La prédestination et la justification dans les sermons 158 et 159

Abstract

The present article deals with the argumentative structures of sermons 158-159. Augustine preached these two sermons on two consecutive days in front of more or less the same audience. Moreover, both sermons treat more or less the same themes, viz. the themes of justification and the evolution towards perfect justice and, to a lesser degree, the theme of predestination. We believe that Augustine must have had another reason to pronounce two sermons so much alike on two consecutive days than just a feeling that it was necessary to continue on the same subject. That is why we try to discover the differences between both sermons that could explain their existence, by comparing their argumentative structures. We found that there are differences between their structuring principles (the biblical lecture [s. 158] versus the content of the previous sermon [s. 159]) and between the perspective from which they are pronounced (the desire to give hope [s. 158] versus the desire to encourage modesty [s. 159]). The difference in perspective can be deemed an additional reason why Augustine decided to treat a similar theme on two consecutive days: after having received hope through sermon 158, the audience perhaps felt too reassured; that is why Augustine has to remind them, through sermon 159, of the fact that there is still a long way to go to perfection.