Patrons and Intellectuals: Augustine’s Correspondence with Women (original) (raw)
Related papers
Shanzer, D. "Augustine’s Anonyma I and Cornelius’ Concubines: How Philology and Literary Criticism Can Help in Understanding Augustine on Marital Fidelity." Augustinian Studies 48, no. 1-2 (2017): 201-24., 2017
This paper explores the relationship between philology and literary criticism (on the one hand) and history (on the other) via two (para)-marital problems drawn from Augustine's life. The first is historiographical and concerns Augustine's relations with Anonyma I, his African concubine, who was featured so famously in Confessiones. My argument, first published in 2002, that Augustine painted his separation from her in the language of Genesis and saw her as a virtual wife, has not found favor with historians. The episode is used as a test case for comparing the historiographical technique of three Augustine biographers (Bonner, Rosen, Lane Fox). I revisit my reasoning, showing how, sadly, philology and history have grown apart, a phenomenon which, in turn, highlights the need for an increased awareness of and engagement with philology by historians. Philological arguments must be faced and not simply ignored or cherry-picked ad lib. The second problem is historical and prosopographical. Who was the fornicating widower of Epistula 259? In part, I use philological and literary techniques to argue that this widower was indeed Romanianus, and that this letter needs to be dated much earlier than previously thought-even to as early as 396 and the period of Augustine's co-episcopacy. The tone of the letter is key to understanding it properly. In it, we see an affectionate, urbane, and witty Augustine. 1. With gratitude to the Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for its amazing collections, and to Fr. Allan Fitzgerald, O.S.A. for the kind invitation to present at the wonderful conference at Villanova. Especial thanks to the friends behind the text: to my colleague Johannes Divjak for patiently helping me with fair and file copies, to Fritz Mitthof, papyrologist and historian , for lightning email exchanges, Fabio Troncarelli, philologist and student of psychology, for ideas and encouragement, and to Roger Tomlin, historian and philologist, for reading a draft sympathetically and nudging me in various productive directions. At a late stage Robin Lane Fox very kindly cast an eye over the piece for me and gave me some responses.
Essay on Augustine's Confessions
Augustine's Confessions is a passionate and intensely intimate baring of his soul as he shares his struggles with sin and exults in his grace-filled relationship with God. It is not a carefully crafted narrative presenting Augustine in the best light but rather in the rawness of his struggles, and the reader feels as though she is intruding into his private conversation with God. He opens a window into the worldview of that time when secular ambition to be a great orator and teacher was greatly prized and the religious arena was one of debate about concepts which competed with, and incorporated, the ideas of the Greek philosophers. Life for the individual held the same delights and temptations that we encounter today, although in different guises. As he shares his road to Christianity with us, Augustine discusses various issues which become themes of his work. This essay explores his complex thinking on women and sexuality, which create inner conflict and tension between his desire for the physical while wanting to attain to the spiritual, as they control him and obstruct his path to spiritual union with God.
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