Augustine's citations and text of the Gospel according to John

666 Pages·2007·2.68 MB·English

by  Hugh Houghton

AUGUSTINE'S CITATIONS AND TEXT OF
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN
by
HUGH ALEXANDER GERVASE HOUGHTON
A thesis submitted to
The University of Birmingham
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Theology and Religion
School of Historical Studies
The University of Birmingham
July 2006
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Please note that a revised and expanded version
of this thesis has been published as:

H.A.G. Houghton, Augustine's Text of John.
Patristic Citations and Latin Gospel Manuscripts.
(Oxford Early Christian Studies).
Oxford University Press, 2008.
ISBN 978-0-19-954592-6.

It is also available in Oxford Scholarship Online
http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/public/content/
religion/9780199545926/toc.html

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at http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/
citations should, if possible,
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Abstract
This study assesses Augustine's worth as a witness to the text of the Bible and
evaluates his evidence for the Gospel according to John. The full collection of
citations is presented in the Appendix. In the analysis a distinction is proposed
between primary citations, which Augustine makes with reference to a scriptural
codex, for example when preaching, and secondary citations, for which this cannot
be demonstrated. The latter constitute the majority and often correspond to his
mental text, a consistent form of a verse showing characteristic alterations
attributable to memory. In polemical works, Augustine displays a different form of
text which he has normally adopted from his opponents. Such variations in the
biblical text suggest that the citations have been transmitted accurately, without
interference by copyists. Augustine's text of John demonstrates the continuity in
the Latin Bible between Old Latin versions and Jerome's Vulgate. Most of the non-
Vulgate renderings in Augustine's citations are paralleled in one or more Old Latin
witnesses, which suggests that the Old Latin texts known today are a representative
selection. Nonetheless, his primary affiliation is with the Vulgate, which even comes
to permeate citations made from memory in later works.
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To the Diocese of Birmingham
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Acknowledgements
Just when I thought I had finished my academic career in order to enter into ordained
ministry came the invitation to join the team working on the Vetus Latina edition of the
Gospel according to John and to undertake the research which has led to this thesis. I am
very grateful to those who made it possible to accept this call, especially Bishop Mark Santer
and Canon Marlene Parsons, and in recognition I dedicate this study to the Diocese of
Birmingham. I should also express my particular thanks to the Reverend Michael Castle and
the people of St Gabriel, Weoley Castle, for their support during the last three years.
Returning to research has been a joy, principally for the pleasure of working with such a
friendly and dedicated team of colleagues. Chief among them are Professor David Parker and
Dr Philip Burton who supervised this research. I am grateful to them not just for their
benevolent oversight, but also for their considerable generosity in offering me so many
opportunities in the academic field. They have shared their time and knowledge, lent me
hard-to-find books, and been patient with my inexperience and over-confidence. I would like
to thank the many other scholars involved in the International Greek New Testament Project
edition of the Gospel according to John for their friendship and advice, especially Dr Jon
Balserak and Dr Roderic Mullen who also lent me books and papers. Professor David Wright
kindly allowed me to borrow his microfilms of some of the manuscripts of the Tractatus in
Iohannis euangelium and gave me offprints of his articles. Others have also shared their
research or expertise, including Verity Allan, Dr Mark Goodacre, Dr Hildegund Müller and Dr
Catherine Smith. In addition, I thank the librarians whom I have encountered during the
course of this research, and acknowledge the generous financial support of the Arts and
Humanities Research Council.
My family remains a constant and reliable source of encouragement and critical advice. It is a
pleasure once more to express my gratitude to them for many years of love and support,
shown in so many ways. It is an even greater delight to be able to include among their
number my beloved wife Josephine, who has both provided a welcome distraction from this
thesis and made its completion possible.
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Contents
Chapter One: The collection of biblical citations
1.1 Opening 1
1.2 Patristic citations and the Old Latin Bible: review of previous work 3
1.3 Methodology and principles of this collection 13
1.4 Presentation of citations 19
1.4.1 Additional material: manuscript readings 20
1.4.2 Additional material: introductions 22
1.5 Identification of citations and questions of accuracy 23
1.5.1 Classification of citations 27
