Rhetorical Economy in the Theology of Augustine Open Access

Abstract

Previous scholarship on Augustine has recognized that Augustine was trained in rhetoric, but few scholars have investigated how this affected the substance of his theology. This study demonstrates that Augustine integrated the rhetorical concept of ‘economy’ (oeconomia) – wherein a rhetor arranged all of the parts of a speech into a cohesive unit – into his theologies of creation and history, as well as into his theodicy, in a substantive manner. The argument is presented across five chapters by means of close readings of several texts. Chapter One provides an introduction to the concept of rhetorical economy, a status quaestionis, and an argument that Augustine incorporated rhetorical economy into his scriptural hermeneutic in the early years of his Christian career. Chapter Two contains arguments for two claims. The primary claim is that Augustine uses the media of literary and rhetorical theory –namely the book and the speech – to conceptualize creation, its history, and God’s activity. The secondary claim is that Augustine conceived of the sensible aspects of creation functioning as signs for things in the same manner that he conceived of words functioning as signs for things. Chapter Three demonstrates that Augustine incorporated rhetorical economy into his theology of creation. Chapter Four shows that Augustine incorporated rhetorical economy into his theology of creation. Finally, Chapter Five demonstrates that Augustine utilized rhetorical economy in the logic which he used in his theodicy to harmonize his understanding that sin does not come from God with his commitment to divine providence.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1

CHAPTER ONE:

RHETORICAL ECONOMY AND AUGUSTINE’S

SCRIPTURAL HERMENEUTIC .............................................................................................. 6

AN INTRODUCTION TO RHETORICAL ECONOMY ................................................................. 8

STATUS QUAESTIONIS..................................................................................................... 17

AUGUSTINE’S EARLY INCORPORATION OF RHETORICAL ECONOMY INTO HIS SCRIPTURAL

HERMENEUTIC [ON THE PRACTICES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE MANICHEES

(PRACTICES) 1.17.30, 1.28.56] ..................................................................................... 25

mirifica dispositio (Practices 1.17.30).................................................................. 27

admirabilis ordo (Practices 1.28.56) ................................................................... 33

Concluding Remarks on Practices 1.17.30 and 1.28.56 ............................................. 37

CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 38

CHAPTER TWO:

CREATION, HISTORY, AND GOD’S ACTIVITY AS SPEECH ............................................ 40

CREATION IS A BOOK I: LETTER 43.9.25 ........................................................................ 42

CREATION IS A BOOK II: AGAINST FAUSTUS THE MANICHEE ........................................... 46

CREATION IS A BOOK III: EXPOSITION OF PSALM 45.6-7 ................................................ 52

CREATION IS A BOOK IV: SERMON 68.6 ........................................................................ 60

GOD’S ACTIONS ARE A SPEECH: LETTER 102.6.33 ....................................................... 62

SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE SIGNS ............................................................................ 75

HISTORY IS A SPEECH: ON FREE CHOICE 3.15.42, ON THE NATURE OF THE GOOD 8,

AGAINST SECUNDINUS THE MANICHEE 15, AND QUESTIONS FROM THE GOSPELS 2.49 .. 77

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 84

CHAPTER THREE:

RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN AUGUSTINE’S THEOLOGY OF CREATION .. 86

RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN AUGUSTINE’S EARLY THEOLOGY OF CREATION:

ON GENESIS AGAINST THE MANICHEES 1.21.32............................................................ 88

AUGUSTINE’S CONTINUED INCORPORATION OF RHETORICAL ECONOMY INTO HIS

THEOLOGY OF CREATION: SERMON 29D.4-7 ............................................................... 101

Framing Augustine’s Argument: Sermon 29D.2, 7 ........................................... 102

Sermon 29D.4-7 ............................................................................................... 105

Concluding Remarks on Rhetorical Economy in Sermon 29D.4-7 ................... 119

RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN AUGUSTINE’S EARLY NOTION OF ORDER:

ON ORDER 1.7.18 ....................................................................................................... 121

CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 134

 

CHAPTER FOUR:

RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN AUGUSTINE’S THEOLOGY OF HISTORY ... 135

AUGUSTINE’S USE OF RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN HIS THEOLOGY OF HISTORY IN

AD 390-1: ON TRUE RELIGION 22.42-3 ...................................................................... 137

AUGUSTINE’S USE OF RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN HIS THEOLOGY OF HISTORY IN

THE MID TO LATE 390S: ON MUSIC 6.11.29-30 ........................................................... 144

RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN AUGUSTINE’S THEOLOGY OF HISTORY IN AD 403-17 ......... 168

CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 182

 

CHAPTER FIVE:

RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN AUGUSTINE’S THEODICY .............................................. 186

DIVINE CREATION AND DIVINE ARRANGEMENT:

ON GENESIS AGAINST THE MANICHEES 1.3.5 ............................................................. 187

GOD’S ECONOMICAL ARRANGEMENT OF SIN:

ON FREE CHOICE 3.9.27 ........................................................................................... 196

 

CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 211

 

APPENDIX A:

PRIMARY SOURCE ABBREVIATIONS

(ALPHABETICAL BY ENGLISH TITLE) .......................................................................... 215

 

APPENDIX B:

PRIMARY SOURCE ABBREVIATIONS

(ALPHABETICAL BY LATIN ABBREVIATION) .............................................................. 222

 

APPENDIX C:

PRIMARY SOURCES ...................................................................................................... 229

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 236

About this Dissertation

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Religion
Subfield / Discipline	Historical Studies in Theology and Religion
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Classical Studies Theology History, Ancient
Keyword	Literary Theory Rhetoric Augustine of Hippo Oeconomia Rhetorical Economy Early Christianity Rhetorical Theory Theodicy Economy Patristics Early Christian Theology Evil Augustine Theology Patristic Theology Speech History Creation
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Briggman, Anthony, Emory University
Committee Members	Corrigan, Kevin, Emory University Reynolds, Philip, Emory University Ayres, Lewis, Durham University (UK)

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