The Ways of Ridiculing the Opponents in Augustine’s Letters. The case of the Donatists
Augustine is rarely studied as a polemist and even less often as a satirist, especially if we are to compare him with Jerome. The pages of his anti-Donatist writings are primarily read by historians and theologians, for whom, rightly, the question of his use of ridicule is of secondary importance. I...
| Published in: | Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2018
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Augustinus, Aurelius, Saint 354-430, Epistulae
/ Donatism
/ Mockery
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| IxTheo Classification: | CD Christianity and Culture KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity KDH Christian sects |
| Further subjects: | B
Augustine of Hippo
Donatists
Rhetoric
Polemic
Epistulae Augustini
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Augustine is rarely studied as a polemist and even less often as a satirist, especially if we are to compare him with Jerome. The pages of his anti-Donatist writings are primarily read by historians and theologians, for whom, rightly, the question of his use of ridicule is of secondary importance. In this case study of Augustine’s anti-Donatist correspondence I will try to ask exactly that question. The close reading of his polemical letters proves that Augustine at times aimed at raising laughter by portraying his adversaries in a peculiar way. The analysis starts with the Donatists’ leaders who are presented as hypocrites and men of unimpressive intelligence. Next, I discuss how Augustine mocked the Donatists’ martyrs and their idea of martyrdom. The last part presents the ways of ridiculing the Donatist converts. |
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| ISSN: | 1612-961X |
| Contains: | In: Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/zac-2018-0015 |