study of these subjects and study of the Scriptures. In a poem dealing with his favorite authors, Theodulf cites the usual Christian canon: Gregory the Great, Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, Cyprian, and Isidore for their prose works and Sedulius, Paulinus, Arator, Avitus, and Juvencus for their verse on biblical themes. He is more adventurous than most of his contemporaries, however, in going on to praise his countryman Prudentius, the grammarians Pompeius and Donatus, and the classical masters Virgil and Ovid. He lauds Prudentius's skill in composing in various meters, revealing an appreciation of literary techniques that reflects his classical education. He tries to maintain a bridge between the classical and Christian traditions of literary production, preferring to merge the two rather than make a choice, in Augustinian fashion, between eloquence and doctrine.
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