The Catechumenate in Late Antique Africa (4th-6th Centuries). Augustine of Hippo, His Contemporaries and Early Reception

426 Pages·2020·2.169 MB·English

by  Matthieu Pignot

TheCatechumenateinLateAntiqueAfrica(4th–6thCenturies)
Matthieu Pignot - 978-90-04-43190-4
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Supplements
to
Vigiliae Christianae
texts and studies of early christian life and language
Editors-in-Chief
D.T.Runia
G.Rouwhorst
EditorialBoard
B.D.Ehrman
K.Greschat
J.Lössl
J.vanOort
C.Scholten
volume 162
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/vcs
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The Catechumenate in Late Antique
Africa (4th–6th Centuries)
Augustineof Hippo,HisContemporaries
andEarlyReception
By
MatthieuPignot
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Matthieu Pignot - 978-90-04-43190-4
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Pignot,Matthieu,1986-author.
Title:TheCatechumenateinlateantiqueAfrica(4th-6thcenturies):Augustineof
Hippo,hiscontemporariesandearlyreception/byMatthieuPignot.
Othertitles:SupplementstoVigiliaeChristianae;v.162.
Description:Leiden;Boston:Brill,2020.|Series:SupplementstoVigiliae
christianae:TextsandstudiesofearlyChristianlifeandlanguage,0920-623X;
162|Revisedandexpandedversionoftheauthor'sthesis(doctoral)–University
ofOxford,2016.|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2020018168(print)|LCCN2020018169(ebook)|
ISBN9789004431898(hardback)|ISBN9789004431904(ebook)
Subjects:LCSH:Augustine,ofHippo,Saint,354-430.|Catechumens–Africa–
History–Earlychurch,ca.30-600.|Churchhistory–Primitiveandearlychurch,
ca.30-600.|Africa–Churchhistory–To1500.
Classification:LCCBR195.C38P542020(print)|LCCBR195.C38(ebook)|
DDC268.09609015–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020018168
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020018169
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ISSN0920-623x
ISBN978-90-04-43189-8(hardback)
ISBN978-90-04-43190-4(e-book)
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1 Conversion,ChristianisationandtheCatechumenate 5
2 TheCatechumenateandHistoricalResearch 9
3 ArgumentandApproach 21
4 PlanofChapters 29
1 AugustinetheCatechumen:PatternsandNarrative 32
1 HouseholdandChurch:IntegrationintotheCatechumenate 35
1.1 Aparentibus:TheRoleofAugustine’sHousehold 35
1.2 Augustine’sEntranceintotheCatechumenate 38
2 Superstition,DeceptionandFailures:FallingintoManichaeism 46
2.1 LeavingtheCatechumenateBehind?Augustine’sAdhesionto
Manichaeism 47
2.2 AugustinetheManichaeanandBaptism 56
3 TheReturn:MilanandCassiciacum 61
3.1 Augustine’sReturntotheStatusofCatechumen 62
3.2 Augustine’sCatechumenateinMilanandEvidenceinAmbrose’s
Writings 69
3.3 EnrollingforBaptism 72
4 ADiscipleofAmbrose:TheBaptismalPreparation 75
4.1 PassingReferencesintheConfessionesandAmbrose’s
Evidence 75
4.2 LaterRecollectionsoftheMilaneseInitiation 80
5 Conclusion 85
2 ThePracticesandStatusofcatechumeniinAugustine’sCommunity 88
1 PracticesofAdmissionintotheCatechumenateandTheirPolemical
Background 90
1.1 TheFirstCatechesis 92
1.1.1 AParallelintheContraFaustum 95
1.1.2 TheEmphasisonMoralInstruction:Further
Evidence 98
1.2 RitesofIncorporation 102
1.2.1 TheGivingofSalt 103
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vi contents
