Reading Augustine

1
Reading Augustines ConfessionsMAM HT604
Lecture 1

• Dr. Ann Orlando

2
Outline

• Why Read Augustines Confessions?
• Augustines Life and Works
• Introduction to Confessions
• How we will read Confessions
• Background on Books I - II

3
Importance of Augustine

• To Western Theology and Philosophy Augustines
  Importance Cannot Be Overstated
• For Western Christianity, he is the most
  important theologian from this period
• Arguably the most important theologian from any
  period
• Every serious Western theologian after Augustine
  must in some way deal with Augustine
• Example Far more references to Augustine in CCC (

4
Critical and Defining Issues for Augustine

• Theodicy
• Epistemology
• Sacraments
• Theology of Trinity
• Ecclesiology
• Justification
• Primacy of love

5
Examples

• Augustine was the standard for doctrinal truth
  and theological method throughout the Middle Ages
• Aquinas (13th C) runs into trouble because
• He seems to abandon Augustines theological
  method (Neoplatonism) for Aristotelianism
• But also because of primacy of intellect over
  will
• Open any page of ST and see number of references
  to Augustine
• Renaissance begins when Petrarch reads
  Confessions
• Luther and Calvin claim Augustine for themselves
  in opposition to Scholasticism
• Galileo tries to defend himself using Augustine
  (especially the Confessions)
• Early Modernity rejects Augustines definition of
  man as part of society
• Hobbes
• Locke
• Enlightenment rejection of Christianity is
  specifically a rejection of Augustine
• Rousseau
• Voltaire
• Diderot
• Existentialists of 20th C continue campaign
  specifically against Augustine Albert Camus The
  Plague
• Charles Freeman, The Closing of the Western Mind
• Recent new translations of and popular interest
  in Augustine New City Press J.J. ODonnell,
  Garry Wills
• Pope Benedict XVI has defined himself, and is
  often referred to as, an Augustinian theologian

6
Why Read Confessions

• Because
• Augustine is important
• One of the most read books in Western literature
• Presents many important points in theology
• Really because Augustine the Bishop and fellow
  pilgrim toward the Kingdom of Heaven wants us to
  learn from his spiritual journey
• Greatest theological reflection essay ever
  written
• This is NOT a diary or an autobiography

7
Introduction to Augustine

• Man of late antiquity
• Some (Copleston) see him as beginning of Middle
  Ages
• Brown places him in late antiquity

8
Historical Background

• Late Antiquity and the Roman Empire
• Political situation
• Philosophical schools
• Status of Catholic Church
• Most potent heresy of 4th Century Arianism
• Books of the Bible

9
Map of Roman Empirewww.fsmitha.com/h1/map18rm.htm
10
Social Situation Fourth Century

• One of THE most important events in history
  happens in 4th Century conversion of Roman
  Empire to Christianity
• At the beginning of the Fourth Century, worst
  persecution of Christians (Emperor Diocletian)
• Constantine the Great attributes his victory at
  the Milvian Bridge (312) in Rome to Christianity
• After Constantine, large numbers of people become
  Christians
• By the end of the century, Christianity declared
  official religion of Roman Empire by Theodosius
  the Great (381)

11
Political and Military Situation

• At beginning of 4th Century, Empire united under
  Diocletian and Constantine
• Throughout 4th Century civil wars among
  Constantines sons and successors
• Theodosius the Great reunites the Empire
• Last Emperor of entire Roman Empire
• Barbarian invasions begin in West late 4th C, key
  moment is sack of Rome in 410
• Empire become divided East (capitol,
  Constantinople) and West (capitol, Rome)
• Western Roman Empire ceases to exist 476
• Eastern Roman Empire ceased to exist 1453

12
Status of Catholic Church

• In this period, no distinction between Catholic
  (West) and Orthodox (East)
• Becomes politically expedient to join Church
• Most potent Christian heresy Arianism
• Belief that Christ was made by Father not divine
  as Father is divine
• Council of Nicea (325) called to combat Arianism
  Creed
• By end of 4th Century Arianism no longer a threat
  within Roman Empire
• Another dangerous heresy Donatism
• Prevalent in 4th Century North Africa
• Believed in strict Christian discipline
• Efficacy of sacraments depended on holiness of
  minister
• Augustine was main foe of Donatists

13
Bible

• Prior to 4th Century, many different views within
  Christianity about what is sacred scripture
• Old Testament in or out? Some wanted to reject
  Old Testament completely
• God seems angry, vengeful, anthropomorphic
• Notion develops that creator god is evil and
  opposed to spiritual good god
• Which books of New Testament? Some want to
  severely restrict books, some want to include
  other books
• How to interpret the Bible, especially the Old
  Testament (more on this next week)
• Literally
• Allegorically

14
Brief Biographical Sketch

• Born near Carthage in 354 to a devoutly Catholic
  mother (St. Monica) and worldly father (Patrick)
• In youth leads a life of pleasure searching for
  happiness
• Flirts with Manichaeism
• Becomes enamored with Platonism (Plotinus)
• Conversion to Catholic Christianity
• Ordained priest 391, bishop of Hippo 395
• Died on 28 August 430
• Peter Browns book Augustine of Hippo remains the
  most important biography of Augustine in English
• Be sure to get the New Edition with Epilogue
• Discusses discovery of 12 previously unstudied
  letters and sermons of Augustine (396-404)

15
What did Augustine Look Like?

• Augustine being baptized by Benozzo Gozzoli
  http//www.wf-f.org/StAugustine.html

• Metropolitan Museum of Art http//www.metmuseum.or
  g/toah/ho/05/afe/ho_18.9.2.htm

