Pagan Classics against Pagan Critics of the Gospels. Augustine’s Argument in De consensu euangelistarum, Book 1

This essay examines Augustine's use of references to secular pagan literature, especially Greek philosophers and Latin writers, in Book 1 of his work On the Agreement among the Evangelists (De consensu evangelistarum). Augustine employs these references as part of his apologetic strategy against pagan critics who rejected the Gospels' portrayal of Christ's divinity. The pagan opponents claimed to honor Christ as a wise man, but accused his disciples of falsely attributing divinity to him. Augustine argues that the pagan critics are inconsistent in accepting the testimony about pagan sages like Pythagoras and Socrates from their disciples, while rejecting the testimony of Christ's disciples. He cites pagan authors like Porphyry, Cicero, Virgil, and especially Plato to show that elements of their thought align better with Christianity than with the critics' pagan positions. A key example is Augustine's use of a quote from Plato's Timaeus on the relationship between the eternal and the temporal to illustrate the logic of Christ's incarnation. By turning the authority of pagan classics against his opponents, Augustine aims to remove part of ancient culture from its pagan religious context and claim its compatibility with Christianity. This represents his struggle to gain interpretive authority over the classical tradition in the face of residual pagan opposition. The essay highlights Augustine's nuanced engagement with secular literature as part of his anti-pagan apologetics.