1.2.2 OtherRitesandPolemicsagainsttheDonatists 108
1.2.3 TheSignificanceofAdmissionRites 111
1.3 TheCatechumenateforChildrenandthePelagian
Controversy 114
1.4 Conclusion 116
2 Beingacatechumenus:TheMainPracticesofChristiansinthe
Making 117
2.1 PracticesofInclusion:TheSignoftheCross 120
2.2 LeavingCatechumensBehind:thedisciplinaarcaniandthe
Dismissal 127
3 Conclusion 137
3 CatechumensTakingtheStep:TheNegotiationofBaptismin
Augustine’sPastoralCare 140
1 Festinaadgratiam:CallingforBaptisminSermons 141
1.1 CustomaryExhortationsduringLent 142
1.2 TheNecessityofRepentanceandBaptism 150
1.3 Conclusion 154
2 WritingtoCatechumens 156
2.1 FriendshipRequiresBaptism:MarcianusandCaecilianus 157
2.2 DebatingBaptismwithFirmus 160
3 NarrativesofBaptisminAugustine’sWorks 165
3.1 TheConfessiones 166
3.2 Baptism,DreamsandMiraclesinAugustine’sLaterWorks 169
4 Conclusion 175
4 Fromcatechumenusto fidelis:TheLentenPreparationforBaptismin
Hippo 178
1 Enrollingasacompetens 179
1.1 TheTimeforEnrolment 182
1.2 TheSelectionProcess 190
1.3 Sermon216andtheBeginningoftheBaptismalPreparation 197
2 ThePre-baptismalInitiationRituals 206
2.1 ScatteredReferencesonRitualsofPenance,Exorcismand
Catechesis 206
2.2 TheEndoftheCatechumenate:Learning,Memorisingand
RecitingtheCreedandtheLord’sPrayer 210
2.2.1 TheRitualOrganisationofthetraditio/redditio 211
2.2.2 TheCalendaroftheCeremonies 216
2.2.3 CatechesisonTwoFundamentalTexts 220
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contents vii
2.2.4 TheImportanceofMemorisation 222
2.2.5 TheLimitsoftheCatechumenate 227
3 Conclusion 228
5 Councils,PreachingandtheCatechumenateinFourth-and
Fifth-CenturyAfrica 231
1 CanonsofCouncils 232
1.1 Canon3intheBreviariumHipponense 234
1.2 OldInterpretationsandaNewHypothesis 235
1.3 Conclusion 238
2 TheSermonsAttributedtoQuodvultdeusofCarthageandthe
BaptismalPreparationinFifth-CenturyAfrica 239
2.1 TheAttributiontoQuodvultdeus 241
2.2 TheBaptismalPreparation:TransformingtheSelf,Renouncing
theDevilandBelievinginGod 248
2.2.1 PresentationoftheSermons 248
2.2.2 ContextofComposition 250
2.2.3 TheRitesofRenunciationandAdhesion 252
2.3 “AnyoneWhoDesirestheBaptismofChristAspirestoaNewLife”:
CatechesisontheInitiationProcess 259
2.3.1 TheImpactofPerformance:InitiationImageryand
CommunityDynamics 260
2.3.2 CommentariesontheCreedandPolemical
Debates 267
2.3.3 TheMotherChurchandFightforBelonging 272
2.4 Conclusion 275
3 LateAntiqueAnonymousSermonsofUncertainAfricanOrigin 276
3.1 TheRitesof traditioandredditio:TeachingandLearning
Psalms 278
3.1.1 ADubiousAugustinianSermon 279
3.1.2 Sermon29,LatinPseudo-Chrysostom“Morin
Collection” 281
3.2 PsalmsandtheCatechumenateintheWest 284
4 Conclusion 286
6 FromCarthagetoRome:DebatingtheCatechumenateinthe
Sixth-CenturyWest 288
1 TheDebatebetweenFerrandusandFulgentiusontheValidityof
EmergencyBaptism 290
1.1 TheContextoftheExchange 290
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viii contents
1.2 TheLetterExchange 292
1.2.1 Ferrandus’DescriptionoftheRitesofthe
Catechumenate 295
1.2.2 TheProblemsRaisedbytheBaptismofUnconscious
Adults 298
1.2.3 Fulgentius’Reply 301
1.3 Conclusion 306
2 TheRomanCatechumenateinOstrogothicItaly:JohntheDeaconto
Senarius 307
2.1 AuthorandContextofComposition 308
