The Irrational AugustineThe Irrational Augustine takes the notion of St Augustine as rigid and dogmatic Father of the Church and turns it on its head. Catherine Conybeare reads Augustine's earliest works to discover the anti-dogmatic Augustine, who values changeability and human interconnectedness and deplores social exclusion. The novelty of her book lies in taking seriously the nature of these early works as performances, through which multiple questions can be raised and multiple options explored, both in words and through their dramatic framework. The theological consequences are considerable. A very human Augustine emerges, talking and playing with friends and family, including his mother - and a very sympathetic set of ideas is the result. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Why Dialogues? | 9 |
Women Doing Philosophy | 61 |
The Irrational Augustine | 139 |
Exploiting Potential | 173 |
Note on Method | 193 |
Bibliography | 203 |
217 | |
222 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Acad Academicis Academics aliquid Alypius atque auctoritas audience Augus Augustine seems Augustine’s autem Beata Vita beatus beginning Cassiciacum dialogues Christ Christian Cicero Ciceronian claim conf Confessiones context conversation crucial debate deum deus deWnition discussion diVerent divine enim etiam eVect evil fact Genesi Contra Manichaeos genre Gillian Clark human illa implications intellectual interlocutors ista language later Latin letter liberal disciplines Licentius liminal Manichaeans Manichaeism mihi mind Monnica Moribus mother Nebridius Neoplatonic nescio nihil Note notion O’Donnell Ordine otium participants passage Paulinus of Nola person philosophical dialogue philosophy Pierre Hadot Plotinus portrayed potential potest quae quam question quid quod ratio rationibus readers reading retr Retractationes reXect role Romanianus Rowan Williams saint Augustin sapientia says sense signiWcant simply Soliloquia soul speciWc sunt tamen Theodorus things truth Trygetius uerba uita Wgure wisdom wise Wlius words writing Wrmly Wrst Zenobius