16
Augustines Works

• Augustines friend and biographer, Possidius,
  catalogued Augustine's works after his death and
  observed that no one would be able to read them
  all
• Among the vitally important works
• Against the Academics
• On Free Will
• Confessions
• On the Trinity
• City of God
• On Christian Teaching
• Retractions concerning On Free Will
• Nearly innumerable letters, treatises, homilies,
  commentaries
• Commentary, expositions, sermons on Psalms

17
Introduction to Confessions

• Written shortly after Augustine was named bishop
  of Hippo (395-400)
• Written at the request of his friend Paulinus of
  Nola 11 years after his baptism
• It is Augustine the bishop reflecting in middle
  age on events in his youth
• It is not telling the story of his youth it is a
  reflection
• The 13 Books are Augustine's divisions
• Confessions (as most books in antiquity) was
  serialized
• Each of 13 Books was an installment
• Became an instant best seller

18
Confessions as Prayer

• Confessio both accusation of oneself and praise
  for God Sermon 67.2
• It is first and foremost a prayer, not an
  autobiography
• The work is addressed to God
• There should be an AMEN at end of Book XIII

19
Which Translation Should You Read?

• Henry Chadwick, Oxford University Press, 1991
• Mary Boulding, New City Press, 1997
• But please do not use translation available on
  the Web. It is very turgid, plotting Victorian
  English.

20
Structure

• Division of 13 Books is Augustines division
• Usually considered in two parts
• Augustines past (I-IX)
• Augustine's present (X-XIII)
• NB The last 4 books (Part 2) are an integral
  part of the whole
• Later editors in 16th and 17th centuries added
  chapter and paragraph numbers

21
Structure of Part 1

• Can be viewed as a chiasm
• Book I From God birth and relationship of
  infant with mother
• Book II Bondage of Flesh
• Book III Slavery of eyes and mind problem of
  evil
• Book IV Ambition of World
• Book V Encounter with Faustus, Manichaeism,
  philosophy moving from Carthage to Rome
• Book VI Recognition of emptiness of worlds
  ambition
• Book VII Freedom of mind resolution of problem
  of evil
• Book VIII Liberation from bondage of flesh
• Book IX Relation to Monica, her death, return to
  God

22
Structure of Part 2

• Book X Augustine the Bishop at the end of his
  reflection on his youth, meditates on
• Memory and knowledge
• Sin
• Book XI Augustine the Bishop meditates on
• In the beginning
• What is Time
• Book XII Augustine the Bishop meditates on
• God created the heavens and the earth
• How to interpret Scripture and authorial intent
• Book XIII Augustine the Bishop meditates on
• Trinity
• Church
• NB Augustine uses the word confessions more
  often in these last four than the previous nine
  books

23
Structure of Part 2

• Book X Augustine the Bishop at the end of his
  reflection on his youth, meditates on
• Memory and knowledge
• Sin
• Book XI Augustine the Bishop meditates on
• In the beginning
• What is Time
• Book XII Augustine the Bishop meditates on
• God created the heavens and the earth
• How to interpret Scripture and authorial intent
• Book XIII Augustine the Bishop meditates on
• Trinity
• Church
• NB Augustine uses the word confessions more
  often in these last four than the previous nine
  books
• Confessio both accusation of oneself and praise
  for God Sermon 67.2

24
Our Plan for Reading Confessions

• Lecture 1 Introduction
• Lecture 2 Books I and II
• Lecture 3 Books III and IV
• Lecture 4 Books V and VI
• Lecture 5 Books VII and VIII
• Lecture 6 Book IX
• Lecture 7 Book X
• Lecture 8 Book XI and XII
• Lecture 9 Book XIII
• Week 10 Conclusions

25
Three Part Hermeneutic Approach

• Historical and philosophical background on each
  Book
• Historical and social context
• Intellectual movements
• People
• Key aspects of the Book itself
• Truth about human nature
• Epistemology
• Language
• Evil and sin
• Love and Happiness
• Truth about Creation
• Truth about God
• Connections between Book understudy and other
  Books
• Influence of Confessions
• Impact in later intellectual history
• How does this theological reflection touch us

26
Another Perspective What Is Augustine Reading

• Book I School books on Greek grammar, Virgil
  Aeneid
• Book II Sallust, Catiline
• Book III Cicero, Hortensius, and Old Testament
• Book IV Manichean texts, Aristotle
• Book V Compares Manichean texts with astronomy
  reads Academics Ambrose explains Old Testament
• Book VI Ambrose continues to explain Old
  Testament
• Book VII Platonists and Paul
• Book VIII Athanasius, Life of Antony and Paul
• Book IX Isaiah
• Book X Reading himself (memory)
• Book XI, XII, XIII Interpreting Genesis
• But all now understood through Scripture, as a
  theological reflection

27
Augustine's On Christian Teaching

• Written about the same time he wrote the
  Confessions
• Purpose is to describe how to interpret Scripture
  to arrive at truth then to preach it
• Prolog Addressed to opponents
• Book I Advancing in love of God and neighbor is
  acid test for understanding Scripture
• So anyone who thinks he has understood the divine
  scriptures or any part of them, but cannot by his
  understanding buildup this double love of God and
  neighbor, has not yet succeeded in understanding
  them. (I.xxvi.40.86)
• Book II Reading Scripture, Language, Spiritual
  Progress
• Book III Detailed Rules for analyzing Scripture
• Book IV How to Preach

28
Assignment

• Read On Christian Teaching Prolog and Book I
• Skim Book II
• Start one discussion thread
• Respond to two threads

29
Two Web Resources

• Three Volume Commentary (Latin text, English
  descriptions) on Confessions by JJ ODonnell,
  http//www.stoa.org/hippo/
• Online Cliff Notes, http//www.cliffsnotes.com/Wil
  eyCDA/LitNote/St-Augustine-s-Confessions.id-166,pa
  geNum-1.html