THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA The Senses and Sensory Metaphors in Augustine’s Early Works A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the Department of Greek and Latin School of Arts and Sciences Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Benjamin Allan Lewis Washington, DC 2019 The Senses and Sensory Metaphors in Augustine’s Early Works Benjamin Allan Lewis, Ph.D. Director: William McCarthy, Ph.D. The vast corpus of Augustine of Hippo is full of references to the five senses, and full of sensory metaphors, but little scholarly attention has been given to Augustine’s understanding of the physics of sense-perception, or to his definition and use of sensory metaphors. This dissertation aims, in part, to fill both gaps by examining Augustine’s early writings, from the Cassiciacum Dialogues to the Confessions, to ascertain first his views on the physiological aspects of sense- perception, and to explore his use of sensory metaphors. The first part of this project is a necessary precursor to the second part, as Augustine’s sensory metaphors are based on the analogy of the bodily senses to certain activities or faculties of the soul. In his early works, Augustine presents a consistent picture of the senses, their hierarchy, and their association with the Empedoclean four elements (fire, air, water, and earth). In keeping with his broad but nuanced definition of metaphor, Augustine uses sensory metaphors in ways that reflect his larger philosophical and theological preoccupations. Throughout his early works, and especially in the Confessions, Augustine produces the metaphoric pattern of a voice that leads to vision, which reflects his theme of faith seeking understanding. In the end, metaphor, as Augustine defined and deployed it, is not a mere literary device, but a way of seeing the world. This dissertation by Benjamin Allan Lewis fulfills the dissertation requirement for the doctoral degree in Greek and Latin approved by William McCarthy, Ph.D., as Director, and by Kevin White, Ph.D., and William Klingshirn, Ph.D., as Readers. __________________________________________ William McCarthy, Ph.D., Director __________________________________________ Kevin White, Ph.D., Reader __________________________________________ William Klingshirn, Ph.D., Reader !ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x INTRODUCTION: IN DEFENSE OF WHAT FOLLOWS 1 CHAPTER ONE: SIGHT AND HEARING IN AUGUSTINE’S EARLY WORKS 16 CHAPTER TWO: SMELL, TASTE, AND TOUCH IN AUGUSTINE’S EARLY WORKS 76 CHAPTER THREE: SENSORY METAPHORS IN AUGUSTINE’S EARLY WORKS 122 CHAPTER FOUR: SENSORY METAPHORS IN THE CONFESSIONS 155 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 234 BIBLIOGRAPHY 243 !iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Below is a list of abbreviations used in this dissertation. For classical Greek authors, I follow the abbreviations in H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, and H. S. Jones, A Greek English Lexicon, 9th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996). For classical Latin authors, I follow the abbreviations in P. G. W. Glare, ed., Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). For patristic Greek authors, I follow the abbreviations in G. W. H. Lampe, ed., A Patristic Greek Lexicon (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1961). For patristic Latin authors, including Augustine, I follow the abbreviations in A. Blaise, Dictionnaire latin- francais des auteurs Chretiens (Turnhout: Brepols, 1962). Abr. De Abrahamo Ac. Academica Acad. Contra Academicos Ad Don. Ad Donatum Ad Quirin. Ad Quirinum testimonia aduersus Iudaeos. Adu. Iud. Aduersus Iudaeos Aen. Aeneid Agon. De agone christiano Ambr. Ambrose An. Tertullian, De anima de An. Aristotle, De Anima Apul. Apuleius Arist. Aristotle !iv Aug. Augustine Beat. De Beata Vita Bon. mort. De bono mortis Bon. pat. De bono patientiae Brut. Brutus sive de Claris Oratoribus C. Max. Contra Maximinum C. mendac. Contra mendacium Calcid. Calcidius Cic. Cicero Ciu. De ciuitate Dei Conf. Augustine, Confessiones Confu. Philo, De Confusione Linguarum Congr. De Congressu eruditionis causa De Or. De Oratore Deus Quod Deus sit immutabilis Dial. De Dialectica DK Diels, H. and W. Kranz, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker (3 vols.), 6th ed. Berlin: Weidmann, 1951. Doct. chr. De doctrina christiana Duab. De duabus animabus El. Mor. Hierocles, Elementa Moralia [Ἠθικὴ στοιχείωσις] Eleem. De opere et eleemosynis Enchir. Enchiridion de fide, spe et caritate Ep(p). Epistula(e) Ep. Hdt. Epicurus, Epistula ad Herodotum Epit. Epitome diuinarum institutionum Eu. Io. In Iohannis euangelium tractatus Ex. Exameron !v Exc. fr. De excessu fratris sui Satyri Expos. Ps. 118 Expositio Psalmi CXVIII Faust. Contra Faustum Fid. De fide rerum invisibilium Fid. et symb. De fide et symbolo