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Augustine’s Confessions: Communicative Purpose and Audience Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae Formerly Philosophia Patrum Texts and Studies of Early Christian Life and Language Editors j. den boeft — j. van oort — w.l. petersen d.t. runia — c. scholten — j.c.m. van winden VOLUME LXXI Augustine’s Confessions: Communicative Purpose and Audience by Annemaré Kotzé BRILL LEIDEN · BOSTON 2004 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kotzé, Annemaré. Augustine’s Confessions: Communicative Purpose and Audience / by Annemaré Kotzé. p. cm. — (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, ISSN 0920-623X; v. 71) Originally presented as the author’s thesis (doctoral). Includes bibliographical refences (p. ). ISBN 90-04-13926-5 (alk. paper) 1. Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo. Confessiones. 2. Didactic literature, Latin—History and criticism. 3. Manichaeism—Controversial literature—History and criticism. 4. Apologetics—History—Early church, ca. 30–600. I. Title. II. Series. BR65.A62K68 2004 270.2’092—dc22 2004040889 ISSN 0920-623X ISBN 90 04 13926 5 © Copyright 2004 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands CONTENTS Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 part 1. prolegomena Chapter 1. The Confessions and its Academic Readers: A Survey of Secondary Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1. Theological and Historical Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2. Literary Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2.1. The Issue of the Unity of the Confessions . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2.2. A Selective Overview of Literary Approaches to the Confessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2.3. Perspectives on Genre and Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 2. The Confessions and its First Readers: Genre and Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1. The Genre of the Confessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1.1. Genre and Communicative Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a. Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b. A Definition of Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . c. The Fluid Nature of Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1.2. The Protreptic Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a. Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . b. Definitions: Protrepsis and Paraenesis . . . . . . . . . . . c. Characteristic Features of the Protreptic Genre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1.3. Literary Antecedents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1.4. Perspectives on Genre and the Unity of the Confessi