This work is dedicated to uncovering the significance of provincial cultural space in the preservation of Roman identity in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. The author concludes that the provincial elite, having replaced the old Roman aristocracy, sought to preservethe eternal ideal, which for them could not be separated from Rome. The cultural space of some imperial provinces was a factor in the preservation of traditional classical values such as the “imperial idea” (including the concept of “Aeternitas Romae”), rhetorical techniques, and others because of the system of rhetorical education, the high level of urbanization, and the Roman policy of consolidating the local aristocracy.asdf

The paper considers three types of coexistence of pagan and Christian elements in the consciousness of Late antique intellectuals who were Latin writers in the period from of the 4th to 6th centuries, representatives of the upper stratum, Christians such as Ausonius, Paulinus of Nola, Sidonius Apollinaris, and others. The authors come to the conclusion that the attitude to the pagan heritage combined in the minds of Late Latin intellectuals with Christian ideas in three versions: passive-eclectic, contrast-nihilistic and respectful-condescending, which was conditioned both by life circumstances and chronologically.

The article substantiates the phenomenon of the "fourth sophistry" as a special phase (stage) of the late-antique rhetorical tradition development. Unlike the previous ones, the representatives of the "fourth sophistry" were already Christians, they taught Christians, but they used traditional classical examples. They are separated by a century from the preceding "third sophistry". Another of their essential features is that they are provincial and connected with a school tradition. In general, the sophists of the fourth generation are important precisely in terms of knowledge transfer and the forms of this transfer. Besides, with their help, a local version of the Early Byzantine cultural synthesis was developed, which also adapted classical rhetoric.

The paper deals with the personality traits of Gallo-Roman author Sidonius Apollinaris (~430–489) who was a representative of Late Roman nobility and clergyman as well. It wasn’t unusual situation for 4th-6th century’s Mediterranean world, when intellectual elite was a fueler for religious leaders. Nonetheless some of them underwent the crisis of identity, others continued to hold old values and way of life. Authors suggest the idea that Sidonius was a unique person who was able to rebuild his world perception, not breaking with the old attitudes associated with the aristocratic life, but at the same time accepting Christian morality with all his heart and becoming its proponent. It is possible if we consider him as a flexible thinking person on the base of achievements of psychology science. Sidonius was a flexible thinking person who react suitable on all changes without breaking, crisis of identity, because he saw the way how to adapt his old values and merits to new world. It means that antique and medieval culture aspects coexisted peacefully in his mind.

The paper deals with the collective imageof a Christian reconstructed by comparing several portraits described in the 5th century Gallo-Roman writer’s epistles and verses Sidonius Apollinaris. This source was chosen due to the fact that Sidonius himself combined the features inherent for both the representative of the highest social stratum of the Late Antique society and for the Christian shepherd. The method of cultural and historical reconstruction with combination of biographical and retrospective methods is used for the formation of the image of a Christian of the Late Antiquity. The authors come to the conclusion that during the 5th century AD as a true Christian was deemed such person who observes the biblical commandments and church rites, distinguished by patience and mercy. The image of a Christian evolved in this period from the weakly expressed version presented by Germanicus, a man for whom, more important the ancient cult of the body, despite belonging to Christian flock, to the ideal, seeking to asceticism, who embodied the bishop Faustus.