The Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine

Book excerpt: The Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine (OGHRA) is a ground-breaking international and interdisciplinary enterprise on the impact of the thought and work of Augustine of Hippo (AD 354 - 430). Arguably the most influential early Christian thinker in the Western part of the Roman Empire, Augustine's impact has reached further than the religious domain and he has become a veritable icon of western culture. The OGHRA maps this influence not just in theology, his traditional area of prominence, but far beyond, taking into account fields such as political theory, ethics, music, education, semiotics, literature, philosophy, psychology, religion, and popular culture. A detailed introduction offers chapter-length discussions and syntheses of the general characteristics of Augustine's reception in various periods, as well as of specific themes as wide-ranging as Islam and gender. The OGHRA then surveys the material transmission and intellectual reception of almost all of Augustine's extant works, documented in the light of recent research. The largest part of the volumes comprises around 600 entries which describe, analyse, and evaluate Augustine's influence on a broad variety of key figures and themes through the ages, including material that has never been taken into scholarly consideration before. Edited by Karla Pollmann (Editor-in-Chief), in collaboration with Willemien Otten (Editor) and twenty co-editors, the OGHRA contains high quality scholarship from over 400 international experts. Offering precise information, with references to both primary and secondary sources, this solid reference work is unique in the breadth of material covered. It aims to survey the legacy of Augustine and make it available both to specialists and readers from other fields who may be unfamiliar with the scope of his impact.