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Moretti, Paola Francesca, 1968-

Dimissuri eum sumus sine spectaculo? (Aug. in Ps 39, 9) : Agostino e il teatro della predicazione

2021 - Morcelliana

P. 578-599

  • The “theatrical” dimension of Augustine's sermons is investigated, as a consequence of Augustine's being a conscious and skillful heir of ancient school rhetoric: as a matter of fact, contiguity between orator and actor pertains to the Graeco-Roman view of oratory and is apparent also in Christian homiletics. A penchant for theatre and for any kind of public show belongs to Augustine's Christian public; therefore, the bishop has to figure out strategies to render his preaching attractive, whenever he has to compete with profane shows, which often occur on the same days as Christian liturgies.
  • The bishop of Hippo takes advantage of two main “theatrical” strategies: on the one hand, he appropriates public shows to the Church, and lists the many spectacula Christiana that the Christians should enjoy and prefer to the pagan ones; on the other hand, he often hints at the scene (i.e., the physical location) of the homiletic performance, and, most importantly, sometimes he even acts as a movie director, arranging the scene for the display of God's mirabilia in front of his audience (e.g., serm. 320-323). [Publisher's text]

Forma parte de

Maia : rivista di letterature classiche : LXXIII, 3, 2021