Book review : Against the Academics: St Augustine’s Cassiciacum dialogues, Vol. 1

Abstract

Augustine’s dialogue Against the Academics, the first of the four Cassiciacum dialogues, is particularly important as being (in the editor’s words) its author’s “first written venture into ... philosophical theology” (p. xxiv), even though he was only a catechumen. In the autumn of 386, Augustine and eight of his relations and friends stayed in a villa in Cassiciacum, north of Milan. The main reason for Augustine’s having ceased to teach rhetoric, about a month before the Cassiciacum gathering, was probably not poor health, but joining the Church, which withheld membership from professional teachers of rhetoric (who were tasked with teaching about pagan legends and gods). Augustine’s company prayed every day, as well as discussing God the Father and Christ; indeed, Augustine explains the power of Christian prayer (Against the Academics 2.1.1; numbers not otherwise identified refer to this text) and also speaks, at 2.1.1-2, of his ongoing prayer to Christ for Romanianus, the father of one of the company, Licentius; the latter publicly prays in 2.7.18. [excerpt]