The Rhetoric of Credibility in the Life of Paul the Hermit

Abstract

From the beginning of the Life of Paul the Hermit, Jerome depicts credibility as the key issue in writing hagiographies. Despite a plethora of unbelievable accounts about men “living in an underground cave with flowing hair down to their feet”, Paul’s biography is intended to be a trustworthy narrative, concerning the true first Christian monk. Such a work necessarily comes into conflict with Athanasius’ Life of Antony: as Jerome partially suggests in the prologue, his account will call into question the truthfulness of a venerable model. In this paper, I provide a rhetorical analysis of some passages of Jerome’s Life of Paul the Hermit. My aim is to explore the links between Late Antique paideia and credibility, showing how the biographer employs persuasive techniques even in the narration of unbelievable episodes. In the final section, I share some reflections on the author’s and his audience’s concept of credibility.