Preacher of Grace

"Throughout the centuries, Augustine of Hippo (354-430) has become known as the 'doctor of grace'. He developed his theory of divine grace mainly in his systematic treatises directed against the Pelagians (ca. 411-430). Did he however also preach about this complex, and at first sight 'demoralizing', issue in his sermons to the people? In his previous book (Gratia in Augustine's Sermones ad Populum During the Pelagian Controversy), Anthony Dupont studied the profile of the treatment of gratia in the anti-Pelagian sermones ad populum. In Preacher of Grace, Dupont offers an account of the presence of the themes of grace in Augustine's sermones not situated in the Pelagian controversy. He first studies sermons preached on important liturgical feasts, which belong to the (non-polemical) pastoral preaching genre. They are distributed throughout the 40 years of Augustine's preaching activity, and are Christological in content and moralizing in intention. Secondly, he examines sermons situated within the course of the Donatist controversy, preceding the anti-Pelagian sermons chronologically and differing from them in terms of content. This research provides a global picture of the presence and treatment of gratia in Augustine's sermones and clarifies the interaction between context, audience, and preaching genre on the one hand, and the theme of grace as a whole on the other. It also contributes to the debate on (dis)continuity in Augustine's thought on grace."--Back cover.