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This volume is an investigation of how Augustine was received in the Carolingian period, and the elements of his thought which had an impact on Carolingian ideas of ‘state’, rulership and ethics. It focuses on Alcuin of York and Hincmar of Rheims, authors and political advisers to Charlemagne and to Charles the Bald, respectively. It examines how they used Augustinian political thought and ethics, as manifested in the De Civitate Dei, to give more weight to their advice. A comparative approach sheds light on the differences between Charlemagne’s reign and that of his grandson. It scrutinizes Alcuin and Hincmar’s discussions of empire, rulership and the moral conduct of political agents during which both drew on the De Civitate Dei, although each came away with a different understanding. By means of a philological-historical approach, the book offers a deeper reading and treats the Latin texts as political discourses defined by content and language.
Tables
Note on the Text
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
I. Augustine of Hippo
Influences on the ‘De Civitate Dei’
Augustine’s Stance on Worldly Rule and His Assessment of Politically Organised Communities in the ‘De Civitate Dei’
Concepts of Augustinian Political Thought
Dispensatio
Felix/Felicitas and Beatus/Beatitudo
Iustitia and Pax
II. Alcuin of York
Alcuin’s Direct Use of Augustine in the ‘Epistolae’Alcuin’s Indirect Use of Augustine: His Stance on Worldly Rule and Recourse to Augustine’s Terminology
III. Hincmar of Rheims
Hincmar’s Direct Use of Augustine in the ‘Epistolae’
Hincmar’s Indirect Use of Augustine: His ‘Expositiones ad Carolum Regem’ and ‘De Regis Persona et Regio Ministerio’
Conclusion
Carolingian Political Thought c. 800–c. 900
Alcuin’s and Hincmar’s Uses of Augustine in the Light of Changing ‘State-Church’ Relations
Index
