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Document Details : Title: 'Exquisite and Precious Vessels' Subtitle: Doctrina in Book I of Augustine's Confessions Author(s): BOERSMA, Gerald P. Journal: Augustiniana Volume: 61 Issue: 3-4 Date: 2011 Pages: 187-205 DOI: 10.2143/AUG.61.3.3294594 Abstract : In this essay I argue that Book I of the Confessions demonstrates Augustine's valuation of the liberal arts according to the register of 'use'. The classical doctrina in which Augustine was schooled is understood in the Confessions to be marked by pride (doctrina superbiae) and signified by the veils that cloak the entrances of the academies; this doctrina's 'use' is self-aggrandizement. By contrast, Augustine finds the teaching of humility signified in the humility of a child; the doctrina humilitatis finds its 'use' in the praise of God. Still, in recounting his own childhood, Augustine seems eager to present himself familiar with the classical tradition and a cultural savoir faire. I argue, however, that when considered under the auspices of 'use' Augustine's quotations of Virgil, references to Cicero and Plato, and allusions to Terence and Seneca do not entail he himself falls prey to doctrina superbiae, but rather this display of familiarity with the classical canon underscores my argument that Augustine values the liberal arts according to their 'use'. Augustine takes no umbrage with classical learning per se, but models appropriate 'use' with intricate Latin rhetorical flourishes while weaving the story of his life into Virgil's Aeneid. In modeling appropriate 'use' of the liberal arts Augustine demonstrates how they can be used as 'exquisite and precious vessels' intended for the praise of God or, conversely, can be filled with the 'wine of error'. |
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