Author
Sanzo; Joseph E.
Year
2024
Publisher
University of California Press
Language
English
Pages
25
ISBN
978-0-52039-919-8
Last Update
12-Oct-2025
Keywords
Religion ; History ; Classical Studies
At the turn of the fifth century CE, Augustine of Hippo (354–430 CE) delivered a sermon on John 1:34–51, the seventh in his homiletical series on the fourth gospel.¹ In this sermon, the bishop of Hippo directed his ire against a now unknown local blood festival that had apparently piqued the interest of some of his North African congregants.² Augustine responded in kind to this ostensible threat to Christian purity, constructing a complex argument that highlighted through various examples the demonically inspired tactic of blending heathenism with Christianity. Among the examples he noted was the deceptive use of...
