Augustine and the cure of souls : revising a classical ideal PDF
Preview Augustine and the cure of souls : revising a classical ideal
ChrISTIANITy ANd JUdAISm IN ANTIqUITy • Gregory Sterling, Series Editor K O L B Augustine E And the Cure of souls T Revising a Classical Ideal Paul R. Kolbet “ For someone who does not know augustine well this book will be an A excellent introduction to his thought from an absolutely crucial viewpoint. U augustine’s preaching, teaching, and attempts to reach the minds and hearts of his congregation have been largely overlooked. this book has G the great virtue of demonstrating why these were important.” U —Carol harrison, Durham university S “ In this insightful and lucid study Kolbet leads his readers across the T boundaries of ancient philosophy, psychology, rhetoric, and theology. He examines the ancient practice of the ‘cure of the soul’ and charts its I Christian appropriation by augustine. the volume offers its own medicinal N promise—the reordering of our contemporary understanding of early E Christianity and its complex association with classical culture.” —John Peter Kenney, St. Michael’s College A A N ugustine and the Cure of Souls situates augustine within the ancient d philosophical tradition of using words to order emotions. Paul Kolbet uncovers a profound continuity in augustine’s thought, from his earliest pre-baptismal T h writings to his final acts as bishop, revealing a man deeply indebted to the E Roman past and yet distinctly Christian. Rather than supplanting his classical C learning, augustine’s Christianity reinvigorated precisely those elements of U Roman wisdom that he believed were slipping into decadence. In particular, r Kolbet addresses the manner in which augustine not only used classical E rhetorical theory to express his theological vision, but also infused it with o theological content. f this book offers a fresh reading of augustine’s writings—particularly his numerous, though often neglected, sermons—and provides an illuminating S point of entry into the great North african bishop’s life and thought. o U PAUl r. KolBET is assistant professor of theology at boston College. l S university of notre dame Press Notre Dame, IN 46556 ISBN-13:978-0-268-03321-7 undpress.nd.edu ISBN-10:0-268-03321-8 9 0 0 0 0 Cover art: louis de boullogne, the Younger, St. Augustin Priester Preaching at Hippone in Front of Bishop Valere, c. 1705. Gift of Dr. Hans Rosenwald. Courtesy of the Snite Museum of art, university of Notre Dame. 9 78026 8 033217 Cover design: Gore Studio, Inc. Kolbet CVR MECH.indd 1 10/13/09 10:18:26 AM Kolbet-000FM_Layout 1 10/6/09 11:27 PM Page i AUGUSTINE AND THE CURE OF SOULS Kolbet-000FM_Layout 1 10/6/09 11:27 PM Page ii CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM IN ANTIQUITY SERIES Gregory E. Sterling, Series Editor Volume 17 The University of Notre Dame Press gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Jack and Joan Conroy of Naples, Florida, in the publication of titles in this series. Kolbet-000FM_Layout 1 10/6/09 11:27 PM Page iii AUGUSTINE and the Cure of SoulS Revising a Classical Ideal PAUL R. KOLBET University of Notre Dame Press Notre Dame, Indiana Kolbet-000FM:Layout 1 10/14/09 11:58 AM Page iv Copyright © 2010 by University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 www.undpress.nd.edu All Rights Reserved Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kolbet, Paul R. Augustine and the cure of souls : revising a classical ideal / Paul R. Kolbet p. cm. — (Christianity and Judaism in antiquity) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-268-03321-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-268-03321-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo. I. Title. BR65.A9K59 2010 253.0937—dc22 2009042050 This book is printed on recycled paper. Kolbet-000FM_Layout 1 10/6/09 11:27 PM Page v For Amy Egloff with love and gratitude Kolbet-000FM_Layout 1 10/6/09 11:27 PM Page vi Kolbet-000FM_Layout 1 10/6/09 11:27 PM Page vii Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity Series (CJAS) The Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity Program at the University of Notre Dame came into existence during the afterglow of the Second Vati - can Council. The doctoral program combines the distinct academic dis ci - plines of the Hebrew Bible, Judaism, the New Testament, and the Early Church in an effort to explore the religion of the ancient Hebrews, the di- verse forms of Second Temple Judaism, and its offspring into religions of Rabbinic Judaism and the multiple incarnations of early Christianity. While the scope of the program thus extends from the late Bronze and Early Iron Ages to the late antique world, the fulcrum lies in the Second Temple and Early Christian periods. Each religion is explored in its own right, although the program cultivates a History-of-Religions approach that examines their reciprocally illuminating interrelationships and their place in the larger con- text of the ancient world. During the 1970s a monograph series was launched to reflect and promote the orientation of the program. Initially known as Studies in Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity, the series was published under the auspices of the Center of the Study of Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity. Six volumes appeared from 1975 to 1986. In 1988 the series name became Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity as the editorship passed to Charles Kannengiesser, who oversaw the release of nine volumes. Professor Kannengiesser’s departure from Notre Dame necessitated the appointment of a new editor. At the same time, the historic connection between the series and the CJA doctoral program was strengthened by the appointment of all CJA faculty to the editorial board. Throughout these institutional permuta- tions, the purpose of the series has continued to be the promotion of research into the origins of Judaism and Christianity with the hope that a better grasp of the common ancestry and relationship of the two world’s religions will illuminate not only the ancient world but the modern world as well. Gregory E. Sterling, Series Editor Kolbet-000FM_Layout 1 10/6/09 11:27 PM Page viii Kolbet-000FM_Layout 1 10/6/09 11:27 PM Page ix Contents Acknowledgments xi Abbreviations xiii Introduction 1 Rhetoric and Christian Identity in the Roman Empire Sources and Method Part One. A Classical Ideal Chapter One. Classical Therapy: Its Origins, Tasks, and Methods 19 Psychagogy as a Cultural Ideal Psychagogy in Its Classical Form Chapter Two. Hellenistic Refinements 41 Cures for the Roman Soul The Psychagogic Value of Ancient Texts Part Two. Revising and Recontextualizing Classical Therapy Chapter Three. Augustine’s Early Formation 65 An Ambitious Young Orator Being Healed by Beautiful Words
The list of books you might like
