Life of John the Almsgiver by Leontius of Neapolis: hagiographic hero and reception

Abstract

The Life of John The Almsgiver, written by Leontius of Neapolis in the middle of the seventh century, narrates the life and actions of the Patriarch of Alexandria (610-619). The aim of the present work is to analyze a specific selection of episodes transmitted in a manuscript of the eleventh or twelfth centuries. We will focus on its narrative features with the hypothesis that they have the purpose of reaching out with greater strength to an average public, summoning it through his progressive incorporation in the series of stories, sometimes even as protagonist. We expect to conclude that in the development of the series takes place a displacement of the hagiographic hero’s features towards the ‘common man’ with axis in the virtue of charity, and that the simple and episodic narrative structure contributes to the edifying purpose.