Augustinus preekt in Carthago op het feest van ’s Heren geboorte. De authenticiteit van sermo 369

Abstract

Questions concerning the true authorship of sermon 369 began to be raised from the 16th century onwards. The author seeks to prove the sermon’s authenticity as a work truly emanating from the pen of Augustine himself. His argument is based on the internal evidence of the actual text; internal textual criticism. Earlier attempts by Wilmart, Lambot and Perler to prove the authenticity of the Augustinian authorship were all based on circumstantial evidence and, as such, are all examples of external textual criticism. The subject matter of the text is linked, in several ways, to the history of the liturgy. The homiliaria and, more widely, the manuscript tradition, appear to be of vital importance in determining the author’s authenticity. The methodology involved in this research serves, more generally, both as an illustration of certain key elements: Biblical quotations, terminology, themes, as well as a demonstration of the proper approach to all sermons whose provenance has been called into question.