Beautiful Bodies: Augustine, Nunc et Tunc
Margaret R. Miles
Cascade Books, 152 pages
Published May 28, 2024
Philosopher and theologian Augustine has not only been of interest to Christian theologians but to numerous intellectuals outside of Christianity as well. He is one of the few theologians who has name recognition outside churches and seminary campuses. Consequently, one does not have to look far to find an opinion regarding Augustine’s work, regardless of whether that opinion is well-informed. Amidst all the written material regarding Augustine, historical theologian Margaret Miles offers a thought-provoking voice that is worth considering.
Beautiful Bodies offers an interpretation that prioritizes the older Augustine of his sermons rather than the younger Augustine of the Confessions, tracing his path from a young man who valued reason above all else to an older man who prized the emotional feeling of the human self. In Miles’ telling, Augustine’s career culminated in an attempt, through his sermons, to convince people of the truth of the gospel through their emotions. For Augustine, emotions and memories are intertwined with our embodied natures. Many scholars have suggested that the elder Augustine’s mental faculties had weakened resulting in sermons at odds with the younger Augustine’s writings. Miles counters that Augustine is not more inconsistent in old age, but a better integrated individual. Rather than seeing Augustine’s life as one falling into intellectual decline, Miles offers a narrative of continual maturation. Consequently, doctrine is not a purely intellectual exercise seeking systematic coherence, but a more inspirational one that gives meaning and direction to one’s life.
Miles analyzes Augustine’s doctrinal development, applying her framework to potential inconsistencies in Augustine’s later years. For example, Augustine’s concern in his old age about the doctrine of predestination and how it might square with his insistence on God as a loving God (most brilliantly on display in his sermons) poses, in Miles’ view, an intellectual inconsistency. However, if we consider Augustine as concerned more with how doctrine interacts with the whole self (rather than purely the intellect), then we must approach these two positions through how they operate within the Christian life. Therefore, Miles suggests that predestination, for Augustine, leads to humility; no Christian can boast in their own works or righteousness but must attribute their salvation wholly to God or risk the sin of pride. Additionally, God’s salvific work is undertaken during our rebellion, evidence of a loving God. This is evident in Augustine’s self-reflection, famously documented in his Confessions where God calls to him even during his youthful sinfulness. For Miles, the intellectual inconsistency is displaced by an emotional synthesis.
I am left wondering about the force of this little book. It is thought-provoking. I am glad I read it. However, Augustine seems elusive rather than present to me when reading Miles. She reflects at length on Augustine “by himself,” or what a modern person might consider the private self. This is warranted. Any analysis of a long-dead person (and even people still alive!) involves a healthy bit of speculation as to who they were beyond their public presentation. Yet I remain unsure of who Augustine was. Maybe the intellectual contradictions still gnaw at me. Or perhaps reading this book by itself, rather than alongside Augustine’s sermons and other works is preferable. I do not doubt Miles’ effort here could enliven the words we have from Augustine of Hippo; however elusive he remains.
Presbyterian Outlook supports local bookstores. Join us! Click on the link below to purchase Beautiful Bodies from BookShop, an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. As an affiliate, Outlook will also earn a commission from your purchase.
Want to join our monthly newsletter for book lovers? Sign up here.
