• The first book of the treatise was based around the question of whether a
cleric, embroiled by
pastoral duties, could ever attain the rewards of the
saint who withdrew from the world. • The second book of treatise detailed the active life of a good priest, warning against covetousness and advocating
abstinence. • The third book was less specifically aimed at
priests and was applicable to all
Christians,
laity and
clergy alike. It delineated the four major vices:
pride, cupidity,
envy and
vanity, of which pride was considered the greatest. • The third book also dealt with the four virtues:
temperance,
justice,
fortitude and
prudence. • This part of
treatise is like a Christian manual and advice is more
practical than
theoretical.
His letters from Ruricius From their correspondence it appears that
Ruricius is younger than Pomerius, but is of a higher rank in the church: :
Perhaps you marvelled that I wrote to your reverence as brother ... because, just as you are greater in age, you likewise are lesser in rank. Ruricius's
letters to Pomerius are almost
sermon-like, in that he takes examples from the
Bible in order to justify his own actions: :
It happens thus so that divine matters might be communicated to humanity and so that human activities might share in the divinity according to those words of the apostle. Pomerius's Influence in the Early Middle Ages From the mid-eighth century through the mid-ninth, Pomerius's text excerpted a strong influence on readers within the
Carolingian realm. Prominent ecclesiastical writers of this era, including
Chrodegang of Metz,
Paulinus of Aquileia, Halitgar of Cambrai, and
Jonas of Orléans, drew from Pomerius, although these writers often misattributed quotations from the
De vita contemplativa to
Prosper of Aquitaine. Pomerius's work was also frequently utilized in the
acta resulting from the Church councils held between 813 and 836. ==External links==