Precision and the limits of autopsy in Augustine’s critique of pagan divination

Book chapter


Hanaghan, Michael Peter. (2023). Precision and the limits of autopsy in Augustine’s critique of pagan divination. In The Intellectual World of Late Antique Christianity : Reshaping Classical Traditions pp. 426 - 442 Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108883559.025
AuthorsHanaghan, Michael Peter
Abstract

According to Augustine, the limits of human autopsy restricted certain modes of knowing which relied on detailed observations. This claim unites Augustine’s criticism of the power of daemons and of astrology to predict the future. The minute calculations that astrology requires are beyond human sense perception (Conf. 7.6.9–10; Doctr. chr. 2.23.34; Civ. 5.1–6), so are the tricks used by daemons which Augustine equates to abilities specific to animals, such as the olfactory skill of dogs (Div. 3.7; cf. Civ. 9.15). This chapter examines the influence of a variety of texts on Augustine’s thought, including Ambrose’s Hexaemeron, Cicero’s De divinatione, and Apuleius’ De deo Socratis. I argue that Augustine consistently focuses his rhetoric against pagan divination on the limits of human sense perception through a unique combination of criticisms, inspired by both the Christian and the classical canons.

KeywordsAugustine; divination; astrology; daemons; classical tradition
Page range426 - 442
Year01 Jan 2023
Book titleThe Intellectual World of Late Antique Christianity : Reshaping Classical Traditions
PublisherCambridge University Press
Place of publicationUnited Kingdom
ISBN9781108883559
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108883559.025
Web address (URL)https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/intellectual-world-of-late-antique-christianity/precision-and-the-limits-of-autopsy-in-augustines-critique-of-pagan-divination/F1878D7470E54F4C6E0B0A3C7829B0AB
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Publication dates
Online05 Oct 2023
Print2023
Publication process dates
Deposited26 Jun 2024
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