Babylon Becomes Jerusalem: The Transformation of the Two Cities in Augustine's "Enarrationes in Psalmos"

This study draws attention to an overlooked dimension of Augustine’s doctrine of the two cities in Enarrationes in Psalmos, wherein the earthly city is transformed into the heavenly city during the present age. In contrast to scholarship that overemphasizes the eschatological aspect of the two citie...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lee, James K. (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Villanova Univ. Press [2016]
In: Augustinian studies
Year: 2016, Volume: 47, Issue: 2, Pages: 157-180
IxTheo Classification:KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
NBN Ecclesiology
NBQ Eschatology
Further subjects:B Augustinus, Aurelius Saint (354-430) Enarrationes in Psalmos
B Jerusalem
B Babylon
B Augustinus, Aurelius Saint (354-430) De civitate dei
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:This study draws attention to an overlooked dimension of Augustine’s doctrine of the two cities in Enarrationes in Psalmos, wherein the earthly city is transformed into the heavenly city during the present age. In contrast to scholarship that overemphasizes the eschatological aspect of the two cities at the expense of the church’s transformation, this study demonstrates how Augustine’s doctrine is not limited to an eschatological grammar of separation, but employs the figure of the two cities in order to develop an ecclesiology of transformation. For Augustine, the church is built up as the city of God on pilgrimage, precisely by the celebration of the sacraments. A one-sided analysis that focuses solely upon separation from an eschatological perspective neglects the richness of Augustine’s teaching on the transformation of the earthly city of Babylon into the heavenly city of Jerusalem.
ISSN:0094-5323
Contains:Enthalten in: Augustinian studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5840/augstudies201641422