Augustine. His Thought in Context by T. Kermit Scott (review)

BOOK REVIEWS749 transept, which is present in a dozen Cüician churches. Its purpose, the author maintains,was to provide access to the eastern passage, and since the latter was a local feature, it follows that the transept, too, was not imported from elsewhere , but developed on the spot. Finally, there is the old problem of the origin of the domed basilica, represented here by at least two examples (the "Cupola Church" at Meryemlik and Dag Pazan). It has usuaUy been assumed that the domed basilica, representing as it does the crowning achievement of early Byzantine architecture, was invented in some major center, but at Constantinople it appears only in the sixth century. If the CUician examples are earlier, is it not possible to suggest that they exhibit the first experiments in the development of that particular form? Two other considerations are relevant. First, it is established that Isaurians had in antiquity a reputation as skLUed masons. Second, the most likely period for a major building program in those parts is the reign of the emperor Zeno (474-491), himself an Isaurian.After the bloody suppression of the Isaurians by the next emperor, Anastasius, the province probably declined, and Justinian is not recorded as having initiated much building, except for a few bridges in Cilicia. Dr. Hill has presented a well-argued case for considering Cilicia/Isauria a creative architectural center in the last quarter of the fifth century, even if occasionally (notably forAlahan) he seems to be pushing the evidence a little too far. His book will certainly remain an indispensable work of reference for some time to come. My only complaint concerns the poor photographic reproductions , some reduced to the size of a postage stamp.They give a very inadequate impression of the quality of the monuments. Cyril Mango Exeter College, Oxford Augustine. His Thought in Context. By T. Kermit Scott. (Mahwah, New Jersey: PauUst Press. 1995. Pp. iv, 253. $14.95.) Kermit Scott, a professor of philosophy in Purdue University, has written this general introduction to the thought ofAugustine.The subtitle points to the first major section: Augustine's world. He sketches a grim picture of the late Roman Empire, not an unjust one, but one that relies heavily on The Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World of de Sainte-Croix. In Scott's view,Augustine, without intending to, offered the perfect ideology for sustaining the class structure of this cruel world. The lengthy second section, "The Search for God," affords the author the opportunity to proceed through a biographically structured account of Augustine 's quest as recounted in the Confessions. First there was the basic CathoUc worldview absorbed from Monica, then the flirtation with Manichaeism, the en- 750BOOK REVIEWS counter with the Christian Platonists of Milan, and ultimately the reversion to a more sophisticated form ofhis childhood beUefs. Each ofthese stages is labeled a "myth." The final "imperial myth" seems to boil down to the belief in an omnipotent God to whom all must be subject. This in turn is what upholds the social status quo of power and submission throughout most of subsequent history. The final section selects some ofAugustine's teachings which are deemed to be central. Predestination is discussed at length. The author goes on to show that the non-philosophically based ideas of the faU and original sin complete the circle of human impotence.We cannot even begin to save ourselves without God's grace. Scott concludes that while Augustine's system is admirably consistent, the ultimate flaw comes down to the question of why there was a faU in the first place, whether it be angelic or human. WhUe there are a few factual errors, e.g., Nebridius never became a bishop but probably died even before Augustine was ordained a priest (p. 88),the work offers a clear presentation of some ofAugustine's principal lines ofthought.The author acknowledges that there are many areas ofAugustine's thought that he does not take into consideration. I think, however, that these unavoidable omissions in the end detract from the book. In his conclusion, he speaks of the "atomistic souls" ofAugustine's thought which have given rise to western individuaUsm .A consideration...