During Augustine’s early years in ministry, he promoted the idea of using the pen
rather than the sword when it comes to converting those who were not Christians.
However, during the Donatist Controversy, Augustine advocated the use of violence to
convince the Donatists to return to the Catholic fold. This dissertation argues that disgust
played a crucial role in Augustine’s change of heart. Emotions play a huge part in an
individual’s decision-making process. Studies on disgust discuss its role in interpersonal
conflict and in religious violence. The dehumanizing language present in Augustine’s
letters when he describes the Donatists helps create an atmosphere where disgust’s strong
presence can be felt. The question of purity became an important question since both
groups argued that they were the “true, pure Church.” Both groups traced their spiritual
lineage to Cyprian as proof that they belonged to the true African Church. By examining
Augustine’s Letters, one can see the shift in tone and characterization of the Donatists by
Augustine. Over the years, the disgust felt by Augustine led to a shift in his attitude,
leading him to sanction the use of violence against the Donatists. Initially, the role of disgust was to prevent humans from coming into contact with harmful pathogens. As a
result, humans developed a strong revulsion against harmful substances in order to
protect themselves from harm. While disgust has this physical component, it also has a
sociomoral component where it manifests itself against disgusting stimulus. Within this
schema, anything that it deems as a moral transgression, especially as it involves question
of purity, is considered as a stimulus to be avoided and rejected strongly and vehemently.
While it poses no problem for a human to avoid what it deems as a disgusting stimulus
such as a cockroach, it does pose a problem when another human being is seen and
labelled as a cockroach. Disgust has the power to “other” human beings and creates a
very strong us-vs-them mentality. Once this us-vs-them mentality is enforced, it is only
natural to label another group as a “cockroach” and kill them as such. In examining
Augustine’s relationship with the Donatists, it is important to acknowledge disgust’s role
in this particular theological and historical event. This dissertation will conclude with a
contemporary application of disgust in modern theological controversies, especially as it
relates to homosexuality and the role of women in leadership. Disgust’s ability to elicit
such a strong and violent response in humans is a reminder of the strength of emotions to
govern our actions. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/29569 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Sudiacal, Sid D. |
| Contributors | Heath, Gordon L., Studebaker, Steven M., Christian Theology |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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