1.6 Conclusion 36
Chapter Two: Augustine and the Bible
2.1 Introduction 38
2.2 Augustine's biblical education 39
2.2.1 Augustine's library and scriptorium 45
2.2.2 Knowledge of languages 47
2.3 Augustine, Jerome and the Latin Bible 52
2.3.1 Jerome and the Vulgate 54
2.3.2 The correspondence of Augustine and Jerome and the
Latin Old Testament 57
2.3.3 Augustine, the Vulgate and the Itala 60
2.3.4 Augustine as biblical reviser? 64
2.4 Use of the Bible in public and private 67
2.4.1 The Bible in liturgy 68
2.4.2 Stenographers in the early Church 74
2.4.3 Use of the Bible in public debates 78
2.4.4 The readership of the Bible 80
2.4.5 Augustine's methods of composition 82
2.5 Augustine's attitude to Scripture 84
2.5.1 Introductions and scriptural references 86
2.5.2 The canon of Scripture 91
2.5.3 Textual variance 93
2.5.4 Citation context and exposition 96
2.5.5 Internal parallels and biblical "chains" 100
2.6 Augustine's "mental text" of the Bible 105
2.6.1 "Flattening" 106
2.6.2 Conflations 109
2.7 Conclusion 111
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Chapter Three: Characteristics of Augustine's text of
John in each work
3.1 Introduction 113
3.1.1 Old Latin manuscripts of John 115
3.2 Primary sources (1):
Tractatus in Iohannis euangelium (AUJo) 406-7, 418-422 118
3.2.1 AUJo: the text of the commentary
(continuous text and sequential variants) 123
3.2.2 AUJo: non-sequential citations and titles 133
3.2.3 Readings of individual tractates:
AUJo 7, 30, 42, 49, 61, 112-114. 137
3.3 Primary sources (2) 152
3.3.1 De consensu euangelistarum (AUEv) 403/4 152
3.3.2 Speculum quis ignorat (AUspe) 427/8 162
3.3.3 Sermones 117-147A 165
3.3.4 Other sermons with Johannine lections 176
3.3.5 Enarrationes in Psalmos (AUPs) 394-422 183
3.4 Secondary sources 189
3.4.1 Early works 190
3.4.1.1 De diuersis quaestionibus (AUq) 388/397 191
3.4.1.2 De uera religione (AUrel) 390 195
3.4.1.3 De sermone domini in monte (AUs dni) 392/7 195
3.4.1.4 De mendacio (AUmen) 395 196
3.4.1.5 Confessiones (AUcf) 397-403 196
3.4.1.6 De doctrina christiana (AUdo) 397, 426 197
3.4.2 De trinitate (AUtri) 400-3, 411-422 197
3.4.3 Middle period works and commentaries 203
3.4.3.1 Adnotationes in Iob (AUJb) 400/5? 204
3.4.3.2 De baptismo (AUba) 404 205
3.4.3.3 In epistolam Iohannis ad Parthos tractatus decem (AU1Jo) 407 206
3.4.3.4 De peccatorum meritis et remissione et de baptismo
paruulorum (AUpec) 411/2 207
3.4.3.5 De Genesi ad litteram (AUGn li) 404/5, 412/4 209
3.4.4 Later theological works 209
3.4.4.1 De ciuitate dei (AUci) 412-426/7 210
3.4.4.2 Quaestiones in Heptateuchum 419 211
3.4.4.3 De gratia et libero arbitrio (AUgr) 426;
De correptione et gratia (AUcorr) 426/7 211
3.4.4.4 Retractationes (AUre) 427 212
3.4.4.5 De dono perseuerantiae (AUpers) and
De praedestinatione sanctorum (AUprae) post 429 212
3.4.5 Collections 214
3.4.5.1 Sermons 214
3.4.5.2 Letters 218
3.5 Conclusion 220
Appendix to Chapter Three:
Distinctive Vulgate readings in John from Matzkow-Jülicher-Aland 224
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Chapter Four: The text of John in Augustine's polemical
works
4.1 Introduction 232
4.1.1 Augustine and sectarian translations 234
4.2 The text of John in works against the Arians 238
4.2.1 Contra sermonem Arrianorum (AUAr) 419 and the
Sermo Arrianorum 238
4.2.2 Collatio cum Maximino (AUMax co) and
Contra Maximinum (AUMax) 428/9 241
4.3 The text of John in works against the Manichees 246
4.3.1 Contra Fortunatum Manichaeum (AUFo) 392 252
4.3.2 Contra Adimantum (AUAd) 394 254
4.3.3 Contra Faustum Manichaeum (AUFau) 400/2 256
4.3.4 Contra Felicem Manichaeum (AUFel) 404 261
4.4 The text of John in works against the Donatists 263
4.4.1 Contra litteras Petiliani (AUPet) 400-5 267
4.4.2 Contra epistulam Parmeniani (AUPar) 403/4 269
4.4.3 Contra Gaudentium donatistarum episcopum (AUGau) 418/9 271
4.5 The text of John in works against the Pelagians 273
4.5.1 Contra Iulianum (AUJul) 421/2; Contra secundum Iuliani
responsionem imperfectum opus (AUJul im) 428-9 274
4.6 The text of John in other authors cited by Augustine 278
4.6.1 De natura et origine animae (AUan) 419/420 278
4.6.2 Contra aduersarium legis et prophetarum (AUleg) 420 280
4.6.3 Catholic sources 281
4.7 Conclusion 282
Chapter Five: Augustine's readings in John: contributions
to textual criticism
5.1 Introduction 285
5.2 A textual commentary on selected readings of Augustine in John 287
5.2.1 Old Testament citations in John 368
5.3 Augustine and textual traditions 371
5.3.1 Old Latin readings unique to Augustine 371
5.3.2 Augustine as early witness to the Vulgate 375
5.3.3 Diatessaronic readings 380
5.3.4 Augustine's significance for the Greek text 384
5.3.5 Additional material and unusual readings 386
5.3.6 Characteristics of possible alteration to the biblical text
by Augustine 389
5.3.7 Did Augustine revise the text of John? 394
5.4 Conclusion 401
Conclusion
Summary 404
Avenues for further research 407
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Appendix: Complete listing of all citations of John
in the works of Augustine
List of abbreviations and editions used 410
Conversion table for the Sermones Dolbeau 417
Appendix 418
Bibliography
1. Reference works and editions 657
2. Secondary literature 659
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