Fin. De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum Fug. De fuga et inventione Gen. imp. De Genesi ad litteram imperfectus liber Gen. Man. De Genesi adversus Manichaeos Hab. uirg. De habitu virginum Hept. Quaestionum in heptateuchum libri septem Hierocl. Hierocles Il. Homer, Ilias Imm. De Immortalitate Animae In Tim. Calcidius, In Platonis Timaeum Inst. Diuinae Institutiones (Diuinarum institutionum libri septem) Inst. Od. Galen, De Instrumento Odoratus Ir. De ira Dei Is. De Isaac uel anima Iud. Aduersus Iudaeos Iul. Contra Iulianum Lact. Lactantius Lausberg Lausberg, H. Handbook of Literary Rhetoric: A Foundation for Literary Study. Transl. by M. T. Bliss. Ed. by D. E. Orton and R. D. Anderson. Leiden: Brill, 1998. Leg. Legum Allegoriae Lewis and Short C. T. Lewis and C. Short, A Latin Dictionary. Lib. De libero arbitrio !vi Litt. De Genesi ad litteram libri duodecim Locut. Hept. Locutionum in heptateuchum libri septem Luc. Expositio evangelii secundum Lucam Lucr. Lucretius [De Rerum Natura] M. Sextus Empiricus, Adversus Mathematicos Mag. De magistro Man. Manilius [Astronomica] Mor. De moribus ecclesiae catholicae et de moribus Manichaeorum Mort. De mortalitate Mort. pers. De mortibus persecutorum Mus. De musica Myst. De mysteriis Nat. et or. De natura et origine animae (a.k.a. De anima et eius origine) ND De Natura Deorum Noe De Noe et arca Or. Orator ad M. Brutum Od. Homer, Odyssea Opif. Philo, De Opificio Mundi [Περὶ τῆς κατὰ Μωυσέα κοσµοποιίας] Opif. D. Lactantius, De Opificio Dei Opt. Euclid, Optica Ord. De ordine Paen. De paenitentia Parad. De paradiso Pers. Persius, Saturae Petil. Contra litteras Petiliani Ph. Philo [Judaeus] Ph. Physica Phd. Phaedo !vii Phlb. Plato, Philebus PHP Galen, de Placitis Hippocratis et Platonis PL Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Latina Pl. Plato Plen. De Plenitudine Plot. Plotinus [Enneads] Po. Aristotle, Poetica Post. De Posteritate Caini Prop. Propertius, Elegiae Psal. Enarrationes in Psalmos QG Quaestiones et solutiones in Genesim Quaest. De diuersis quaestionibus octoginta tribus Quant. an. De quantitate animae Qu. eu. Quaestiones euangeliorum Quint. Quintilian R. Respublica RB Revue Bénédictine Retract. Retractationes Rhet. Her. Rhetorica ad Herennium SC Sources Chrétiennes S. E. Sextus Empiricus Sens. De Sensu Sent. Vat. Epicurus, Sententia Vaticana [Gnomologium Vaticanum Epicureum] Serm. Sermones Serm. Dom. De sermone Domini in monte Smp. Symposium Solil. Soliloquia Spec. De specialibus legibus !viii Spir. De Spiritu Sancto Tert. Tertullian Theog. Hesiod, Theogonia Thphr. Theophrastus Tht. Plato, Theaetetus Ti. Plato, Timaeus Trin. De trinitate Tusc. Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes UP Galen, De Usu Partium Util. cred. De utilitate credendi Ver. rel. De Vera Religione Verg. Virgil Vg. Vulgate Zel. et liu. De zelo et liuore !ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It would be impossible to acknowledge all who have assisted me in the completion of this project, yet some deserve special mention. My director, Dr. William McCarthy, has been patient, kind, and encouraging, always ready to point me toward valuable resources. The careful attention of my readers, Dr. Kevin White and Prof. William Klingshirn, has improved the dissertation on a number of points. (The faults that remain here are my own.) The other faculty of the Department of Greek and Latin, Prof. Frank Mantello, Dr. John Petruccione, and Dr. Sarah Ferrario, have offered generous advice and assistance of various kinds throughout my doctoral studies. I have been fortunate to receive funding as a Mellon-Helis Fellow in the Center for the Study of Early Christianity, as a teaching assistant and teaching fellow in the Department of Greek and Latin, as a teaching fellow for the University, and as a translator for the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, whose Executive Secretary, Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, has been most generous. I have also been fortunate in a network of graduate student colleagues too many to name, several of whom have become dear friends. My parents, Gregg and Debi Lewis, have been unwavering in their love and support. My uncle and aunt, Drs. Gilbert and Janice Crouse, opened their home to me, enabling me to pursue graduate studies. My undergraduate advisor, Prof. Randy Richardson, first taught me to love Greek and Latin, and remains a model and guide. To these, and many others, I offer my heartfelt thanks, but most of all I wish to mention my darling wife, Caitlin, without whom no page that follows could have been written. Though it is a trifling thing to give in return for her many sacrifices, I dedicate this dissertation to her. !x INTRODUCTION IN DEFENSE OF WHAT FOLLOWS As others have noted, the surviving corpus of Augustine of Hippo is larger than that of any other ancient