Petrarch and St. Augustine: Classical Scholarship, Christian Theology and the Origins of the Renaissance in Italy

Description

Despite the high regard in which Francesco Petrarca (1304-74) held St. Augustine, scholars have been inclined to view Augustine's impact on the content of Petrarch's thought rather lightly. Wedded to the ancient classics, and prioritising literary imitation over intellectual coherence, Petrarch is commonly thought to have made inconsistent use of St. Augustine's works. Adopting an entirely fresh approach, however, this book argues that Augustine's early writings consistently provided Petrarch with the conceptual foundations of his approach to moral questions, and with a model for integrating classical precepts into a coherent Christian framework. As a result, this book offers a challenging re-interpretation of Petrarch's humanism, and offers a provocative new interpretation of his role in the development of Italian humanism. Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 I. A Question of Attribution 31 II. Stoicism and 'Augustinianism' in the 'Secretum' 63 III. All in the Mind: 'Otium' in the 'De Otio Religioso' 113 IV. The Hidden Life of Solitude 159 V. The Holy Passion of Friendship 229 VI. Eloquence and Philosophy 277 Epilogue 351 Bibliography 357 Index 375