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Document Details : Title: Vt non simus homines Subtitle: Augustine's Exhortations against Lying in his Sermones ad Populum Author(s): YATES, Jonathan P. Journal: Augustiniana Volume: 71 Issue: 1 Date: 2021 Pages: 7-26 DOI: 10.2143/AUG.71.1.3289611 Abstract : For a generation, scholars have paid close attention to Augustine’s homiletic efforts and especially to his Sermones ad populum. This attention has resulted in manuscript discoveries, the publication of critical editions, and advances in chronological precision. Recently, scholars have endeavored to situate the content of the extant sermons into Augustine’s theological, polemical, and pastoral views, e.g., his theory of praedestinatio for the electi. This study contributes to the latter trend by reading Augustine’s sermons in light of his antagonism toward lying. To what degree does Augustine burden his listeners with the views regarding lies that he exalts in De mendacio, Contra mendacium, and Enchiridion? By culling two groups from his extant sermons, this study shows that Augustine used diverse techniques to call his audiences to a modified version of his extreme standard. His techniques include rhetorical performances; theological reminders about the 'adopted' position of the children of God; pastoral reminders of the dangers of assuming that God’s self-revelation could contain untruth or that the occasional lie does no harm; as well as 'fire and brimstone' warnings about the perils that await those who are alienated from the truth. It also shows that Augustine’s position is central for his vision for living the Christian life in this fallen world: He believed that all Christians have been called to be more than the typical post-lapsarian human being and that part of his pastoral role was to remind his audiences to strive to imitate Christ, the God-man who was never (intentionally) duplicitous. |
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