From pagan to Christian oracle. Divination in Christian daily life in the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Andreas Hoffmann
• Subject Area: Roman Catholic Theology
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 323295293

This research project will examine the different kinds of divination that occur in Christian daily life at the time of Augustine. In Greek-Roman antiquity divination was a widespread phenomenon both in public and in private life. It was used to interpret the signs which gods or deities give spontaneously or through an oracle after being asked specific questions and which are taken as guidance in decisionmaking, during problematic times and crises. Since it is deeply rooted in polytheism and belief in demons the Ancient Church in principle rejected divination and the Christian emperors passed laws against it. But nonetheless divination still played a role in the life of individual Christians and was even sometimes accepted in a slightly modified form by the church. Augustine of Hippo is an important witness to this sophisticated process of its reception. Based upon his writings, especially the homilies and letters, this project will show that divination was very much alive and practiced both in the society Christians lived in and in their daily life. The project is centered around three main lines of questioning: 1. Which kinds of pagan divination still existed at the time of Augustine? 2. How are these practices judged by theologians and ecclesiastical policy-makers (i. e. bishops, synods, councils) and in what way(s) did Christians practice them both inside and outside of ecclesiastical norms? 3. Which kinds of divinatory practices were received positively by the church, how were they modified and theologically legitimized and for which aspects of (Christian) life did they hold relevance? This research project will therefore fill a void in the field of Augustine-related research. Because of its focus on individual everyday religious practice it will furthermore be able to provide further contributions to the ongoing academic discourses on the individualization of religious practices, lived ancient religion and construction of individual identities in Late Antiquity. Thus the project both confirms and broadens the model of a plural identity (Markschies) of ancient Christianity. Lastly the project will contribute a still missing chapter to the history of divinatory practices: about divination during Christian Late Antiquity in the Western part of the Roman Empire.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants