This essay examines the references to philosophers in Augustine’s sermons. It begins by presenting the number of occurrences of both lemmas belonging to the lexical family of “philosophia” and proper names of philosophers or philosophical schools (§ 1), after which it shows their distribution within the corpus of the sermons (§ 2). The essay also highlights the Pauline background of Augustine’s judgments on philosophers (§ 3) and of the main metaphilosophical themes developed in the sermons (§ 4). These include the comparison with the Epicureans and the Stoics regarding the happy life; the pride of philosophers, including the Platonists, who reject the Incarnation of Christ and the final resurrection; and the usability of certain philosophical ideas in the service of Christian preaching.
Metaphilosophy in Augustine’s Sermons
Giovanni Catapano
2025
Abstract
This essay examines the references to philosophers in Augustine’s sermons. It begins by presenting the number of occurrences of both lemmas belonging to the lexical family of “philosophia” and proper names of philosophers or philosophical schools (§ 1), after which it shows their distribution within the corpus of the sermons (§ 2). The essay also highlights the Pauline background of Augustine’s judgments on philosophers (§ 3) and of the main metaphilosophical themes developed in the sermons (§ 4). These include the comparison with the Epicureans and the Stoics regarding the happy life; the pride of philosophers, including the Platonists, who reject the Incarnation of Christ and the final resurrection; and the usability of certain philosophical ideas in the service of Christian preaching.
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