Das bild des inmanissimus mons in Augustins Frühschrift De beata vita

Abstract

In 386, shortly after his conversion, Augustine gave up his post as professor of rhetoric at Milan to devote himself, together with a group of relatives, friends and students, to the otium philosophandi in Cassiciacum. There, together with his familia, he deals with questions of classical philosophy. The discussions that Augustine led at this time formed the basis for the Dialogues of Cassiciacum Contra Academicos, De beata vita, and De ordine, which had just taken place thereafter. In the introduction of De beata vita, which is dedicated to Theodorus, Augustine compares the human life with a stormy sea. The salvation of man is the port of philosophy, from where one reaches the mainland of the beata vita. The metaphor is very detailed. A central spot in the entire picture is dominated by the inmanissimus mons, which is located in front of the harbor and presents a great danger to sailors. There is no clear interpretation of this passage in the secondary literature. The aim of the present text is to propose in parallel reading of two passages from Confessiones with De beata vita to explain the image of the huge mountain as a metaphor for Neoplatonism.