Expectations of Justice in the Age of Augustine 0812203038, 9780812203035
Augustine, bishop of Hippo between 395 and 430, and his fellow bishops lived and worked through massive shifts in politi
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English Pages 248 [242] Year 2013
Cover
Title
Copyright
Contents
Introduction
1. Calumny: Well-Known Reasons Why Justice Fails
Judicial Culture
Juridical Solutions: Roman Law
Popular Responses
The Bishop's Court
Juridical Solutions: Canon Law
Social Bonds and Boundaries
2. "Judge like God": What Bishops Claimed to Expect of Themselves
Between Perfection and Failure
Traditions of Judgment and Discernment
Spiritual Discernment at Work
Alternative Traditions of Discernment
The Exemplary Life of Bishops
The Ideal Fails
3. Christian Oaths: A Case Study in Practicality over Doctrine
Oaths Are Social Bonds
The Public Life of Oaths
Solemn Promises plus Some Exemptions
Exegetes on Swearing
Socialis Necessitudo and the Need for Oaths
Swearing in the Land of Falsehood
4. Mercy Not Justice: How Penance Became a Worthy Act of Self-Incrimination
A Profession of Holiness
Preachers of Penance
The Penitential Lives of Religious Professionals
The Heroic Lives of Penitents
Compunction and Discernment for All
The Balance of Mercy and Justice
An End to the Scholarly Myth of Decline and Rigorism
Conclusion
List of Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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I
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Acknowledgments
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Citation preview
Expectations of Justice in the Age of Augustine
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Expectations of] ustice in the Age ofAugustine IZevin Uhalde
PENN UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PRESS
Philadelphia
Copyright © 2007 University of Pennsylvania Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10
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Published by University of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Uhalde, Kevin, 1971Expectations of justice in the age of Augustine / Kevin Uhalde. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-8122-3987-4
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index I. Christianity and justice. I. Title. BRII5.J8 U33 2007 270.2-dc22 2006050945
For my family
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Contents
INTRODUCTION
I. CALUMNY: WELL-KNOWN REASONS WHY
JUSTICE FAILS
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Judicial Culture 16 Juridical Solutions: Roman Law Popular Responses 25 The Bishop)s Court 29 Juridical Solutions: Canon Law Social Bonds and Boundaries
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32 35
2. "JUDGE LIKE GOD": WHAT BISHOPS CLAIMED TO
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EXPECT OF THEMSELVES
Between Perftetion and Failure 44 Traditions ofJudgment and Discernment Spiritual Discernment at Work 49 Alternative Traditions ofDiscernment 55 The Exemplary Life ofBishops 61 The Ideal Fails 67 3. CHRISTIAN OATHS: A CASE STUDY IN PRACTICALITY OVER DOCTRINE
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Oaths Are Social Bonds 77 The Public Life ofOaths 80 Solemn Promises plus Some Exemptions 84 Exegetes on Swearing 86 Socialis Necessitudo and the Need for Oaths 92 Swearing in the Land ofFalsehood 101
4. MERCY NOT JUSTICE: HOW PENANCE BECAME A WORTHY ACT OF SELF-INCRIMINATION
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A Proftssion ofHoliness 105 Preachers ofPenance 107 The Penitential Lives ofReligious Proftssionals II0 The Heroic Lives ofPenitents I I 7 Compunction and Discernmentfor All 122 The Balance ofMercy and Justice 127 An End to the Scholarly Myth ofDecline and Rigorism CONCLUSION
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
NOTES
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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Introduction
Expectans expectavi Dominum et inclinatus est ad me et audivit clamorem meum. Patiently I awaited the Lord and he turned to me and heard my cry. -Vulgate Psalm 39:2 This doubled word deserves attention, for such a graceful repetition is not mere embellishment. Certainly we are able to be expectant, but in a grudging mood. Still we may be patiently expectant when we bear something calmly and with powerful longing. -Cassiodorus, Expositio Psalmorum 39.2
THE LIFE OF Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodoms Senator (4-85/90-ca. 580), best known simply as Cassiodoms, epitomized the age of transition in which he lived. One foot rested in the ancient past, for Cassiodoms had impeccable credentials as a late Roman aristocrat. While still a young man, he served as assistant to his father, the praetorian prefect, and then as quaestor. In 514 he was the sole consul in the empire, then master of offices from 523 to 527, and praetorian prefect in Italy for four years until 537. His other foot, however, was in the Middle Ages. He wrote Latin letters on behalf of I