Iulianus Toletanus. Opera III: Ars grammatica. Ed. by José Carracedo Fraga, Turnhout, Brepols (Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina, vol. 115C). 2025. cxx + 608 p. ISBN 978-2-503-61423-6
Publisher’s website: https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503614236-1
Review by Anne Grondeux (Université Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, CNRS, Laboratoire d’histoire des théories linguistiques, F-75013 Paris, France)
The Ars attributed to Julian, Bishop of Toledo in the second half of the 7th century, is the last major grammar produced in Visigothic Spain. It has now been published in the Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina collection by José Carracedo Fraga (hereafter JCF), a specialist on this author (Carracedo Fraga 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021).
All evidence points to this treatise being a product of Visigothic Spain, and more precisely of Toledo (pp. VIII–X). Its origin is confirmed by proper names, both names of people and toponyms; by Hispanic sources; by examples specifically drawn from Hispano-Visigothic poetry (Juvencus, Prudentius, and especially Eugenius of Toledo, cf. Alberto 2016); by hymns unique to the Visigothic liturgy; and by variants of the Vetus Latina characteristic of Visigothic Spain. The dating is established by references to Visigothic rulers (which appear only in recension β, see below), namely Kings Ervigius (680–687, cited on pp. 35, 346 and pp. 63, 155) and Egica (687–701, cited on p. 447, 21). Since Julian himself died in 690, recension β would be situated toward the end of his life, between 687 and 690. Based on an Iberian tradition of the Ars Donati, Julian’s treatise follows the structure described as typically Spanish by Louis Holtz (1981, pp. 453–474).
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