Augustine and his critics : essays in honour of Gerald Bonner /

This well-conceived and skillfully edited volume contains essays by 13 scholars, including both editors, from Italy, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, and the US. Such international breadth is only fitting, as the introduction recalls that there is in current Augustine studies "far more material than the average scholar will be able to read," of which 90 per cent is published in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. An insightful overview of recently published research on Augustine is followed by essays on an impressive range of controversial topics: his Platonism and Trinitarian theology; his views on evil, free will, predestination, and asceticism; his attitude toward Christ, God, woman, and sexuality; his understanding of "Christian times" (tempora christiana); his opinions on scriptural and sermonic rhetoric; and the political bearing of his confessional tactics. Taking into account some of Augustine's more vociferous present-day critics, the book admirably fulfills its aim of "argu[ing] in favor of some of the much-neglected historical, philosophical and theological perspectives that lie behind Augustine's most unpopular convictions." The prolific studies of Augustine and early Christianity by Gerald Bonner, this volume's honoree, are engagingly drawn upon throughout. Essential for any academic library that takes seriously its holdings in religious studies, philosophy, and theology. Upper-division undergraduates and above. ; Lafayette College