Augustine on “The True Religion”: Reflections of Manichaeism in De vera religione

Abstract

Augustine's work On True Religion, De religione, reflects a wide variety of influences, Manichaean, Platonist, Classical, Biblical and early Christian. Accordingly, its intended purpose can be judged as rather complex. That it can, among others, also be considered an anti-Manichaean work is generally accepted and confirmed by Augustine himself, both in De religione itself and in Retractationes. This chapter proposes a number of main topics developed in work which suggest a very close engagement with Manichaeism in it. For example, echoing authentic Manichaean sources (the North African Epistula Fundamenti and a passage in Cologne Mani Codex), Augustine presents, or rather, mis-represents, Manichaeism as a doctrine teaching two substances pitched against each other as quasi two opposing metaphysical principles. A further Manichaean reference is address to dedicatee of work, Romanianus, who seems to have remained a Manichaean after Augustine converted to Orthodoxy. Then, finally, there is use of two important Manichaean concepts, the way and (or indeed vera religio), as key concepts of work - vera religio even appearing in title. These two concepts are usually interpreted as generic early Christian concepts. The present chapter, however, argues that Augustine employs them here with very specific Manichaean connotations. Put together, findings of this chapter suggest that original intention and purpose of De religione was perhaps more single-mindedly anti-Manichaean than is usually considered.