Images and Themes Related to Augustine in Late Medieval Sermons

Abstract

Sermons as a medieval source are myriad and the appearance of Augustine in late medieval sermons is widespread. This chapter provides a sampling from sermons and pastoral material from the late Middle Ages, that is the thirteenth to the end of the fifteenth centuries, and in doing so throws a spotlight on some trends in the pastoral portrayals of Augustine. The chapter mainly focuses on how a cross section of preachers shaped aspects of the medieval view of Augustine. It is broad in its analysis of anonymous sermons delivered in far-flung parishes to a diverse audience consisting greatly of the laity. The chapter considers how images of Augustine as a historical figure were mediated to the wider world through the sermones de sanctis . Augustine's weeping and anxiety at the point of his conversion in the Confessions invited preachers to use him as an example of the contrite sinner. Keywords:Augustine; Confessions ; laity; late medieval sermons; pastoral portrayal; preacher; sermones de sanctis