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This seminar series will give participants the opportunity to read more widely in Augustine and his world. It is specifically intended to support faculty in teaching the Confessions as part of ACS, but it is open to all interested faculty. All sessions will take place in the Fedigan Room from 12 :00-2 :00 p.m.; lunch will be provided. We hope that participants will be able to come to more than one session to build up a community of discussion.
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September 9 Theme: Martyrdom Augustine and his North African Christians inherited a tradition that revered the martyrs. North African Christians endured persecutions in 203, the 250s and 303-305. Augustine and his associates revered the martyrs but they themselves were not persecuted. So they needed to reconfigure the memory of the martyrs to be pastorally useful long after persecutions ceased. World of Augustine reading: The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity Augustine reading: In the first reading we see the most famous of the African martyr stories. Some themes to notice are Perpetua's progressive appropriation of her Christian identity and the effect of that appropriation on her own self-image and her family relationships. In the second set of readings one can see how Augustine uses the traditions associated with the martyrs to inspire his own generation. How ought we and our students think about martyrdom past and present?
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September 23 Theme: Advocacy for the Poor/Use of Worldly Goods Christians inherited from their Jewish roots a concern for the poor. This is enshrined in Jesus's Sermon on the Mount/Plain ("Blessed are the poor in spirit" in Matthew; and "Blessed are the poor" in Luke) and in one of the sermons preserved in St. Matthew's Gospel ("Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" Mt 25:40). Each generation and, indeed, each person, whether of slender or opulent means, needs to discern how this applies to one's own wealth. Various ancient Christian writers provide views to consider. Augustine puts the other views into philosophical perspective. World of Augustine readings: Clement of Alexandria, Who is the Rich Man that Can Be Saved at <http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/clement-richman.html> Concentrate on §§2, 4, 9-19, 23-30
Augustine Reading On Christian Doctrine 1.3.3 Optional: an extended discussion of uti/frui at Augustinus-Lexikon "Frui/uti" NOTE: This web address will not respond within FireFox. Windows Explorer must be used.
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September 30 Theme: Best Friends Forever Since peer interaction are so important at our students' age, it might be good to look at Augustine's relationships with friends and companions. Before looking at Augustine's thought, spend a little time with the classic treatment of friendship with which Augustine was familiar. World of Augustine reading: Cicero, De amicitia =Leeds (On Friendship) 5.18-24, 8.26-13.44 and 16.56-17.66 on-line at amicitia or:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/ Since we are only reading parts of the essay, it's good to have the larger picture. There's a nice outline at <http://www.csun.edu/~hcf11004/amicitia.html>. Augustine Readings: Confessions 4.4-4.14 In Book 4 of the Confessions he narrates incidents with friends of his youth. Given what Cicero and Augustine say, how should we evaluate these friendships? In his early years and even after his ordination, Augustine pretty much accepted Cicero's construction of friendship. In his later years, his advice on true friendship changed. What's different now?
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October 28 Theme: Prayers, mystics and the spiritual life At first glance, this topic may not seem the most attractive to contemporary students, but when 1 have taught some of this material, I have found students far much more interested than I would have suspected. As Augustine gradually turned toward Christianity, his image of conversion was not only to the beliefs of Christianity. He also considered what might be the lifestyle that was part of the conversion to which he was called—and lifestyle issues are important to our students.. He knew the lifestyle of the ideal Greco-Roman philosopher. At Ieast for some philosophers, it included a commitment to celibacy or, at least, to the regulation of sexual and other appetites. But some Christians seemed to best the philosophers. Confessions VIII.6-2 and the first paragraph or 8 on Antony of Egypt, Confessions VI11.12 conversion Athanasius, Life of Antony 2-3, 5, 7, 14 and 19 Augustine as priest and bishop reflected on his own prayer life and the practices of community members and his own experience.
Augustine, Letter 130 to Proba on Prayer Confessions IX.10 ("she" in this section is his mother Monnica) and Confessions X.6 and 27
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