2.2 Senarius’QuestionsandTheirBackground 311
2.3 John’sAnswer 313
2.3.1 TheRitesoftheCatechumenate 313
2.3.2 JustifyingtheCatechumenate:LiturgicalPerformance
andWrittenTradition 317
2.3.3 John’sUseoftheLiturgicalArgumentinRenewed
“Post-Pelagian”Polemics 319
3 Conclusion 324
Epilogue 327
Bibliography 331
BiblicalIndex 383
IndexofAncientSources 385
IndexofModernAuthors 403
IndexofNamesandSubjects 410
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Acknowledgements
ThisbookisareworkedandexpandedversionofmydoctoralthesisinHistory
whichIhavewrittenattheUniversityofOxford(HistoryFaculty/StCrossCol-
lege)betweenlate2012andearlysummer2016.TheIntroduction,Chapters1–2
and5–6,andtheEpilogueofthisbookoriginateinthisthesis,buthaveallbeen
revisedandupdated.Chapters3–4werenotpartofthethesisbutarenewaddi-
tions.TheformerChapter4ofthethesisisnottobefoundinthisbook:ithas
beenpublishedseparatelyastwoexpandedandreworkedarticles,seePignot
(2018and2019).
IamdeeplyindebtedtomythesissupervisorsConradLeyser(WorcesterCol-
lege)andNeilMcLynn(CorpusChristiCollege)fortheiradviceandcomments
onmyworkandtheirsteadysupportduringmystudies.Mythesisexaminers,
Carol Harrison (University of Oxford) and Mark Humphreys (Swansea Uni-
versity)providedthenecessaryencouragementandessentialfeedbacktostart
thelongprocessofbringingthethesisintoabook.
IwouldalsoliketothankJohannesvanOort,whoreviewedthewholebook
andreaditmostattentively,helpingmeimproveitfurther.Michel-YvesPerrin,
withoutwhomIwouldnothavedelvedintothestudyof thecatechumenate,
never stopped following my research and helping me in every possible way,
notably inviting me to present research, on which this book is based, in his
seminarattheÉcolePratiquesdesHautesÉtudesbetween2013and2016.He
alsoprovidedabundantbibliographicaladviceandreadmostcarefullyafull
draftof thisbook:forallthisIamextremelygrateful.Specialthanksarealso
duetoAdrianBrändli,MartineDulaey,RobinLaneFoxandRobinWhelanwho
discussedthetopicwithme,readdraftsandhelpedmesharpenmyarguments
andcorrectmanymistakes.FrançoisDolbeau,MartineDulaey,RobinLaneFox,
ConradLeyser,Michel-YvesPerrin,andRaúlVillegasMarínalsogenerouslysent
mecopiesoftheirwork,oftenbeforepublication,enablingmetoimprovethis
studyinmanyways.
Thecompletionofthisbookalsoowesmuchtothewelcomingandsupport-
ive research environment provided by the deparment of History at the Uni-
versitédeNamur,wereIhavebeenworkingasapostdoctoralresearcherunder
thesupervisionofXavierHermand,firstthankstoaMove-InLouvainIncom-
ingpost-docfellowshipco-fundedbytheMarieCurieActionsoftheEuropean
Commission(2017–2019)andthenasaChargédeRechercheFNRS.
Overthecourseof myresearch,severalothercolleaguesofferedmeassist-
ance,helpedmerefinemyideas,orsimplysupportedme.Mysincerethanks
go in particular to Philippe Bernard, Shane Bobrycki, Ariane Bodin, Pierre-
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x acknowledgements
MauriceBogaert,CamilleGerzaguet,Maria-CristinaLarocca,GiulioMalavasi,
Jarred Mercer, Marie Pauliat, Bryan Ward-Perkins, Robert Wiśniewski, Chris
Wickham,andGustavZamore.
Finally,Iheartfullythankmyfamilyforsupportingmethroughoutthispro-
jectandinparticularmyparents.Ève,MartinandThomassharedthisjourney:
theirloveeverydaymadeallthingspossible.
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