Introduction

Biography

Paulinus was a La­tin po­et and let­ter writ­er, and a con­vert to the Chris­tian faith

His re­nun­ci­a­tion of wealth and a sen­a­tor­i­al ca­reer in fa­vor of a Christ­ian as­ce­tic and phil­an­thro­pic life was held up as an ex­am­ple by ma­ny of his con­tem­po­rar­ies, in­clud­ing Au­gustine, Je­rome, Mar­tin of Tours, and Am­brose.

After his con­ver­sion, he wrote to his friend and teach­er, the po­et Au­so­ni­us, af­firm­ing his friend­ship but in­sist­ing on the pri­or­i­ties of his new life.

He and his wife set­tled at Nola, where he wrote po­ems in hon­or of St. Fe­lix and cor­res­pond­ed with Chris­tian lead­ers through­out the Ro­man Em­pire.

After his wife’s death, he b­ecame Bi­shop of No­la, and was in­vit­ed to help re­solve the dis­put­ed elect­ion of Pope Bo­ni­face I.