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The Unity of the Spirit: the Trinity, the Church and Love in Saint Augustine of Hippo

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The Unity of the Spirit: the Trinity, the Church and Love in Saint Augustine of Hippo Durham E-Theses The unity of the spirit: the trinity, the church and love in Saint Augustine of Hippo Hoskins, John Paul How to cite: Hoskins, John Paul (2006) The unity of the spirit: the trinity, the church and love in Saint Augustine of Hippo, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2555/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 "The Unity of the Spirit": the Trinity, the Church and Love in Saint Augustine of Hippo John Paul Hoskins The copyright of this thesis rests with the author or the university to which It was submitted. No quotation from It, or information derived from It may be published without the prior written consent of the author or university, and any Information derived from It should be acknowledged. Thesis submitted for the Degree of Master of Letters Department of Theology and Religion Durham University 2006 1 8 APR 2007 Abstract "The unity of the Spirit": the Trinity, the Church and love in Saint Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo spent most of his career contending for the cause of the unity of the Church. His passion for Church unity has frequently been portrayed as a consequence of his north African heritage, but one important theological basis has generally been overlooked. This thesis locates his ecclesiology firmly in the context of his trinitarian theology, particularly his emphasis on the unity of God. Many scholars have considered his theology of the Trinity; others have explored his theology of the Church; but this thesis draws out the connections between the two. Augustine is not the first theologian to discuss the unity of the three persons of the Trinity. However, he is the first to develop the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is the bond of love and unity between the Father and the Son. This principle has important implications for his theology of the Church, since it means that discussions of the Holy Spirit and of love in the context of ecclesiology have an explicitly trinitarian dunension. The thesis consists of three chapters. In the first, Augustine's unique docfrine of the Holy Spirit and of love is set out. It is demonstrated that he locates the image of God not so much in the individual human soul, as in himian beings in relation with one another. In the second chapter, attention moves to the Church, and it is shown that Augustine sees the fellowship itself as the analogy of God the Trinity. Love is the characteristic mark of the Church, and those who do not have love and the Holy Spirit have excluded themselves from communion with one another and with God. The third and final chapter is a case study of how these ideas were worked out in practice in the controversies with Manicheisra, Donatism and Pelagianism. Contents Preface v Works of Augustine, Editions and Translations vii Abbreviations xii Introduction 1 Augustine's predecessors 4 Texts 12 1. Trinity 22 Philosophical background 23 Early forays into trinitarian theology 25 Believing and understanding: On Faith and the Creed 33 On the Trinity, books 1 to 4 38 On the Trinity, books 5 to 7 49 On the Trinity, books 8 to 14 59 On the Trinity, book 15 68 Conclusion 73 2. Church 74 The Church as the image of God 74 The Holy Spirit in the life of the Church 86 Love 95 The unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit 117 ui Contents The body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit 128 Church unity 135 Conclusion 149 3. Donatism 151 Manicheism 152 Donatism and Augustine's response 157 Love and unity 162 Baptism 173 God, human beings and holiness 184 The mixed Church and eschatological separation 189 The worldwide Church 195 Persecution, correction and love 202 The example of the Maximianists 206 The example of Cyprian 213 Pelagianism 220 Conclusion 224 General Conclusion , 226 Bibliography 228 IV Preface Preface Let us love one another that with one accord we may confess: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in essence and undivided. from the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom This thesis arose from the combination of many years' interest in Saint Augustine of Hippo and an equally longstanding concern for Church unity. My curiosity about Augustine was first sparked as a student of the history of political thought, prompting me to write my undergraduate dissertation on his theory of coercion. Little did I suspect then that I would be returning to look at the Donatists again a decade later. Over the subsequent years, it has often seemed as though I have encountered Augustine at practically every turn. It is impossible to think of any other Christian theologian since the time of the apostles who has had such an influence on the life and thought of the Church. My interest in Augustine has developed alongside a parallel concern for the unity of the Church. As a member of the Church of England, it has long seemed to me that the Anglican Communion faces two main problems in this area. First of all, there is the external matter of how it relates to other Christian churches. Secondly, there is the internal question of the relationship of Anglicans with one another. This latter problem has become particularly acute during the last couple of years, and its solution (if any) remains to be seen. Augustine would not, I fear, be particularly sympathetic with our plight: much of what he has to say about the vmity of the Church makes for rather alarming reading for those of us who are Anglicans. Preface Many outstanding teachers have contributed to my understanding of Augustine. I was first introduced to him by Dr Robert Dyson in Durham, and Dr Winrich L6hr and Dr Lionel Wickham in Cambridge developed my interest and gave me a solid grounding in patristics. I would particularly like to thank my supervisor, Dr Carol Harrison, for her encouragement and seemingly limitless patience as yet another deadline passed urmiet. Her gentle criticisms and suggestions for fruitful avenues to explore have improved my thesis immeasurably. Needless to say, the errors and infelicities that remain are my responsibility alone. Without the support of many other friends and conversation partners, this thesis would probably never have been begun and would certainly never have been completed. Among these, my thanks go especially to the Revd Kenneth Clark, Beverley Jones, the Revd Ben King, the Revd Frances Mant, the Revd Edmund Newey, the Revd Catherine Pickford and Dr Clare Saunders. I have also been grateful for the good-humoured encouragement of friends and colleagues both at Durham Cathedral and more recently at Ripon College Cuddesdon. Most of all, I have benefited from the constant support of my family; and foremost amongst these that of my wife, who has incidentally helped me to a deeper appreciation of Augustine's occasional analogies from the worlds of medicine and surgery. I have been studying Augustine for as long as Elizabeth has known me, but she has taught me far more about love and unity than I ever learned even from him: significat unitatem omnium nostrum subiectam deo futuram in una caelesti ciuitate [On the Good of Marriage 18.21]. VI I I I I I I (N IT) I 10 H ttHq ttH) Co &CI Co Co Co 8 ^1 O U U O I 5^ 5^ 5^ 5^ 5^ 5^ 5 ^ w I i ^ a I II IS a II o ^ ^ I 1 I i .§5 bo too ^ II o 1 § a t I !l ^1 o 1 c O I 3 1 I J i i o 1 5r •~ S I i I •I 1 I 11 esq q as vu Works, Editions and Translations 1-5 I—I i i i (N I I I ! I i I r-< O 00 O in iri in o »o 00 (N Co Co ^ CO c^ S3 .1 I en 3 CI, a. 5^ 5^ c I .1 I i I a 1 o .11 a o 3 --c: I E5 a 1 I C<5 1 I I in .1 00 •a .2 I I I I I I o ll I 11 11 c I 1 8 I ii I "53 I a a vm Works, Editions and Translations 1 2 is 1 00 CO m in I ! I I 1 OO (N o OS rs 00 00 p o ^ I «, <N 00 00 en ON r}- 00 00 8 CO 5^ 5^ 5^ 1 5 I I I I s I! 4 1 I I K I 1, 5 a -a 5> I •2 It 1 1. ep. 1 ep. 5a to o i I I t*3 1 I I •a s 11 I I I I' bo IX Works, Editions and Translations P oo P P P P fS O ioO(N'-<'—I O a P PPPPPP rf lO <N (N rj- T+ O O i m rj- rj- --^ t| II II.
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