Resumen de Abundance, Luxuria, and Sin in Late Antique Historiography
This paper discusses the use by late antique Christian historiographers of the classical topos of corrupting abundance. Roman historians had understood that excessive abundance in any society caused decadence and intemperance, which in turn led to moral and physical decline. I will examine the work of three writers who interpreted this classical topos according to their understanding of history and retributive providence. Orosius used the notion to explain the moral decline of Sodom, but did not deploy it in a contemporary setting. Salvian of Marseilles explicitly rejected the idea, arguing that the sinfulness of the Christian Roman population of his day was unrelated to abundance. Finally, Gildas incorporated the idea into his depiction of the Britons’ corruption, for which they are punished by God.
