Die Macht der Weisheit: Das Bild des Bischofs in der Vita Augustini des Possidius und anderen spatantiken und fruhmittelalterlichen Bischofsviten (review)

This dissertation completed at the Freie Universität Berlin (Fachbereich Philosophie und Geisteswissenschaften, 2000) deals with the place of bishops' biographies within the broader framework of Christian hagiography from the second to the ninth centuries. In this schema Possidius' Vita Augustini occupies a central position in defining the form. The book is so structured that Augustine's biography stands at the center. Before Possidius there are the Vita et Passio Cypriani of Pontius, the Vita Martini of Sulpicius Severus and the Vita Ambrosii of Paulinus of Milan. After Possidius there are the Vita Epiphanii of Ennodius of Pavia, the Vita Caesarii Arelatensis and the Vita Fulgentii of Ferrandus. Presenting the reader with much valuable information and analysis, Elm investigates each of these episcopal biographies individually in detail.

The determining model is a multifaceted motif grounded in classical as well as Christian tradition. Especially significant for Elm are philosophical biographies like those of Philostratus, Porphyry, and Iamblichus. Here aretology, namely miraculous deeds, are not a constitutive element and so the wise man above all emerges as the central character of the biography. This holy man or divine sage is an ascetic as well as a philosopher. Indeed, his asceticism is a sign and consequence of his wisdom. The bishop as minister of the sacraments also adds an institutional element whereby the earthy and the heavenly, the human and the divine are joined. This wisdom in both Hellenistic philosophical biographies and in Christian episcopal biographies is evident from the birth or at least from the childhood of the subject of the biography. In the earlier bishops' biographies, that is, in those before Possidius, Elm finds a tension between asceticism and episcopal office. Christian charity and humility need to enter as a central aspect of the bishop's life, yet the bishop bears the burden of ecclesial office.

In much the same way there exists a tension in the literary models themselves. On the one hand, there is philosophical biography of the ascetic wise man. On the other hand, there is the imperial biography of the capable political ruler and civil administrator. Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars is the best example of this form, which stands in the tradition of elegies and funeral orations. For example, in Paulinus' biography of Ambrose, power takes precedence over wisdom. Miracles play an extraordinarily significant role with Ambrose being the miracle worker.

In episcopal biographies written after Possidius, the situation changes dramatically during the fourth and fifth centuries. The episcopacy has become more aristocratic, the bishop's function more social, and his leadership more political. The influence of the Hellenistic philosophical biography and the example of the wise man under the influence of classical paideia are now greatly diminished as the institutional aspect of episcopal authority comes to foreground.

Finally, in the early Middle Ages, namely from the sixth to the ninth centuries, generalizations concerning episcopal biographies become impossible while regional differences are especially apparent. Nevertheless, the holiness of the bishop remains the ideal which is above all defined by his office.

Elm deals with various specific issues surrounding Possidius' Vita Augustini. When one compares Possidius' biography to Augustine's own autobiography in the Confessions, one is struck by apparent contradictions. Thus, many scholars have dismissed Possidius' biography as mediocre and pedestrian. Some have even considered it Possidius' corrective vis-à-vis the Confessions intending to present a more flattering picture of Augustine as bishop, monk, and founder of a religious community. Elm opts for a very convincing literary solution to the problem. Utilizing the form of Possidius indicates that Augustine was wise, ascetic, and virtuous from childhood, indeed, as all Christian bishops are in the tradition of...