Editing Magnus Felix Ennodius (section)

== Life ==
Ennodius was born at Arelate ([[Arles]]) and belonged to a distinguished but impecunious family. As Mommaerts and Kelley observe, "Ennodius claimed in his letters to them to be related to a large number of individuals. Unfortunately, he seldom specified the nature of the relationship."<ref name=MomKelly>Mommaerts and Kelley, "The Anicii of Gaul and Rome" in John Drinkwater and Hugh Elton, ''Fifth-Century Gaul: A Crisis of Identity?'' (Cambridge: University Press, 1992), p. 114</ref> Because his sister Euprepia (born 465 or 470) is known to have had a son named [[Flavius Licerius Firminus Lupicinus]], who was named for his grandfather, Vogel argued that Ennodius' father was named Firminus. [[Jacques Sirmond]] suggested that Ennodius was the son of one Camillus of Arles, whose father was a proconsular and the brother of [[Magnus (consul 460)|Magnus]], the consul of 460; but Mommaerts and Kelley dismiss Sirmond's identification as untenable.<ref name=MomKelly/>

Having lost his parents at an early age, Ennodius was brought up by an aunt at [[Ticinum]] ([[Pavia]]); according to some, at Mediolanum ([[Milan]]). After her death he was received into the family of a pious and wealthy young lady, to whom he was betrothed. It is not certain whether he actually married this lady; she seems to have lost her money and retired to a convent, whereupon Ennodius entered the Church, and was ordained [[deacon]] (about 493) by [[Epiphanius, bishop of Pavia]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

From Pavia he went to Milan, which Ennodius made his home until his elevation to the [[episcopal see|see]] of Pavia about 515. During his stay at Milan he visited Rome and other places, where he gained a reputation as a teacher of rhetoric. As bishop of Pavia he played a considerable part in ecclesiastical affairs. On two occasions (in 515 and 517) he was sent to [[Constantinople]] on an embassy to the [[Anastasius I (emperor)|emperor Anastasius]], to endeavour to bring about a reconciliation over the [[Acacian schism]] that divided the Eastern and Western churches.<ref>While the ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'' states Ennodius had been sent by king [[Theodoric the Great]] (Raymond Davis (translator), ''The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis)'', first edition (Liverpool: University Press, 1989), p. 47), and it is doubtful that Ennodius could have left Italy without Theodoric's consent, it is clear he represented [[Pope Hormisdas]] on these missions.</ref> Ennodius' [[epitaph]] still exists in the [[basilica]] of [[San Michele Maggiore, Pavia]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}<ref>''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'', v. pt. ii. No. 6464. See French translation by Stéphane Gioanni in ''Ennode de Pavie, Lettres'', I, Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 2006 and ''Ennode de Pavie, Lettres'', II, Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 2010.</ref>