Augustine, John, and the Donatists: Reflections on the African Context, Biblical Interpretation, and Ecclesiological Polemics

This project examines two major contributing factors to the genesis and development of Augustine’s reception of John in the earliest of the Tractatus in Evangelium Iohannis. First, it traces the ‘pre-Augustinian’ readings of John’s Gospel in North Africa, in particular among Donatist theologians and homilists (ca.311-411 A.D.). How did Augustine interact with this external influence when he began his exegesis of John in ca. 405/7 A.D.? Second, it considers how Augustine’s prior commitment to a Pauline worldview may have shaped his own reading at that time. In what ways did the Apostle’s theology contribute to Augustine’s implementation of a pastoral approach based on John? Thus, we evaluate Augustine’s earliest Tractates on John in light of a dual-influence: 1.) the regional pressures of Donatism in North Africa; and 2.) Augustine’s own effort to preserve biblical harmony. The result will contribute an historical, theological and text-critical appraisal of the sixteen Tractates on John as a continuous whole.