Scarabaeus clamans: la costruzione di una simbologia

Among the addressees of Jerome’s harsh polemic with the Christological interpretation of the beetle we can recognise Ambrose. The information that Jerome scrupulously offers to us result in fact lighting to rebuild the tortured exegetic history of the beetle. From an attentive and minute analysis of the sources we come so to knowledge of the hidden face of the symbolism of the beetle, interpreted in malam partem as a figure of the impious heretic, who spreads filthy doctrines like excrements. On the other hand the positive symbolism of the beetle, become an image of crucified Christ who redeems and forgives, makes itself known nstead in West, where it finds an authoritative representative in Ambrose, who proposes it repeatedly in his works.